Free Visio Alternative For Mac
Microsoft Visio is one of the most popular and capable diagramming tools out there, and it’s the first choice for a lot of amateurs and professionals alike, seeing how it’s been bundled with the Microsoft Office Suite. However, if you’re favouring a Mac over Windows, you might face a major. Which Is The Best Visio Alternative For Mac? SmartDraw is hard to beat as a powerful but far easier to use alternative to Visio. Its been around longer than almost any other diagramming software and all that experience, features and user interface know-how has clearly gone into SmartDraw Online Edition (formerly SmartDraw Cloud) for Mac users. This Visio flowchart alternative for Mac is especially useful for project managers because the tool can help you to calculate project details, such as task dependencies and more. This is a free Visio flowchart alternative developed by the Calligra Suite team. Users can easily find tool options, stencil box elements and more on its.
To find an alternative to Visio, I looked at Visio competitors that are affordable, can sync with a project management software platform, and alternatives with good customer reviews. Here are the best Visio alternatives that are free to use or cheap for Mac and Windows. LucidChart is a free online Flowchart Maker. This post will examine these alternatives to Visio for Mac, firstly in a section dedicated to free products aimed at the not very sophisticated, finishing with the presentation of software dedicated to trained professionals that come in a variety of price ranges.
As you know, Microsoft Visio is the most popular diagramming tool. However. the software is quite expensive. That’s where a good Visio alternative comes in.
To find an alternative to Visio, I looked at Visio competitors that are affordable, can sync with a project management software platform, and alternatives with good customer reviews. Here are the best Visio alternatives that are free to use or cheap for Mac and Windows.
LucidChart
LucidChart is a free online Flowchart Maker. It’s also one of the best free alternatives to Visio. What I like about LucidChart is that you can have more than one team member work on a project. And, the drag and drop interface makes it easier to navigate and get work done in less time.
Another cool feature is that it can import or export Microsoft Visio.vdx files. But, there are also some things that I do not like.
For example, it does not categorize shapes. So, you have to look and choose different shapes for diagrams carefully. And, you can only open 3 active documents at one time.
I do like that there’s no need to install any software as it’s a free web program. This means that you can work on your project from mobile (Android & iOS) as well as MacOS or Windows via a web browser.
But, to be honest, some people find that not having a stand alone software for desktop a con. After all, not everyone likes having their work stored on the web.
Draw.io
Another good online diagramming software is Draw.io. It’s a Visio like software free online for Android, iOS, MacOs, and Windows. And, it even runs on ChromeOS. There’s no need to create an account.
You just go to the website and start working. You can save your designs to Google Drive, Dropbox or locally on your PC. Also, it can import and exportMicrosoft Visio.vdx files.
However, given that it’s free to use, advanced tools like those of Microsoft Visio are not present. And, the interface may take some getting used to. But, what can I say? It’s a free Visio alternative.
yED Graph Editor
yED Graph Editor is another completely free diagramming software. It works on Windows, macOS, and Linux/Unix. But, it does not work on ChromeOS.
The good thing about is that though its cross-platform, there’s a native app for each platform. I like to manually create diagrams but, for those of us that want a bit of automation, yED can automatically creates diagrams from imported data.
All in all, it’s a great Visio replacement. And, while it may not have advanced features like Visio or LucidChart, it gets the job done 90% of the time.
OmniGraffle
For those of you who want Visio for Mac, OmniGraffle is the perfect replacement. It’s only available for MacOS. It has a beautiful and easy to use interface. And, it’s also one of the easiest diagram software to learn.
- Beautiful UI/UX design.
- Support for Visio files import and Export.
- ayered documents.
- Shape recognition and blending modes.
- PNG, PGF, SVG, and Photoshop export.
- OmniPresence documents sync automation with JavaScript and AppleScript.
Those are just some of the best features. The only con is that it only works on Mac OS X. Other than that, it’s one of the best Project Management Software for Mac.
Pencil Project
If you want a free open source Visio alternative, Pencil Project is the software for you. It’s cross-platform with native apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Office mix for macbook pro 2014. For Office 2016 for Mac, you will need to be running Yosemite (10.10 or later). Apple does not guarantee conversion accuracy.This is a Mavericks community.
It has pre-installed templates, and stencils, an excellent collection of shape and an easy to use interface.
There’s an extensive list of tools to create flowcharts, diagrams and whatever you need. And, being open source, updates are frequent and swift.
However, there is no web-based service available. Hence, Chromebook users cannot use the software.
Ardoq
Are you an architect or project manager? Then, Ardoq is the Microsoft Visio alternative you need. The key features are:
- Review and
analyze data - Automatic diagram creation
- Live data update
- Grouping
- Conditional formatting
- Global Search with revision history
- Automate repetitive tasks
- Handle complex datasets
- Powerful built-in data editing tools
- Customisable Metamodels
Ardoq offers a free trial and you can request pricing on their website. And, while it may not be the cheapest option, it deserves a spot on the list if only for it’s features and compatibility with other programs.
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Final Thoughts
These Microsoft Visio alternatives get the job done. Whether you are a pro or a beginner, there’s something for you. There are free alternatives, some are cross-platform, some are web-based, and others might require a small fee. Whatever the case, with these alternatives to Visio, you have options.
Microsoft Visio is a professional diagramming and vector graphics application which was first introduced in 1992 and is part of the Microsoft Office family since 2000. Like most Microsoft products, Visio for Mac doesn’t exist, but following are some of the best professional alternatives to Microsoft Visio for Mac users.
You can try these products on most of the recent Mac OS X versions such as Yosemite, Mountain Lion and Lion OS X. You can check similar post about MS Publisher alternatives for Mac here.
See also: Best external hard drive for Mac with great deals
Best Alternatives to Visio for Mac
OmniGraffle Pro
OmniGraffle Pro is a professional diagramming application made by The Omni group and available only on Mac OS X and the iPad. It is a very powerful and user friendly alternative to Microsoft Visio for Mac and in some areas, it offers even more features than Microsoft Visio itself. OmniGraffle Pro is easier to use than Microsoft Visio and the Pro version allow the users to import and export Visio files. It supports all Visio formats including .vsd, .vst and .vss files.
Free Visio Alternative For Mac Windows 10
A drawback of OmniGraffle Pro is that it is not as precise as Microsoft Visio and lacks the fine tuning of shapes and objects that Visio offers. OmniGraffle Pro also lacks integration of CAD and features like DWG or DXF (AutoDesk file formats). OmniGraffle Pro is available at Mac App Store for $99 and the iPad version costs $49.99.
ConceptDraw Pro
ConceptDraw Pro is a professional diagramming application which is used for creating business graphics diagrams, flowcharts and infographics. It was first introduced in 1999 and developed by CS Odessa for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X platform. It is mostly used by professional designers working in a CAD environment. It includes lots of different keyboard shortcuts for ease of access. Like OmniGraffle Pro, it also allows the users to import and export Visio files. It offers tons of templates in different categories including landscaping, engineering, management and sciences.
ConceptDraw Pro is a great alternative to Visio for Mac users as it offers more features and can easily handle the most demanding professional needs. It also offers a ConceptDraw Solution Park, which greatly extends the capabilities of the application. ConceptDraw Pro is available at Mac App Store for $199 and a single license is valid for both Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. Although it is harder to learn, but users are satisfied with it as an alternative to Visio for Mac.
LucidChart for Mac
Lucidchart is a web-based diagramming application with a drag and drop web interface which allows users to draw any kind of diagram. It was introduced in 2008 by Lucid Software Inc and it allows the users to create flowcharts, organizational charts, UML designs and many other diagram types. LucidChart supports all latest web browsers, including Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari.
Free Visio Alternative For Mac Windows 7
LucidChart is a cloud based application and it is fully integrated with Google Drive and Microsoft Office 2013. It supports both import and export of Visio files. One of the main features of LucidChart is that it allows multiple users to work on the same file as a team. LucidChart is a diagramming application for a variety of professionals, including designers, executives and engineers. Being a web-based application, LucidChart is very light, free of bloatware and one of the best alternatives to Visio for Mac users. LucidChart offers a free limited version for single users, but to use all the features users must purchase monthly subscriptions. Color picker for safari.