# Mural — Design

Mural by Tactivos, Inc. dba Mural holds a panel rating of 1.5/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 2/5), as of 2026-10-15. Provenance: Rest of world; sovereignty: not determined.

- Vendor: Tactivos, Inc. dba Mural (https://www.mural.co)
- Category: [Design](https://whats-best.ai/software/design.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): Rest of world
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/design/mural
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/design/mural/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/mural/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-10-20 · evaluated 2026-10-15 · oldest source captured 2026-10-01

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: Tactivos, Inc. dba Mural
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Data hosting: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Free plan: Yes, per the vendor’s own page [S2]

## The panel's verdict

Mural, a visual collaboration whiteboard from Tactivos, Inc. dba Mural of San Francisco, is strongest at collaboration and handoff, which scores a flat 4: comments attach to objects and move with them, tag collaborators by email or Slack, resolve into a sidebar, and visitors are included in every plan on expiring mural-specific links. It is weakest on sovereignty, scored 0, with the recorded attributes — legal entity jurisdiction, ownership, data residency and subprocessor exposure — all unknown. Design and prototyping scores 2 to 3: the documented toolkit is sticky notes, templates, drawing and diagramming, and the "collaborative prototyping" item is a facilitation template rather than clickable prototypes. Pricing transparency spans 1 to 3: the pricing page names the plan ladder — free, Team+, Business and Enterprise — with a free tier requiring no credit card, but we found no public price figures for any paid plan. Brand asset governance spans 2 to 4, the widest spread: templates, a content library and facilitator locking are documented, while the brand-assets page publishes Mural's own marks.

**Speaks for it:**
- Collaboration and handoff is the top-scoring criterion at 4, built on object-linked comments that move with their objects, tagging by email or Slack, and resolution with a resolved tab.
- Visitors are included in every plan and join a specific mural via an expiring link, so external reviewers need no paid seat.
- An Enterprise company admin can turn AI features on or off and enforce the setting across all workspaces or specific workspaces.
- Export is documented in five formats — PDF, PNG, PowerPoint of outline contents only, zipped HTML and data files, and CSV of sticky notes only — scoped to the whole mural, a selection or the outline.
- Facilitator locking can freeze individual or bulk objects with a choice of who may unlock them, including only facilitators.

**Held against it:**
- Sovereignty scored 0, with legal entity jurisdiction, ownership, data residency and subprocessor exposure all recorded as unknown and the contracting entity Tactivos, Inc. dba Mural of San Francisco.
- Design and prototyping scored 2 to 3 because the documented toolkit is workshop material — sticky notes, templates, drawing and diagramming — and the prototyping items are facilitation templates rather than clickable prototypes.
- We found no public price figures for any paid plan or for the Limited and Full Member tiers, so an annual cost cannot be computed; pricing transparency scored 1 to 3.
- We found no public information on whether customer content trains AI models, on the models or providers, on processing location or on commercial rights to generated output, and the captured pages give different figures for the Enterprise AI default.
- Export is flat output with download links expiring after five days, and we found no public information on a documented or layered file format or on what happens to files after a downgrade or cancellation.

**Best for:**
- You run workshops, retrospectives and design-thinking sessions and need a facilitation canvas with timers, voting, private mode and a facilitator lock, included in every plan.
- You review work with external stakeholders who should view and comment without a paid seat — visitors are included in every plan on expiring mural-specific links.
- Your organization wants centralized control of AI features — an Enterprise company admin can enforce the setting across all workspaces or delegate it per workspace.
- Your team works in Microsoft Teams or on Surface Hub and needs the board inside those apps.

**Avoid if:**
- You need a design tool with reusable components, shared styles, tokens or interactive prototypes — design and prototyping scored 2 to 3 and the documented features stop at templates, shapes and workshop artifacts.
- Your procurement must verify data residency, subprocessors or a European safeguard before signing — sovereignty scored 0 with those attributes recorded as unknown, and the contracting entity is Tactivos, Inc. dba Mural of San Francisco.
- You need a per-seat figure to budget — the pricing page publishes no price for any paid plan or for the Limited and Full Member tiers.
- You need AI terms in writing before enabling features — the pages document admin toggles only, AI features are on by default for Team+ and Business plans, and the captured pages give different figures for the Enterprise default.

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price.

| Criterion | The Product Designer | The Frontend Engineer | The Brand Marketer | The Agency Owner | The Data Protection Officer | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Design, prototyping & design systems | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1.5/5 | 1/5 |
| Collaboration, review & developer handoff | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Brand assets & governance | 1/5 | 1.5/5 | 2/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 |
| Files, formats & portability | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 |
| AI features & rights to the work | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1.5/5 |
| European sovereignty | 0/5 | 0/5 | 0/5 | 0/5 | 0/5 | 0/5 |
| Pricing transparency | 1/5 | 1.5/5 | 1/5 | 0.5/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| **Weighted verdict** | **1.5/5** | **1.5/5** | **1.5/5** | **1/5** | **1/5** | **1.5/5** |

### The judges

- **The Product Designer** (v1.0): Owns the design system of a B2B software product. Wants components with variants, tokens with modes, prototypes that test a real flow, and library releases that are versioned and reviewable — a design system is a product, not a page of nicely arranged buttons.
- **The Frontend Engineer** (v1.0): Turns the designs into code and gets the ticket when they disagree. Wants an inspect mode without a paid seat, tokens exported in a documented format, components mapped to the code ones, and an API that reads the whole file rather than a screenshot of it.
- **The Brand Marketer** (v1.0): Keeps the brand consistent across twelve sales offices that make their own flyers. Wants locked templates non-designers can use, guidelines inside the tool, licence and expiry dates on every stock image, and a clear answer on whether a generated image may go on a trade-fair stand.
- **The Agency Owner** (v1.0): Runs a design agency of fifteen and hands every project over to the client at the end. Wants files that export with layers and components intact, guests who are not billed as editors, and terms that say the client owns the work — and what happens to it after a cancellation.
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Reviews every tool where unreleased products, customer screenshots and employee photos end up. Wants the contracting entity and hosting region named, the AI providers on the subprocessor list, and training on customer files excluded for the whole organisation in the terms — not behind a toggle each user has to find.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Has read "free for viewers", "commercially safe AI" and "export anytime" on every page in this category. Reads instead for the click that turns a reviewer into a billed editor, the plan the IP indemnity actually covers, and whether the export keeps a single component.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: not determined.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | — |
| Ownership | Not determined | — | — |
| Data residency | Not determined | — | — |
| Subprocessors | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- Certifications: GDPR · CCPA · SOC 2 Type 2 · ISO 27001 · Microsoft 365 [S2]
- DPA incorporated: yes [S4]
- Security measures: DPA Schedule F [S4]

**Data**
- Export email link option: yes [S11]
- Export formats: PDF · PNG · PPT (outline contents only) · HTML and data files (zipped) · CSV (sticky notes only) [S11]
- Export link expiry: 5 [S11]
- Export scope options: all content (default) · selection · outline [S11]

**Integrations**
- Business enterprise additional: advanced integration features · Microsoft Azure Active Directory · Okta [S2]
- Definition: API · SDK [S4]
- Microsoft teams: Microsoft Teams · Surface Hub [S9]
- Slack comment notifications: yes · comment notifications · yes [S7]

**Legal**
- Affiliate usage: yes [S4]
- AI addendum last updated: AI Addendum last updated July 25, 2025 [S13]
- AI addendum scope: AI Addendum covers use, governance, handling of AI features in Mural Services; supplements service agreement [S13]
- AI documentation on request: yes [S13]
- AI human oversight: yes [S13]
- AI labeling disclosure: yes [S13]
- AI monitoring: yes [S13]
- AI no training on customer data: yes [S13]
- AI output ownership: yes · yes [S13]
- AI processing purpose limit: yes [S13]
- AI usage restrictions: Restrictions: no harmful/deceptive content, no implying human-only output, no personal information in inputs, no model exfiltration, no web scraping of outputs [S13]
- Corporate structure: Tactivos, Inc. d/b/a Mural · LUMA Institute, LLC [S3]
- Effective date: 2026-07-01 [S4]
- Entity: LUMA Institute, LLC · Tactivos, Inc. d/b/a Mural [S2]
- Entity: Tactivos, Inc., d/b/a Mural [S4]
- Entity: Tactivos, Inc. d/b/a Mural · LUMA Institute, LLC [S6]
- Governing law: California [S4]
- Government deployments: yes [S4]
- Jurisdiction: Northern District of California / San Jose, California, USA [S4]
- Liability cap: 12 months of fees paid for the Services under which the claim arose [S4]
- Order of precedence: plan supplement · DPA · services agreement [S4]
- Ownership: Tactivos, Inc. d/b/a Mural · LUMA Institute, LLC [S9]
- Ownership structure: Tactivos, Inc. d/b/a Mural [S4]
- Privacy contact: privacy@mural.co [S3]
- Privacy statement last updated: September 4, 2025 [S3]
- Publicity consent: yes [S4]
- Reseller orders: yes [S4]
- Reseller refunds: yes [S4]
- Termination for cause refund: yes [S4]
- Trademark owner: Tactivos, Inc. dba Mural [S3]
- Trademarks: Mural name · Mural logo · Tactivos, Inc. dba Mural [S9]

**Pricing**
- Business advanced integrations: credit card · invoice · yes [S2]
- Business price: per member / month · 17.99 · annually [S2]
- Business priority support: yes · yes [S2]
- Business SSO: yes · yes [S2]
- Currency: USD [S4]
- Enterprise contact pricing: contact for pricing · yes [S2]
- Enterprise features: yes · yes · yes · yes · yes · yes [S2]
- Free editable murals: unlimited · 3 [S2]
- Free plan exists: yes [S4]
- Free price: Free · for unlimited members · 0 [S2]
- Invoice terms: 30 [S4]
- Late interest: 1.5 [S4]
- Payment method: first day of payment period · credit card [S4]
- Renewal notice: yes [S4]
- Taxes excluded: yes [S4]
- Teamplus mural AI: yes · yes · yes [S2]
- Teamplus unlimited editable: yes [S2]

**Product**
- AI enterprise admin control: company admin via General page of company dashboard [S14]
- AI enterprise default on: Enterprise · yes [S14]
- AI enterprise enforce option: enforced for all workspaces · specific workspaces [S14]
- AI enterprise workspace choice: yes [S14]
- AI teamplus business default on: Team+ · Business · yes [S14]
- AI workspace admin control: workspace admin via Workspace settings page [S14]
- Apps: Microsoft Teams · Surface Hub [S6]
- Background checks: yes [S4]
- Brand assets downloads: yes · yes [S9]
- Collaborative prototyping template: Mural offers a collaborative prototyping template [S6]
- Collaborator roles: Members · Guests · Visitors · yes [S2]
- Color palette: #FF4B4B · #5887FF · #FC83FF · #00843F · #FFAA00 [S9]
- Comment anywhere or object: yes · yes [S7]
- Comment move drag: Comments can be dragged to a new spot or object [S7]
- Comment object link: Comments can be attached to objects and move with them [S7]
- Comment reposition: yes [S7]
- Comment resolve tab: yes · yes [S7]
- Comment sidebar: yes · yes · yes · yes · yes [S7]
- Comment sidebar: Comments sidebar lists open and resolved comments [S7]
- Comment tag notification: yes · email · slack_if_enabled [S7]
- Comment tagging notifications: yes · if enabled [S7]
- Commenting: Comments can be added to a mural for feedback [S7]
- Comments: yes [S7]
- Confidential rooms: Confidential rooms restrict mural access to room members [S8]
- Confidential rooms: yes [S8]
- Core visual features: Sticky notes · Drawing, images & icons · Content library · Reactions · Templates · Mapping & diagramming · yes [S2]
- Customer metrics: 50% increase in sales onboarding efficiency [S1]
- Customer metrics time saved: 800 hours of meeting time saved per year [S1]
- Demo images available: Mural blank board · Group session with sticky notes · Team brainstorming with voting session · Mural dashboard and board · Mural dashboard · Microsoft Teams integration · Group brainstorming in Microsoft Teams call [S9]
- Enterprise AI default: Enterprise · no [S14]
- Enterprise enforcement modes: enforced_for_all_workspaces · in_specific_workspaces [S14]
- Enterprise fortune100: Trusted by over 50% of the Fortune 100 [S2]
- Enterprise offering: Enterprise offering listed [S1]
- Enterprise user types: guest · member [S8]
- Facilitate menu locking: Facilitate > Locking > Lock objects [S10]
- Facilitation superpowers all plans: yes [S2]
- Facilitation superpowers list: Summon & take control · Timer · Voting · Private mode · Outline & instructions · Laser pointer · Hide & reveal content · Celebrate · Flexible canvas options · Facilitator lock · Visitor avatar options · Custom toolbar [S2]
- Facilitator lock: yes · Facilitators can lock objects so only facilitators can unlock them, preventing accidental edits [S10]
- Features listed: Product overview, Features, Mural AI, Templates, Developers, Integrations, Trust & security [S9]
- Free signup no credit card: yes · no [S6]
- Guest definition: Registered user outside company domain without full access; availability depends on plan, company, or workspace [S8]
- Guest definition: Registered user outside company domain, without full access to plan features [S8]
- Link sharing workspace toggle: Link sharing can be disabled per workspace or company, requiring explicit email/username invites [S8]
- Locking options: yes · yes · yes [S10]
- Logo alternatives: by request · yes [S9]
- Materials license: personal or internal business; non-exclusive, non-sublicensable, nontransferable [S4]
- Member definition: Registered user from company domain with full access to collaboration features and content available in the plan [S8]
- Member definition: Registered user from company domain with full access to plan features and content [S8]
- Member pricing tiers: Limited Members · Full Members [S8]
- Member to guest conversion: yes [S8]
- Microsoft store distribution: Microsoft Store for Business · yes [S12]
- Multiple mural owners: yes [S8]
- Multiple owners: yes · yes [S8]
- Mural link restrictions: yes [S8]
- Offline licensing: Mural's offline license can be downloaded via the Microsoft Store to roll out the app to many Windows 10 devices at once [S12]
- Opensource warranty: yes [S4]
- Ownership transfer: yes [S8]
- Plan highlights workspaces: 1 · 1 · 1 · multiple [S2]
- Platforms: Web · iOS iPhone & iPad · Windows 10 · Android · macOS · interactive displays [S2]
- Positioning: Visual AI platform for alignment, connecting strategy to execution in one shared workspace [S1]
- Related resources: Beyond the Prototype Overview (Voltage Control) [S5]
- Related templates: Dependency mapping · December 2026 calendar · November 2026 calendar · October 2026 calendar · September 2026 calendar [S6]
- Resolved comments hidden: no · yes [S7]
- Share link expiry: yes · yes [S8]
- Shared workspace: real-time collaborative shared infinite canvas for global teams [S1]
- Signup free: yes · no [S5]
- Target teams: Research and Development · Sales · Marketing · Consulting [S1]
- Teambusiness AI default: Team+ · Business · yes [S14]
- Teambusiness workspace toggle: workspace_admin · yes [S14]
- Template actions: yes · yes [S5]
- Template origin: Voltage Control [S5]
- Template origin: Template process developed by Douglas Ferguson (President) and team at Voltage Control [S6]
- Template purpose: Uncover what's restraining your momentum and explore solutions [S5]
- Template use cases: All · Strategize · Design thinking [S5]
- Tiered member types: Limited Members and Full Members [S8]
- Unlock restriction: Only facilitators can unlock [S10]
- User type conversion: yes · yes [S8]
- User type conversion: Guests to members and members to guests conversion available depending on plan; only external members without organization email domain can be converted [S8]
- Visitor definition: Non-registered user invited to collaborate temporarily with limited access in specific murals [S8]
- Visitor definition: Non-registered temporary collaborator, limited to a specific mural via expiring link [S8]
- Visitor link expiration: Visitor link validity duration is configurable [S8]
- Visitor link expiry: Visitor share links can expire [S8]
- Visitor mural creation: no · no [S8]
- Windows10 app: Microsoft Store · Windows 10 [S12]
- Workspace link sharing toggle: Link sharing can be disabled workspace-wide or company-wide [S8]

**Support**
- Channels: chat · phone · email [S2]

## Questions

### Is Mural European?

No. whats-best.ai classifies Mural as Rest of world.

### Where does Mural store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

### Does Mural have a free plan?

Yes. Mural has a free plan, per [the vendor’s page captured 13 Oct 2026](https://whats-best.ai/evidence/6336).

### What are the best alternatives to Mural?

As of 16 Oct 2026, the panel rates [Penpot (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/penpot), [Sketch (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/sketch) and [Frontify (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/frontify) highest among the other 13 Design products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [Penpot](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/penpot) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [Mural alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/design/mural/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- 16 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 13 legal facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 8 integrations facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 8 pricing facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 7 compliance facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 7 data facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 5 support facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 6 of the readings below were written against an earlier fact sheet — a fact has been corrected, added or pulled since. Until the panel next runs on this product you are reading the older judgement.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor homepage: https://www.mural.co/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S2] Pricing page: https://www.mural.co/pricing (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S3] Privacy policy: https://www.mural.co/terms/privacy-statement (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S4] Terms of service: https://www.mural.co/terms/terms-of-service (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S5] Design, prototyping & design systems — found from sitemap: https://www.mural.co/templates/beyond-the-prototype (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S6] Design, prototyping & design systems — found from sitemap: https://www.mural.co/templates/collaborative-prototyping (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S7] Collaboration, review & developer handoff — found from sitemap: https://support.mural.co/s/article/comment-and-tag-collaborators (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S8] Collaboration, review & developer handoff — found from sitemap: https://support.mural.co/s/article/faq-collaborator-roles-and-access (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S9] Brand assets & governance — found from sitemap: https://www.mural.co/brand-assets (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S10] Brand assets & governance — found from sitemap: https://support.mural.co/s/article/facilitator-lock-your-content (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S11] Files, formats & portability — found from sitemap: https://support.mural.co/s/article/export-and-download-your-mural-s-content (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S12] Files, formats & portability — found from sitemap: https://support.mural.co/s/article/use-offline-licensing-to-download-mural-on-multiple-devices (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S13] AI features & rights to the work — found from sitemap: https://www.mural.co/terms/ai-features (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S14] AI features & rights to the work — found from sitemap: https://support.mural.co/s/article/enable-AI-powered-features-for-your-company (checked 2026-10-13)

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Cite as: whats-best.ai, "Mural — Design", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-10-20. https://whats-best.ai/software/design/mural

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/610?target=page