Best Diagramming Software in 2026
Updated
In short: draw.io is ranked #1 of 45 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of EdrawMax and Creately. The best-ranked option with a free plan is EdrawMax. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Gliffy at $2.80/mo.
Diagramming software helps turn ideas, processes and systems into visual plans or technical diagrams. The entries are ordered in a ranking; compare them by diagram types, import/export formats and whether they support offline editing or real-time collaboration. Desktop app availability, editor seat limits and free plans can matter for how you work, while paid-from pricing adds a cost point to weigh. The first entries include draw.io, Lucidchart and Creately, with Visual Paradigm and EdrawMax also near the top. Start with the formats and diagram styles you need, then consider whether you’ll work alone, share editing or need a desktop app.
45 diagramming software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
21 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 1 has open-source code on record, and 1 has full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | draw.ioWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Full bars | 6 of 6 | Free | 8.1 | ||
| 2 | EdrawMaxWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | $5.90/mo | 6.7 | |
| 3 | CreatelyWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | IlographWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | CamundaWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 6 | LucidchartWeb · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | Microsoft VisioWeb · Windows · Mac | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $5/mo | 6.5 | |
| 8 | Software Ideas ModelerWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | yEd Graph EditorWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 10 | ArcentryWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $9.90/mo | 6.4 | |
| 11 | Bizagi ModelerWeb · Windows | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 12 | CacooWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $6/mo | 6.4 | |
| 13 | GliffyWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $2.80/mo | 6.4 | |
| 14 | Visual ParadigmWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $4/mo | 6.4 | |
| 15 | CloudSkewWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 16 | EraserWeb · Self-hosted · API · Extension | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $15/mo | 6.3 | |
| 17 | IcePanelWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $40/mo | 6.3 | |
| 18 | PrecedenWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $10/mo | 6.3 | |
| 19 | Diagramming ToolWeb | One bar | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.2 | |
| 20 | TextografoWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.2 | |
| 21 | VexlioWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.2 | |
| 22 | D2Web · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 23 | ClickChartsWindows · Mac · Android | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 24 | ARISWeb · Windows · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 25 | Flowdia DiagramsWindows · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Real-time collaboration | Diagram types |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | draw.io | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | flow charts, mind maps, org charts, Venn diagrams, infographics, network diagrams, architecture diagrams, floor plans, electrical diagrams, rack diagrams, UML diagrams, BPMN diagrams, Kanban boards, ER diagrams, Mermaid diagrams, Gitflow diagrams, C4 models, threat models |
| 2 | EdrawMax | 6.7 | Free plan | $5.90/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 3 | Creately | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | Ilograph | 6.6 | Free plan | — | Yes | 11.99 /user/mo | — | relation, sequence |
| 5 | Camunda | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 6 | Lucidchart | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | process maps, flowcharts, org charts, technical diagrams, system architecture diagrams, UML diagrams, ERDs, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, C4 models |
| 7 | Microsoft Visio | 6.5 | No | $5/mo | No | 5 /user/mo | Yes | basic, block, business matrix, Venn, cycle, pyramid, flowchart, process, cross-functional, SDL, UML, ERD, network, Azure, AWS, BPMN, floor plan, HVAC, plant layout, timeline, Gantt, PERT, ITIL, Pivot, Six Sigma, value-stream map, organization chart |
| 8 | Software Ideas Modeler | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 9 | yEd Graph Editor | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | BPMN diagrams, semantic networks, family trees, flowcharts, social networks, UML class diagrams, entity relationship diagrams, swimlane diagrams |
| 10 | Arcentry | 6.4 | Free plan | $9.90/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Infrastructure, cloud architecture, network, 2D, 3D |
| 11 | Bizagi Modeler | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | BPMN process diagrams; value chain diagrams |
| 12 | Cacoo | 6.4 | Free plan | $6/mo | Yes | 6 /user/mo | Yes | flowcharts, wireframes, network diagrams, organizational charts, BPMN diagrams, component diagrams, deployment diagrams, AWS architecture diagrams |
| 13 | Gliffy | 6.4 | Free plan | $2.80/mo | Yes | — | No | flowcharts, UML diagrams, BPMN diagrams, network diagrams, entity-relationship diagrams, AWS architecture diagrams, org charts, mind maps, wireframes, floor plans, swimlanes, Venn diagrams |
| 14 | Visual Paradigm | 6.4 | Free plan | $4/mo | Yes | 4 /user/mo | Yes | UML, SysML, flowchart, organization chart, ER, BPMN, data-flow, EPC, mind map, C4, Gantt, wireframe, cloud architecture |
| 15 | CloudSkew | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | No | cloud architecture diagrams, network diagrams, flowcharts |
| 16 | Eraser | 6.3 | Free plan | $15/mo | Yes | 15 /user/mo | Yes | Flow charts, entity-relationship diagrams, cloud architecture diagrams, sequence diagrams, BPMN diagrams |
| 17 | IcePanel | 6.3 | Free plan | $40/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Context diagrams, app diagrams, component diagrams |
| 18 | Preceden | 6.3 | Free plan | $10/mo | Yes | — | No | timelines, Gantt charts, project roadmaps, legal chronologies, comparative timelines |
| 19 | Diagramming Tool | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | cloud architecture, flowcharts, sequence diagrams, entity relationship diagrams, UML class diagrams, C4 container diagrams, Kubernetes topologies, network diagrams, state machines, Gantt charts, Kanban boards, mindmaps, org charts, sitemaps, Sankey flows, XY charts, radar charts, treemaps, fishbone diagrams |
| 20 | Textografo | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | flowcharts, mind maps, decision trees, organizational charts, sitemaps, cross-functional flowcharts |
| 21 | Vexlio | 6.2 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | — | flowcharts, UML diagrams, block diagrams, state machine diagrams, software architecture diagrams, math diagrams |
| 22 | D2 | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | — | — | software architecture diagrams; UML class diagrams; sequence diagrams |
| 23 | ClickCharts | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Block, BPMN, brainstorming, data flow, electrical, ER, family tree, fishbone, flowchart, mind map, network, organizational, process flow, UML class, Venn, VSM, graph |
| 24 | ARIS | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Flowdia Diagrams | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | — | Flowchart, swimlane, mind map, BPMN, network, Cisco network, rack, server layout, AWS architecture, Azure architecture, UML class, UML activity, UML use case, UML sequence, business process, process flow, chevron |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which diagramming software is ranked first on Freedom251?
draw.io is ranked #1 of 45 with a score of 8.1. EdrawMax is second and Creately third.
How many of these have a free plan?
20 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Gliffy has the lowest first paid tier we found: $2.80/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.