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Diagrams and flowcharts make the complex comprehensible. Flowcharts turn long workflows into easy to follow instructions; other diagrams allow you to get ideas across quickly and visually, such as when you need to create a floor plan or network diagram.
Actually making flowcharts and diagrams is less easy, however, especially if you don't have the right tools. You can kind of twist word processors, image editors, or presentation software into a makeshift flowchart and diagramming app. You can also use a hammer to drive in screws–but the result won't be pretty. Sometimes it's worth investing in the best tool for the job, instead of improvising with what's on hand. In this case, that means dedicated software.
What Makes Great Flowchart and Diagramming Software?
The best apps for creating flowcharts and diagrams share five features in common:
- A variety of shapes to work with, including the standard options, such as ovals, arrows, rectangles, and diamonds. The best applications also make it easy for you to add your own shapes and graphics.
- Templates for making all manner of diagrams in less time than starting from scratch.
- Tools to help you arrange things in a way that's clear and logical, such as grids and auto-snapping shapes.
- Exporting your diagrams to a range of image formats, including vector files that can be easily scaled for printing on large posters.
- Clean user interfaces that make the program easy and pleasant to use.
Here are the best applications we found after researching and testing flowchart tools for over two weeks.
Learn more about how we select apps to feature.
The 8 Best Flowchart and Diagramming Tools
- Lucidchart (Web) - Best online flowchart maker for collaboration and Microsoft Visio compatibility
- Microsoft Visio (Windows, Web) - Best Windows flowchart software for Office power users
- Textografo (Web) - Best text-based flowchart maker for quickly turning outlines into flowcharts
- Draw.io (Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS): Best free flowchart maker that works across all platforms
- Omnigraffle (macOS, iOS) - Best native diagramming app for Apple users
- SmartDraw (Web) - Best collection of diagramming templates in a web app
- Gliffy Diagram (Web) - Best online flowchart and diagramming tool for beginners
- Cacoo (Web) - Best diagramming software for making custom charts and graphs
Lucidchart (Web)
Best online flowchart software for collaboration
Lucidchart is among the best-known online flowchart and diagramming tools on the web right now, and it's not hard to see why. Sign up for a free trial and you'll be creating your first flowchart or diagram right away. The web-based interface offers a wide range of templates for flowcharts, software mockups, and more, and there's a wide range of shapes available. The user interface sports a traditional File/Edit/View menu bar, which is easy to navigate and discover relevant features. Adding and arranging items is intuitive, and the process for making a flowchart is straightforward.
This flexible web app can also import files from most competitors including Microsoft Visio, OmniGraffle, Gliffy, and Draw.io–a wider range of import options than any software we tested. Lucidchart can also export to PDF, image files, SVG vectors, and is also the only web-based application we found that can export to Microsoft Visio. This is a lot of flexibility, meaning it can fit nicely into your existing workflow.
Lucidchart also offers real-time online collaboration. This means that, similar to Google Docs, you can see edits your co-workers are making in real-time. This is unique among the applications we’ve reviewed. Visio’s collaboration isn’t entirely realtime, and Draw.io only offers limited realtime collaboration, and even then only for documents shared in Google Drive. Lucidchart’s online collaboration is seamless.
Lucidchart’s free trial allows you to create and save up to three (limited) documents. Unlike other trials Lucidchart's does not expire, meaning it might be enough if your diagramming needs are only occasional. For this reason alone Lucidchart might be worth checking out first.
Lucidchart Price: starting at $4.95 per user, with a free version.
Microsoft Visio (Windows, Web)
Best Windows application for Office power users
Microsoft has been working on Visio for a quarter century, and it shows: the Windows version of this application is polished. It doesn't matter whether you're hoping to make a flowchart, an engineering diagram, a floorplan, or a software mockup–Visio offers appropriate templates and shapes, more than any other option we looked at. The familiar Microsoft Office interface makes it easy to discover functionality, meaning you'll be creating something in no time. Creating a flowchart is fast and intuitive, as is creating other sorts of diagrams. And there's a wide variety of export options, including image formats and SVG vectors.
But the real standout feature, at least for me, is the automatic sorting for flowcharts. I made a complicated mess of a flowchart and then asked Visio to organize things better. It worked perfectly. None of the other programs I tried could manage this.
The main downside here, and it's notable, is the price. The one-time desktop software costs two to nearly five times as much as competing software on this list. There are two subscription services, but only the most expensive offers access to the Windows version of Visio; the cheaper one provides only access to the web-based version. Is Visio worth it? Possibly, especially if you create complicated diagrams, and there's a (needlessly complicated to set up) 14-day trial if you're curious.
Microsoft Visio Price: A one-time purchase of Visio for Windows is $250 for Standard or $480 for Professional; Professional offers features including additional shapes and data visualization features. $15 per user per month for a subscription to the Windows version (on top of any other Office plan); $5 per user per month for Visio Online.
textografo (Web)
Best text-based flowchart maker for quickly turning outlines into flowcharts
Most flowchart tools force you to move a lot of boxes around. Not textografo. This unique tool is mostlypretty much entirely text-based, meaning you can make a flowchart without moving your fingers away from the keyboard. You'll need to learn some basic syntax: hashtags specify shapes, indents specify nesting. Type in the left panel and your flowchart will show up in the right main workspace, as if you were using a Markdown editor. It's the fastest way to create a flowchart–once you learn the syntax, that is.
This app isn't for everyone. You literally can't drag your items to move them: try it and you'll be told 'Nope!' Everything has to be done in the text editor. This means textografo can't work as a general diagramming tool: it's limited to flowcharts, decision trees, sitemaps, and other things that boil down to text boxes connected by arrows. But if you want a quick way to make flowcharts, without any futzing around with your mouse, textografo is for you.
textografo Pricing: Plans start at $8 a month.
Draw.io (Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS)
Best free option with offline access
Draw.io sets itself apart by price: it's free for personal use, and you don't even need to create an account to get started. But that's not the only reason it's worth checking out. The user interface, which closely resembles that of Google's online office applications, is easy to learn. There is also an optional a dark theme, which some people might appreciate. Arranging objects is simple thanks to a clearly defined grid, although the automatic arrangement options aren't as robust as we'd like.
Files can be stored locally on your computer or using cloud services like OneDrive and Google Drive. You can also import files from Visio, Gliffy, and Lucidchart, or export to just about every format you can imagine, including vector files.
One unique feature, at least among online flowchart apps: File.io offers an offline version for Windows, macOS, Linux, and even Chromebooks. This means you can edit your flowcharts without an internet connection, assuming you've saved them to your device instead of the cloud.
One downside: the number of shapes and templates offered is small, even though the basics are well covered. Draw.io also might feel clunky at first, though we got used to it over the course of a few hours. Overall this is a very flexible piece of software that doesn't take a lot of time to learn. It's well worth checking out, even if you only occasionally need to diagram something.
Draw.io Price: Free (with optional paid JIRA and Confluence hosting)
OmniGraffle (macOS, iOS)
Best diagramming app for Apple users
OmniGraffle is the diagramming application that feels most at home on Apple devices. The interface is laid out just how Mac and iPad users expect, which is something no web application can deliver. Being native means OmniGraffle also works offline.
This is a flexible tool with a focus on creating mockups for software and websites. There aren't too many shapes and templates included by default but you can download more–and there's a surprising number of options. I was able to mock up a macOS application pretty quickly, for example, and there are also bundles that make it possible to mock up things like a landscaping project or an electrical diagram.
The process for building a flowchart isn't automated but there are instructions you can follow. If you're strictly looking to make flowcharts I'd probably look elsewhere, but if you need a range of diagramming tools and prefer a native Apple interface, OmniGraffle is worth checking out.
OmniGraffle Price: The software starts at $99.99, and there's a 14-day trial you can use for the macOS version.
SmartDraw (Web)
Best collection of diagramming templates in web-based diagramming software
SmartDraw is versatile. There are templates for everything from flowcharts to software design, from landscaping to wireframes. There's even a surprisingly large collection of maps you can use, from Canadian provinces to European countries. It's one of the more complete collections of templates we found.
Files can be saved to SmartDraw or third-party solutions including Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Box. Diagrams can also be exported to Visio, image forms, or an SVG vector, meaning you can use these charts just about anywhere.
The downside here is the user interface: it's just a little bit clunky when compared to Lucidchart or Visio. You'll figure out how to do everything eventually, sure, but we wish this was just a little more polished. There's a seven-day free trial, however, so you try this out for yourself before deciding to subscribe.
SmartDraw Price: $9.95/month after a free trial
Gliffy Diagram
Best for anyone who needs to learn and create quickly
Gliffy Diagram, another web-based option, is really easy to learn. Choose from a template, start dragging shapes from the left panel, and you'll quickly have a flowchart, Venn diagram, or pretty much anything else you can think of. There are a variety of shapes and icons to choose from, and adding your own is as simple as dragging from your computer. The built-in grid makes it easy to keep things tidy, and building a flowchart was quick in our tests. Export options include images and SVG vectors, and it's possible to import Visio files.
Perhaps the standout feature here are versions that integrate with bug management software Jira and Confluence, allowing users to quickly make diagrams using information from those services. This is great if you use those services, but if you don't the Gliffy homepage is a little confusing. Just know that Gliffy Diagram, found here, is the standalone service for making diagrams, while Gliffy Project is the one that integrates tickets with visual plans.
Gliffy Diagram Pricing: starting at $4.99 a month, and there's a 14-day trial if you'd like to try it out
Cacoo (Web)
Best for quickly making diagrams that include custom charts
Cacoo is another solid option, albeit one that doesn't really stand out. It sports a simple user interface and a wide range of templates. The standard flowchart shapes aren't offered by default but there are templates you can use as a starting point. There are also templates for mind maps, Venn diagrams, and even calendars, which gives Cacoo some versatility.
There's also a simple chart function, which lets you quickly enter or paste data to make simple bar, pie, and trend charts. You can then integrate these charts in the rest of your diagram. You could easily create such charts using Excel and then add them to your diagram, sure, but it's nice for everything to have the same visual style, so this tool can come in handy.
Cacoo exports to image, vector, and even PowerPoint files. There's also support for importing from Visio.
Cacoo Price: Cacoo costs $15 a month, but there's a 14-day trial if you're curious.
Keep Reading:
Title image via Lucidchart.
There are many dedicated programs that only do flowcharts, and even Microsoft creates anotherprogram called Visio that’s more flowchart savvy than mainstream Microsoft Office programs –even then, we highly recommend that you create your flowcharts within your Office program suchas Word, Excel, and PowerPoint! Why do we put forth such a recommendation? That’s because MicrosoftOffice programs already have all the abilities and options you need to create almost anytype of flowchart you need – what’s more, you don’t have to buy and learn yet another programto do something that really is so simple!
Actually, adding a flowchart within a Microsoft Office program is as simple as adding a fewshapes – we will use Microsoft PowerPoint in this example but you could really be using Word orExcel to do the same task – even theRibbon options you willencounter are the same.
If you already need to create a flowchart in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint – then the choicehas already been made for you! Alternatively, here are some thoughts that will help you decide which of these three programs work best for your flowcharts:- Word is great for simple flowcharts with few shapes as long as they all fitwithin the page constraints of Word.
- PowerPoint has similar slide constraints like Word’s page constraints –but for larger flowcharts, you can use PowerPoint’s hyperlinking options that let you spreadthe same flowchart over multiple slides.
- Excel’s large screen real estate within each worksheet does make it agreat home for detailed or complicated flowcharts.
Follow these steps to get started:
- Let’s start with a blank, new slide that just has a slide title and nothing else, asshown in Figure 1, below. If you are using Word, just substitute the blankslide area with a blank area on your document – Excel users can similarly use an available,blank range of cells in their worksheet.
Figure 1: Empty slide with a title - In PowerPoint, Word, or Excel – access the Insert tab of theRibbon and click the Shapes button – this willbring up the Shapes drop-down gallery that you see inFigure 2.
Figure 2: Shapes drop-down gallery - Within the Shapes gallery, you will find plenty of shapes that arearranged in various categories. To create flowcharts, only two of these categories matterto you – these are the Flowchart and Lines categories,highlighted in red and blue respectively within Figure 2, above.
- Let us now explore various shapes available within these categories – first letus explore the Flowchart category. There are 28 flowcharting shapesavailable here – hover your cursor over any of these shapes to see a tool tip that providesyou with the name/description of the hovered shape (see Figure 3, below).
Figure 3: Flowchart shapes are described within the tool tips you seeNote: Want to know more about all the flowchart shapes? Look at ourFlowchartSymbols: What They Represent? page. - Now select the Terminator shape within the Shapesgallery (see Figure 4).
Figure 4: Select the Terminator shape - Your cursor will turn into a crosshair – drag and draw on your slide, document, or worksheetto place an instance of the terminator, as shown in Figure 5, below.
Figure 5: Place a Terminator shape to start your flowchart - With your terminator shape still selected, start typing (we just typed “Start”).Anything you type shows up within the flowchart shape, as shown in Figure 6,below.
Figure 6: Text within your flowchart shape - Now add a shape to represent a decision. Choose the Decision (Diamond)shape option from the Flowchart category within the Shapesgallery – then drag and draw to place an instance of the shape on your slide (or document / sheet) –then type in some text – we just typed “Are you happy?”, as shown inFigure 7, below.
Figure 7: Text that makes you happy? - We now need to link the Terminator shape to the Decisionshape using a “connector” – to do so, access the Shapes gallery(see Figure 2) and select the second option within the Linescategory (see Figure 8, below). This shape is a connector that has an arrowheadat one end. We need the arrowhead end of the connector to be “connected” to yourDecision shape – and the non-arrowhead end will emanate from the Terminator shape. We won’t get into details about how connectors work in this tutorial –you can learn more about connectors in ourUsingFlowchart and Connector Shapes Together tutorial.
Figure 8: Choose a connector with an arrowhead - Figure 9 shows a connector that links both our shapes. To make sure thatyour connector indeed “connects”, select any shape, and hit any of the arrow keys on your keyboardto nudge the shape -- you will find that the connector reorients according to the new position ofyour moved shape.
Figure 9: Shapes connected to each other - Similarly, add two more shapes that connect to your existing Decision shape,as shown in Figure 10, below. We added a connected Process(rectangle) shape on the right and another connected Decision (diamond) shape atthe bottom.
Figure 10: More shapes added to the flowchart - As you can see within Figure 10, above – there are two options emanatingfrom the “Are you happy?” decision shape. Decision shapes typically have more than one outputemanating from them so as to create a decision – in this case, the decision will bebased on whether the answer to the “Are you happy?” question is Yes orNo. We therefore need to identify the two emanating connectors as Yesor No to make this flowchart sequence logical. To do that, you need to place text boxeswith Yes and No captions next to the relevant connectors – this isexplained in ourFormattingConnectors within Flowcharts tutorial.
- Once you add Yes and No captions to your connectors, yourflowchart will look similar to the one shown in Figure 11, below.
Figure 11: Flowchart with Yes and No captions - Continue adding flowchart shapes and link them with connectors. Finally, you will need toadd a 'Stop' Terminator shape to complete your flowchart, as shownin Figure 12, below.
Figure 12: Complete Flowchart - Save your documents often!
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