For online tutors
An online whiteboard for tutoring that works the way you teach
Write the problem, let your student solve it on the same board, keep the board for next week, and share it so the notes stay with your student. Instaboard is a free online whiteboard with a real pen, your worksheets, math tools and a video call built in. Start from the ready lesson board below.
Opens in your browser. Anyone can view; a free sign-in lets you edit.
Updated
Why tutors use it
- A pen that feels like a pen: pressure, Apple Pencil, and a stylus side button that erases.
- Bring your worksheets: import a PDF and write on its pages.
- One board per student that's still there next week, and the same link works after the lesson.
- A video call on the board, or keep using Zoom or Google Meet next to it.
What a lesson on the board looks like
The call sits on top of the board, so you talk and write in the same place. You write with a pen, point with the laser, and your student writes their answer on the same page in their own colour.
A lesson on Instaboard, step by step
- Before the lesson. Open the lesson board, paste your own worksheet over the sample one (a PDF can be imported as pages instead), and fill in the plan.
- Share it. Send your student the link, a QR code or a 4-digit join code. They open it in any browser or the app.
- Teach. Work the example with your pen while they watch you write live. Use the laser pointer to show where to look, or have them follow your view.
- Their turn. Your student writes their answer on the same board, so you see their steps as they go.
- After. Tick off the homework and note the mistakes to redo. Your student keeps the link, so the notes stay with them. Next week, open the same board and pick up where you left off.
A lesson laid out left to right (plan, worked example, student's turn, homework) is a small case of visual planning.
Built for math and science
- Pressure-sensitive pen and highlighter. Hold the pen still at the end of a stroke and it straightens into a line.
- Stylus mode. The pen draws and your finger scrolls, so your palm doesn't leave marks.
- Equation cards for typed formulas, and a Desmos graphing calculator right on the board.
- A grid or dot background for graphs and number lines. You turn it on in your own settings; it isn't saved with the board.
- Countdown timer for timed practice.
- Images and screenshots. Paste a photo of your student's homework and mark it up.
The setup most online tutors use
Writing math with a mouse is slow and messy. Tutors on r/TutorsHelpingTutors usually settle on one of these:
- iPad + Apple Pencil as a second screen. Join the call on your laptop for the camera, and open the same board on your iPad to write. Instaboard boards sync live across both. Step by step: use your iPad as a whiteboard on Zoom.
- A drawing tablet. A screenless tablet like a Wacom Intuos or Huion H1060P (around $40–$70) plugs into your laptop. Tutors recommend at least 6×8 inches.
- A pen laptop. Surface and other 2-in-1s work in the browser with the pen.
Your student doesn't need any of this
Students can type, use a mouse or trackpad, or snap a photo of their paper work and drop it on the board.
Already use Goodnotes or Notability?
Both now let people edit the same note live, with conditions (help pages read November 5, 2026). Goodnotes: a real-time session starts once a Goodnotes Pro subscriber opens the shared document, up to 50 people at once, and people without Pro can join; private sharing needs Pro, and on Apple devices iCloud Sync must be on. Notability: live collaboration needs Notability Cloud (iOS, Mac and Web; not available in China, Hong Kong or Macau), and everyone in the note needs a Notability account.
The real difference is that you both need the same app and an account, and neither has a video call inside the note. Keep your notes app for your notes. For the live lesson, send one board link: your student opens it in any browser and signs in free to write, and you can press Call on the board or keep Zoom or Meet beside it.
What to know before you start
- Your student needs a free sign-in to write. Anyone with the link can view; writing needs a free account with Google, Apple or email. It takes about 20 seconds the first time.
- Free covers 5 boards. Pen strokes don't count toward the 150-item limit, so drawing-heavy boards go a long way. With more than a handful of regular students, Pro is $5 a month billed yearly ($59.99 a year).
- Free video calls run up to 60 minutes. Pro calls have no limit, or keep using Zoom or Meet alongside the board (on Meet, see whiteboard for Google Meet).
- The eraser removes whole strokes. Undo is the quickest way to fix the last thing you wrote.
How it compares to other tutoring whiteboards
| Whiteboard | Free | Paid from | Video built in | PDF worksheets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instaboard | 5 boards, unlimited collaborators, 60-min calls | $5/mo billed yearly, flat | Yes | Yes, as pages you write on |
| BitPaper | Join only (30-day trial) | $15/mo | Yes | Yes |
| Bramble | 1–2 students | £7.50/mo (yearly) | Yes | Yes |
| Lessonspace | Trial | $9/mo for 10 hours, then $1.95/hour | Yes | Yes |
| Pencil Spaces | Voice + whiteboard | $0.40/hour ($4/mo minimum); cloud recording from $1/hour | On paid plans | Yes |
| Ziteboard | 3 boards, first PDF page only | Pro (no single-user price on its pricing page; teams of 2+ $4.50 to $8 per user a month, November 11, 2026) | On Pro | Full PDFs on Pro |
| Miro | 3 editable boards | $8/mo | No | Yes |
| Zoom Whiteboard | 3 editable boards, shared only with Zoom account holders; free meetings stop at 40 minutes | Add-on from $2.07/mo | Through Zoom | Desktop app only, PDFs up to 20 MB |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Prices from each product's official pricing page, checked October 2026; the Ziteboard row was re-read November 11, 2026. At 20 hours a month, Lessonspace Basic comes to $28.50 and Pencil Spaces Expert to $20.
Free plans differ a lot more than prices do. For what each tool's free plan allows, read from the vendors' own pages, see free online whiteboard for tutoring: limits compared.
Weighing one of these against Instaboard? We compare each in detail: Zoom Whiteboard, Lessonspace, Pencil Spaces and BitPaper. New to teaching online? Start with how to teach math online. For equations and graphs see an online whiteboard for math, for gear and your first lesson online tutoring setup, and for what to send afterwards a tutoring session notes template.
Start from the ready board
It opens in your browser in a few seconds, with nothing to install. Sign in for free when you want to save it and share it.
Questions
What is the best free online whiteboard for tutoring?
It depends on how you teach. If you write by hand, use worksheets and want the board to stay between lessons, Instaboard's free plan covers that, with a video call on the board. If you mostly talk through slides, Zoom or Google Meet with their built-in whiteboards may be enough.
Can I use Instaboard with Zoom or Google Meet?
Yes. Keep your call where it is and share the Instaboard link in the chat. You and your student both write on the board while you talk.
Does my student need an account?
Not to view the board. To write on it, they sign in for free with Google, Apple or email.
Can I upload a PDF worksheet?
Yes. Import a PDF and it opens as a board with its pages, so you and your student can write on every page. Drawing boards can also be exported as a PDF.
Does it work with an iPad and Apple Pencil?
Yes. Instaboard has an iPad app with pressure-sensitive Apple Pencil drawing. Many tutors join the call on their laptop and write on the iPad, and the board syncs live between them.
How much does it cost?
Free to start, with 5 boards and 150 cards and items across your account (pen strokes don't count). Pro is $5 a month billed yearly ($59.99 a year), or $7.99 monthly, with unlimited boards and unlimited call time.
Sources
- r/TutorsHelpingTutors: What video and whiteboard platforms do you use?
- r/TutorsHelpingTutors: Online math tutors, what tech do you use?
- BitPaper pricing
- Bramble tutor pricing
- Lessonspace pricing
- Goodnotes: Collaborate in real time with Live Cursor (read November 5, 2026)
- Goodnotes: Share documents privately and collaborate in real time (read November 5, 2026)
- Notability: Live Collaboration (read November 5, 2026)
- Notability: Notability Cloud FAQ (read November 5, 2026)
- Pencil Spaces pricing (read November 11, 2026)
- Ziteboard pricing (read November 11, 2026)
- Miro pricing
- Zoom Whiteboard
- Zoom: Uploading documents and images to the whiteboard
- Zoom: Understanding time limits for Zoom Meetings
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