Microsoft Visio is one of the best diagramming software in the business world. It is one of the parts of Microsoft Office, so the integration process is easy. It is the most used tool in business organizations. But if you want to learn the basics of drawings and flowchart making, Microsoft Visio is not the best tool. To get the drawing tool alone, you need to pay $6 per user per month. There are a lot of free drawing tools are available. In this article, we listed the best Visio alternatives.
Contents
Best Visio Alternatives
- Google Drawings
- Lucidchart
- Draw.io
- Creately
- D3M
- XMIND
- Pencil Project
- Edraw Max
- MindManager
- ASCIIFlow Infinity
Google Drawings
Google Drawings is the best free Visio alternative for you.
It is a web-based drawing tool. Google Drawing is one of the simplest of all drawing tools. You can make all drawing operations from creating a line to built layout diagrams. All your work will be saved to your Google Drive automatically. Working in Google Drawings is similar to Google Docs. You can work on offline mode too. Google Drawing is also available on the Chrome Web Store as an extension. It allows multiple users to access and edit the files in real-time. There is no dedicated app for Google Drawings. It is not recommended for business use.
Both the web-based and extension is available for free.
Lucidchart
Lucidchart is the perfect alternative for Visio.
Unlike Google Drawings, Lucidchart is a more sophisticated tool. It will provide specific operations for specific purposes. You can choose your purposes like IT, Engineering, Sales, Project Management, Operations, and People Management. It is not recommended for beginners, Lucidchart is more of a business tool. Most of the Fortune 500 companies use the LuciChart tool. The software is available for PC and smartphones too. The platform advertises itself as Visio Replacement.
You can sign up for free but the subscription plans start from $7.95 per month.
Draw.io
Draw.io is one of the best Visio alternatives.
It can be used by both beginners and professionals. Draw.io has hundreds of visual elements and templates. By using the app, you can make flowcharts, org charts, ER diagrams, network diagrams, and process diagrams with ease. The tool can be used in both web-based and app-based platforms. In the web-based platform, you have the option to save your work on different platforms like Google Drive, OneDrive, GitHub, or any of your working device. It has all features and shapes you need to create a complete diagram.
It has subscription plans according to the user count. The app also has a free trial for 30 days.
Creately
Creately is considered as one of the best drawing tools by many business professionals.
The platform has a user-base of more than 3 million. Creately has about thousands of professional templates and shapes. Like Google Drawings, you can collaborate with other peoples with ease. You can add the built-in templates and shapes just by the drag-by-drop feature. You can also add templates from the websites too. The templates are available under different categories. The platform has a lot of keyboard shortcuts to edit with. It allows you to add comments on any locations to improvise your work. The exporting formats like PNG, SVG, and JPEG are available.
The web-based version costs $6 per month. The app-based version costs $75 for a lifetime.
D3M
D3M is one of the best alternatives to Microsoft Visio.
It is the best drawing tool for the Sales department. The tool will auto-generate documentation when you design your network diagram. This will greatly reduce the time to complete a project. You can install the extension from other platforms like Kenwood and Hytera. The tool is updated very frequently, the recent update was released on Jan 21, 2020. A new feature called Floorplan Diagrams is added. All of your work will be saved in one secure location and can be accessed anytime you want.
You can use only one project for free. The subscription price starts from $199 per month for up to 5 users.
XMind
XMind is the best mind-mapping software for your work.
Mindmaps are the easiest way to remember stuff. If you want to create outstanding mindmaps, XMind is the best app for you. It is one of the easiest tools to work with. If your business involves Freelancers and Work From Home peoples, you can use the XMind platform to connect and share the work. Apart from work, you can use the XMind app for your other purposes like Studies, High-school projects, and more. The app is available in the App Store and Play Store also.
You can download the app for free with limited features. The Pro version costs $39.99 per 6 months and $59.99 per year.
Pencil Project
Pencil Project is a GUI prototyping software that is available for all the platforms.
It is one of the best Visio alternatives for beginners and standalone workers. The software has a lot of built-in shape collection to work with. In the tool, you can make your own drawings to get the uniqueness. The output formats like PNG, Web page, PDF, SVG, and ODT are available. If the built-in shapes are not enough for you, you can download the shapes and cliparts from the website too. In the software, Inter-page linking also possible. Pencil Project is one of the best Visio alternatives. It is not recommended for business peoples.
The software is available for free.
Edraw Max
Edraw Max is a powerful diagram tool that is available for all the platforms.
In the tool, you can create flow charts, mind maps, org charts, floor plans, and network diagrams with the templates or on your own. The tool has the capability to import Microsoft Visio files too and can be exported on most of the common formats. You can download the app for platforms like Windows, Linux, Chromebook, and macOS. Cross-platform support is also available. Edraw Max is one of the best alternatives for Microsoft Visio.
Like XMind, you can download the free version with limited features. The Pro version costs start from $99.
ASCIIFlow Infinity
ASCIIFlow Infinity is a similar tool as Google Drawings.
It is one of the simplest drawing tools and it the best platform to learn the basics of drawings. The tool has no advanced features and options. It has tools that are standard for beginners. It is not recommended for business and professional peoples. ASCIIFlow Infinity is a web-based tool, there is no app-based tool available. If you are a beginner and want a simple tool to learn the fundamentals of the flowcharts and network diagrams, ASCIIFlow Infinity is the best tool.
ASCIIFlow Infinity is available for free.
LibreOffice Draw
LibreOffice is a full Office Suite tool. LibreOffice Draw is one of the parts in the Office Suite.
It is very similar to Microsoft Office Suite. In the LibreOffice Draw tool, you can make your drawings and charts easily when compared to Visio. To improve the performance of the tool, you can install Templates and Extensions from the website. In the app, you can manipulate graphical objects, use 3D images, draw a technical drawing, and much more. Like ASCIIFlow Infinity, it is the best drawing tool for beginners. You can download the app for platforms like Windows, Linux, and macOS.
It is available for free.
These are the best Microsoft Visio alternative apps and software. Install the software that perfectly suits your requirements. All the tools mentioned above are chosen carefully by our editorial team. Comment your favourite Visio alternative in the comments section.
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