If your job entails visually representing and understanding complex information, what you need is diagramming software. And, while EdrawMax is often hailed as one of the best choices, there are various cheaper alternatives that further offer equal functionality or sometimes more advanced tools. In this post, we have enlisted some of the best software like EdrawMax.
| Top Software Reviews | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| 1.Lucidchart | ||
| 2.Creately | ||
| 3.Microsoft Visio | ||
| 4.Miro | ||
| 5.Draw.io | ||
| 6.SmartDraw | ||
| 7.Gliffy | ||
| 8.MindMeister | ||
| 9.MindManager | ||
| 10.ClickUp | ||
Who Can These Tools Be Useful For?
- Marketing professionals who have to brainstorm and design marketing campaigns.
- Software engineering teams that have to design and maintain complex systems.
- IT teams that have to document and communicate IT-related policies, and processes and visualize system architecture.
- Sales personnel who have to keep track of client relationships.
- UX designers who have to map customer journeys and get feedback on designs.
- Product managers who have to streamline prioritization, product vision, and ship products.
What Are The Benefits of Using A Software Like EdrawMax
- Express complex ideas visually.
- Get a clear and visual representation of deadlines, tasks, and project progress. This way teams can get a clear understanding of project progress.
- Authorize the right people to make decisions wherever required.
- You can choose from several ready-to-use templates and shape libraries to visualize ideas, systems, and processes.
- Many diagramming software come with AI capabilities where you can write prompts and the diagrams will be created automatically.
Best Software Similar To EdrawMax
1. Lucidchart
As an EDrawMax alternative, Lucidchart is an intelligent diagrammatic tool that helps teams across industries communicate complex ideas by way of diagrams. It offers real-time collaboration using which team members can keep track of project progress in real-time. Another aspect that makes it popular is the fact that it is AI-powered and makes automation easy.
Notable Features
- Flowcharts help turn data into clarity.
- Process maps help everyone in your team understand assignments better.
- Visualize the system, process, and workflow in your organization.
- Expand the canvas and make big diagrams.
- Organize diagrams with containers.
- Use AI and automation to communicate complex ideas.
- Cloud-based platform. It can be executed on any device or web browser.
- Cross-integrate Lucidchart with the apps you use the most.
- Multiple templates.
- Some users have reported that during walkthroughs some tools freeze.
2. Creately
Creately is a visual collaboration tool just like EdrawMax. It is trusted by over 10 million users and several teams across some of the biggest brands globally. Quite similar to EdrawMax, you can customize rules, and formulas as per your needs. Once you have created a project on Creately you can easily export it in various formats such as PDF and SVG.
Notable Features
- Infinite campus serves as a central hub.
- 70 types of diagramming standards and over 10000 specially designed connectors and shapes.
- Real-time mouse pointers and cursors.
- Advanced sharing permissions.
- Functionality to follow or spotlight other collaborators.
- Choose from 8000+ professional templates and over 200000 industry-vide examples.
- Nifty keyboard shortcuts.
- Comment on anything with context.
- Drag and drop data from any given data source to interact with it visually.
- Tools may sometimes lag when you load a diagram with a lot of data.
3. Microsoft Visio
Microsoft Visio is a vector graphics and diagramming application that is a part of the Microsoft 365 family and is often hailed as one of the best EdrawMax alternatives. With it, you can create easy-to-comprehend visuals. It offers several starter diagrams, stencils and premade templates that are available both in its desktop and web version.
Notable Features
- Easily create org charts to visualize hierarchy, team, or reporting structures.
- Create and collaborate in real time.
- Scalable templates to create floor plans where you can visualize flow, function, and visual appeal.
- Rich editing capabilities.
- Choose from dozens of starter diagrams, premade templates, and stencils.
- Many security features are the same as Microsoft 365 apps.
- Variety of theme colors and layouts.
- Cut, copy, and paste shapes and text within the diagram.
- Formatting is sometimes a challenge when handling large projects.
4. Miro
As a free alternative to EdrawMax, Miro offers a visual workspace where you with your team can design products, manage projects, and do a lot more, regardless of where your team members are. It packs enterprise-grade security so that there is no danger to your data. What adds to its credibility is the fact that many of the Fortune 100 companies use Miro to brainstorm ideas.
Notable Features
- See collaborator cursors to keep track of team members’ engagement.
- Embed communication options like video, chat, and comments.
- Screen sharing capabilities.
- Infinite canvas.
- Widgets include freeform pens, sticky notes, shapes, arrows, smart drawings, and more.
- Easy folder structure and organization helps find boards easily.
- Cross-integrate Miro with over 100+ apps.
- Hassle-free account and user administration where you can restrict permissions organization-wide.
- 300+ templates to jumpstart projects.
- Slight learning curve.
5. Draw.io
Draw.io is a diagramming application that offers a wide range of features for creating various kinds of flowcharts and diagrams. Despite being free, you can easily organize your diagrams with layers and tags, and create your own custom shapes and custom shape libraries. Once you have created a diagram you can even take a printout and use it for later reference.
Notable Features
- Use shape libraries and drag to draw connectors between them.
- Cross-integration with apps like Google Workplace, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams, etc.
- Advanced tools like auto-layouts help tree diagrams and format flowcharts.
- Use smart templates to generate diagrams.
- Use shape libraries to create specific kinds of diagrams like infographics, kanban boards, mind maps, etc.
- Everyone collaborating on a project can see what other users are doing.
- Use keyboard shortcuts to create diagrams.
- Sketch and comment with freehand shapes.
- You can customize the editor to set custom fonts, templates, shape libraries and specific palettes.
- Exporting work in the form you like can be challenging.
6. SmartDraw
SmartDraw is a unified visual app quite like EdrawMax. It combines whiteboard, diagramming, and data into one tool. It facilitates building diagrams of all kinds of flowcharts. If you especially create CAD drawings involving floor plans, you’ll particularly enjoy working with SmartDraw as it offers a variety of templates and intuitive tools.
Notable Features
- Build visuals with diagramming AI and adjust shapes automatically.
- Choose from common architectural scales when making floor plans.
- Functionality to build diagrams from data imported from various sources such as Azure Cloud architecture, Jira data, etc.
- The whiteboard expands and re-formats as ideas are added.
- You can make multiple diagrams part of your blueprint.
- Apply a matching color scheme to any diagram with a single click.
- Offers thousands of templates for every diagram type ranging from UML diagrams, flowcharts, network diagrams, etc.
- SmartDraw comes with Whiteboarding AI where you can add sticky notes and containers will expand accordingly automatically.
- Ability to cross-integrate with apps like Confluence, Google Workspace apps, etc.
- Some users have reported that SmartDraw is slightly heavy on their system.
7. Gliffy
Gliffy is regarded as one of the best online chart and diagram makers. Using this EdrawMax alternative, you can drag and drop diagrams and communicate even the most complex ideas. It is one of those visual diagramming tools that you can integrate with popular apps like Jira and Confluence.
Notable Features
- Create sticky notes and customize them on your whiteboard the way you want.
- Sketch out concepts or make notes using a freehand drawing tool.
- Wide range of templates for flow charts, org charts, network diagrams, etc.
- Comes with version history and revision control.
- Facilitates collaborative brainstorming.
- Easy to use hence less training is required.
- Best in-class support.
- You need a Confluence account to get started.
8. MindMeister
As a tool that works on similar lines as EdrawMax, MindMeister lets you perform mind mapping. It makes it easy for you to add images, videos, etc, and change alignments wherever necessary. With it you can visualize complex ideas, collaborate with your team, and see where you can implement them. It further lets you manage your tasks in a hassle-free manner.
Notable Features
- Create custom mind maps.
- Focus Mode lets you showcase the best ideas to your team.
- Choose your outline mode based on whether it's a list or a mind map.
- Spice visualization with mind maps, lists, and org charts.
- Easily embed media like images and videos and add more context to your ideas.
- Infinite canvas for brainstorming ideas.
- Provide feedback with comments and notifications.
- More integration and export options are needed.
9. MindManager
When it comes to mind mapping, MindManager is one of the best EdrawMax alternatives. It was one of the pioneers in introducing mind mapping. You can build concept maps, flowcharts, and diagrams and visualize your data. If you are just starting out you can benefit from several MindManager timeline chart templates.
Notable Features
- Create Gantt Charts for project management.
- Collaborate with others in real-time.
- Organize projects and allocate resources, track time and cost.
- MindManager snap capture tool helps capture links, images, and text notes anytime.
- Integrate with apps like Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and many others.
- Excel data mapper helps categorize, comprehend and analyze Excel data imported into MindManager maps
- Nothing as found
10. ClickUp
Last but not least we have ClickUp. It is one of the best business management software. It may not have the same number of advanced diagramming tools as EdrawMax but if your primary need is project management with basic tools like flowcharts, mind mapping, and basic diagrams, ClickUp may suffice as an EdrawMax alternative.
Notable Features
- Visual roadmaps to reduce development time.
- Several custom templates to reduce delivery time.
- Functionality to automate workflow.
- Visualize sales pipeline, collaborate on teams, and track account activity.
- Create comprehensive dashboards.
- Communicate product updates and priorities.
- Cate to diverse organizational needs.
- Sometimes tasks report incorrect status.
