Visio Equivalent For Mac

Posted on  by
Visio Equivalent For Mac Rating: 4,7/5 345 reviews

Microsoft Visio is arguably the most popular diagramming software in the planet. This is understandable because in the early days Windows operating system had a major market share and Visio was the only compatible diagramming tool. But the Mac is starting to challenge Windows and Mac OS is very popular among techies. Below are few Visio alternatives to Mac OS which you can use for your diagramming needs.

OmniGraffle

Finally, iThoughtsX is king of all, a true Visio equivalent for Mac that could match it on every level and then add some. It’s a heavy-hitter and should be used in that way, when you really need that extra power.

OmniGraffle is a product very similar to Visio and in some areas it is much better than Visio as well. It allows you to import and export some Vision formats, so if you are planning on using both the software in different machines then this is a very good option. It has support for all the major diagram types and the drawing interface is very user friendly.

  • Like any other diagramming tool, Creately limits some of the features like Visio files import and SVG export in the free plan. The personal plan starts at $5 per month and goes up to $125 for team.
  • Oct 05, 2019  Also, Visio’s interface looks dated, and it has become a bloated software over the years. So, if these drawbacks concern you and you are someone who is looking for a Visio alternative, here are 10 best Visio alternative diagramming software: List of Best Microsoft Visio Alternatives 1.
  • Jan 12, 2015  But you may have noticed there's no Visio for Mac. Professionals from every industry are moving to the cloud for their diagramming needs and Lucidchart is leading the way.

OmniGraffle has two versions, standard edition costs 99.99$ while the professional edition costs 199.99$. Checking out comparison of features available in the websites is advisable before selecting which version to buy. For users with simple diagramming needs, the standard edition is more than enough. If you’re an educational institute or a non-profit you are entitled to a discounted price.

Creately

Creately Online Diagramming Tool is another good Visio alternative for Mac OS. Because it’s a web based application you can access your diagrams from anywhere in the world. It supports all the major diagram types but doesn’t support every diagram type in Visio. It is much suited for project teams, because of the online collaboration support.

If you are keen to draw diagrams offline there is a desktop version that costs 75$. The online version is 5$ per month and there are team plans for discounted rates. They also give discounts for educational institutes and non-profits.

Dia

Dia is an open source diagramming tool modeled very similar to Visio. As their websites says this is more suited for casual drawing and not the best solution for complex business drawings.

It doesn’t support the same number of diagram types, but if you are just looking to draw a simple flowchart then this might be the best solution for you. There are various additional downloads like shapes available to you. You won’t find any dedicated support so you have to rely a lot on documentation.

Mentioned above are some good Microsoft Visio alternatives for Mac OS. There are many more similar products with advantages and disadvantages. Ease of use, cost, reliability and security are some of the factors you should consider when choosing a suitable diagramming product.

Talk about diagramming tools, and one of the first names that pop into your head is Microsoft Visio. With a plethora of templates, shapes, layouts, and designs, Visio is a paradise for your visual modeling requirements.

Reinstall office for mac 2016. The newest version was released on September 24, 2018.MS Office is one of the most important software on the Mac used for various functions. Microsoft Office 2019 is the latest version of the software that is being branded under the name of Office 365. Microsoft offers new and advanced updates regularly on Office 365, sometimes the auto-update feature does not work on Mac.

However, unless you are working in an MNC or a part of a massive team, the price tag of $280 for Standard version or as low as $5 per user monthly might make it a bit costlier for folks on a tight budget.

So, if you are seeking free alternatives to Microsoft Visio, don't worry, we have got you sorted. The following list of diagramming software and tools will help you choose the right one.

Also on Guiding Tech
Best 3 Design Tools for Creating Mockups and Wireframes
Read More

1. Lucidchart

Lucidchart advertises itself as a Visio alternative and boasts of being used by the teams at Cisco, Harvard University, Accenture, and more. From floor plans to Android mockups, it has a ton of robust pre-made templates.

Apart from that, this online tool is extremely easy to use. It allows you to add different shapes, containers, and smart connectors to make visually appealing designs. Plus, the shapes and containers change as per the type of diagram. On top of that, there are a slew of shapes and layering options to choose from.

The free version of Lucidchart is limited to three active documents per user. If you are mainly looking for personal use, the free templates and shapes should be sufficient. However, if you are not satisfied, you can upgrade to any of the paid versions.

The basic paid plan of Lucidchart is priced at $4 per month and it lets you use unlimited shapes and documents. Meanwhile, the Pro user plan is priced at $10 per month with the option to import or export Visio files. If you have a small team that often collaborates on designs, the Pro plan for teams is a bit heftily priced at $20 per month.

Why Lucidchart

  • Ridiculously easy to learn and use
  • Huge library of templates and shapes
  • Drag and drop
  • Integrations
Go to Lucidchart

2. Creately

Creately is another powerful online tool hiding many templates behind a simple interface. Available across multiple platforms, Creately believes in keeping things simple. It has an intuitive interface with a bunch of free templates and shapes. Unlike Lucidchart, this tool supports a variety of 'fun' templates that you can use to make community banners or for your school projects.

Unlike LucidCraft, this tool supports a variety of 'fun' templates.

Other than that, there's a tiny contextual toolbar that shows up as soon as you select an object. With tools like quick connectors, text box creation, and external links, it makes the process faster and quicker.

On the collaboration front, you can work with your team members just by adding their email IDs. The free version lets you add up to three collaborators. Quite naturally, this restriction is removable if you upgrade to the paid versions.

Like any other diagramming tool, Creately limits some of the features like Visio files import and SVG export in the free plan. The personal plan starts at $5 per month and goes up to $125 for team plans.

Microsoft Visio Alternative For Mac Free

Why Creately

  • Tons of templates
  • One-click contextual toolbar
  • Ready-made color palettes
  • Let's you import images from the web
Go to Creately

3. Pencil Project

The beauty of Pencil Project lies in the fact that it's free desktop software. For an open source project, Pencil has a pretty clean interface with all the necessary tools. It allows you to create mockups for almost everything mobiles, web pages, and even conventional flowcharts and diagrams.

The controls are quite straightforward. Double click to rotate the elements and single click to resize them. If I were to compare it to the above tools, I'd say that the icons may not be as sharp or colorful. However, those are some of the trade-offs if you are looking for a completely free diagramming tool.

As far as the templates are concerned, the options are limited to creating wireframes, GUI, and flowcharts. You won't find any fancy templates for infographics, family tree or network diagram. Export options include SVG, ODT, PDF, PNG or standard web page.

Why Pencil Project

  • Free and standalone software
  • Clean interface with simple tools
  • Cool collection of mobile GUI elements for smartphone mockups
Download Pencil Project

4. Draw.io

Draw.io is an utter delight of a diagramming tool. From standard charts and flowcharts to entity relationship diagrams and UML diagrams, you can play with a lot of templates in this online tool.

The best thing is that you don't even need to register. Simply open the site, select the templates and start working. Draw.io also lets you connect to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and even Github to export your templates. Similar to Pencil Project, you can export your projects in PNG, SVG, PDF, XML, and a few other formats. Plus, it also supports embedded URLs.

Draw.io redefines simplicity as it's incredibly easy to use. All you have to do is click on an element and all the necessary formatting options like font, color, style are accessible through the menu on the right.

Also, the collection of shapes and objects are sufficient for a free version.

Why Draw.io

  • Super simple interface
  • Has the option to search for shapes
  • Good for small-scale work
Go to Draw.io

5. yEd Graph Editor

yEd Graph Editor might not be the most stylish Visio alternative, but trust me when I say that it has the right tools and elements to make your work seamless and easy.

Since it's also a desktop software, you won't find many ready-made templates. But let me tell you that it is by far one of the best free tools for creating charts, flowcharts, and diagrams of computer networks. Plus, working on this tool is relatively easy. Simply drag and drop the elements.

As for the export options, yEd allows you to save your diagrams in PDF, JPEG, PNG, SWF, and HTML formats.

Why yEd Graph Editor

  • Apt for flowcharts and network diagrams
  • Plenty of shapes, edge types, entity relation elements, etc.
Download yEd Graph Editor

6. XMind

If your diagrams involve more of mapping, then you should give XMind a try. The beauty of XMind is that you can create an entire visually appealing mind map just through keystrokes. Yes, you read that right.

This offline drawing tool supports a few handy keyboard shortcuts that let you create child elements, add text or skip to the next element.

The elements and shapes library is immense and is available on a click of a button, along with the formatting options like font, structure, color, etc.

XMind is the a open source project and hence free to use. My only gripe is that the trial version stamps the XMind watermark on the diagrams. And to remove that, you need to subscribe to the Zen version by paying $27.99 per six months.

Why XMind?

  • Great for mappings
  • Vast library of elements and shapes
Download XMind
Also on Guiding Tech
#office 365
Click here to see our office 365 articles page

7. Gliffy

Gliffy is another good online alternative to Microsoft Visio. Gliffy has three different account options to choose from — Basic (Standard), Single, and Team account. The Single and Team account are paid versions while the Basic is free to use. Here, the catch is that all your diagrams are marked public. So, unless you are planning to make a>Go to Gliffy

8. Google Drawings

Last but not the least, we have Google Drawings. Like most of the Google apps and tools, we have the G-advantage here — it's free and it's relatively simple to use.

And unlike the free versions (of paid drawing apps) that limit shapes and templates, Google Drawings offers loads of features and options.

You can play with process diagrams or try your hand at relationship diagrams. The color schemes are customizable. Plus, you can also change the levels or areas of the diagrams as per your needs. Given that Google documents can be easily shared, collaboration is surprisingly easy on Drawings.

Why Google Drawings

  • Free and simple to use
  • Plenty of templates to choose from
  • Customizable colors and areas
  • Gets automatically saved
Go to Google Drawings
Also on Guiding Tech
How to Transfer Ownership of a Document in Google Drive
Read More

Make Powerful Visualizations

They say that seeing is believing and rightly so. Be it a software process or a simple infographic, unless the data is visually appealing and easy to understand, the work one puts in such diagrams may go to waste. And at the same time, it should be easy for a user to make such diagrams without much hassles.

Microsoft Visio Equivalent For Mac

So, these were some of the free alternatives to Microsoft Visio. There are also some other programs like DIA, Open Office, and LibreOffice which you can try.

Read NextOffice 365 vs Open365: Can Open Source Finally Win You OverAlso See#Online tools for diagrams #flowcharts

Did You Know

The Google Home features can double up as a broadcaster.

Visio For Mac Free

More in Internet and Social

Visio Equivalent For Mac Free

How to Turn off Google Assistant Bill Reminders