1. Best Diagramming Tools
2. Sentence Diagramming Tool
3. Best Sequence Diagram Tool For Mac
4. Itool For Mac

1. Reviewing 26 of the best diagram software applications. GetApp lets you compare the list of tools and vendors that provide diagram software solutions. Textografo is an online diagramming tool that enables users to create static and animated diagrams from text, including decision trees, mindmaps, and flowcharts. Mac Diagram Software.
2. Obviously if you are serious about UML in the long run you need to use a software UML tool like the ones suggested in the other answers, but I've found that a whiteboard is one of the best tools for UML diagramming, especially during the design phase, or when you are exploring different alternatives.

One: Edraw Network Diagram Software for Mac. This is the most ideal network diagram tool for Mac OS X. As a versatile, fast network diagram drawing program, which lets you layout your home network, cisco network, wan network, aws network and other network graphic visualizations with premade high quality symbols.

I'm trying to choose a tool for creating UML diagrams of all flavours. Usability is a major criteria for me, but I'd still take more power with a steeper learning curve and be happy. Free (as in beer) would be nice, but I'd be willing to pay if the tool's worth it. What should I be using?

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50 Answers

Some context: Recently for graduate school I researched UML tools for usability and UML comprehension in general for an independent project. I also model/architect for a living.

The previous posts have too many answers and not enough questions. A common misunderstanding is that UML is about creating diagrams. Sure, diagrams are important, but really you are creating a model. Here are the questions that should be answered as each vendor product/solution does some things better than others. Note: The listed answers are my view as the best even if other products support a given feature or need.

• Are you modeling or drawing? (Drawing - ArgoUML, free implementations, and Visio)
  
• Will you be modeling in the future? (For basic modeling - Community editions of pay products)
  
• Do you want to formalize your modeling through profiles or meta-models? OCL? (Sparx, RSM, Visual Paradigm)
  
• Are you concerned about model portability, XMI support? (GenMyModel, Sparx, Visual Paradigm, Altova)
  
• Do you have an existing set of documents that you need to work with? (Depends on the documents)
  
• Would you want to generate code stubs or full functioning code?(GenMyModel, Visual Paradigm, Sparx, Altova)
  
• Do you need more mature processes such as use case management, pattern creation, asset creation, RUP integration, etc? (RSA/RSM/IBM Rational Products)
  

Detailed Examples: IBM Rational Software Architect did not implement UML 2.0 all the way when it comes to realizes type relationships when creating a UML profile, but Visual Paradigm and Sparx got it right.
Ok, that was way too detailed, so a simpler example would be ArgoUML, which has no code generation features and focuses on drawing more than the modeling aspect of UML.
Sparx and Visual Paradigm do UML really well and generate code well, however, hooking into project lifecycles and other process is where RSM/RSA is strong.
Watch out for closed or product specific code generation processes or frameworks as you could end up stuck with that product.

This is a straight brain dump so a couple details may not be perfect, however, this should provide a general map to the questions and solutions to looking into.

NEW - Found a good list of many UML tools with descriptions. Wiki UML Tool List

For sequence diagrams, only, try websequencediagrams.com. It's a freemium (free for the basic tasks, paid for advanced features) product, and lets you quickly bang out a diagram without any fussing around with lines and stencils.

For me it's Enterprise Architect from Sparx Systems. A very rounded UML tool for a very reasonable price.

Very strong feature list including: integrated project management, baselining, export/import (including export to html), documentation generation from the model, various templates (Zachman, TOGAF, etc.), IDE plugins, code generation (with IDE plugins available for Visual Studio, Eclipse & others), automation API - the list goes on.

Oh yeah, don't forget support for source control directly from inside the tool (SVN, CVS, TFS & SCC).

I would also stay away from Visio - you only get diagrams, not a model. Rename a class in one place in a UML modelling tool and you rename in all places. This is not the case in Visio!

For my simple & short UML working,I've used this tool:

StarUML - http://staruml.sourceforge.net/en/

Great free software for UML drawing.

Although the original Star UML is no longer maintained, there's now a fork called White Star UML, which is actively developed.

As I usually use UML more as a communication tool rather than a modeling tool I sometimes have the need to flex the language a bit, which makes the strict modeling tools quite unwieldy. Also, they tend to have a large overhead for the occasional drawing. This also means I don't give tools that handle round-trip modeling well any bonus points. With this in mind..

When using Visio, I tend to use these stencils for my UMLing needs (the built in kind of suck). It could be that I have grown used to it as it is the primary diagramming tool at my current assignment.

OmniGraffle also has some UML stencils built in and more are available at Graffletopia, but I wouldn't recommend that as a diagramming tool as it has too many quirks (quirks that are good for many things, but not UML). Free trial though, so by all means.. :)

I've been trying out MagicDraw a bit, but while functional, I found the user interface distracting.

Otherwise i find the Topcased an interesting project (or group of projects). Last I used it it still had some bugs, but it worked, and seems to have evolved nicely since. Works great on any Eclipse-enabled platform. Free as in speech and beer :)

As for the diagramming tool Dia, it's quite ugly (interface and resulting drawings), but it does get the job done. An interesting modeling tool free alternative is Umbrello, but I haven't really used it much.

I definitely agree with mashi that whiteboards are great (together with a digital camera or cellphone).

Probably some of the nicest tools I've used belong to the Rational family of tools.

Best Diagramming Tools

You may be looking for an automated tool that will automatically generate a lot of stuff for you. But here's a free, generally powerful diagramming tool useful not only for UML but for all kinds of diagramming tasks. It accepts as input and outputs to a wide variety of commonly used file formats. It's called yEd, and it's worth a look

I'm very fond of Visual Paradigm for UML It's very powerful and has a free Community Edition and cheap Personal Edition as well.

For Agile modeling there's also Agilian which is a bit more flexible, adds extra features to support smartboards and knows mind-mapping as well.

The thing I like most about their products is the flexibility. I'm using Enterprise Architect at work nowadays but I think it's not smart enough. I want to be able to quick-brainstorm some sequence diagrams and have the application keep my model up-to-date in the background, something VPUML does a very good job at.

In my opinion it's way better than Enterprise Architect, though that is a great tool as well :)

Take a look at BOUML: multiplatform (QT), works pretty well and supports colaborative work.

BOUML is a free UML 2 tool box (under development) allowing you to specify and generate code in C++, Java, Idl, Php and Python.

BOUML runs under Unix/Linux/Solaris, MacOS X(Power PC and Intel) and Windows.

From Wikipedia:

The releases prior to version 4.23 are free software licensed under GPL. BOUML 5 and later is proprietary software.

If you're looking to get out the door and working on UML without having to learn a complex new tool I would check out Violet UML. I've used it to some pretty great success in the past.

PlantUML is an open-source markup-language-to-UML-diagram tool in Java that deserves to be mentioned here. It ranks high on the usability scale because of its intuitive syntax for the various diagrams and diagram components.

Dia is a possible choice. It's definitely not the best tool, but it is functional.

Enterprise Architect from Sparx systems is the best tool I've used. A bit expensive at $199 (professional edition), but IMO it's worth it.

I will add UMLet which I haven't tried yet, but have been selected at my office to start doing diagrams.
Looks simple, diagrams aren't sexy, but it seems quite complete with regard to the kind of diagrams you can do. Seems to have good export capabilities too (important!), is flexible can support custom components) and can be used as Eclipse plugin.

I haven't been able to find a top-notch free UML diagramming tool, but if you're interested in pure diagramming, as opposed to round-trip-engineering, I'd go with Microsoft Visio. If you want full round-trip engineering, Rational Rose.

This list of UML tools on Wikipedia might also come in handy.

Pen and paper. If you can get the scan into a vector format, that may be useful when making minor amendments.

You should try Creately. Runs in your browser and can do team collaboration.

supports sequence diagrams, class, ER, usecase etc. works great and has a free version available.

You can also check out Lucid Chart for uml and other types of diagramming.

In my practice i use Sequence Diagram Editor. it is really fast and helpful tool. the one thing i don't like about it is that it is commercial product, not free.

I like VisualParadigm mentioned before in this thread. It's powerful and easy to use I think it gives most power comparing to other tools.

If you need something simple, quick and easy (and free) there is a great tool called UMLet - I highly recommend this. I've tried many of UML diagramming tools and this the simplest one (and it still allows to do great diagrams). This is my choice:)

Obviously if you are serious about UML in the long run you need to use a software UML tool like the ones suggested in the other answers, but I've found that a whiteboard is one of the best tools for UML diagramming, especially during the design phase, or when you are exploring different alternatives. Nothing beats a whiteboard for speed/flexibility in my mind. They are also great for collaboration assuming you are collocated physically.

I can't believe no one has mentioned NetBeans UML Editor, it's great and satisfied all of my Java based UML requirments.

This after I tested JDeveloper UML, ArgoUML and StarUML.

I recently conducted a poll 'What UML Tools do you use?' in my blog. NetBeans UML was was the top opensource choice and Enterprise Architect was the top commercial choice.

You can create UML class, sequence, component, use case, and activity diagrams in Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate. You can link these diagrams to Team Foundation work items so you can plan and track development and test work. You can also create sequence, dependency graphs, and layer diagrams from code and use Architecture Explorer to browse and explore your solution.

I've posted more links on my profile for more info.

You might want to take a look at MagicDraw or Visual Paradigm for UML. Both offer community editions that, of course, don't span the full feature range, but may well be sufficient if you want to create diagrams only and not generate code or do full round-trip engineering.

Rational and Together/J are best-of-breed products, but expensive.

In my experience, I've enjoyed Eclipse Omondo and Sparx Enterprise Architect. Omondo integrates nicely with Eclipse for code generation, and has a very intuitive feel. However, it is strongly tied to Java. Sparx is a good tool for the price point, but lacks the full range of UML 2.0 diagrams.

Do NOT bother with Poseidon. It is buggy, bloated, and unusuable for all intents and purposes.

For sequence diagrams you can also try Trace Modeler. It's not free but it has a great interface, very friendly and productive. You can use it on any platform.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged umldiagrammodeling or ask your own question.

Let’s be straight – you’re simply not going to find anything as powerful as Microsoft Visio for free on Mac.

If you’re a Project Manager or other professional looking for diagramming software that can genuinely compare to Visio, we strongly recommend reading our guide to the best alternatives to Visio for Mac first.

If though you’re just looking for a free alternative to Visio on Mac that can do the basics like flowcharts, process flows, floor plans and other diagrams, you’ve definitely come to the right place.

We’ve taken a look at some superb free alternatives to Visio for Mac users, most of which can even open and edit Visio files.

Before we go on however, it’s important to be aware that the majority of free diagramming software come with a few catches.

Here’s the small print:

• Most of these apps only allow free use for individuals. If you need to use them in a team, you will have to pay for a team license.
• Free diagramming tools usually limit the number of diagrams you can create and the number of objects available unless you upgrade.
• Some apps also make your diagrams public in the free version. You usually have to upgrade to make them private.

Finally, it’s important to highlight that by far the best alternative to Visio on Mac is SmartDraw. Unfortunately, there is no free version of it so it doesn’t qualify for the list here but there is a free trial which allows you to test it out.

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SmartDraw is as powerful as Visio but far easier to use thanks to some clever automated diagramming features and tens of thousands of templates/objects. It’s also the only Visio alternative on Mac that can export to the latest VSDX Visio file format. This is crucial if you want to send and work on diagrams with Windows based Visio users or colleagues.For more check out our full SmartDraw review.

With all this in mind, here then are the best free equivalents to Microsoft Visio on Mac in order of ranking.

1. Lucidchart

Lucidchart is a powerful but insanely easy to use online alternative to Visio. It includes much of the power of Visio but with a gentler learning curve with far better team collaboration features.

The basic version of Lucidchart is free to use although it’s important to be aware that there are limitations. The free version allows you to import and edit Visio files but you can’t export them.

You can also only add up to 60 objects for free but you do get access to the entire shape library and you get 25MB of free storage space.

Lucidchart not only allows you to import Visio files but also OmniGraffle, Gliffy and AWS Architecture files.

If you subscribe, you can also export Lucidchart diagrams to Visio as well as most other major image formats. However even with the paid version you can only export to Visio VDX format used in Visio 2010 or older. It does not support exporting to Visio 2013 and above VSDX format which may be a problem for people that regularly work alongside Microsoft Visio users on Windows.

Importing and exporting Visio files is however very easy and accurate with Lucidchart. You can watch here how we imported and exported MS Visio files in Lucidchart.

Lucidchart is the most well integrated Microsoft Office diagramming software we’ve seen. There are add-ins for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel so you can edit and create Lucidchart flowcharts or diagrams directly in Office documents.

Just install the Lucidchart plugin for Microsoft Office, open PowerPoint, Word or Excel and go to Insert > My Add-ins and search for Lucidchart to install the add-in. This conveniently allows you to create or insert dynamic diagrams, flowcharts, and wireframes within Office documents.

The paid version of Luicidchart also has add-ons for online services such as Google Drive, Google Docs, Dropbox, Box, Slack, Confluence, JIRA and more. The Confluence and JIRA apps enable you to create, edit and embed diagrams within Confluence and attach them to JIRA tasks.

One neat feature unique to Lucidchart is data linking from Google Sheets. This is an extremely time saving feature which pulls data from Google Sheets and updates diagrams in Lucidchart accordingly. So for example, if you’re constantly having to update an office floor plan as employees join and leave the company, you can simply update the information in Google Sheets and your Lucidchart floor plan will update automatically. This doesn’t work with Microsoft Office yet but for those that use Google Sheets, it’s a very convenient and efficient rather than having to manually update data.

In general, third party integration with other apps and services is better in Lucidchart than almost any other diagramming tool although integration is limited to the Team version or above.

Lucidchart is also one of the few Visio alternatives that has a free native iOS app. Lucidchart for iOS allows you to view and edit Visio diagrams on an iPhone or iPad and sync with the desktop version to carry on where you left off. The iPad version is free to use and you can read our full review of Lucidchart for iPad for more.One final thing we like about Lucidchart is that it also tries to bring a bit of fun to diagramming and specifically flowcharting. Lucidchart features a ton of pop-culture flowcharts based on popular culture such as Pokemon Go, Star Wars and Harry Potter.

You can start diagramming with Lucidchart for free although as mentioned earlier you’ll need to upgrade to at least the Pro version for full Visio import and export support. A Pro license costs $8.95 per month and Team subscriptions start at $20 for up to 3 users.

For a more detailed look at Lucidchart, check out our Lucidchart review.

Pros:

Very easy to use

Imports Visio files

Works offline in Chrome

Lots of templates and tips

Cons:

Free version can’t export to Visio

Free version limited to 60 objects

Free version limited to 25MB storage space

2. Gliffy

Gliffy is a cloud based diagraming app with a clear, simple interface that is focused on collaboration with others. Gliffy is excellent for everything from Venn diagrams to Floor plans and doing a SWOT analysis. It’s tailored for large organizations as it’s fully integrated with Confluence and JIRA.

Although it’s not as powerful as Visio, you can get some surprisingly similar results using Gliffy with a simple drag and drop interface. You can export diagrams in various formats including XML although there’s no Visio export support.

Like Lucidchart, Gliffy also has a Google Chrome extension which allows you to draw diagrams offline on your Mac.

On the downside, there aren’t many templates to choose from and if you want to embed diagrams in other applications, you’ll need to subscribe to a Team subscription .

The good thing is that you can use Gliffy for free for an unlimited amount of time. There’s an initial 14 day trial but after the free trial finishes, you can continue to use it for free although all diagrams will be made public. None of your diagrams will be deleted from the account though and you can continue to access them.

You can also check out our complete review of Gliffy for more.

Pros:

Easy to use

Strong team collaboration focus

Chrome extension for offline diagramming

Cons:

Free version makes all diagrams public

Not many templates

Embedding requires subscription

No Visio export support

3. Creately

If you just want to import Visio diagrams but don’t need export support and prefer a Mac desktop app rather than a cloud solution, take a look at Creately. Creately is an excellent Visio equivalent for Mac which also has a free desktop app. Creately can import VDX and VSDX files although to export them to Visio you can only export to the more limited SVG format.

The desktop app isn’t just a browser extension either – it’s a proper desktop client which you can download and install on your Mac.

Creately has a really nice, clear interface that makes it extremely easy to drag and drop elements to create flowcharts, org charts, process flow diagrams, UML, UI mockups and more.

Like most cloud based diagramming software, Creately is a lot easier to use than Visio. It has lots of useful prompts and tutorials to help you get the most out of it with a big choice of templates to get you started.

Creately is free to use for an unlimited period but the free version has limitations on users, objects and collaborators. It’s also limited to just 5 diagrams and all free diagrams are public. You can remove these restrictions with pricing plans ranging from $25 per month for up to 5 users to $75 per month for 25 users or more.

You can read our review of Creately for more.

Pros:

Free Mac desktop app

Imports Visio files

Easy to use, clean interface

Plenty of templates

Cons:

Free version limited to 5 diagrams

Free version makes diagrams public

No native Visio export support

4. LibreOffice Draw

LibreOffice is an open source alternative to Microsoft Office and the Mac adaptation of OpenOffice which is a free alternative to Microsoft Office 2016 for Mac.

LibreOffice Draw is the suite’s equivalent of Visio and is completely free to use. You can’t import Visio files into LibreOffice draw but you can import and export XML and SWF files.

You can create flowcharts and diagrams with LibreOffice draw and there are some useful touches such as a grouping tool which allows you to group several objects at once and move them together.

LibreOffice Draw is nowhere near as diagram focused as the other software featured here and isn’t as easy to use. It’s a lot more hard work to create even the simplest diagrams and there’s no drag and drop support. However, if you want an alternative to Microsoft Office and want an open source alternative to Visio, LibreOffice Draw may be worth persevering with.

Pros:

No free use limitations

Integrated into the LibreOffice suite

Cons:

Not easy to use

No Visio import or export support

5. Dia

Dia was one of the first free Mac desktop diagramming tools out there but nowadays is pretty dated. Dia only works via a desktop app and is heavily inspired by Visio with a similar old style MS Office interface.

It can import Visio files in XML and VDX format but cannot export to Visio format. It does however export to EPS, SVG, XFIG, WMF and PNG.

Although Dia is completely free with no limitations, it is donationware which means the developer encourages donations in order to cover the costs of membership to the Mac Developer Program. This is necessary in order to meet Apple’s security requirements for small projects such as Dia.

Pros:

No free use limitations

Desktop app

Visio import support

Cons:

Dated interface

No Visio export support

6. yEd

yEd works both online and offline and is designed for those who are experienced with diagramming tools. It’s probably the most powerful free diagramming tool you’ll find anywhere although it does take some getting used to.

However we strongly recommend Mac users to use the online version of yEd Live as the desktop version is based on Java which we don’t recommend downloading on Mac.

yEd is quite tricky to work out compared to most diagramming software but has a clever automatic layout algorithm that means any changes you make to structures or layout are automatically calculated and re-balanced.

yEd goes beyond traditional diagramming and even supports Virtual Reality for the exploration of graph visualizations.

At the moment, yEd is completely free to use which is amazing considering how powerful it is. However, a commercial version will eventually be released although the developers say it will continue to remain free for private use.

Pros:

Very powerful for a free Visio alternative

No free use limitations

Virtual reality support

Cons:

Desktop app based on Java

Not easy to use

Will eventually require payment for commercial use

7. Draw.io

Although Draw.io can’t compare to Visio in terms of features and power, it’s still a remarkably easy to use, fast and impressive diagramming tool. Draw.io imports and exports Visio files and allows you to work offline on your Mac desktop via an extension for Google Chrome.

The biggest plus is that Draw.io is completely free to use for individuals with no limitations (at least for now anyway). Unlike a lot of diagramming software, there’s no free use limitations even when it comes to Visio importing or exporting.

As soon as you visit the Draw.io site it takes you straight into the main editor. This is quick, fast and no frills diagramming but it instantly gives you powerful options like the ability to import Visio VSD/VSDX files and competitor formats such as Lucidchart and Gliffy. Alternatively you simply choose a storage location such as Google Drive, Dropbox or your Mac hard drive and you’re good to go.

Draw.io is very hot on integration with online services such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive Trello and even Github (making it a good choice for software developers). It’s also available in many different languages including Arabic and other right-to-left languages which isn’t common is free diagramming software.

Draw.io does support exporting to VSDX format although it should be noted that this feature is in beta and doesn’t always work well. You can also export diagrams to other major formats such as PNG, JPEG, SVG, PDF, HTML, XML and also share diagrams via a simple URL.

The other attractive thing about Draw.io are the Chrome extensions. There are two Chrome browser extensions – one that allows you to work offline on your desktop and another which adds Draw.io to Chrome for quicker diagramming.

Note that there are no templates at all if you use the Chrome desktop extension so if you need one, you’ll have to start one online first, save it in on your Mac and then upload it to the desktop extension. The other Draw.io Chrome extension does not have these limitations and makes it easier to launch the app in Chrome but it does of course require an internet connection.

The offline browser extension is a real bonus meaning you don’t need an internet connection or data plan to use it. However you can only open and save diagrams that are saved on your Mac – you can’t access your Cloud saved diagrams in Google Drive, Dropbox, Github etc.

There aren’t a huge amount of templates to choose from but all the essentials are there including Network Diagrams, Engineering and UML diagrams.

For individuals or students looking for an alternative to Visio, Draw.io is an excellent basic, free alternative to Visio. If you’re a business and want to use it in a team, you’ll need to connect to Confluence Server which starts at $10 for 10 users which is still extremely good value for money.

On the downside, Draw.io won’t be enough for Visio power users. There are little more than 70 templates and the objects are both basic and limited in choice.

Pros:

Completely free to use for individuals with no limits

Visio import and export support including VSDX files

Integration with lots of online services

Quick to start and easy to get going

Chrome extension allows you to work offline too

Cons:

Very limited objects and templates

VSDX export not always accurate (still in beta)

Quite basic compared to Visio

Teams must pay for connections to Confluence

No Cloud integration with Chrome desktop extension

Sentence Diagramming Tool

8. Pencil Project

Pencil Project, or “Pencil” as it’s more commonly known, is a slick open source cross platform design tool that’s aimed mainly at those creating Graphical User Interface (GUI) prototypes.

Pencil is not cloud based and has it’s own desktop app for Mac. Although there’s no Visio import or export support, It’s very useful for those designing app interfaces with a selection of built-in shape collections and can export to PNG, Web Page, PDF, SVG and OpenOffice format.

It also has a huge online library of clipart courtesy of integration with the free open source OpenClipArt resource which you can drag and drop into Pencil. However, Pencil is geared mainly at designing GUIs so it’s not the all-round diagramming tool that Visio is.

Pros:

Mac Desktop client

Ideal for designing GUIs

Integrated with OpenClipArt

Cons:

No Visio import or export support

Not great for other types of diagramming other than GUIs

9. Cacoo

Cacoo is a fresh and clean cloud based diagramming software that allows you to create up to 6 diagrams for free. You can import Visio files but only export to SVG, PPT, PNG and PDF.

There are hundreds of templates to choose from in Cacoo including Network Diagrams, Flowcharts and Org Charts. What’s we really like about Cacoo is the minimalist, elegant interface which looks really at home on macOS.

Cacoo is also very team focused allowing you to chat in real time with other members.

After you’ve reached the free 6 diagram limit, Cacoo costs $4.95 for up to 1000 diagrams with Team plans starting at $15 per month for up to 3 users.

Pros:

Slick, fresh interface

Visio import support

Lots of templates

Cons:

Free version only allows 6 diagrams for free

10. XMind

If you do a lot of mind mapping on Visio, then XMind may be the perfect choice for you. XMind is focused on brainstorming and mind mapping in a clean, easy to use interface that looks great on Mac.

XMind is idea for business plans or brainstorming ideas for products and sales campaigns. There are lots of nice features to XMind such as Fishbone, Matrix, Timeline and Gantt chart views as well as thoughtful touches such as a timer and day/night mode for extra focus. XMind has a free Mac desktop app so you can work offline but you can also use the Cloud version too. It’s free to use with no limitations on the amount of documents you can create although you have to upgrade for most added features such as exporting files, presentation mode and Gantt chart views.

Pros:

Excellent for Mind Mapping

Mac desktop app

No limit on use in free version

Cons:

Most features such as exporting require upgrading

11. Google Drawings

Best Sequence Diagram Tool For Mac

Google Drawings is the closest thing to a Google Visio alternative. Like most of Google’s products, it’s free to use but it’s nowhere near as powerful as Visio. If you just want to sketch out some simple process flows, mindmaps or flowcharts, it is however an easy to use solution.

You only need a Google Account to use Google Drawings although the best way to use it is via the Chrome extension which also allows you to work offline. Google Draiwings is a simple vector based app that’s integrated into Google Docs which makes it easy to add diagrams to your Google Documents. You can also add it to other documents via a link which will dynamically update the diagram when you modify it.

The number of shapes, connectors and other objects are limited and it can be laggy to use but if you want a really basic alternative to MS Visio, it does the job.

Pros:

Very easy to get started

No limitations on free use

Cons:

Very basic

No Visio import or export support

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12. ProcessOn

Finally, ProcessOn is a free Chinese based web app which allows you to create diagrams online for free. However, the website is entirely in Chinese but if you install the Chrome extension, you can use it in English.

ProcessOn is designed particularly with real-time collaboration in mind and has millions of diagrams and charts to help you compose quickly. You can see the sorts of diagrams and organizational charts possible with ProcessOn in the Explore section.

Note that the developer is based in China and usage of Processon must follow Chinese law. The lack of English translations for certain aspects of the app is quite frustrating too.

Pros:

Unlimited free use

Chrome extension

Cons:

Poorly translated from Chinese

Is Visio Online A Free Visio Alternative For Mac?

Finally a note on Microsoft Visio Online which certainly isn’t free, but does allow some basic free use.

Microsoft released Visio Online in 2017 to allow commercial Windows Office 365 subscribers to view and edit Visio files without actually having Visio installed. Visio Online allows Academic, Government and Enterprise Office 365 subscribers on Windows to view and edit a Visio file in any browser but note that it’s not a fully fledged version of Visio.

You can only open, view, comment and do basic editing of Visio files but for advanced editing, it automatically takes you to the Windows desktop version of Visio which of course, is not available to Mac users.

However, if you’re a Mac user with one of the commercial Office 365 subscriptions mentioned above, you can use it as a free Visio viewer, and make very basic edits or add comments to Visio diagrams.

You can watch an overview of Visio Online for more.

Conclusion

Itool For Mac

As we’ve seen, there’s a lot of excellent free Visio like software that Mac users can use. Lucidchart remains our number one choice due to it’s amazing ease of use, Visio file support and excellent choice of templates among many other things.

Of course none of these can truly live up to the power and features of Microsoft Visio – there’s no such thing as a free lunch. If these tools all seem a bit lightweight for your needs, check out our guide to the best professional alternatives to Visio for Mac.

Or if you decide that only the real thing will do, check out our guide on how to run Visio on Mac.

Finally, you may also be interested in some tips on how to view Visio files on Mac for free.

If you have any other comments, questions or issues with the software featured here, let us know in the comments below.