Top 10 Microsoft Visio Alternatives And Competitors In 2024

Comprehensive List & Comparison of top Microsoft Visio Alternatives With Features and Pricing to Help you Select the Best Visio Competitor for your Business: 

Visio has become quite popular recently. It is a very powerful tool used for constructing different forms of diagrams. Not just simple but even complicated diagrams can be drawn easily using this particular application of Microsoft.

It has several inbuilt shapes, objects, and stencils to work. You can make your custom shapes and use them accordingly. The main objective of Visio is to help professionals make the most complex diagrams with the least effort.

Not only that, but Visio can also be used to import images, create 3D diagrams, brochures, simple or complex maps. The application has been a great hit at the corporate level. Starting from IT professionals to business managers and even technical workers are using this tool to map out flowcharts, site, and even for floor plans.

The below image will show you the top countries that use Microsoft Visio.

Microsoft Visio

Microsoft Visio, a part of the Microsoft Office family, is used to represent data diagrammatically and using other vector graphics. This app has two versions – one is the Standard and the other is Professional.

Though the interface of both the standard and the professional is quite similar yet there are some additional benefits in the Professional edition. Some of these include additional templates and complex diagrams, various layouts.

It would be much easier to represent your data graphically using some features of the Professional edition. Over the years the application was upgraded. With each new edition, there have been a lot of added features included.

Salient Features of Visio:

• The custom Excel templates containing information can be directly imported to Visio using Data visualizer and Visio diagram is created with that data efficiently.
• It comes with an inbuilt and predefined set of creative diagrams and other basic tips and tricks to have amazing work experience.
• The smart shapes, themes, and other effects are available to customize and have a professional-looking diagram.
• The new version of Visio allows creating a visual representation of the database in a specific way.
• Visio allows connection to different and crucial databases like MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and can assist in updating diagrams.

MS Visio Dashboard

The Visio dashboard plays a very important role when it comes to the usage of the application. The dashboard displays the status of the business process graphically. The dashboard consists of a set of metrics with various colors that conveys whether KPIs are met. The decision-making process and the metrics are meaningful concerning different business processes.

Cons:

• There is no central location to store process maps.
• It becomes difficult to share maps across an organization.
• The design options are quite limited.
• Reporting capabilities and adding shapes are also quite limited.

Pros:

• Give effective and customized diagrams.
• The interface is intuitive and user friendly.
• Has productive templates.
• Creates professional and important documents without the help of any CAD personnel.

Website: Microsoft Visio

Our Review: 5/5

List of Top Visio Alternatives

1. EdrawMax
2. Miro
3. SmartDraw
4. Pencil Project
5. Draw.io
6. Yed Graph Editor
7. Creately
8. Google Drawings
9. Dia
10. LibreOffice
11. Gliffy
12. Cacoo
13. LucidChart

Comparison of Visio Competitors

Let’s now get to know more about each of these Visio Alternatives in detail.

#1) EdrawMax

Best for startups, medium, and large enterprises.

EdrawMax is one of the most user-friendly Visio Alternative that is available for all the leading platforms. There are hundreds of ready-made templates and symbols in EdrawMax that can be used to create 280+ different kinds of diagrams.

You can directly import Visio projects to EdrawMax and customize your diagrams however you like. The best part is that EdrawMax also offers features like macOS version, custom themes, shape drawing toolkit, clip art gallery, etc. that are either absent or have restricted availability in Visio.

Features:

• Supported platforms include Windows, Mac, Linux, and online.
• Easily import Visio projects and stencils files, and export drawings to vsdx format.
• Create 280+ different kinds of diagrams with it like flowcharts, genograms, organizational charts, infographics, floor plans, network diagrams, and more.
• More than 26,000 vector symbols and 1500+ inbuilt templates are available in the tool and with a growing templates community.
• Offline and server installation supported.

Verdict: Overall, EdrawMax is an all-in-one diagramming software that would save your time with its extensive range of available resources. Since it can also be accessed on the web, you can work on diagrams on any platform and share your work with others.

Also, with its vast library of templates and vectors, it will certainly make the entire diagramming experience seamless.

Pricing:

EdrawMax has a free version and different paid plans as well, including:

• All-platform plan: $99 annually (per individual).
• Desktop plan: Starting from $659 for 3 years (for a team of 5+ members).

There are also dedicated education discounts available.

#2) Miro

Best for small to large enterprises.

Miro empowers its users with an AI-powered visual workspace ideal for online collaboration and presentations. The platform is mostly used for creating digital whiteboards that visualize data for easy comprehension. You can create this board from scratch using the tools offered or opt for a pre-made template instead. 

There are hundreds of templates to choose from that serve varying purposes. Templates are available for creating mind maps, flowcharts, product roadmaps, Kanban boards, and more. You can create your custom templates. All these different templates also make the tool ideal for collaborative project management. 

Features:

• The AI-Assisted Intelligent Canvas
• Templates Library
• Flowchart Maker
• Mind Mapping
• Technical Diagramming

Verdict: As far as tools that visualize data go, I don’t think you are going to get an alternative to Visio that’s as user-friendly or feature-packed as Miro. Miro stands-out for its intelligent AI, which can easily turn any ideas into full-fledged diagrams, product briefs, and more. 

Price: Miro is free to use in a limited capacity. To use its advanced features, you’ll need to subscribe to one of its paid plans:

• Starter: $8/member/month
• Business: $16/member/month
• A custom enterprise plan is also available. 

A free trial is available for the Business plan.

#3) SmartDraw

Best for large enterprises.

The SmartDraw is a great alternative to Visio. This designing software can be used for processing documents, strategy planning, and even for managing projects. This application is very easy to use and much user-friendly compared to other similar tools.

It has got a wide range of templates and symbols that can be used to design. It can also be integrated with other software such as Word and PowerPoint. It is also easy to share files with others at the same time. It is a tool used to make flowcharts, organization charts, project charts, and visuals for the creative representation of work.

Features:

• The standard and business apps are quite expensive but are better than those of Visio.
• One can get all the premium support for the enterprise package that includes updating the content.
• Advanced administration is available.

Verdict: SmartDraw’s biggest advantage is that it can be used easily in place of Microsoft Visio. Any kind of visuals can be made on mobile or any other device, whether it is Windows or MAC. SmartDraw’s huge inbuilt content along with its ability to automate the drawing procedures is fascinating.

It is best for large enterprises as the price is quite expensive with features to fulfill all the requirements of big companies.

Pricing: It has 7 days free trial and offers paid plans which include:

• Single User: For one individual ($297 per month)
• Multiple User: For 5+ users ($595 per month)

#4) Pencil Project

Best for small businesses.

If you currently don’t have a Visio tool in your list and want some similar tool to perform all such related works then you can surely opt for Pencil Project. It is a very versatile tool altogether because it can be used in three different platforms such as Linux, Windows, and Mac as well.

It can be used from a small project to a big project because this is properly suitable for a new intern and for a pro in diagramming as well.

Features:

• It includes new tools and stencil work.
• It will further help in professional diagramming.
• It can assist in many projects at the same time.
• It has an option named OpenClipart.org which lets you search from different sites on the web.

Verdict: It is a beautiful open-source tool that works great as per the requirement of the work which you do in Visio. Also, it helps you in exploring different dimensions of diagramming like Visio. It is best for the use of small enterprises as it is an open-source platform to have creative tools and better designs.

Pricing:

• Starting and pro pack: There isn’t any pro and starting pack as such because this tool is for free. You can use it without paying any amount.

#5) Draw.io

Best for medium enterprises.

If you want a good alternative for Visio then Draw.io could be the one you are searching for. This software is true to its user because at a time it can be used in many projects which is very multitasking in nature. It can be easily used for planning for any project and accordingly can work in the project.

Use line quality and try to stay consistent with your style. Try to create basic shapes and sizes with the use of the latest tools and newly added features.

Features:

• This tool is that it can be used without any account creation of yours and you need not worry about the saving procedure.
• Saving of drafts is available in every possible option like your desktop and Google drive.
• It has various incredible options to draw various diagrams.
• Various effects can be given to a wide range of shapes.

Verdict: As mentioned above, it proves to be one of the best alternatives to Visio because it has all options and criteria similar to that of Visio only. It is accessible and easy to use but not that extensive as that of Visio.

It does lack some options which can be rectified. It is best for medium organizations and it has earned the trust of various firms by its reliable security and tools.

Pricing:

• Basic: Starts from $20
• Pro pack: $200
• Free Trial: 30 days

The pricing depends upon the features you are taking it for. So, it has very distinctive processing. You’ll get all your options in the right column and the drawing and editing options you’ll get in the space provided on the right side.

#6) Yed Graph Editor

Best for small businesses

Yed is a very powerful desktop application used to design high-quality diagrams in the shortest time possible. YED offers a rich experience to its users as one can easily use it to make diagrams, flow charts, and graphs. The linking of data is easy as well.

It is a tool to make high-quality diagrams in a simplified process. It is a powerful software to create the best of designs and work.

Features:

• Yed is completely free to work with all the advanced tech.
• It is significantly available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
• Yed also allows to position elements in a specific way to improve clarity.
• Importing elements is quite easy.
• It can be used manually for the defined position of the diagrams whenever required.

Verdict: Yed has a great interface. It is very easy to create diagrams manually or even import charts externally for analysis. The interface is really helpful and user-friendly for all professionals.

If you are looking to generate high-quality diagrams in a short time then this is your best option. It is best for small enterprises as it is freely available to be used.

Pricing: It is free to download and has no paid plans.

#7) Creately

Best for large enterprises.

The Creately is the easiest way to draw flowcharts, mind maps, UML, and organized charts. An award-winning diagramming tool renowned for the ease of use, combined with unique features like 1-click create and connect helps to draw the diagrams up to 3 times faster as compared to the traditional diagram software.

It gives a real-time collaboration to the multiple users for a 1-click creates and connects to create diagrams fast and in an efficient way. Even PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG, and more colored palette based on themes for 1000s professionally designed templates and full version history for code generating on Websites and blogs.

Features:

• The separate libraries for fewer clutter lists of diagrams are available and also for organizational charts and more.
• Smart objects for intelligent diagramming make the work easier.
• The object stores data, act on to the context of the diagram, and creates database diagrams.
• The graphics for the table is available based on the content and orientations of the shape.
• The timeline object with stretches will be automatically added to the timeline.
• It is a tool to have amazing designs with magnificent flowcharts and with easy-to-use tools.

Verdict: Both Lucidchart and Creately are popular for diagramming tools online, but Lucidchart has a greater impact on the ease of use and a more robust toolset for professionals. It is best for large enterprises with the best of designs and amazing scope of creating beautiful documents and presentations.

Pricing: It offers 30 days of free trials and the paid plans which include the following attributes which are divided based on small and large teams:

• Personal: For small businesses ($5 per month)
• Team: For agencies with moderate requirements ($25 per month)
• Public: For everyone (Free)

#8) Google Drawings

Best for small businesses

Google Drawings is an excellent software for designing and drawing and was developed by the company Google itself. This software allows the users to collaborate in the work that they are doing for the creation of the flowcharts, organizational charts, and frameworks for different websites.

The software is available on Chrome which can be used even while being offline. It can be found on the Google Chrome web store by default. Even it allows different users to access the file and edit the drawings simultaneously.

Features:

• The google drawing software contains a complete set of symbols for the creation of flow charts along with other shapes. These can be dragged and then dropped in other places while also allowing the users to resize, move, and rotate the objects.
• The software editing feature includes cropping and applying borders to be used by anyone for professional diagrams making in the best possible way.
• You will be able to easily layout the drawing with extreme precision by the use of alignment guides and auto-distribution techniques.
• The Google documents and files such as spreadsheets and presentations can be saved safely in drafts.

Verdict: It is free for small enterprises and individuals as it is free for everyone and has all the necessary features. The new embedded feature edition says that Google Drawings are saved in Drive directly into a Google Doc which will be a helpful feature in Docs.

Pricing:

#9) Dia

Best for medium enterprises.

Dia is one of the most extensively used tools which does similar work as that of Visio. It is also an open-source tool which comes with a regular update to inculcate all the newly discovered and used the tool.

Since its feature set is way similar to that of Visio, it is capable of doing a lot of work. Starting from a small project to large, it can be used in all such projects.

Feature:

• It is an open-source website and it is available on many platforms such as Mac and Windows.
• The best thing about Dia is many diverse works like chart processing and designing can be completed effectively.
• The UML diagrams, network processing, and architectural functioning are available as basic features.
• It can easily save the created files in any device or any space like Google drive or even in your cloud storage.

Verdict: This is a very useful and great tool that can easily replace Visio because of its functioning as it has almost every possible tool which you can get in Visio. So, use it according to your ease because it will easily compliment your work. It is best for medium enterprises as its features are highly advanced to give flexibility to medium organizations.

Pricing: It is freely available for everyone.

#10) LibreOffice

Best for medium enterprises.

LibreOffice Draw is not only free but is also an incredible open-source graphics editor with one application including the LibreOffice office suite which was developed by The Document Foundation, that is used to design complicated figures without approaches, using various tools such as straight, curved, or polygon among various other features.

Features:

• It can be used to design and create various files such as flowcharts, brochures, albums, and even technical drawings. It includes features such as a spellchecker, thesaurus, and autocorrect along with different shapes.
• It supports macro execution by partnering with Java, the extensions while also having a configurable XML filter setting magnificently.
• The part of the graphical plan is defined by a configuration parameter containing unique elements in the interface having various formatting styles.
• It simplifies the entire process for layout designing significantly along with a feature that allows its users to recover their documents.

Verdict: This program, however, takes a lot of time to paste the selected pictures. It not only has this but it takes a lot of time in loading several features. The program froze numerous times during the evaluation process while the insertion of files was being done.

Flowcharts, organization charts, network designs, posters even repairing to spend a penny as a major feature for LibreOffice Draw that draws the attention of the users.

It is best for medium enterprises and its features are excellent and create the best of charts and other important drawings.

Pricing: The aligned structures offer the basic legacy for the development of a more accurate drawing app for the free office online sector and appoint to be more, free on the interface and feature-rich tools that unleash creativity with the applications.

LibreOffice includes several applications that make it a more versatile Free and Open Source office suite in the market.

It is free to download and has amazing features for better scope in digital drawings.

#11) Gliffy

Best for large enterprise

Gliffy is a software designed to draw diagrams via HTML which is an application based on the cloud. Gliffy can be used to create the diagrams for UML, floor plans, flowcharts, and different types of diagrams in an online platform.

The diagrams can be easily shared with modern web-browsers, including search engines such as Google Chrome and Firefox along with several others.

Features:

• Gliffy draws the work for better approval with modern diagrams.
• It simplifies org charts and brilliant flowcharts,
• It is really fast, easy to use, and loaded with user-friendly features.
• Assists in making the URL diagrams online in a quick way and used for model software solutions, application structures.
• The system behavior and business processes are categorized into structure designs and interaction diagrams for better understanding.
• It is a tool to make incredible flowcharts and it enhances effective communication among team members. Any image can be deleted by right-clicking on it.

Verdict: A comprehensive list and best alternatives to Visio, Gliffy possesses a user-friendly prototyping tool with a scalable diagramming solution. Lucidchart, a solution that enables the device to create a diagram with a wide variety and simple flowcharts, offers an Enterprise Plan for their product with a Free Plan and limited features.

It is best for large enterprises, as it has the best of features which are available at a high cost.

Pricing: It gives a free trial for 14 days and offers the paid plans which include the following attributes which are divided based on small and large organizations:

• Personal: For small businesses ($7.99 per month)
• Team: For agencies with moderate requirements ($4.99 per month).
• Enterprise: For large teams with many profiles with custom prices.

#12) Cacoo

Best for companies, teams, individuals, and students.
Pricing: Cacoo offers a free trial. It offers a simple pricing plan of $6 per user per month.

Cacoo is an online diagramming tool for creating flowcharts, mind maps, ER diagrams, and more. It has hundreds of templates you can use, including AWS network diagrams, wireframes, and retrospectives. Cacoo has great features for remote diagram collaboration, workshop & brainstorm meetings, and presenting.

Features:

• Multiple people can edit the diagrams at the same time.
• You can chat, comment or video chat inside the tool.
• It has hundreds of templates to get you started.
• Easily share or export your diagrams.

#13) LucidChart

Best for medium enterprises.

Lucidchart is one of the best alternatives to Visio. It is used by reputed MNCs and IT industries for making diagrams. There are many inbuilt floor plans and other Android setups and mockups.

This tool is very easy to use. One can add shapes, containers, and other connectors to make designs. There is a wide range of shapes and options.

Features:

• A free version is available.
• Three active documents can be used by the operator at the same time.
• The free templates and inbuilt shapes are incorporated for the best of work.
• It has advanced features with the application upgraded to a paid version.

Verdict: Lucidchart is very cost-effective and easy to learn and use. The library of Lucidchart consists of a huge collection of templates and shapes. The drag and drop feature makes it very user-friendly.

This makes it even simpler to learn and use for any kind of purpose. It is best for medium enterprises as the price is affordable with the fulfillment of all basic requirements.

Pricing: Lucidchart offers one free plan for a single user and one paid plan which include:

• Pro: For a single user ($9.95 per month)

The paid plan provides unlimited shapes and documents to the user. It is possible to import or export files whenever required.

Conclusion

Visio is an extensively used tool that has helped a lot in designing according to professionals. The trend of using Visio started with the onset of complex animation usage in the presentations and websites.

We have listed the top Visio alternatives that are popular and creative design development platforms. You need to know what is the requirement of your business or website and accordingly, you can select the appropriate tool.

Suggested reading =>> Most popular free Office Software

The best reviews were of SmartDraw while the best features are of Gliffy and Google drawings. These platforms make the drawing of original and new diagrams a lot easier. These are easy-to-understand applications with a creative outlook. These top ten listed Visio alternatives are best and have incredible use in the modern digital world.

Also read =>> Best Android alternatives to Procreate

Our Review

• Time taken to research this article: 30 Hours.
• Total tools researched: 18
• Top tools shortlisted: 10