Google Jamboard vs Miro – a comparison to help you choose which one you need
13/12/2022
Update - Google Jamboards will be winding down in 2024 and you will not be able to create new Jamboards or edit exisiting ones after 1st October 2024. Make the most of them until then and set some time aside to find your alternative whiteboard platform (I'd recommend Miro)
Online whiteboards are a fantastic tool to support virtual workshops, courses and meetings.
(If you don’t know what they are then you can read more about them in “What is an online whiteboard?”)
But with so many of them out there it can be hard to choose which one might be right for you. I did a huge recon job a few years back that led me to using Miro, which I have to say I absolutely love, but it doesn’t mean I’d recommend it as the first stop for everyone – that’s where Google Jamboard comes in.
Whilst these are the two I recommend and they might look similar enough on the surface, they are actually pretty different underneath – and sometimes you may not realise this until it’s too late.
In this post I’m going to lay out some of the main things I think you need to know and consider when choosing which whiteboard tool to use.
I figured a good old comparison table would be the easiest way to see them and I’ve added a column about which one I think wins in each category.
Check out my final thoughts after the table too which might help you choose.
| Topic | Google Jamboard | Miro | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where to find it | Within your google account – click on the nine dots and scroll down to it! | Miro | n/a |
| Cost | Free in your google account |
Free version allow guest viewers and three editable boards. Paid version needed for guest editors. Starter plan from $10 per month (paid monthly) |
Jamboard |
| Ease of use |
Easy to use for first timers (as host and as participant) |
Fairly easy to use the basic tools, but more learning curve for the vast array of things it can do! |
Jamboard |
| Tools available | Pen, eraser, select, post it, images, shapes, text, spotlight (all basic in terms of shapes, colours and use) |
Pen, select, post it, images, shapes, text, connectors, tables, comments, emojis, google images, mindmaps, youtube links – the list goes on! |
Miro |
| Advance tools | None |
Voting, timers, chat, video, loads of other in the list to choose from. |
Miro |
| Sharing after | Pages can easily be downloaded and shared as images |
You need to set ‘frames’ around each section you want to save as an image. Once set up you can easily download them. (A paid account is needed for better quality) |
Jamboard |
| Sharing the link | Click share and enable editing |
Click share and enable editing |
n/a |
| Board size |
Each page has a limited size. Can have up to 20 pages. |
Unlimited canvas so you can create your own ‘frames’ wherever you want. There is no limit that I’ve found. |
Miro |
| No of people who can access at one time |
25 / 50 depending on which article you read HOWEVER, as the board size is limited, it can only hold a certain amount of information. I’d suggest one board per 6-10 people depending on the activity. |
Unlimited |
Miro |
| Personal workspaces |
Can allocate a page per person |
Can set up a frame per person |
n/a |
| Ease of use for groups |
Can set up a page per group or separate Jamboards per group |
Can set up frames for each group. |
n/a |
| Amount of data you can add |
Due to the page size restriction there really is a limit to how much you can add to a single page. |
No limit |
Miro |
| Ability to move, group, copy etc |
You can move things around on a single page. You can copy a single item at a time. Very basic and would not recommend it for more than a place to hold things. |
Move, copy, align, duplicate, resize is all easy and can be done on multiple items at a time. Far superior at this. |
Miro |
| Ability for complexity |
Only suitable to basic tasks. |
Can do anything you want (in my eyes). Because it’s all in one place you can easily manipulate things and move them around. Make complexity seem easy. |
Miro |
| Templates |
You can set up your own boards as templates that you can copy to new boards when you want to use them. |
You can create your own custom templates and get access to loads of pre-made templates on all sorts of topics. |
Miro |
So which one would I recommend?
If you have participants who are completely new to whiteboards, think you need something super easy and are just capturing basic info -> Use Google Jamboard (unless you are already using Miro and then stick with that).
If you are wanting to gather lots of information, have lots of people in one board or want to be able to move, duplicate and further work on the information -> Use Miro (because you just can’t do it on a Jamboard)
Miro is my personal whiteboard of choice for everything and I’m barely scraping the surface of it’s functionality. I’ve seen and participated in some hugely inspiration sessions using it and am learning more and more every day.
But due to the reasons above, I do still use Google Jamboard when I’m working as a zoom producer with clients who’s participants need something a little more basic.
I want to try it out…
Let me make that easy for you then!
Want to try them both out as a participant? I’ve set some up that you can have a quick look at before you create your own. Find them at the Online Whiteboard Play Area
I still need help…
And if after all of that you would like further help then give me a shout. My Playdates could be used to show you how to use these tools, support you to set up your own or to co-create activities you can use within them. Drop me a message.
Have fun playing 😊
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