The Best Free Microsoft Visio AlternativesTop Diagram Editors & Mind Mapping Tools like Microsoft Visio

The best free alternative to Microsoft Visio is draw.io, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Microsoft Visio and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Microsoft Visio are LibreOffice - Draw, yEd Graph Editor, Dia and Lucidchart.

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Microsoft Visio alternatives are mainly Diagram Editors, but if you're looking for Mind Mapping Tools or Team Collaboration Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Free, Android + Mind Mapping, Diagram Editor, Android Tablet, Windows + Free and Windows. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Microsoft Visio.
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Alternatives list

  1. Lucidchart icon
    Sponsored

    Lucidchart is a cloud-based platform that promotes teamwork through diagramming, collaboration, and data visualization. It serves millions worldwide, offering flowcharts, UML, real-time collaboration, Visio support, and browser access. Designed for innovation and understanding, it integrates easily into workflows.

    95 Lucidchart alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
  2. draw.io icon
     1049 likes

    Feature-rich diagram editor offering privacy-focused, ad-free experience with real-time collaboration, offline usage, dark mode, and cloud storage support. No registration required and compatible with various diagram formats, it excels in simplicity by not tracking user data.

    154 draw.io alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    • Notion
    • Self-Hosted
    • Nextcloud
    • Microsoft SharePoint
    • Flathub
    • Microsoft OneDrive
    • PortableApps.com
    • Google Drive
    • Google Docs
    • Microsoft Teams
    • Google Slides
    • Flatpak
    • Google Sheets
     
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    15
    draw.io vs Microsoft Visio Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    makerj
    10

    It is very convenient and contains many features.

    CRAZY HICK
    Positive
    0

    Lightweight, simple to learn/use and not a rip-off like Visio.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Simplified, easy to use interface. Free and Open Source. Clean UI design and look and feel.

    3 of 15 comments
    • draw.io is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visio is Paid and Proprietary
    • draw.io is Lightweight and Privacy focusedMicrosoft Visio is not according to our users
  3. 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.

    103 LibreOffice - Draw alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
     
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    7
    LibreOffice - Draw vs Microsoft Visio Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    6

    It's free and open source, while Visio is proprietary and expensive.

    stefan-hoelzl
    Positive
    1

    It works well for me, is free and open source, and Visio obviously is not.

    Red-Case
    Positive
    1

    Not cloud based, which is great. Had problems with diagrams.net being unable to login with my Google account which made my files inaccessible.

    3 of 7 comments
    • LibreOffice - Draw is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visio is Paid and Proprietary
    • LibreOffice - Draw is Lightweight and Privacy focusedMicrosoft Visio is not according to our users
  4. yEd Graph Editor icon
     446 likes

    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. You can use yEd to quickly create flow charts, BPMN and UML diagrams...

    119 yEd Graph Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • BSD
     
    |
    7
    yEd Graph Editor vs Microsoft Visio Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    1

    good functionality, when all custom pallets are in place, over the years.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Free, lightweight and good response. Powerful layout tool to smart redraw your diagram. Several types of diagrams supported.

    Guest
    Positive
    -1

    Open source, lightweight, easy to use.

    3 of 7 comments
    • yEd Graph Editor is Free and ProprietaryMicrosoft Visio is Paid and Proprietary
  5. Dia icon
     456 likes

    Open-source diagram editor supporting Linux, Windows, Unix, and Mac OS X, with features for constructing entity relationship, UML, flowchart, and network diagrams, customizable with XML-defined shapes, extensibility, and a GTK+-based graphical user interface.

    94 Dia alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    • FreeBSD
    • Xfce
    • DragonFly BSD
    • NetBSD
    • OpenBSD
     
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    2
    Dia vs Microsoft Visio Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    10

    Clumpsy Handling, old fashion style look

    Guest
    Negative
    -4

    Dia has no cross platform copy paste capability.

    • Dia is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visio is Paid and Proprietary
    • Dia is LightweightMicrosoft Visio is not according to our users
  6. Lucidchart icon
     538 likes

    Lucidchart is a cloud-based platform that promotes teamwork through diagramming, collaboration, and data visualization. It serves millions worldwide, offering flowcharts, UML, real-time collaboration, Visio support, and browser access. Designed for innovation and understanding, it integrates easily into workflows.

    95 Lucidchart alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
     
    |
    3
    Lucidchart vs Microsoft Visio Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    -2

    I have tried them all. Lucidchart is the easiest to use, works across all my devices, and supports real-time collaboration.

    Guest
    Positive
    -4

    Cross-platform interoperability is key.

    Guest
    Positive
    -5

    Free, fast and easy to work no bogging you down with logic statements or life changing decisions.

    • Lucidchart is Freemium and ProprietaryMicrosoft Visio is Paid and Proprietary
  7. Excalidraw icon
     119 likes

    Excalidraw is an open-source whiteboard tool that lets you easily sketch diagrams that have a hand-drawn feel to them. Available directly online as a web app and also through CodeSandbox to easily see how the code works, and the app is available for self-hosting.

    105 Excalidraw alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
     
    |
    1
    Excalidraw vs Microsoft Visio Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    While Excalidraw is great whiteboard software, it doesn't support as many shapes and "relations between objects" as visio does

    • Excalidraw is Freemium and Open SourceMicrosoft Visio is Paid and Proprietary
    • Excalidraw is Privacy focused and LightweightMicrosoft Visio is not according to our users
  8. Pencil Project icon
     417 likes

    Pencil is a standalone app that lets you create diagrams or UI mockups. It doesn't have collaboration/multi-user features.

    80 Pencil Project alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
     
    |
    5
    Discontinued

    It seems that this project is inactive. Since late 2023 there has been virtually no development in their GitHub repository.

    Pencil Project vs Microsoft Visio Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    1

    Used to make sketchups for a mobile GUI.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    4

    Does not map network layout easily enough, which is what Visio was designed to do from the start

    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Great for UI mockups and planning.

    3 of 5 comments
    • Pencil Project is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visio is Paid and Proprietary
    • Pencil Project is a UI Design Microsoft Visio is a Diagram Editor
  9. Miro icon
     128 likes

    A secure collaboration platform for distributed teams offering real-time and asynchronous capabilities, infinite canvas, integrations with major tools like Google Suite, Slack, and Dropbox, and features for enhanced product development and design workflows.

    138 Miro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
     
  10. PlantUML icon
     121 likes

    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.

    121 PlantUML alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Chrome OS
     
  11. Efficient web-based tool for constructing high-quality commutative diagrams. Offers LaTeX export with embedded links, intuitive interface supporting both mouse and keyboard inputs, and features like multiple selections, macro support, and smart label alignment.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
     
  12. Whimsical icon
     34 likes

    Whimsical is a collaborative visual workspace for creating flowcharts, wireframes, virtual sticky notes, and more!.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
     
  13. Graphviz icon
     74 likes

    Graphviz is open source graph visualization software. Graph visualization is a way of representing structural information as diagrams of abstract graphs and networks. It has important applications in networking, bioinformatics, software engineering, database and web design...

    56 Graphviz alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
     
12 of 99 Microsoft Visio alternatives