Best Flowchart Software

Flowchart software is essential for any company that needs to visualize workflows, processes, or systems. The best diagramming software will make it easy to create a wide range of diagrams, from org charts to complex technical architecture. We’ve reviewed the most popular options for flowchart software so you can pick the best solution for your needs.

Best top flowchart software summary

Here’s our pick of the 11 best diagram software options on the market:

• Lucidchart

• draw.io (diagrams.net)

• SmartDraw

• Creately

• Edraw

• Visual Paradigm

• Gliffy

• Visio

• Cacoo

• Miro

• OmniGraffle

What is flowchart software? 

Flowchart software is a tool that helps you visualize workflows, systems, and processes with shapes, text, and lines connecting the shapes. With a flowchart maker, you can simplify complex information into clear visuals, making a process easier to follow step by step. 

Benefits of using flowchart software include: 

• Improving communication and collaboration

• Enhancing strategic problem-solving

• Identifying bottlenecks

• Standardizing workflows for better consistency

Flowcharts are crucial for documentation, and by using online editable diagrams, you can more easily streamline project management and identify opportunities for process improvement. 

Look for flowchart software that includes integration capabilities and customizable options for symbols and shapes. You should also consider factors such as ease of use and scalability to ensure it meets your team’s needs. 

The best diagram software includes collaboration features, such as collaborator colors and comments, and the ability to link to live data so your flowchart reflects the most up-to-date information.

Key takeaways

Best flowchart software

Below you’ll find a brief summary of the best software for creating flowcharts, including pros and cons, notable features, and reviews.

Lucidchart (Lucid Suite)

Best for intelligent diagramming

Capterra rating: 4.5/5

Pricing: Free for three editable documents. Paid individual, team, and enterprise plans available.

Lucidchart is the core intelligent diagramming application in the Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite and is widely used by IT, engineering, and business operations teams. Lucidchart is best suited for organizations that need to create living documentation where diagrams are not just static images but are linked to live data sources. 

Notable features include: 

• Lucid AI: Generate diagrams, iterate, add conditional formatting, and more from a unified, conversational interface.

• Data linking: Connect shapes to live data from Excel, Google Sheets, or Salesforce to update diagrams automatically. 

• Conditional formatting: Implement rules that change the color and icon of shapes based on underlying data (e.g., turn a server red if utilization is less than 80%). 

• Layers and hotspots: Create interactive diagrams and show or hide layers of detail with the click of a button.

• Universal canvas: Seamlessly switch between Lucidchart for diagramming and Lucidspark for whiteboarding without losing context.

Notable integrations include Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Atlassian (Jira/Confluence), Salesforce, and Slack.

Pros: Lucidchart is consistently ranked as a market leader for its ease of use and professional feature set. It has an industry-standard interface, powerful data features, and excellent cross-platform performance. Users value the “smart” features like data linking.

Cons: The advanced automation and data features are locked behind the higher enterprise pricing tiers. The free tier is limited to three documents.

draw.io (diagrams.net)

Best for security-first diagramming

Capterra rating: 4.6/5

Pricing: Free (open source). Paid apps available for Confluence/Jira.

draw.io is the go-to solution for developers, students, and privacy-conscious users who need a free, open-source flowchart tool that doesn’t require creating an account. The platform is widely used for creating technical documentation and architecture diagrams that live directly alongside code in repositories. 

Notable features include: 

• Bring your own storage: Users can save diagrams directly to Google Drive, GitHub, OneDrive, or their local device (no vendor cloud lock-in). 

• Offline mode: The desktop app fully works without an internet connection.  

• Vast shape libraries: draw.io includes icons for AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, and Cisco networking.

• Embed mode: This solution includes easy HTML embedding for blogs and wikis.

Notable integrations include Google Workspace, GitHub, GitLab, Confluence, and Jira.

Pros: Users love draw.io’s no-nonsense approach and the fact that it is completely free with no need to sign up for an account. The platform also offers high privacy and security features.  

Cons: Some users report that the UI feels slightly utilitarian and less polished than other software options. The collaboration features are also lacking compared to competitors.

SmartDraw

Best for automated formatting

Capterra rating: 4/5

Pricing: Only available with a paid subscription

SmartDraw is designed for business professionals who need to create “audit-ready” diagrams quickly without being design experts. The software is heavily used in legal, healthcare, and corporate environments where automated formatting is preferred over manual drag-and-drop adjustments.

Notable features include: 

• Intelligent formatting: Automatically connects, aligns, and spaces shapes as you add them.

• CAD-like features: Capable of floor plans and landscape design (unlike most other  flowchart software).

• Data visualizers: Generate charts automatically from Excel data.

• Visio import: Offers excellent fidelity when importing legacy Visio files.

Notable integrations include Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and Atlassian.

Pros: SmartDraw has powerful automation capabilities and a huge breadth of diagram types. 

Cons: Its web interface can be slower than typical desktop applications, and the software is available at a higher price point for individuals.

Creately

Best for operations and HR teams

Capterra rating: 4.4/5

Pricing: Free and paid subscriptions available

Creately is a visual workspace for teams who need to attach data, notes, and tasks to their visuals. The platform is popular among operations and HR teams for org charts and process flows that require metadata. 

Notable features include: 

• Shape data: Users can define custom fields and data for any shape on the canvas.

• One-click create: A contextual toolbar allows rapid drawing of the next shape in the flow.

• Universal search: Search across all diagrams and shape text.

• Folder/project management: Creately provides better organizational hierarchy than many whiteboard tools.

Notable integrations include Slack, Google Drive, and Confluence.

Pros: Creately’s smart drawing features speed up diagram creation. The software also has effective data linking capabilities and is available at an affordable price.

Cons: The mobile experience of Creately is limited, and some users note that the interface can get cluttered when using complex diagrams. Some minor bugs with connector lines have been reported.

Edraw (Edraw Max)

Best for a robust template library

Capterra rating: 4.5/5

Pricing: Only available with a subscription or perpetual license

EdrawMax is an all-in-one diagramming tool available from Edraw with a modern, colorful interface and a massive library of resources. It appeals to a wide range of roles, from fashion designers to electrical engineers, due to its specialized templates.

Notable features include: 

• 280+ diagram types: Covers niche areas such as science illustration, fashion design, and floor plans.

• Template gallery: Offers an expansive community-driven library of templates.

• Cross-platform: Works well on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

• AI Assistant: Includes AI capabilities to generate diagrams and mind maps from text prompts.

Notable integrations include Microsoft Office, Google Drive, and Dropbox.  

Pros: Users of Edraw love the “Lifetime License” option (a rarity in SaaS) and the sheer volume of templates to choose from. Edraw is also known for its ease of use.

Cons: The platform’s cloud collaboration is not as robust as some other options, and users have had problems with the customer support response times.

Visual Paradigm

Best for Agile/DevOps processes

Capterra rating: 4.3/5

Pricing: Only available with a subscription or perpetual license

Enterprise architects, software engineers, and project managers who are deeply invested in Agile and UML/SysML modeling often turn to Visual Paradigm as a heavy-duty modeling environment for defining complex systems and software lifecycles.

Notable features include: 

• Guide-through process: Includes step-by-step wizards for Agile processes (Scrum, LeSS).

• Code generation: Turns UML class diagrams into Java/CCode (and vice versa).

• Customer journey mapping: Integrates CX tools alongside technical diagrams.

• PMBOK templates: Includes tools specifically for project management compliance.

Notable integrations include Eclipse, Visual Studio, IntelliJ, and NetBeans.

Pros: The platform is highly respected in the technical community for its feature completeness. Visual Paradigm is also extremely powerful for software architects and supports rigorous architectural standards. 

Cons: Casual users may find Visual Paradigm overwhelming, and there is a steep learning curve even for technical users. To some users, the UI feels outdated and more like legacy enterprise software.

Gliffy

Best for Confluence/Jira users

Capterra rating: 4.3/5

Pricing: Paid add-on (per user for Confluence/Jira)

Gliffy is almost exclusively used by teams heavily embedded in the Atlassian ecosystem (including Confluence and Jira). The platform is the default choice for users who want to create technical diagrams and documentation without ever leaving their wiki pages.

Notable features include: 

• Native Confluence integration: Diagrams are indexed and searchable within the Confluence wiki.

• Code-to-diagram: Automatically visualize Mermaid.js code blocks. 

• Interactive layers: Viewers can toggle layers on or off directly in the Confluence page.

• Real-time collaboration: Newer versions of Gliffy support simultaneous editing. 

Notable integrations include Jira, Confluence, and Trello.

Pros: Users value the seamless Atlassian integration and convenience. Security also resides within your existing instance. 

Cons: The primary complaint about Gliffy is that it lacks the advanced features and interface of other standalone tools. It also offers limited functionality outside of Atlassian and has fewer templates than competitors.

Visio

Best for industry-standard documentation

Capterra rating: 4.5/5

Pricing: Paid subscription (Plan 1 or Plan 2) or one-time purchase

Microsoft Visio is widely used among large enterprises, particularly in engineering, IT, and construction. It is best suited for users who require formal, industry-standard documentation, precise formatting, and strict adherence to modeling standards such as BPMN or IEEE.

Notable features include: 

• Data linking: Connect shapes to live data sources (Excel, SQL) to visualize real-time changes. 

• Industry stencils: Browse extensive libraries for electrical, piping, and network engineering. 

• AutoCAD support: Import and markup AutoCAD designs.

• Power automate: Turn Visio process maps into functional workflows.

Notable integrations include Microsoft 365, AutoCAD, and Power BI.

Pros: Visio is known for its unmatched depth for technical diagrams, and it’s praised for its stability and offline capabilities. 

Cons: Visio is frequently criticized for being expensive, clunky, outdated, and difficult to use for collaboration compared to modern web-based alternatives. It also has a steep learning curve, and Mac support is very limited.

Cacoo

Best for real-time diagramming

Capterra rating: 4.7/5

Pricing: Free for six sheets. Paid individual, team, and enterprise options available.

Cacoo (by Nulab) is a cloud-based diagramming tool popular among people who use Nulab’s other tools, such as Backlog, and is especially popular among remote teams in Japan. It is designed specifically for real-time collaboration with built-in communication features. 

Notable features include: 

• In-app video and chat: Collaborate vocally without needing Zoom or another video app.

• Dynamic charts: Edit data in a table to update charts instantly. 

• AWS importer: Automatically generate work diagrams from AWS.

• Multi-user editing: See user cursors and changes in real time.

Notable integrations include Backlog, Typetalk, Google Drive, Slack, and AWS. 

Pros: Users appreciate the friendly price point and the built-in video chat. Cacoo is a great option for remote pair-working with a simple UI. 

Cons: Fewer advanced features and template options than competitors, and some users feel that the object manipulation is less fluid than market leaders.

Miro

Best for group work

Capterra rating: 4.7/5

Pricing: Freemium (free, starter, business, enterprise options)

Miro is primarily used by cross-functional product, design, and Agile teams who need a flexible, infinite canvas to co-create flowcharts and low-fidelity diagrams in real time. The platform acts as a central hub for remote teams to move from brainstorming directly into structured diagramming without switching tools.

Notable features include: 

• Infinite canvas: Incorporates a zoomable, borderless workspace that supports massive diagrams 

• Miroverse: Offers a vast community library of templates for every diagram type imaginable 

• TalkTrack: Allows users to record video walkthroughs of their diagrams for asynchronous updates

• Assisted diagramming: Auto-aligns and distributes shapes to keep flowcharts neat

Notable integrations include Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Notion.

Pros: Users enjoy Miro for its intuitive interface and collaborative features, as well as its modern UI and vast template library. 

Cons: There is a steep learning curve for advanced features, and some large organizations have expressed concern over “sprawl” (unorganized boards). Performance can lag with very large boards, and pricing tiers can get expensive for large teams.

OmniGraffle

Best for Mac and iOS users

Capterra rating: 4.6/5

Pricing: Only available by subscription or paid license (Standard or Pro)

OmniGraffle is the premier diagramming tool for Mac and iOS power users, particularly UX/UI designers and information architects. The software is known for its precision, aesthetic control, and deep integration with the Apple ecosystem.

Notable features include: 

• Bezier lines: Use professional-grade vector drawing tools. 

• AppleScript automation: Automate repetitive tasks using scripts. 

• Artboards: Manage multiple diagram layers and exports easily. 

• Stencils: High-quality iOS/macOS UI kits included.

Notable integrations include Xcode, Sketch (via export), and Apple Shortcuts.

Pros: Native Mac performance and Mac users swear by OmniGraffle’s precision and “Apple-like” feel. Diagrams are beautifully rendered with high precision.

Cons: This solution is available for Mac/iOS only, which is a major limitation. Due to the lack of a Windows or web version, cross-platform collaboration is impossible. The price point is also higher, and there is a steep learning curve for non-designers.