Creately

Overview

Creately brings diagramming together with an infinite canvas for brainstorming, workshops, project management and research. Presentation mode, workshop templates and voting tools make it useful for facilitated sessions as well as diagram production. For teams working across different visual formats, its catalog is unusually broad: 70 diagramming standards, more than 1,000 shapes, over 8,000 templates and more than 200,000 examples. That range offers many starting points, but is more than a user seeking only a one-off basic diagram may need.

Real-time editing, comments and tasks keep discussion alongside the work. Folder- and workspace-level sharing, with role-based permissions down to item fields, is a notable fit for teams that need tighter control over who can see or change parts of a canvas.

Key features

• Diagramming and templates: Support for 70 standards, a library of more than 1,000 shapes and context-specific connectors provide options for varied diagram types. The templates and examples can help teams start from established layouts rather than build every visual from scratch.
• Collaborative canvas: Real-time editing, comments, tasks, guest collaboration, presentation mode and voting tools support shared work and group sessions, not just static diagrams.
• Permissions: Folder- and workspace-level sharing with field-level role permissions suits work where access should differ by contributor or information type.
• Integrations and workflows: Creately lists Google Drive, Slack, Confluence and Microsoft Teams integrations. Its Business plan adds Microsoft Teams integration, two-way data sync with Excel and Google Sheets, toolkits, project management tools, guest access and custom templates.
• Security and deployment: Creately says it has completed a SOC 2 Type 2 audit, is ISO 27001 certified and HIPAA compliant, and is committed to GDPR compliance. It states that documents are encrypted at rest with AES-256 and in transit using TLS 1.2 or higher, and offers regional hosting in the United States, European Union and Australia. Creately On-Prem provides self-hosting in an internal network, private cloud or on-premises data center, with API access and extensibility.
• Exports: PNG and JPEG exports are available on every plan; SVG and PDF require a premium plan. That distinction matters if vector or document exports are part of a regular workflow.

Pricing

Creately is freemium, with a free plan and a 7-day trial. Paid pricing starts at $5/mo (annual), but the plan amounts below that starting note are custom pricing. Confirm the applicable price and billing term before committing.

Plan	What it includes	Who it suits
Free	0.00 USD per free, forever; unlimited canvases and collaborators, 45 items per canvas, one folder and two imports.	A low-risk way to try shared work or maintain small diagrams. The 45-item ceiling, single folder and two-import allowance make it a poor fit for large or ongoing projects.
Starter	Custom pricing; monthly or annual billing. Unlimited canvases, 1,000 items per canvas, 20 active folders, unlimited imports, 30-day version history and email support.	A step up for individuals or smaller groups that need more room and imports than Free allows. It retains a 30-day history and email-only support.
Team	Custom pricing per user, with monthly or annual billing. Unlimited canvases, 1,500 items per canvas, 30 active folders, 30-day version history, advanced collaboration and email/chat support.	Teams that need stronger collaboration and chat support. Per-user billing means cost depends on team size, while the item and history limits remain finite.
Business	Custom pricing, monthly or annual billing; unlimited users, 3,000 items per canvas, 100 folders, 50 databases, 500 items per database and one-year version history. A 7-day free trial is offered.	Organizations needing more capacity, longer history and the listed workflow tools, guest access and custom templates. The 50-database and 500-item database caps still bound structured data work.
Enterprise	Custom pricing; unlimited items per workspace and storage, SSO, custom data residency and enterprise administration.	Organizations that need SSO, administrative controls or deployment and residency options beyond the capped plans.

Free already permits unlimited canvases and collaborators, so its practical constraints are the contents of each canvas, folder count and imports rather than team size. Starter and Team raise canvas capacity but cap active folders and retain only 30 days of version history. Business extends history to one year and raises limits; Enterprise removes the item and storage ceilings. Starter lists email support, Team email and chat support, and the help center says support is available 24x7.

Platforms

Creately supports web, Windows, macOS and Linux, as well as API and self-hosted options. The mix gives teams a choice between browser use, desktop platforms and controlled deployment.

Who it's for

Creately is a strong candidate for teams that combine diagramming with workshops, planning or project management and want collaboration and granular permissions in the same workspace. Its templates, guests and role controls can serve cross-functional groups. It is less compelling for occasional, simple diagrams if the Free plan’s 45 items per canvas are too restrictive, or if premium SVG and PDF exports are essential but a paid tier is not an option.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad visual toolkit: 70 standards, 1,000-plus shapes and large template and example collections cover many kinds of diagramming and planning.
• Collaboration with fine-grained access: Real-time editing and field-level role permissions can support shared work without making all content equally accessible.
• Choice of deployment and data location: Regional hosting and On-Prem options give organizations alternatives to a single shared hosting arrangement.

Cons

• Free canvas capacity is low: At 45 items per canvas, detailed diagrams may require an upgrade even though canvas count and collaborators are unlimited.
• Export flexibility is tiered: SVG and PDF are limited to premium plans, which may matter in document and design handoffs.
• Price comparison is difficult: Apart from the $5/mo (annual) starting note, plan amounts are custom pricing; Team is per user, so buyers need a quote to assess total cost.

Alternatives

• Nimbalyst is worth considering if an open-source desktop and iOS app is the priority; its apps are MIT licensed, with source code on GitHub.
• OpenCharts may fit readers seeking a free plan with 500K AI credits, all export formats and 10 GB of Drive storage.
• Archway is an option for a free allowance of five AI generations per month, three diagrams and all seven diagram types, with PNG and SVG export.
• Eraser may suit users who value a free allowance of three files and three AI diagrams alongside unlimited guests.
• LetDraw is another freemium option, with a free plan that includes three documents, one workspace and three AI prompts.
• Mermaid Chart is worth a look for a free allowance of three diagrams and limited AI, with one team and project.
• sysdraw may suit users who want a web-based free plan with 10 scenes, five AI generations per month and PNG export.
• Lucid Train is another freemium option for Windows, macOS and Linux.
• AI Diagram Generators is a category to browse for other tools in that area.
• Diagram Software is a category for comparing diagram tools.
• Diagramming Software is another category for diagram-focused options.
• Infographic Software is a category to browse for infographic tools.
• AI Whiteboard Software is a category for AI-focused whiteboard options.
• Design Collaboration Software is a category for collaborative design tools.

Verdict

Choose Creately if your team needs a shared visual workspace that can span diagrams, workshops and structured planning, especially when role-based access and deployment choices matter. Its main drawback is the sharp divide between a tightly capped free canvas and paid tiers whose costs need confirmation; readers focused on small diagrams or price certainty should compare alternatives first.