Best free diagram drawing software

If you want to draw diagrams, you need software and this article will show you which one is best. I am a student and what better time to learn diagram drawing than when you are in school? I have experimented with many different software for making drawings and the one that worked best for me was Xfig. It’s not incredibly feature rich but it doesn’t take long until something goes wrong.

Diagrams can be an excellent way to explain technical concepts in a textual document to other people. Sometimes they can be hard to create, especially if you’re not artistic. There are several tools on the market that make creating diagrams easier. They can be expensive, especially if you want detailed diagrams with attractive backgrounds. Here I will go through the free alternatives and let you know what I think of them.

The best free diagram drawing software is Dia.

Dia is a free, open-source diagramming program that can be used to create diagrams and flowcharts. It is cross-platform, so it is available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux operating systems. The program has the ability to save files in many different formats, including SVG (scalable vector graphics) and PNG (portable network graphics).

Dia’s features include:

-A simple interface for easy use by anyone, regardless of experience level with computer programs;

-The ability to import images from other programs as well as directly from web pages;

-An option to export your work in PDF format, which makes it easy to share with others or print out for yourself;

-A range of customizable tools for drawing shapes and lines;

Best free diagram drawing software

Pro Tip: While selecting the best flowchart software, you should consider its library of shapes, templates provided by the tool, ease of use, exporting options available, cost and some advanced features like tracking of changes.

Drawing the flowcharts manually will be time and effort-consuming.

Flowcharts have some limitations like complex logic, alterations, and reproduction. These limitations can be overcome using the right software.

The below image will show you the general features of the flowchart software.

[image source]

Flowchart maker will make the whole process of diagramming easier with the features like resizing of shapes according to text, the auto connection of shapes, intuitive editor, drag-and-drop functionality, predefined templates, collaboration features, and compatibility with other tools.

Some tools provide advanced features like tracking the changes, restoring them, collaborating, messaging, and access permissions like view and edit.

Given below is an Example of a flowchart for purchase order created using one of these Flowchart Maker Tools:

(Click for enlarged view)

Quick VIDEO: What is a Flowchart and How to Create Simple Flowcharts

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Best Free Flowchart Software For Windows And Mac Users

Enlisted below are the best Flowchart Makers that are most commonly used worldwide.

Comparison Table Of Top Flowchart Makers

Let’s Explore!!

#1) Canva

Best for individuals, teams, beginners, and experts.

Canva Pricing: Canva’s simple drag-and-drop editor is free forever. Canva for Work will cost you $12.95 per team member per month. Get a quote for Canva Enterprise.

Canva is an online tool for graphic designing. It can be used for layout designing & sharing, presentations, and the printing of business cards, and logos. It is available on Android phones, tablets, iPhones, and iPad. It can be used by enterprises, non-profit organizations, and for educational purposes.

Features:

• It has more than 50000 templates.
• You can create different types of graphs and charts.
• It has features for photo editing.
• You can create your own custom designs or can select existing templates for printing business cards, invitations, Posters, etc.

=> Visit Canva Website

#2) Cacoo

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

Cacoo is an easy-to-use flowchart maker. With the flowchart tool, you can quickly create each point by simply clicking the connector button. There is a library of shapes available to use as your flowchart symbols.

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.

=> Visit Cacoo Website

#3) Edraw

Best for newbie as well as expert.

Edraw Pricing: Edraw has four pricing plans, Edraw max (Starts at $99), Mindmaster (Starts at $29), Edraw project (Starts at $99), and Orgcharting (Starts at $145). A free trial is available for the product. Edraw offers all the products with 30-days money-back guarantee.

Edraw Flowchart Maker software has a drag-and-drop interface. You will get a large variety of built-in symbols. It can be used for the Data Flow diagram, BPMN, and workflow diagram. This smart, simple, and straightforward tool will make it easy to create a flowchart.  It provides pre-made shapes and automatic floating buttons.

Edraw has various tools Edraw Max is the all-in-one diagramming tool. Its Mindmaster is a professional & versatile mind mapping tool. The Edraw Project is an intuitive and effective tool for the Gantt Chart. Orgcharting tool is useful for creating professional and data-interactive org charts.

Features:

• Edraw’s built-in libraries will contain all flowchart symbols.
• Symbols are according to the industry standard.
• The tool will allow you to customize the symbols.
• It will let you change color, adjust line styles, and customize everything.

=> Visit Edraw Website

#4) Draw.io

Best for developers, designers, and process analysts.

Price: Draw.io is a free tool. It is free even for commercial use. It has pricing plans for various integrations. Integration with Confluence Server, the price starts at $10 for 10 users. Integrations with Confluence Data Center, price starts at $2000. For Confluence Cloud, the price starts at $5.

For the Jira server, the price starts at $10 and for Jira Cloud, the price starts at $1.

Draw.io is an online tool for drawing process diagrams, flowcharts, ER diagrams, etc. It is free and open source. The tool provides an extensive library for shapes. It can be used on desktops as well as on mobiles. It is compatible with all browsers

Features:

• It has an intuitive interface with drag-and-drop functionality.
• It allows you to track and restore changes.
• It supports various formats for import and export.
• The tool works both in online and offline modes.

Website: Draw.io

#5) Lucid Chart

Best for IT or engineering, businesses, freelancers, and project management & design tasks.

Price: Lucid Chart offers four pricing plans i.e. Basic, Pro, Team, and Enterprise. The Basic plan is for a single user and will cost you $4.95 per month. The Pro plan is also for a single user which will cost you $9.95 per month. The Team plan starts at $27 per month. Get a quote for the Enterprise plan.

Lucid Chart is an online Diagram Software for Mac. It can be used for simple flowcharts as well as for complex diagrams. It can be used on any device and on any browser. It offers good collaboration features through group chats and comments.

Features:

• As it works on any device, you will be able to collaborate with your team anytime, anywhere.
• It can be seamlessly integrated with G Suite, Microsoft Office, Atlassian, and many other popular apps.
• It allows group chats and comments in real-time.

Website: Lucid Chart

#6) Visme

Best for Educational purposes, Small & large companies.

Price: Visme offers different plans for Individuals, Businesses, and Educational purposes. The Individual category has three plans i.e. Basic (Free for 5 projects), Standard ($14 per month), and Complete ($25 per month).

The Business category has three plans i.e. Complete ($25 per month), Team ($75 per month for 3 users), and Enterprise (Get a quote).

For the Education category, Visme offers three plans i.e. Student ($30 per semester), Educator ($60 per semester), and School (Get a quote for schools and universities).

Visme is a tool for infographics and presentations. It works both in online and offline mode. You can use it on any device. Visme provides the full privacy control for your content. It allows your content to be public, private, or password protected.

Features:

• Visme provides more than 500 templates and color schemes.
• It has more than 50 charts, data widgets, and maps.
• Your creations can be easily downloaded and published.
• It allows you to make your content interactive by animating the object, adding links, transitions, and pop-ups.

Website: Visme

#7) Smart Draw

Best for everyone who wants to create diagrams.

Price: Smart Draw online edition will cost you $9.95 per month for a single user. For more than 5 users, it will cost you $5.95 per month.

Smart Draw is a smart and intelligent platform for drawing different types of charts and diagrams. It has intelligent formatting and is ready for Enterprise. It provides features for Enterprise Administration, collaboration from anywhere, and Development Platform.

Features:

• It has intelligent formatting.
• It provides a development platform which can create the diagram from data.
• Smart Draw can be integrated with MS Office, Google Apps, Jira, and many other applications.

Website: Smart Draw

#8) Visual Paradigm

Best for software developers.

Price: Visual Paradigm Online has three pricing plans i.e. Starter ($4 per user per month), Advanced ($9 per user per month), and Express (Free for personal use).

Visual Paradigm offers four pricing plans i.e. Enterprise ($89 per month), Professional ($35 per month), Standard ($19 per month), and Modeler ($6 per month).

Visual Paradigm provides you the platform for UML, SysML, and BPMN Modeling. It allows you to easily edit and share web-based diagrams. It is useful for Agile & Scrum, Business Improvement, Code & DB Engineering, Project management, and Enterprise Architecture.

Features:

• Visual Paradigm has features for team collaboration.
• It will help you with agile software development.
• It has features for enterprise architecture and project management.

Website: Visual Paradigm

Suggested Reading => 5 Important Diagrams that Testers Should Learn

#9) Gliffy

Best for small, medium, and large companies. It has good collaboration features and is easy to learn.

Price: Gliffy offers a free trial. It has three products i.e. Gliffy Diagram, Gliffy Diagram for JIRA, and Gliffy Diagram for Confluence. Gliffy Diagram has three pricing plans i.e. Personal ($7.99 per month for a single user), Team ($4.99 per user per month), and Enterprise (Get a quote).

Pricing for Gliffy Diagram for JIRA is based on the number of users. Up to 10 users, it will cost you $10 per month. For 11 to 100 users, it will cost you $3.80 per user per month. Gliffy Diagram for Confluence has the same prices as that of JIRA.

Gliffy provides an online diagramming tool which will help you in improving visual communication and team collaboration. Gliffy allows you to draw UML diagrams, wireframes, flowcharts, and much more.

Features:

• Drag-and-drop functionality and HTML5 editor for diagramming.
• Ready to use templates.
• You can easily share your creations on social media or through links.
• Gliffy can be integrated with Atlassian.

Website: Gliffy

#10) Creately

Best for Software engineers, teachers, students, system administrators, network engineers, web designers, and UI engineers, etc.

Price: Creately is free for individual use for up to 5 public diagrams. Creately offers a Personal plan for individuals which will cost you $5 per month. Team plans are based on the team size (5 users: $25/month, 10 Users: $45/month, and 25 Users: $75/month).

Creately is an online diagram maker for desktop as well as mobiles. Mobile Apps are available for Android and iOS. Diagrams created with Creately can be exported to editable SVG files. It works Online and Offline. Creately allows you to import the Visio file directly to the Creately.

Features:

• It is easy to create.
• It has a huge library of shapes. It also allows you to choose the shape from the Icon Finder or Google.
• It can automatically pick the right connector.
• It can create complex shapes from the written text.
• Collaboration with anyone through email.
• Shared links can be secured using the view only or edit modes.

Website: Creately

#11) Textografo

Best for Developers, UX Designers, Business Analysts, and Product Managers.

Price: Textografo offers two pricing plans i.e. Essentials ($8 per month) and Premium ($14 per month).

Textografo is an online diagram tool and flowchart maker. Diagramming will be fast with Textografo because of its text to the diagram generator. It facilitates quick sharing of ideas.

It will allow you to embed your creation on the website or platform of your choice. It provides features like nesting of diagrams and Zoom in or Zoom out.

Features:

• It provides text to diagram generator.
• Team-based role highlighting.
• It supports nesting of diagrams.
• You can create an animation of your complete diagram.
• It will allow you to change the colors by choosing the themes in just one click.

Website: Textografo

#12) Google Drawings

Best for creating drawings for free.

Price: Free

Google Drawings is an online tool by Google for creating diagrams and charts. It can be used for organizational charts, website wireframes, mind maps, concept maps, and for many other types of diagrams.

Features:

• You will be able to collaborate and work together with your team in real-time.
• Using the Chrome app, you will be able to work offline.
• Default storage of files will be Google Drive.
• For downloading the drawings, the tool supports JPEG, SVG, PNG, and PDF formats.

Website: Google Drawings

#13) Microsoft Visio

Best for creating professional diagrams like floor plan, engineering designs, flowcharts, and org charts.

Price: Microsoft Visio has two pricing plans i.e. Online Plan 1 ($5 per user per month) and Online Plan2 ($14.96 per user per month). Visio Professional is available for $768. Visio Standard is available for $410.

Microsoft Visio is the best flowchart software for Windows creating process flow diagrams. It is used for the creation of professional diagrams. It has three products i.e. Visio Online, Visio Standard, and Visio Professional. Visio Online will help you to work from anywhere.

Features:

• It provides modern shapes and templates.
• The tool will allow you to collaborate with the team.
• Visio online will help you to work from anywhere.

Website: Microsoft Visio

Conclusion

We have reviewed and compared the top flowchart software in this article. Draw.io is best for working on all platforms. Lucid Chart is the best online flowchart creator because of its collaboration features and its compatibility with Microsoft Visio.

It works best for drawing simple and complex diagrams. Visme is an infographic and presentation tool that can be used by small and large organizations.

Smart Draw is useful for everyone who wants to draw a diagram. Visual Paradigm is best for Software developers. Gliffy has good collaboration features and is best for beginners. Canva is an online graphic designing tool. Creately is an online diagram maker for software engineers, network engineers, and web designers.