14 Best Online Flowchart Software Reviewed For 2025
10 Best Flowchart Software Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 14 tools reviewed.
Get free help from our project management software advisors to find your match.
Flowcharts are a powerful way to visualize complex processes, workflows, and systems, making it easier to understand and communicate ideas effectively. In my experience, the right flowchart software can simplify your work, save time, and make everything clear for all stakeholders involved. But with so many options out there, choosing the best tool can feel overwhelming.
Drawing from hands-on testing and analysis, I’ve compiled a list of the best flowchart software, focusing on why they are good options for you and their best features.
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The Best Flowchart Software Comparison Chart
Here is a table where you can compare the tools we just covered in the overviews.
| Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best for data import | Free plan + free demo available | From $9/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 2 | Best for built-in communication tools | Free plan available | From $8/user/month | Website | |
| 3 | Best for flowchart templates | Free plan available | From $15/seat/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 4 | Best for Confluence and Jira integrations | 14-day free trial | From $6/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 5 | Best for software development | Freemium version | From $14.99/month | Website | |
| 6 | Best all-purpose diagramming software | 30 days free trial | From $8.25/user/month | Website | |
| 7 | Best for enterprise teams | 7-day free trial | From $8.25/user/month (billed annually, min 3 seats) | Website | |
| 8 | Best for real-time collaboration | 14-day free trial | From $6/user/month | Website | |
| 9 | Best for a one-time license purchase | 21-day free trial | From $199 | Website | |
| 10 | Best for Windows | 30-day free trial | From $5/user/month | Website |
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Smartsheet
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.4 -
Wrike
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.2 -
monday.com
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6
Overviews Of The Best Flowchart Software
Here’s a brief description of each of the flowchart software solutions that are featured on this top 10 list.
Lucidchart is an intelligent diagramming application with data visualization and collaboration features. It’s designed to support teams and businesses as they improve and visualize processes and systems.
Why I picked Lucidchart: It's very easy to build any type of flowchart, including process maps, data flowcharts, BPMN diagrams, entity relationship diagrams, swimlane flowcharts, cross-functional flowcharts, and hundreds more. Users can also import data to generate visuals automatically.
Several features, like comments, tasks, sharing, revision history, and embedding, make collaboration simpler and easier for remote and hybrid teams. Its intuitive and clear interface makes navigating Lucidchart really easy. Lucidchart has a diverse set of features and capabilities, so it includes “Feature Find,” which allows users to quickly search for any feature or tool they’re looking for.
Lucidchart Standout Features & Integrations
Features include external sharing options, comments, mentions, real-time collaboration, revision history, and data linking.
Integrations include everything from Slack, Google Workspace, Asana, Atlassian, and Office365, to more industry-specific applications like Salesforce, AWS, Azure, and BambooHR. Lucidchart has a free plan available for individual users.
Lucidchart has a free version where you can access 80+ templates and work on a maximum of 3 documents. Perfect for a test run!
Miro serves as a collaborative online whiteboard platform, recognized for its versatility across over 1,000 templates including flowcharts, mind maps, Kanban boards, and more.
Why I picked Miro: Miro's platform stands out for its ability to merge various forms of idea expression, from uploading and expanding on existing charts to incorporating diverse elements like images and videos into flowcharts. The platform also promotes interactive team collaboration through tools for voting, stickies, and comments, ensuring that teams can communicate and ideas can be refined in real-time.
Miro's infinite canvas also allows for the unbounded mapping of concepts, while the TalkTrack feature supports asynchronous communication by enabling video explanations of process maps. Additionally, integration with key project management tools like Notion and Asana embeds Miro's functionalities directly into workflows, making collaboration accessible and straightforward.
Miro Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include collaboration tools like live cursors that can help you see what others are working on and the ability to bring everyone to your location on the canvas whenever you are leading a brainstorming session. Additionally, Miro's new AI features help you quickly organize information and assist in generating ideas for your workspace.
Integrations include a whole suite of tools, including Zoom, Figma, Asana, Microsoft Teams, Monday.com, Confluence, Jira, Slack, Google Drive, Box, Airtable, Notion, Azure, and Webex. Some integrations are limited to paid plans only.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Built-in communication features for streamlined collaboration
- Intuitive and easy setup
- Free forever plan available
Cons:
- Free version does not allow high-quality export to pdf
- Zooming can be jumpy on larger projects
- Visitor/guest accounts locked to paid plans only
FigJam is an online diagramming tool that's part of the Figma family. It's designed to make brainstorming and collaboration super easy, especially for teams that need to create flowcharts.
Why I picked FigJam: I included FigJam in this list because their flowchart tool is easy to use and doesn't require a lot of training to quickly create flowcharts. You can get started even faster using one of their 300+ ready-to-use templates, or you can just drag-and-drop elements onto a clean whiteboard to start. These include organization charts, flow charts, swimlane diagrams, and entity relationship diagrams, among others.
What I really appreciate, though, are FigJam's collaboration features. You can invite your team to work on a flowchart with you, and you can see their changes in real-time. It's like you're all in the same room, even if you're miles apart.
FigJam Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include the ability to generate custom templates using AI. This feature adds so much value on top of the large number of templates already built into the platform. All it takes is a simple prompt. Another feature worth highlighting is its communication features. With these, you can chat live with other members and send audio messages to provide instant feedback.
Integrations are available with Asana, Dropbox, Figma, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Notion, Slack, Trello, and numerous tools for prototyping, user testing, and developer handoff.
Gliffy diagram and flowchart software is a drag-and-drop based diagram building that lets you sketch and share your flowchart ideas with little to no fuss.
Why I picked Gliffy: It is particularly known for its simplicity and seamless integration with Atlassian tools like Confluence and Jira, making it popular among project managers, developers, and business teams. Templates and themes are available for time-saving starting points and the ability to preserve and track changes will make sure you never lose something important.
Gliffy nails many of the requirements we have in the evaluation criteria for features and functionality: Intuitive interface, including for object importing; shapes conveniently snap to grid; revisions can be rolled back in the event of an error, and it has easy editing and sharing capabilities.
Gliffy Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include its ability to export diagrams in multiple formats (e.g., PNG, SVG, JPEG) for use in presentations, documents, or websites. Additionally, I'd like to highlight its availability as a cloud-based application or as an on-premises version for organizations requiring greater control over data security.
Integrations include WordPress, Jira Software and Jira Service Desk, Lucidchart, Atlassian Confluence, Bitium, and Nuclino.
Terrastruct is a diagramming tool specifically designed for modeling complex systems and processes, such as software architecture, workflows, and technical documentation.
Why I picked Terrastruct: It takes a unique approach by letting you drag and drop to create diagrams that let you layer your models, so that viewers can go up and down levels of abstraction. It lets you define scenarios to capture how your design behaves under different conditions or edge cases.
If what you're designing has any complexity and the diagrams from other tools end up either too messy or you're forced to oversimplify, I'd definitely suggest givng Terrastruct a try.
Terrastruct Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include bidirectional editing and version control, which are huge advantages for teams working on complex projects. With bidirectional editing, you can make changes in either the text or the diagram, and see updates reflected instantly. Additionally, it has the ability to create multi-layered diagrams, allowing users to represent complex systems with different levels of detail. This feature is particularly useful for modeling software architectures and intricate processes.
Integrations include Confluence and Google Workspace. It also integrates with Git to keep diagrams in sync with codebases, ensuring documentation stays up-to-date.
The sheer number of templates, icons and shapes make Edraw a stand-out competitor in our evaluation criteria for Features & Functionality. Graphic elements aplenty and a robust templates stockpile are one of the selling features of this tool.
Some more traditional app integrations would have been a nice touch, although Edraw’s communication with PowerPoint is of great value. Furthermore, some sort of eraser tool would go a long way to making Edraw feel complete.
Integrates with the likes of PowerPoint. They also have an unconventional integration offer where OEM partners can integrate Edraw technologies with their own procust and distribute that package to customers as a sublicence. You can also export your drawings to a variety of familiar file formats, such as Visio, PDF, Word, PPT, JPEG, Html, and more.
Edraw Max starts from $8.25/month and has a free 30-day trial.
SmartDraw is a web-based diagramming and design tool that enables users to create a wide range of visual content, including flowcharts, org charts, mind maps, network diagrams, floor plans, and more.
Why I picked SmartDraw: It is a robust diagramming tool that has both a desktop and online edition. They have quick-start diagram templates for over 70 different diagram types (and over 4,500 templates overall), intelligent automatic formatting, over 34,000 symbols, collaboration online or behind a firewall, draw and print architectural and engineering diagrams to scale, and more.
Something important to note is that any SmartDraw drawing can be inserted into Word, Excel, PowerPoint as well as Google Docs and Sheets.
SmartDraw Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include intelligent formatting, which automatically adjusts the layout of diagrams for optimal appearance. Additionally, it offers a vast collection of templates and symbols, covering a wide range of industries and diagram types.
Integrations include Microsoft, Google, Confluence, Jira, WordPress, Dropbox, Trello, and Box.
Cacoo is an online diagramming tool by Nulab, where you can collaborate on wireframes, flowcharts, and more.
Why I picked Cacoo: Cacoo is quite easy to learn and navigate. It’s both nice to look at and intuitive to figure out, even for those who are not super tech-savvy. The wealth of available integrations makes it a cince to adapt into your regularly established workflow, too.
You can edit, track changes, and collaborate on flowcharts that you design and update with easy sharing links and embed links designed to make collaboration simple and intuitive. Additionally, you can easily keep team assets organized with shared project folders, save work directly in Cacoo, monitor project status with activity notifications, and more.
Cacoo Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include real-time collaborative editing, enabling multiple users to work on the same diagram simultaneously, which enhances team productivity. It also provides a rich collection of templates and shapes, simplifying the diagram creation process.
Integrations listed include Google Drive and Google Docs, Typetalk, AWS, Adobe Creative Cloud, Slack, Dropbox, Visio, and Box. They also offer a “suggestion box” for ideas of what app they should implement integration with in the future.
ConceptDraw is a business diagramming, idea management and project management platform that helps you brainstorm with teams and build charts in a highly intuitive interface.
Why I picked ConceptDraw: ConceptDraw Diagram’s asset organization is superb, including organizing thousands of images in contextual groups, object formatting and more. Therefore, they scored quite highly in our Features and Functionality evaluation criteria, where graphical elements, template options, and exporting flexibility reign supreme.
Design custom stencils, arrange and format diagrams of any complexity using revamped side panels, format and order position tools for professional-looking flowcharts, create a dynamic chart that can change in visual appearance based on external data source files, and more.
ConceptDraw Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include a comprehensive set of professional templates and extensive libraries of vector stencils, facilitating the creation of diverse diagrams. Additionally, it offers compatibility with MS Visio files, allowing users to import and export Visio documents seamlessly.
Integrations listed include the ability to import and export to the Visio file format. That’s it. In fact, they have a whole section denouncing the need for further integrations.
Visio is a professional diagramming and vector graphics application developed by Microsoft. It allows users to create a variety of diagrams, including flowcharts, org charts, network diagrams, floor plans, and business process models.
Why I picked Visio: A good flowchart app will let you pick through a library of useful diagrams and chart templates in order to cater to each unique use case. MS Visio does this well, offering charting options fitted to different needs.
With Visio flowcharts, multiple team members can work on diagrams at the same time. You can connect your flowcharts and diagrams to real-time data so that changes in underlying data is reflected through applied shape formatting. A web version of the software lets you work on your flowcharts anywhere, in any browser.
Visio Standout Features & Integrations
Standout features include advanced diagramming capabilities with a vast array of built-in shapes and templates, supporting complex flowchart creation. It also offers integration with other Microsoft Office applications, facilitating a cohesive workflow for users within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Visio doesn’t have a ton of software integrations to tout but, of course, it connects with Microsoft OneDrive. Third-party integrations include: Lucidchart, The VIP Test Modeller, AxisTV, netTerrain Logical, and Digital Enterprise Suite.
Other Flowchart Maker Options
Here’s a few more that didn’t make the top list. If you need additional suggestions for handy process flow diagram software, check these out.
- VisualParadigm Online
For agile teams
- Draw.io
Easy to use flowchart freeware
- Creately
Free flowchart software
- Whimsical
App for making fast flowcharts
Flowchart Software Selection Criteria
When selecting the best flowchart software to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points like ease of use and collaboration features. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair: Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Create flowcharts
- Support real-time collaboration
- Allow diagram sharing
- Provide templates
- Enable export to multiple formats
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- Interactive diagrams
- Layered diagram capabilities
- Scenario simulation
- Customizable templates
- Advanced version control
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- Intuitive interface
- Easy navigation
- Minimal learning curve
- Clear labeling of tools
- Aesthetic design
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of training videos
- Access to templates
- Interactive product tours
- Responsive chatbots
- Webinars for new users
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- Availability of live chat
- 24/7 support services
- Comprehensive help center
- Email support options
- Dedicated account managers
Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:
- Competitive pricing
- Features included in basic plans
- Cost transparency
- Discounts for annual billing
- Free trial availability
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- Overall satisfaction ratings
- Feedback on ease of use
- Comments on feature effectiveness
- Support experience reviews
- Value for money perceptions
How to Choose Flowchart Software
It’s easy to get bogged down in long feature lists and complex pricing structures. To help you stay focused as you work through your unique software selection process, here’s a checklist of factors to keep in mind:
| Factor | What to Consider |
|---|---|
| Scalability | Ensure the software can grow with your team. Look for solutions that support increasing users and more complex diagrams as your projects expand. |
| Integrations | Check if the software integrates with tools your team already uses, like Slack, Google Drive, or Trello, to enhance workflow efficiency. |
| Customizability | Consider how much you can tailor the software to your needs. Look for customizable templates and flexible diagramming options to suit different projects. |
| Ease of Use | Evaluate how intuitive the interface is. Your team should be able to start using the tool quickly without extensive training or a steep learning curve. |
| Budget | Compare pricing plans and ensure the cost aligns with your budget. Consider what features are included at different pricing tiers to avoid unexpected costs. |
| Security Safeguards | Verify that the software offers strong security measures like data encryption and secure access controls to protect your sensitive information. |
| Collaboration | Look for features that support real-time collaboration, allowing your team to work together effectively, regardless of location. |
| Support | Consider the availability and quality of customer support. Look for resources like live chat, tutorials, and a comprehensive help center. |
Trends in Flowchart Software
In my research, I sourced countless product updates, press releases, and release logs from different flowchart software vendors. Here are some of the emerging trends I’m keeping an eye on:
- Real-time collaboration enhancements: More tools are focusing on improving real-time collaboration features, allowing teams to work together more effectively. Features like in-editor chat and live updates help teams stay aligned, and vendors like Lucidchart and Miro are leading the charge.
- AI-assisted diagram creation: Some tools are starting to incorporate AI to assist in creating diagrams. This helps speed up the design process by suggesting layouts and connections. AI features are becoming a staple in modern flowchart tools to enhance productivity.
- Interactive and dynamic diagrams: There's a growing trend towards interactive diagrams that respond to user input. This includes features like clickable elements and conditional formatting, making diagrams more engaging and informative.
- Focus on user data privacy: With increasing concerns about data security, vendors are enhancing their privacy measures. This includes better encryption and compliance with regulations like GDPR, ensuring users' data is protected.
- Increased customization options: Users are demanding more control over how their diagrams look and function. Vendors are responding by offering more customization options, such as adjustable templates and personalized styles, to meet varied user needs.
What is online flowchart software?
Online flowchart software is a web-based tool that allows users to create, edit, and share flowcharts and diagrams directly through their internet browser. These tools provide a range of shapes, lines, and formatting options to visually map out processes, systems, and assist in workflow management. They often come with collaborative features, enabling multiple people to work on the same flowchart simultaneously, regardless of their location.
Online flowchart tools simplify complex processes or ideas into understandable, visual representations. This is particularly helpful in planning projects, illustrating workflows, or brainstorming ideas. It also improves team collaboration, which enhances clarity in communication, making it easier to explain and understand processes.
Features of Flowchart Software
When selecting flowchart software, keep an eye out for the following key features:
- Real-time collaboration: Allows multiple users to work on the same diagram simultaneously, improving team communication and efficiency.
- AI-assisted diagram creation: Uses artificial intelligence to suggest layouts and connections, speeding up the design process and reducing manual work.
- Interactive diagrams: Enables users to create diagrams that respond to input, making them more engaging and informative.
- Version control: Provides a way to track changes and revert to previous versions, ensuring accuracy and consistency in diagrams.
- Customizable templates: Offers pre-designed templates that can be tailored to fit specific project needs, saving time and effort.
- Layered diagram capabilities: Allows users to add multiple layers to diagrams, making it easier to manage and understand complex systems.
- Data encryption: Ensures that all data within the software is securely encrypted, protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access.
- Export options: Provides multiple formats for exporting diagrams, allowing users to share their work easily across different platforms.
- In-editor chat: Facilitates direct communication among team members within the diagramming tool, enhancing collaboration.
- Scenario simulation: Enables users to simulate different scenarios within diagrams, helping teams anticipate and address potential issues.
Benefits of Flowchart Software
Implementing flowchart software provides several benefits for your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:
- Improved communication: Real-time collaboration and in-editor chat features help your team stay connected and aligned on projects.
- Enhanced efficiency: AI-assisted diagram creation speeds up the process, reducing the time spent on manual tasks and allowing more focus on important work.
- Better problem-solving: Scenario simulation and interactive diagrams provide insights into potential issues, helping your team address them proactively.
- Greater flexibility: Customizable templates and layered diagrams let you tailor solutions to fit diverse project needs, making it easier to adapt to changes.
- Increased security: Data encryption ensures that sensitive information remains protected, giving you peace of mind about data privacy.
- Easy sharing: Export options in various formats make it simple to distribute diagrams across different platforms and stakeholders.
- Accurate tracking: Version control allows you to keep track of changes and maintain consistency, ensuring that everyone is on the same page.
Costs & Pricing For Flowchart Software
Pricing generally increases as you add more features, scalability, and support options to your plan. Here are the most common pricing tiers and what's included with each, so you can get an idea of what flowchart software might cost you.
Comparison Table For Flowchart Software
| Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features Included | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Option | $0 | Basic tools for diagramming and mapping workflows, limited templates, a small amount of cloud storage, limited options for exporting flowcharts | Smaller startups, single users, students |
| Basic | $5 - $10/month | More advanced flowchart capabilities, access to a template library, extra cloud storage, basic integrations with other software tools | Small businesses, or smaller teams within a larger company |
| Standard | $10 - $25/month | All of the above, plus an increased number of team members, more cloud storage, more options for exporting flowcharts, more integration options | Medium-sized businesses, or departments within a larger company |
| Premium | $25 - $75/month | All of the above, plus the ability to add more (or unlimited) team members, additional cloud storage | Large businesses where everyone needs access |
| Enterprise | Custom Pricing | All of the above, plus additional customization options for integrations, security, and deployment (i.e. on-premise) | Large enterprises and/or company with strict requirements for security and compliance |
Flowchart Software FAQs
Find answers to common questions about this topic.
What are flowcharts good for?
Flowcharts continue to be a great way to visualize data. And visualizing data helps us comprehend and remember information, identify relationships and patterns, and communicate ideas from one person to another. Therefore, it is commonly used to analyze complex processes within organizations.
The first “flow process chart” was described by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth in 1921 as a way to present every detail of a project where every part of the process is dependent upon or affected by every other part.
Today, flowcharts are taught even in grade school as a way to sort ideas, brainstorm, visualize data, build organizational charts, network diagrams, data flow diagrams, and more.
Related Read: What Is Mind Mapping? (+ How To Do It & Best Software)
What are the basic flowchart symbols?
The basic symbols are ovals, arrows, lines, parallelograms, rectangles, and diamonds.
Typically, an oval means a start or end point; an arrow (or line) shows a connection, relationship or pathway; a parallelogram indicates some sort of input or output; a rectangle stands for a process; and a diamond represents a decision-making moment.
Using these symbols, you can build out any basic process that represents flow of information from beginning to end and the decision-making checkpoints along the way. For more advanced diagrams, there are symbols that represent documents, manual input, mergine, subroutines, databases and more.
What are the common types of flowcharts?
There are three common types of flowcharts: Process Flowchart, Data Flowchart, and Business Process Modeling Diagram.
However, there are many different types of flowcharts, including but not limited to Swimlane Flowchart, EPC Diagram, SDL Diagram, Cross Functional Flowchart (or Deployment Flowchart), IDEF Flowchart, and Workflow Flowchart.
What are the best free flowchart tools?
Some free flowchart tools (or tools with decent freemium offers) include LucidChart, Creately, Google Drawings, Gliffy, yED, OpenOffice.org Draw, Calligra Flow, and Draw.io. However, the free versions of said software might limit the number of diagrams and shapes you can create/use or limit how many users can collaborate.
What's Next?
Since we are on the topic of process representation and mapping stuff, you might be interested in reading about other tools such as workflow diagrams or mind mapping. What you cannot miss, though, is our guide on how to build workflow diagrams from scratch.
Related tool lists:
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