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The same goes for the toolset which has more than 34,000 symbols compared to around 4,800 in Visio 2016. They look better too because they’re in high quality crisp SVG vector format. One of the biggest advantages SmartDraw has over Visio is the Smart Formatting and auto-diagramming features. SmartDraw automatically re-balances diagrams and layouts so when you change connectors and move things around, it adjusts things for you to keep things tidy. This makes a big difference compared to Visio where you have to do a lot more painstaking and tedious manual adjustment of swimlanes, text wrapping, shapes and other diagram elements. SmartDraw also recognizes that there’s a lot of Project Managers and Business Analysts out there making the switch from Visio need both a visual communication tool and project management tool on their Mac.
Gliffy is a HTML5 cloud-based diagramming program that is used for creating UML diagrams, floor plans, Venn diagrams, flowcharts and several other types of diagrams online. The diagrams created in Gliffy can be shared with and edited by users in real time.
You can instantly turn SmartDraw Mind Maps into Gantt Charts and even send tasks to Trello where they are dynamically updated as task are completed. This is a really slick touch to SmartDraw 2018 and we like the way changes made in one view, are instantly reflected in the other. We also like the fact that SmartDraw doesn’t try and lock you into its own ecosystem. If you want to share diagrams, you can easily can export files to Microsoft Office, PDF, SVG or PNG format. Or if you just want to send someone a diagram online, you can send a URL of the diagram with customized permissions which allows anyone to view or edit it. The same goes for Jira and Confluence.
SmartDraw has plugins for both that allow you to create diagrams within Confluence for example without even opening SmartDraw. This is another big plus over Visio which offers no official way of even viewing Visio diagrams in Confluence, never mind actually create diagrams in it. Although there are other rivals to Visio that offer Confluence integration, SmartDraw has the best by some distance. Overall, SmartDraw is a powerful alternative for anyone looking for Visio on a Mac. It can produce results easily on a par with Visio but with considerably less effort and time. You can to judge for yourself. You can also check out our.
Pricing: $5.95/month for 5 users+, Single Plans $9.95/month. If online apps are not your thing, is the closest thing to a native Mac desktop alternative to MS Visio. OmniGraffle is designed specifically for Mac although it’s a more artistic design tool than Visio and it’s not as easy to use at SmartDraw. However, once mastered OmniGraffle produces attractive, professional diagrams, user interfaces and wireframes that look better than anything possible in Visio. It’s important to note from the start that although OmniGraffle can import Visio files, it can’t export files to the latest Visio VSDX format like SmartDraw can.
If you’re going to working alongside with PC based Visio colleagues, that will rule it out straight from the off. OmniGraffle Pro can import all Visio formats (VSDX, VSD, VDX) fand Visio stencil files (VST, VTX, VSX and VSS). Note that Visio import support is not available in the Standard Version of OmniGraffle ($99). Although there’s aren’t so many stencils and templates included in OmniGraffle, it has a dedicated following of users that have created repositories of. Diagrams created in OmniGraffle look better than those in Visio because it uses high quality vector graphics. There are more tools for illustrating diagrams in OmniGraffle meaning you can create some really eye-catching flowcharts.
OmniGraffle is also the only diagramming software on Mac that allows you to use the Touch Bar on new MacBook Pros. This helps streamline your workflow and improve productivity without having to use the TouchPad or mouse all the time. It also has a very good native iPad app ($49) that supports the Apple Pencil and syncs with Mac via iCloud. Finally, for Project Managers, OmniGraffle is fully integrated with project management tool from the same developer. OmniPlan is a powerful project management tool which makes a great.
Overall, we really like OmniGraffle because it’s designed specifically for Mac with the needs of Mac users in mind. It’s not as fast and easy to use as SmartDraw and it’s more expensive but if you want something desktop based rather than Cloud based, OmniGraffle is one of the best alternatives to Visio out there. You can by downloading it from the Mac App Store. If you decide not to upgrade to the Pro version, you can still keep OmniGraffle as a free desktop. Pricing: OmniGraffle Standard ($99.99) / Professional ($199.99 – includes Visio import support) is a powerful online diagramming software with strong team collaboration features and excellent integration with Microsoft Office.
While it’s not as slick as similar Cloud based solutions like SmartDraw and doesn’t come close to it in terms of templates, objects or graphics quality, it’s still one of the leading diagramming tools out there. Here are some of the things we like about Lucidchart. It can import Visio files (although it can’t export to the latest Visio VSDX format).
You can import Visio stencils in VSS or VSX format (although Visio templates in VST or VTX format are not supported). Lucidchart tailors the interface and toolset according to your industry and needs such as engineering, flowcharting, UML diagramming etc. It really excels at multi user collaboration and allows you to chat with others inside the app, see revision changes, leave comments etc. There are free plugins for JIRA, Confluence and Jive integration. Lucidchart is very well-integrated with Microsoft Office 2016 so you can draw diagrams directly in Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
There’s a handy that allows you to draw diagrams offline. Overall Lucidchart is an easy to use online diagramming tool ideal for team collaboration and those that need good integration with Microsoft Office. For a more in-depth look at Lucidchart, check-out our full. You can also try a of Lucidchart. Pricing: $8.95+/month per user.
Is the only professional diagramming cross platform desktop alternative to Visio that works on both Mac and Windows PCs. ConceptDraw Pro can even export to Visio VSDX format although we found the results are not as accurate as with SmartDraw. Here’s some highlights of ConceptDraw Pro for Mac:. It can import Visio files including VSD and VDX (Visio 2007-2010 format) and Microsoft’s newer open XML file format VSDX used in Visio 2013 and above. It can export diagrams to Microsoft Office and Evernote among other formats.
There are hundreds of templates to get you going divided into different areas such as, engineering, management, science, flowcharts etc. There’s also a rich collection of high quality vector objects, audiovisual clips, additional templates and tutorials in. ConceptDraw Pro allows you to create presentations and slideshows of your diagrams. For Project Managers, it can be used alongside.
ConceptDraw Pro is a solid choice if you want something similar to Visio that works on both Mac and PC. You can try a by signing up for a ConceptDraw account. Pricing: $199. Minor updates are free but not major updates. Is an extremely easy to use team focused Cloud diagramming software that’s ideal for collaborating on, network diagrams and org charts. Gliffy can import Visio files although it can’t export them although it does export to SVG format which can be opened in Visio (although you’ll have to do a lot of manual adjustment).
Here’s what makes Gliffy a great team diagramming solution. Gliffy has a so although it’s Cloud based, you can create diagrams offline. It syncs with online storage solutions such as Google Drive and Dropbox directly from your desktop. Gliffy’s WYSIWYG interface is based on HTML5 which means it’s fast and responsive. It uses a drag-and-drop interface which makes it easy to add objects and connectors to your diagrams. Gliffy is an excellent choice for teams as it has full revision histories for diagrams, private sharing and all users can leave comments on diagrams.
Sharing diagrams is easy. If you want to share diagrams with a non Gliffy user, it generates a simple URL which can be shared on social media and other channels so anyone can view the diagram. There are Gliffy plugins for Confluence and Jira.
Gliffy also allows you to export diagrams to Google Docs, presentations, web pages and most major image formats including JPG, PNG, PNG with transparent background and SVG. There’s a good choice of real objects to illustrate diagrams with although there aren’t many templates to choose from. If you just want a basic but easy online diagramming solution that imports Visio files, allows you to diagram offline and is suitable for teams, Gliffy is definitely worth checking out. You can and test drive it for yourself. Pricing: Starts at $7.99/user per month. Is a lightweight, fast and cost-effective alternative to Visio.
Creately is a lot simpler than Visio but you can create some pretty impressive diagrams, Venn diagrams, flowcharts and process flows with it. Here’s a few things that stand out. Creately can import Visio files (although it can’t export to Visio). There are some neat touches like shared project libraries, a useful Google Image search tool and auto snapping of objects connectors. Creately also integrates with Confluence, Jira and the G Suite Marketplace. Creately has a Mac desktop client which allows you to draw offline and sync any changes when you go online again. There are thousands of templates to choose from to get things done quickly.
You can also before deciding whether it’s for you. Pricing: $5 a month or $49 per year for individual users.
If you mainly use Visio for creating flowcharts then is a data input based alternative with a clean, minimalist interface. Textografo claims that by automating diagrams, it’s the fastest diagramming software on the market although it takes some getting used to first. Textografo doesn’t cater for all diagram formats but consists of a Flowchart Maker, Mindmap Maker, Decision Tree Maker, Organizational Chart Maker and a Sitemap Maker. Here’s what we like about Textografo compared to Visio:. Textografo takes a data input approach to diagramming by automating diagrams based on the data you feed it.
Instead of drawing diagrams, you describe it using hashtags and instructions in the left hand margin and Textografo draws it. So for example, if you type “#decision” a decision box will appear in the diagram. This removes the need to constantly align, resize and connect elements and objects in flowcharts by automating much of the process for you via syntax. You can also drag and drop elements although Textografo is not really designed for that. Textografo is designed particularly with business processes in mind especially those in Process Analysis, Business Operations, Software Development, Sales & Marketing and Customer Service roles.In terms of pricing plans, Textografo Essentials is the basic version of Textografo and costs $4 per month but is limited to 5 private diagrams and 50 shapes per diagram. You can use Textografo before you have to purchase a plan. Pricing: Textografo Premium costs $8 per month.
(formerly known as Nevron Draw) is a budget desktop alternative to MS Visio. If the interface of MyDraw looks familiar, that’s because it’s heavily inspired by Microsoft Office’s Ribbon UI used in all MS Office products. Some of the reasons MyDraw makes a good replacement for MS Visio on macOS include:. Visio file format support is excellent in MyDraw including support for importing older VDX format and VSSX stencils too. MyDraw can also import, edit and export Visio VSDX files (although the results aren’t always great).
MyDraw can also import family tree diagrams in GEDCOM format used in. Other export formats supported include PDF, AutoCAD’s DXF format and as high-resolution images. MyDraw has a very large number of shapes and objects to choose from and uses a powerful formula based engine similar to Visio. It also has automatic layout algorithms to speed things up when creating diagrams. There are plenty of free templates for simple mind maps, network diagrams, floor plans, fish bone diagrams, work flows, UML diagrams and electrical diagrams.
If you like to draw diagrams on your iPad, MyDraw also supports the Apple Pencil and other. MyDraw isn’t quite on the same level as Visio but if you’re on a really tight budget and want a Mac desktop solution, it’s definitely worth downloading the Pricing: $69.99 is a cheaper desktop alternative to Visio but with a strikingly similar interface. There are a lot of similarities between Edraw and MyDraw, most notably that they’re both desktop apps plus they can both import and export Visio files. Here’s what we like about Edraw Max:.
Edraw supports high quality vector graphics allowing you to create eye-catching diagrams. Edraw supports VDX as well as VSDX files although the exported results aren’t always great and may involve some manual adjustment depending on the complexity of the diagram. The Edraw Max UI is very closely modeled on Microsoft Visio’s ribbon interface – so close in fact that it’s actually hard to distinguish the difference at first glance. Although there are only around 200 templates in Edraw Max, there’s enough there for basic flowcharts, org charts and brainstorming.
You can snap and connect shapes or objects easily and there’s enough to create basic Visio diagrams. Overall, Edraw Max is an interesting option if you want something that looks like Visio, works on your Mac desktop but is considerably cheaper. There’s a fully functional Pricing: Perpetual License costs $179 with no upgrade costs for 3 years. Lifetime License costs $245 with no upgrade costs.
Subscription costs $99 per year. Finally, is an Enterprise level, data input driven replacement for Visio which like Textografo, takes information you throw at it and then automatically generates Visio like flowcharts and diagrams.
It’s aimed particularly at Product or Project Managers as it calculates dependencies and can provide estimates of project timelines and completion dates. Here are some of the benefits of Ardoq:. It gives a good overview of complex workflows and systems so that they can get a better overview of knock-on effects and the interconnections between process flows.
It automatically translates complex data that you give it into useful flowcharts and diagrams. This means less time sketching flowcharts and process flows manually. Diagrams dynamically update and change as you update the data that powers them such as via an Excel sheet or any other tool that has an API.
Although Ardoq doesn’t allow much manual adjustment of diagrams, there are templates that you can customize manually and a plugin editor to configure how Ardoq visualizes data. The main drawback to Ardoq is the price. At $999 per month, it’s not exactly cheap but if you’re a Project Manager in a large enterprise, Ardoq is a powerful data driven, project management focused Visio like tool. You can request a to see if it’s right for your organization. Pricing: $899/month Which Is The Best Visio Alternative For Mac?
Is hard to beat as a powerful but far easier to use alternative to Visio. Its been around longer than almost any other diagramming software and all that experience, features and user interface know-how has clearly gone into SmartDraw Cloud for Mac users. Crucially, it’s the best alternative to Visio when it comes to importing and exporting VSDX files and if you’re going to be working with Visio based clients or colleagues, you should definitely look no further. Is Visio Part Of Office 365 For Mac? Microsoft Visio is not included in the Standard version of Office 365.
However, is available in Office 365 to both Mac and PC users but it only allows basic editing and viewing of Visio files and there are many limitations. For example Visio Online lacks things such as shape data, you can’t edit hyperlinks in diagrams and there are annoying glitches like session timeouts if you leave the browser tab idle for more than a few minutes. It also only works if you have saved the files in SharePoint Online or One Drive for Business – you can’t open Visio files that are saved locally on your Mac’s hard drive or sent to you via email. Mac users can however leave comments for other users in diagrams and Visio Online is also integrated with so that stakeholders can discuss diagrams with others. For iPhone and iPad users, there is also. Is There A Google Visio Alternative? There is no software made by Google that can compare with Microsoft Visio.
The closest thing available is which is free and allows you to do very basic diagramming in your browser. There’s also but it’s a 3D modelling software mainly designed for doing. Are There Any Free Alternatives To Visio On A Mac? The simple answer is you won’t get anything for free that can compete with a complex enterprise product like Microsoft Visio. However, there are some that allow a certain amount of diagramming for free. You will find however that there are stict limitations on them such as the number of diagrams, tools and files you can save.
They all use the free versions as gateways to encourage you to upgrade to the paid versions. Is It Possible To Run Visio On A Mac? Yes it is possible to run Visio on a Mac although we don’t recommend it as a solution as you can. You can watch Visio running on a Mac below. Why Is There No Mac Version Of Visio?
The main reason is the relatively small market share of Macs compared to PC. The cost of dedicating a team of developers and engineers to creating and maintaining a macOS version of Visio is not considered economically viable by Microsoft. Naturally, Microsoft also wants to keep its business users within the Windows ecosystem as far as possible. We hope this article has helped you find a replacement for Visio on your Mac but if you have any suggestions, comments or experiences with the software featured here, let us know in the comments below.
You May Also Like:. PowerUser ConceptDraw PRO v10 can import and export Visio 2013 files in native format (VSDX), and it can import and export Visio 2010 files in Visio’s XML format (VDX). The native save format for Visio 2013 is VDS. To open a VDS file one can send their file ConceptDraw’s file converter, or ask the originator of the file to save it in VDX. Both Visio 2013 and ConceptDraw PRO 10 now save the graphic files in a compressed format that makes files much easier to handle. ConceptDraw PRO v10 can save drawings for users of either Visio 2010 or Visio 2013. I’ve searched an information in the web regarding Visio alternatives.
Since we do migrate on Macs in my company (which are good news), I must to accept the fact of using a new tool (which is not very easy for some people). But looks like there are several good analogues. I’ve already tried Omnigraffle and Concept draw PRO and second looks ideal for me and my team, because there still will be several Windows users and Conceptdraw supports both Mac&PC, also because of very professional templates and free Visio convertor service in PRO. Thanks a lot to author.
Jill Duffy The Best Flowchart and Diagramming Apps of 2017 Create the professional-looking flowcharts, org charts, floor plans, and other diagrams your business needs with these easy-to-use applications. Flowcharts and Diagrams Made Easy Business professionals, educators, and students often need to make visuals to go along with other materials they present. An organizational chart may help an executive explain to investors the company's structure. An educator might need a flowchart to explain a complex process to students.
A medical student might create an annotated figure of the human body for a peer-reviewed paper. Few people who need to create these visuals just happen to also be experts in online drawing and design. These easy-to-use are precisely what such users need. Diagramming apps help people who have no artistic talent produce professional-looking organizational charts, floor plans, evacuation maps, Venn diagrams, flowcharts, and other visuals.
They're typically pretty easy to learn to use, especially if you're familiar with other office software. Diagramming software was invented after vector software failed to help people who were not artistically inclined. Vector software gives you tools for drawing lines, making boxes and circles, and adding text. If you're an artist or a designer, you can use those virtual pen-and-paper products to make whatever you need.
If you're not an artist, however, vector software is completely frustrating to use. You might as well be thrown back into the seventh grade with nothing more than construction paper and a protractor to make visuals for a multimillion-dollar company. Templates.All good diagramming software comes with templates. Templates are sample versions of the visuals you are likely going to create. Unlike old-school vector software, modern diagramming apps are built with the kinds of diagrams people are likely to make in mind.
They therefore provide templates for all the common purposes for diagrams. That's why I mentioned org charts, flowcharts, and floor plans early in this article. Those are some of the most common diagram types people create, and I haven't found a diagramming app that doesn't offer several templates in all those categories. Templates start you out with a layout for your visual.
Objects are the pieces of content on the template. Many templates come with objects already in place, but there are more objects, usually in a pane to the left, that you can add to your masterpiece. Diagramming software also lets you add custom objects when you upload images. If your company or educational program has specific visuals that need to be incorporated into a diagram, you don't have to draw them by hand to add them. You can instead simply upload image files.
Maybe with the right tools, you can make the perfect visuals. Or maybe you need some help from a coworker who fills in details, or from an art director who finesses your work into something even more appealing. Diagramming apps that support collaboration allow more than one person to edit a graphic simultaneously. In the best apps, the collaboration is live and in real time, much the way and other apps in the support it. Being able to collaborate effortlessly also means that when you pass a diagram on to a manager or boss for approval, that person can make a few lights edits firsthand rather than telling you what the changes should be.
That saves everyone a lot of time and reduces frustration. How Much Does it Cost? The cheapest diagramming apps are free to use, and the most expensive ones cost around $300 for a desktop version of the software. Subscription fees are much more common than straight purchases, however, with the best apps charging between $100 and $200 per year.
My favorite apps are those that offer a free level of service so that you can try them out without a time limitation. They usually add more features and services if you upgrade to a paid tier of service (in other words, they're freemium apps). Be careful with free services, though.
Sometimes when you create diagrams with them, your files are publicly viewable. You wouldn't want to create a company networking diagram, for example, that might contain sensitive information that anyone could find. Top Software for Flowcharts and Diagrams After I tested and compared several of the most popular apps for creating diagrams, two stood out for their exemplary ease of use, feature set, template and object library, and value. They are Lucidchart and SmartDraw. These two earn PCMag's Editors' Choice. My top choice among these two winners is Lucidchart. Lucidchart is an online diagramming app with excellent support for collaboration, and it's easy to pick up and use.
Because it's online, there's no need to worry about whether all the collaborators are running macOS or Windows. Lucidchart simply runs in the browser. SmartDraw is the runner-up, and I like the web app version SmartDraw Cloud for the same reason I like Lucidchart. Why worry about platform compatibility when everyone can simply work on the web? SmartDraw's template library is even bigger than Lucidchart's, but the app costs a bit more and doesn't have the same excellent real-time co-authoring features. The Best Free Software for Flowcharts and Diagrams. When it comes to free diagramming apps, Draw.io is my go-to.
Draw.io works very well if you're in the position of needing to make a visual or two every so often, and paying $100 a year for the privilege seems bonkers. Draw.io lets you save your files to Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. You can also save files you create with it to your computer. Even though it's a web app, there's an offline option and Chrome users can access it by installing the Draw.io Desktop Chrome app.
If you're feeling suspicious about why Draw.io is entirely free, here's the deal. The company makes one version of the product that it sells for a fee: Draw.io for Confluence Server. That version of Draw.io is a plug-in for Confluence Server, and it lives entirely behind the firewall.
It lets teams create diagrams within those spaces to have visual aids and representations of the work done there. If you get hooked on the free version of Draw.io and you're in the market for a tool that specifically works with Confluence Server, maybe you'll bite and pay for the service.
Explore Your Templates! One of my favorite things about diagramming apps is exploring the templates. You might just find a diagram you didn't even know you needed, such as a business decision-making diagram for responding to emergencies.
Need to post a First Aid chart in your office break room? Does your kid's soccer team have a phone tree? Browse the templates in a diagramming app, and you're sure to uncover something unexpected and hopefully useful, which will surely help you appreciate the value of having it in the first place. For more tips on how to get important documents made in hurry, you can read. Excellent real-time collaboration support included when connected to a Google account. Cons: Collection of templates and shapes is unimpressive. Not as easy for non-designers to use as other diagramming apps.
Importing from other file types was unsuccessful in testing. Bottom Line: Draw.io is a useful, free diagramming service with strong collaboration features via Google. It's handy if you only occasionally need to make diagrams, but for better functionality and more templates you'll want a premium service.