12 Best LucidChart Alternatives You Should Use
Sep. 4, 2019Best LucidChart Alternatives You Should Try
In the following lineup, I have chosen both affordable and feature-packed visual workspace apps like LucidChart. Keeping in mind the needs of those who are looking for a reasonably good online diagram software without spending any bucks, I have also included the ones that are available for free.
So, whatever rules your priority list, let’s dive right in to explore the top alternatives to LucidChart!
“draw.io” is a highly efficient alternative to LucidChart. The software isfeature-packed and comes with a wide range of toolsto create flow charts, UML diagrams, ER models, network diagrams, org charts, and more.
Both in terms of clean UI and easy-to-use features, the app looks at par with its noted counterpart. Another department where draw.io has an edge over many other similar apps isthe integrations with several servicesthat enhance team collaboration.
The open-source app worksseamlessly with Google Drive and OneDriveto keep your entire data secure and accessible across the platforms. Besides, you can also share your work-domain with your Google G-Suite account.
Like LucidChart, it has a reliableoffline featureso that you can carry out your task without any interruption. On top of all, draw.io won’t cost you a single penny, which makes it probably the best free alternative to LucidChart.
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Platform Availability:macOS, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS
Pricing:Free
Visit:Website
When you havetons of professionally designed templatesand shapes at the disposal, creating diagrams and flow charts become pretty easy going. Just in case, you aren’t impressed with LucidChart’s collection of templates, “Creately” could be the right option for you as it has got both a huge library and wide variety. Another area where this software packs a solid punch isa good roster of drawing toolsthat provide precise control.
Like LucidChart, it comes withplenty of presets and themesthat bring nice customization into the mix. On the collaboration front, it’s not behind either. The software allows the entire team to stay in sync and also enables them to communicate freely to keep confusion at bay.
As for pricing, Creately also offers a basic freemium version just like LucidChart. But the pro version of this software starts at a comparatively low price at $5/month. Taking everything into account, Creately is an affordable yet highly efficient substitute for LucidChart.
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Platform Availability:macOS, Windows, Linux, and web
Pricing:Free, $4.95/month
Visit:Website
Microsoft’s Visio stands out from the rest in many aspects. The best part about thispowerful diagramming softwareis the amount of flexibility that it provides. You get the desired liberty to create insightful diagrams that represent data vividly.
If LucidChart claims to have alarge collection of templates,Visio isn’t behind in the race either. Therefore, you can choose from a variety of pre-defined templates to design top-notch diagrams without spending much time.
Regarding collaboration, Visio is a touch better than LucidChart thanks toco-authoring features, cool annotation, andSkype integration. Hence, you can team up with your colleagues and get your work done proficiently.
Plus, the visual workspace software also comes with thesupport forAutoCADto ramp up advanced design. Unlike LucidChart, Microsoft Visio isn’t available for free. But the basic variant (Online Plan 1) of Visio comes at just $5/month (billed annually).
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Platform Availability:Windows, iOS, and web
Pricing:Online Plan 1 comes at $5/user/month (billed annually), Visio standard is priced at $280, while the professional variant is available for $530.
Visit:Website
Ifsimplicityis the main thing that you are looking for in a LucidChart alternative then I recommend you give “Coggle” a chance. The software may not be as feature-rich as LucidChart but when it comes to making the task of creating diagrams a straightforward experience, it’s a bit better.
Beyond simplified experience, it has afairly good gallery of templatesthat can help you get started within no time. In terms of collaboration, it’s up to the mark (if not better than LucidChart), ensuring the whole team can stay in the loop and work effectively.
You canintegrate it withGoogle Driveto keep your data secure. Features like auto-arrange branches, multiple start points, andover 1600 nice-looking iconsoffer enough customization. In terms of price, Coggle offers a bit more functional free version and charges comparatively low ($5/month) for the premium variant.
Long story short, Coggle is both an easy-to-use and cheaper alternative to LucidChart.
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Platform Availability:Web
Pricing:Free, $5/month
Visit:Website
The reason why I have picked out “ProtoPie” is that it scores pretty high when it comes to customization. So, if you are hunting for a visual solution like LucidChart that can provide more liberty to create top-notch diagrams, “ProtoPie” could be the right way to go.
The highlight of this software is arobust suite of toolsthat can enable you to create high-quality prototypes. Thanks to the effective integration, you canimport design tools from Sketch, Adobe XD, and Figmaand work efficiently.
Just like LucidChart, it’s also available for iOS and Android so that you can check your prototypes even on your mobile devices. Talking about price, ProtoPie doesn’t offer a freemium model and its basic version comes at $129/year which is a touch expensive upfront.
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Platform Availability:macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android
Pricing:7-day free trial, $11/month
Visit:Website
yEd is yet another great alternative to LucidChart. Should you want to choose an app that can enable you to create professional-looking diagrams without spending any money, it is worth having a look.
The app has aclutter-free interfaceand comes with almost all the tools. You can use thehandy group nodesto take control of large data sets with ease. Not to mention, it also features BPMN symbols that are very useful especially for business process diagrams.
One of my favorite features of this software is theautomatic layoutthat makes it pretty easy to arrange diagram elements. Using theinteractive web viewer,you can comfortably navigate, zoom, and even print diagrams from the web.
Another notable feature that makes yEd a top bet for the folks who never want to run into incompatibility issues is thesupport for many file formatsincluding GEDCOM, GML, JPG, PNG, GIF, and more. In a nutshell, yEd is a solid free substitute for yEd for the folks who want to have reasonably good software for creating pro-looking diagrams.
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Platform Availability:Windows, macOS, and Linux
Pricing:Free
Visit:Website
Both in terms of versatility and efficiency, OmniGraffle appears to be an able alternative to LucidChart. What has caught my eyes in this software is the elegant UI coupled with a range of pro tools. Plus, it also scores pretty well when it comes to flexibility.
The app comes with aunified sidebarwith quick actions which makes it easier to group, ungroup and rename objects. As for templates, I must say that they can give a strong competition to those offered in LucidChart. It also offers a collection ofreusable assetsso that you can cut the slack and work more efficiently.
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Platform Availability:macOS and iOS
Pricing:14-day free trial, $12.49/month (for Mac and iPhone), $249.99 for Mac only
Visit:Website
A highly-rated app like “Figma” deserves a mention in this roundup. There are three notable features that make it very similar to LucidChart. First and foremost, the software hasone of the finest user-interface of all the diagramming software mentioned on this list. Secondly, despite being packed with pro tools, it’s relatively easy to use which makes it a great pick for the folks who hate to go through a steep learning curve.
And the third, Figma makes collaboration a pleasing experience. It providesteam librariesso that everyone can easily access the files and work on them. With the help ofreusable and scalable elements, you can speed up your work. When it comes to customization, Figma can effortlessly match the legacy of LucidChart as the former has a great set of colors, grids, and impressive effects.
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Platform Availability:Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android
Pricing:Free, $15/user/month
Visit:Website
For creatingvisually appealing and functional prototypes,you can’t go wrong with “Axure RP 9”. By combining top-of-the-linetools like Sketchintegration and SVG import, the software enables you to work faster.
Like LucidChart, it has also got a variety of templates so that you can create prototypes and diagrams with ease. There is also a useful sketch artboard that further simplifies the creation of prototypes.
But the highlight of this software isAxure Cloudthat allows you to bring your entire tools in one place so that you can deal with them more conveniently. Therefore, you can easily share the automated tools and take advantage ofon-screen commentsto stay in sync with colleagues.
The only drawback of Axure is that its pro version starts at a higher price at $29/user/month. However, that is not a problem for you, this can be definitely the LuicdChart alternative that you were looking for.
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Platform Availability:Windows and macOS
Pricing:30-free trial, $25/user/month (billed annually)
Visit:Website
Looking for LucidChart alternative that can help you collaborate with your team on mockups, wireframes, prototypes, and diagrams more comfortably? Try out Moqups as it cannot only help your entire team stay in the loop with ease but also enable you to visualize your concept with detailed mockups.
For a more simplified experience, you can also integrate it withSlack, Dropbox, and Google Drive. The curated design tools can enhance your workflow, allowing you to carry out your task with the needed flexibility.
In terms of fonts and styling options, I think Moqups is better than LucidChart. It offers you ahuge collection of hundreds of fontsintegrated with Google fonts.
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Platform Availability: Web
Pricing:Free, the paid plan starts at $16/month (up to 3 editors, paid annually).
Visit:Website
When it comes to mind-mapping, XMind has a clear edge over LucidChart. So, if you are hunting forfully-featured mind-mapping software, you shouldn’t look beyond this one. The app providesmultiple ways to capture your thoughtsso that they never get lost in oblivion. Depending on your convenience, you can ideally structure your thoughts so that they remain organized.
It also provides a fishbone chart, matrix, org chart, and timeline to help you visually organize ideas in a way that makes them more appealing to the eyes. Moreover, XMind has thesupport for most modern formatsso that you can export your ideas with ease.
Just like LucidChart, it supports multiple platforms so that you can get on with your mind-mapping across the devices seamlessly. The free version of XMind comes with basic features. As for the pro variant of this mind-mapping app, you can get the XMind: Zen & Mobile variant at $59.99/year and the XMind 8 Pro version at $129.
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Platform Availability:macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android
Pricing:Free, the paid plan is available for $39.99/6 months ($59.99/year)
Visit:Website
If you are hunting for a LucidChart alternative that can let youcreate UML diagrams with precision, PlantUML could be a better option. The software comes with an ever-growing collection of diagrams, which you can fine-tune in keeping with your needs.
Though PlantUML’s library of diagrams can’t make a match with what LucidChart has to offer, you can bank on it to live up to your task. Whether you want tomake state diagram create deployment diagramor craft a detailed class diagram, it has got the tools to help you design high-quality UML diagrams.
Design-wise, thisopen-source softwarelooks a bit old-fashioned as compared to LucidChart’s modern-looking interface. So, you will need to spend some time getting a good hang of this software initially. Beyond interface, it works reliably and also lets yougenerate images in PNG, SVG, and LaTex.
Taking everything into account, PlantUML is a reliable LucidChart free alternative.
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Platform Availability: macOS, Windows, and Linux
Pricing:Free
Visit:Website
If your priority lies with mind mapping, MindMup is the one I would suggest you to try out. The software excels in offeringa complete mind mapping solution. So, just in case you LucidChart is unable to let youcreate, share, and publish mind maps efficiently, this one can more than fill up the void.
With the help of this software, you canuse a variety of toolsto give the right shape to your ideas. Whether it’s creating presentations or making document outlines or capturing ideas as they strike your mind, it has got the tools to get the most out of you. Interface-wise, MindMuplooks clean and is pretty easy to customize. Thus, you will hardly have to spend much time to fine-tune its interface in accordance with your needs.
Once you have created your maps, you can save them toGoogle Driveto keep them secure and accessible across devices. Besides, it also offers you the flexibility to convert maps toPDFandPowerPointas well as publish or share them online.
Everything considered; MindMup is easily one of the best LucidCharts alternatives free for mind mapping.
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Platform Availability:Web
Pricing:Free, paid plan starts at $2.99/month
Visit:Website
Though both LucidChart and Visio are powerful, the former is slightly better than than the latter for beginners. LucidChart seems a bit easy-to-use, offers hassle-free sharing, and lets you build complex flowcharts with a bit more flexibility.
LucidChart is known to be resource-hogging. That’s the reason why it, at times, seems to struggle for speed on less capable devices.
Yes, you can use LucidChart offline by enabling the offline mode from the account settings.
Yes, LucidChart is secure. It uses an AES-256 encryption system to protect your data. Notably, its cryptographic keys are safeguarded by Amazon’s Key Management Services.
I hope you have finally discovered the most suitable LucidChart alternative for your needs. With so many notable diagram apps vying for attention, it shouldn’t have been a big deal to get the right one.
For personal and basic usage, free apps are good enough to live up to the task. As for the professional demand, apps like Creately and OmniGraffle can deliver the goods with the desired result. By the way, let me know your top pick in the comments down below.
An old school bibliophile who turned a tech nerd out of obsession. When he is not digging into hacks and tracking down stories that are breaking the internet, you may find him reciting poems.
