You can invite anyone to collaborate in the web version via email, and multiple editors can live-edit in the same document.
Speaking of collaboration, real-time editing works as expected. Plus, if you collaborate with coworkers or clients who use Macs, Lucidchart's cross-platform compatibility is a must-have. If you're a Windows user who only makes occasional diagrams, Lucidchart's Visio compatibility and free plan for up to three projects may be all you need. You can even import and export Visio format files for max compatibility, or to replace Visio entirely. This Microsoft Visio alternative makes it easy to switch from Visio because of its familiar Windows-inspired toolbar and menus. Everything is organized and works as you'd expect: click and drag shapes and tools into your canvas, and access tooltips and help sections from anywhere. The feature set is impressive, but the interface never feels overwhelming as a new user. Lucidchart is widely seen as the "industry standard" flowchart/diagram software, and 96% of the Fortune 500 use it. Modern and professional templates, group video callsįree for 3 projects paid plans from $12/user/month Live whiteboarding, interactive team pollsįree up to 3 projects paid plans from $5/user/month UX and web design flowchart templates, wireframingįree for 1 project paid plans from $8.80/monthįree for 5 projects paid plans from $10/monthįree for 3 projects paid plans from. The best flowchart and diagram software at a glanceĬross-platform compatibility, Google Sheets data syncingįree for up to 3 documents paid plans from $7.95/monthĭeep integration with Microsoft Office 365 and Teams, accessibility featuresĮxtensive template library, one-click node creationĪI-generated action plans, project management, document creationįree for up to 3 boards and 100 AI prompts paid plans from $10/user/month After weeks of extensive testing, these are the 12 best flowchart software and diagram apps. These flowchart and diagram apps range widely in price, though all present a good value for their specialty.Īlright, let's get these nodes on the road. Value for price: Cheapest isn't always best. Depending on your needs, that could be a deciding factor for you. Team collaboration: Real-time team collaboration is a must in today's remote work landscape, and for sharing projects with clients.ĪI and/or advanced features: Not all of these apps have specific artificial intelligence (AI) features, but they each offer something unique to a specific set of users that other apps don't. Templates: Having a large library of templates saves time and allows everyone to make aesthetically pleasing, professional flowcharts. In my opinion, these are the five most important features a good diagramming tool must have:Įasy to use: Whether you're creating simple org charts or complex network diagrams with self-updating connected databases, a flowchart or diagram app should be easy to get started with right away.
I tested the basic functionality of these flowchart apps, as well as advanced features like collaboration (using another account), AI prompts, data syncing, and more. To test these flowchart apps, I signed up for either a free account or trial of each and started one or more projects the way I normally would in my workflow.
Even now as a freelancer, I love visually organizing my thoughts when beginning a project. Working in marketing agencies for over ten years means I've seen my fair share of flowcharts, wireframes, diagrams, and mind maps in everything from website or campaign planning to brainstorming and creative ideation. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog.
We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site-we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. Our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software.