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What are the best Dia alternatives?

Dia is described as 'GTK+ based diagram creation program for Linux, Unix, Mac OS X and Windows released under the GPL license' and is a very popular Diagram Editor in the business & commerce category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Dia for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Online / Web-based, Linux, Mac and Chrome OS. The best alternative is diagrams.net, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Dia are yEd Graph Editor, LibreOffice - Draw, Penpot and PlantUML.

Dia alternatives are mainly Mind Mapping Tools but may also be Diagram Editors or Vector Graphic Apps. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Dia.
This page was last updated Jun 3, 2022
Dia
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  • Free • Open Source
  • Mac
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • PortableApps.com
  • FreeBSD
  • Xfce
  • DragonFly BSD
  • NetBSD
  • OpenBSD

Dia is a GTK+ based diagram creation program for Linux, Unix, Mac OS X and Windows released under the GPL license.

Learn more about Dia

  1. Lucidchart

    Sponsored
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    • Freemium • Proprietary
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Zapier
    • bambooHR
    • Amazon Web Services
    • Microsoft Office Powerpoint
    • Microsoft OneDrive
    • Jira
    • Microsoft Office Word
    • Google Drive
    • Slack
    • Google Drive - Docs
    • Quip
    • Microsoft Teams
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Salesforce.com
    • Google Apps
    • Microsoft Azure
    • Microsoft Office 365
    • Google Drive - Sheets
    • GitHub
    • Microsoft Office Suite
    • LinkedIn
    • Confluence
    • Microsoft Office Excel

    Lucidchart is a visual workspace that combines diagramming, collaboration, and data visualization to accelerate understanding and drive innovation. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in real time.

    Some users think Lucidchart is a great alternative to Dia, some don't.

  2. diagrams.net

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    • Free • Open Source
    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    • Self-Hosted
    • PortableApps.com
    • Notion
    • Google Drive
    • Microsoft OneDrive
    • GitHub
    • Microsoft Teams
    • Microsoft SharePoint
    • Google Slides
    • Google Drive - Sheets
    • Google Drive - Docs

    diagrams.net (previously draw.io) is a free online diagram drawing application for workflow, BPM, org charts, UML, ER, network diagrams. No login or registration are required and features include the ability to save locally (including SVG), a range of stencils, .

    diagrams.net vs Dia opinions
    Most users think diagrams.net is a great alternative to Dia.

    Draw.io is very usable, with a sleek interface, tons of stencils/shapes, and the ability to export to various file formats. I have used for home and work projects and have been pleased with the results. I would even go as far as saying it's more useful than MS Visio if your requirements aren't too technical.

    Positive comment • over 4 years ago
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    Easy to use, No registration(!), complex feature set, very few bugs. Acceptable performance.

    Positive comment • about 5 years ago
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    1
    Kholdfire

    Draw.io is a decent alternative, but is too different. Mainly the problem is that Dia is an application program for Windows, while draw.io is a mere Web app. I know Web apps are popular these days, but they're not the same as actual applications, and personally I don't like how many companies seem to be attempting to make all programs Web apps or "online" "programs".

    Negative comment • about 3 years ago
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    2

    Easy to use. Free and open source. can install on my pc (linux mint) Better application than Dia, that I can use online as well on my PC. Very Good !

    Positive comment • over 3 years ago
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  4. yEd is a powerful diagram editor that can be used to quickly create diagrams manually or import external data for analysis and auto-magically arrange even large data sets by just pressing a button.

    yEd Graph Editor vs Dia opinions
    Most users think yEd Graph Editor is a great alternative to Dia.
    Lacika

    yEd has pretty much all features as Dia and a lot more! It has a bit steep learning curve and sometimes a bit strange UI, but once you learn it you can do almost any diagram in it. It can even reorganize it automatically, if it gets messy!

    Positive comment • almost 3 years ago
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    1

    Simple to use and has all the options you could want. I have now adopted it for the program I have developed in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics

    Positive comment • almost 4 years ago
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    1

    Featureful. Reliable and extendable.

    Positive comment • almost 4 years ago
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  5. Draw lets you produce anything from a quick sketch to a complex plan, and gives you the means to communicate with graphics and diagrams. With a maximum page size of 300cm by 300cm, Draw is a an excellent package for producing technical drawings, general posters, and much else.

    LibreOffice - Draw vs Dia opinions
    Some users think LibreOffice - Draw is a great alternative to Dia, some don't.
    dimlakgorkehgz

    Line links not attached to objects. Better for drawing than diagramming though it is still possible.

    Negative comment • about 3 years ago
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  6. Penpot

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    • Free • Open Source
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted

    Penpot is the first Open Source design and prototyping platform meant for cross-domain teams. Non dependent on operating systems, Penpot is web based and works with open web standards (SVG). For all and empowered by the community.

  8. PlantUML

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    • Free • Open Source
    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Chrome OS

    PlantUML is an open-source tool that uses simple textual descriptions to draw UML diagrams. The generator can be run anywhere within JVM and integrated with various application such as wiki, text editor, IDE, programming language, documentation generator, and others.

    PlantUML vs Dia opinions
    This alternative is disputed. PlantUML is still a legitimate alternative to Dia, but it might have issues that some users think are important.

    Not a GUI diagramming tool. By this logic graphviz is an alternative to Dia.

    Negative comment • almost 4 years ago
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  9. Lucidchart

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    • Freemium • Proprietary
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Zapier
    • bambooHR
    • Amazon Web Services
    • Microsoft Office Powerpoint
    • Microsoft OneDrive
    • Jira
    • Microsoft Office Word
    • Google Drive
    • Slack
    • Google Drive - Docs
    • Quip
    • Microsoft Teams
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Salesforce.com
    • Google Apps
    • Microsoft Azure
    • Microsoft Office 365
    • Google Drive - Sheets
    • GitHub
    • Microsoft Office Suite
    • LinkedIn
    • Confluence
    • Microsoft Office Excel

    Lucidchart is a visual workspace that combines diagramming, collaboration, and data visualization to accelerate understanding and drive innovation. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in real time.

    Some users think Lucidchart is a great alternative to Dia, some don't.

  10. Microsoft Office Visio makes it easy for IT and business professionals to visualize, explore, and communicate complex information. Go from complicated text and tables that are hard to understand to Visio diagrams that communicate information at a glance.

  11. Vectr is a free graphics editor. Vectr is collaborative like Google Docs, and runs both in your web browser and on your desktop as a native app. With an intuitive interface, Vectr is easy to learn and use.

    Vectr vs Dia opinions
    This alternative is disputed. Vectr is still a legitimate alternative to Dia, but it might have issues that some users think are important.

    Suggesting Vector would be the same as suggesting Photoshop. Just because you can draw boxes and use them to create a flow doesn't mean it's a flowchart/diagram centric application.

    Negative comment • over 3 years ago
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    13

  12. Google Drawings, part of Google Drive, allows users to collaborate creating, sharing, and editing images or drawings. It can be used for creating charts, diagrams, designs, flow-charts, etc.

Showing 10 of 92 alternatives