As you know, Microsoft Visio is the most popular diagramming tool. However. the software is quite expensive. That’s where a good Visio alternative comes in.
To find an alternative to Visio, I looked at Visio competitors that are affordable, can sync with a project management software platform, and alternatives with good customer reviews. Here are the best Visio alternatives that are free to use or cheap for Mac and Windows.
LucidChart
LucidChart is a free online Flowchart Maker. It’s also one of the best free alternatives to Visio. What I like about LucidChart is that you can have more than one team member work on a project. And, the drag and drop interface makes it easier to navigate and get work done in less time.
Another cool feature is that it can import or export Microsoft Visio.vdx files. But, there are also some things that I do not like.
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For example, it does not categorize shapes. So, you have to look and choose different shapes for diagrams carefully. And, you can only open 3 active documents at one time.
I do like that there’s no need to install any software as it’s a free web program. This means that you can work on your project from mobile (Android & iOS) as well as MacOS or Windows via a web browser.
But, to be honest, some people find that not having a stand alone software for desktop a con. After all, not everyone likes having their work stored on the web.
Draw.io
Another good online diagramming software is Draw.io. It’s a Visio like software free online for Android, iOS, MacOs, and Windows. And, it even runs on ChromeOS. There’s no need to create an account.
You just go to the website and start working. You can save your designs to Google Drive, Dropbox or locally on your PC. Also, it can import and exportMicrosoft Visio.vdx files.
However, given that it’s free to use, advanced tools like those of Microsoft Visio are not present. And, the interface may take some getting used to. But, what can I say? It’s a free Visio alternative.
yED Graph Editor
yED Graph Editor is another completely free diagramming software. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux/Unix. But, it does not work on ChromeOS.
The good thing about is that though its cross-platform, there’s a native app for each platform. I like to manually create diagrams but, for those of us that want a bit of automation, yED can automatically creates diagrams from imported data.
All in all, it’s a great Visio replacement. And, while it may not have advanced features like Visio or LucidChart, it gets the job done 90% of the time.
OmniGraffle
For those of you who want Visio for Mac, OmniGraffle is the perfect replacement. It’s only available for MacOS. It has a beautiful and easy to use interface. And, it’s also one of the easiest diagram software to learn.
- Beautiful UI/UX design.
- Support for Visio files import and Export.
- ayered documents.
- Shape recognition and blending modes.
- PNG, PGF, SVG, and Photoshop export.
- OmniPresence documents sync automation with JavaScript and AppleScript.
Those are just some of the best features. The only con is that it only works on Mac OS X. Other than that, it’s one of the best Project Management Software for Mac.
Pencil Project
If you want a free open source Visio alternative, Pencil Project is the software for you. It’s cross-platform with native apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
It has pre-installed templates, and stencils, an excellent collection of shape and an easy to use interface.
There’s an extensive list of tools to create flowcharts, diagrams and whatever you need. And, being open source, updates are frequent and swift.
However, there is no web-based service available. Hence, Chromebook users cannot use the software.
Ardoq
Are you an architect or project manager? Then, Ardoq is the Microsoft Visio alternative you need. The key features are:
- Review and
analyze data - Automatic diagram creation
- Live data update
- Grouping
- Conditional formatting
- Global Search with revision history
- Automate repetitive tasks
- Handle complex datasets
- Powerful built-in data editing tools
- Customisable Metamodels
Ardoq offers a free trial and you can request pricing on their website. And, while it may not be the cheapest option, it deserves a spot on the list if only for it’s features and compatibility with other programs.
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Final Thoughts
These Microsoft Visio alternatives get the job done. Whether you are a pro or a beginner, there’s something for you. There are free alternatives, some are cross-platform, some are web-based, and others might require a small fee. Whatever the case, with these alternatives to Visio, you have options.
Mac users aren’t at all shy about making their requests for applications known:
How about Visio for Mac?
When will IE return to Mac?
Will we ever see a Microsoft Project for Mac?
Where can I get Access for Mac?
When will (insert name of hot new game here) be available for Mac?
Most of these requests are for well-known Microsoft applications on Windows, and Mac users want them. Let me address a few of these in some detail.
Microsoft Visio
It’s unwise to say “never” with regard to future development efforts by a company as large as Microsoft, so I will predict this about Visio for Mac: it’s very, very unlikely to ever happen.
I, and many others, believe the development costs to produce a Mac Visio that would faithfully render any existing Visio drawing (and have almost all the functionality of Visio for Windows) would never be recouped by Microsoft.
For any Mac software company, a software product that brought in $50 million per year would be viewed as a fantastic success. But in the rarified world of the Microsoft Office team, such a product would be considered a dismal failure.
For any Mac software company, a software product that brought in $50 million per year would be viewed as a fantastic success. But in the rarified world of the Microsoft Office team, such a product would be considered a dismal failure.
Microsoft Access
Exactly the same as Visio: very, very unlikely to ever happen, and for exactly the same reason.
Internet Explorer
Never going to happen.
There was a version of IE for Mac about 15 years ago. Microsoft ceased development of IE for Mac in July 2003. Given that there is no new development for IE for Windows (because of the release of Microsoft Edge in 2015), there is no chance at all for a future release of IE for Mac.
Any Hot New Game by Microsoft
Never going to happen.
The graphics foundations on Mac and Windows diverge sufficiently that porting any hot new Windows game over to the Mac is a major undertaking. It would be unlikely to recoup development costs, for the same reasons as the Office applications. You can read more details about DirectX and OpenGL.
What’s a Mac User to Do?
There are a couple of options for a Mac user:
- Use a viewer application. In some cases, a viewer application that faithfully renders a document that you could not otherwise open will suffice. In the case of Visio, Microsoft has released a Visio Viewer for iOS, as shown in Figure 1.
- Use a competing application. Search for “Visio for Mac” on Google, and many of the results will be for third-party applications for Mac that open Visio drawings and provide much of the same functionality.
- Run the real Windows application on your Mac. If you need the real Visio with all its functionality, then use Parallels Desktop® for Mac to run Windows 10 on your Mac and purchase Visio from Microsoft. You lose no functionality or visual fidelity, since you are running the real Visio in the environment it expects: Windows 10.
(Already own Visio? No problem. Just use the Migration feature in Parallels Desktop to move everything on your PC—including Visio—into a virtual machine on your Mac.)
Figure 2 shows Visio running on my MacBook Pro®.
Figure 2_Visio 2016 running in Windows10 on a Mac with Parallels Desktop
Figures 3 and 4 show Access, and Figure 5 shows IE—all running on my MacBook Pro.
Figure 3_Access 2016 in Windows 10 running on a Mac with Parallels Desktop
Figure 4_Access 2016 in Windows 10 running on a Mac with Parallels Desktop
Figure 5_IE in Windows10 running on a Mac with Parallels Desktop
While you may not be able to get the Mac applications you desire, you can get the Windows versions and run them right alongside your Mac applications.
As the product manager for Parallels Desktop, you might consider my opinions to be a bit biased. (They aren’t, but you might think that.) So, here is a quote from a Network World review (emphasis mine):
“I’ve been a Mac user for many years, and like with most Mac users, there are occasions when I have core business apps that require me to run Internet Explorer for a browser, or run Visual Studio for app development work, or even run Microsoft Project and Visio that just aren’t available on a Mac. And while Apple provides BootCamp where I can switch between booting from a Mac to booting as a Windows system, that means I have to constantly reboot my system to switch between operating platforms. So I’ve been a happy user of Parallels for years where I can run Windows and Mac applications side by side at the same time.” –Rand Morimoto, Network World
Visio On Mac
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