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

The best open source alternative to Microsoft Visio is Dia. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Microsoft Visio and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Microsoft Visio are LibreOffice - Draw, Pencil Project, Excalidraw and PlantUML.

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Microsoft Visio alternatives are mainly Diagram Editors, but if you're looking for Mind Mapping Tools or Vector Graphic Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android + Mind Mapping. 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.
Microsoft Visio iconMicrosoft Visio
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Easily create data-connected diagrams with real-time collaboration, part of Office Suite. Ideal for IT and business professionals visualizing complex info.

More about Microsoft Visio
More about Microsoft Visio
Microsoft Visio alternatives page was last updated Feb 13, 2025
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  1. Dia icon

    Dia

     450 likes
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    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.

    92 Dia alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    • FreeBSD
    • Xfce
    • DragonFly BSD
    • NetBSD
    • OpenBSD
    Dia screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Flow Chart
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  Workflow
    4.  WYSIWYG Support
    5.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions

    Dia VS Microsoft Visio

     
    Comments about Dia as an Alternative to Microsoft Visio
    Guest
    Negative Jul 5, 2016
    9

    Clumpsy Handling, old fashion style look

    Guest
    Negative Oct 31, 2016
    -4

    Dia has no cross platform copy paste capability.

    Microsoft Visio Icon
    Dia icon

    • Most users think Dia is a great Microsoft Visio alternative.

    • Dia is the most popular Open Source alternative to Microsoft Visio.

    • Dia is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visio is Paid and Proprietary
    • Dia is LightweightMicrosoft Visio is not according to our users
  2. LibreOffice - Draw icon

    LibreOffice - Draw

     303 likes
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    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.

    95 LibreOffice - Draw alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    LibreOffice - Draw screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Export to PDF
    2.  Portable
    3.  Sequence Diagrams
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Support for Layers
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Auto Layout
    9.  WYSIWYG Support
    10.  RAW Photo Editors
    11.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    12.  Import CSV Data

    LibreOffice - Draw VS Microsoft Visio

     
    Comments about LibreOffice - Draw as an Alternative to Microsoft Visio
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Nov 15, 2017
    5

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

    Most Recent Comment
    Red-Case
    Positive Jul 3, 2023
    0

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

    Raf10
    Positive Feb 11, 2021
    0

    It's free/libre software, with layers, etc.

    Show more comments
    3 of 6 comments
    Microsoft Visio Icon
    LibreOffice - Draw icon

    • Most users think LibreOffice - Draw is a great Microsoft Visio alternative.

    • LibreOffice - Draw is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visio is Paid and Proprietary
    • LibreOffice - Draw is LightweightMicrosoft Visio is not according to our users
  4. Pencil Project icon

    Pencil Project

     412 likes
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    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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • VN flagVietnam

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    Pencil Project screenshot 1
    Discontinued

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

    Pencil Project Features

    1.  Prototyping
    2.  Sketching
    3.  Cliparts
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Export to HTML
    7.  Export to SVG
    8.  Export to PDF
    9.  Export to PNG

    Pencil Project VS Microsoft Visio

     
    Comments about Pencil Project as an Alternative to Microsoft Visio
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Jan 22, 2017
    1

    Used to make sketchups for a mobile GUI.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    May 1, 2017
    4

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

    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Negative May 30, 2019
    0

    Great for UI mockups and planning.

    Show more comments
    3 of 5 comments
    Microsoft Visio Icon
    Pencil Project icon

    • Most users think Pencil Project is a great Microsoft Visio alternative.

    • Pencil Project is Free and Open SourceMicrosoft Visio is Paid and Proprietary
  5. Excalidraw icon

    Excalidraw

     77 likes
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    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.

    74 Excalidraw alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CZ flagCzechia
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Excalidraw screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Interactive Whiteboard
    2.  Shared whiteboard
    3.  Real time collaboration
    4.  Mind Mapping
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Export to SVG
    7.  Dark Mode
    8.  End-to-End Encryption
    9.  Free hand drawing
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Support for Layers
    12.  Cloud Sync

    Excalidraw VS Microsoft Visio

     
  6. PlantUML icon

    PlantUML

     117 likes
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    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.

    112 PlantUML alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Chrome OS
    Common PlantUML JAR GUI application that will render text file into image.

    PlantUML Features

    1.  Text Based Format
    2.  Portable
    3.  Java based
    4.  VCS Friendly
    5.  Support for MarkDown
    6.  Workflow
    7.  Rendering
    8.  Create UML entities
    9.  Flow Chart

    PlantUML VS Microsoft Visio

     
  7. quiver diagram editor icon

    quiver diagram editor

     8 likes
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    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.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Online
    quiver diagram editor screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  No registration required
    2.  Ad-free
    3.  No Tracking
    4. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX
    5.  Activity history
    6.  Undo and redo
    7.  Export to LaTeX
    8.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    9.  Drag and Drop
    10.  Multi-selection

    quiver diagram editor VS Microsoft Visio

     
  9. Graphviz icon

    Graphviz

     72 likes
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    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...

    54 Graphviz alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    Graphviz screenshot 1

    Graphviz Features

    1.  Graphs
    2.  Graph editing
    3.  Data visualization

    Graphviz VS Microsoft Visio

     
7 of 23 Microsoft Visio alternatives