Best LucidChart Alternatives
Tags: Microsoft, Drawing, Diagrams, Alternative, Lucidchart

LucidChart is a one-stop platform for creating top-notch diagrams, flowcharts, wireframes, and more. Featuring a large library of templates and tools, the software has become a favorite for many. That said, the software doesn’t excel in every aspect. For instance, it doesn’t work seamlessly with Microsoft apps, and often feels too slow on the web. Besides, LucidChart’s freemium variant is very limited. As for the premium one, it comes at $7.95/month (individual) which makes it one of the expensive online diagram software. If you have decided to look beyond this visual workspace due to these downsides, this roundup of the 12 best LucidChart alternatives of 2020 is for you.

Best 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

Creately

Microsoft Visio

Coggle

ProtoPie

yEd

OmniGraffle

Figma

Axure RP 9

Moqups

XMind

PlantUML

MindMup

1. draw.io

“draw.io” is a highly efficient alternative to LucidChart. The software is feature-packed and comes with a wide range of tools to 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 is the integrations with several services that enhance team collaboration.

The open-source app works seamlessly with Google Drive and OneDrive to 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 reliable offline feature so 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.

Pros:

Feature-packed and comes with a wide range of tools

Integrations with several services

Reliable offline feature

Works seamlessly with Google Drive and OneDrive

Cons:

Some diagrams don’t work as expected

Importing data isn’t straightforward

Platform Availability: macOS, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS

Pricing: Free

Visit: Website

2. Creately

When you have tons of professionally designed templates and 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 is a good roster of drawing tools that provide precise control.

Like LucidChart, it comes with plenty of presets and themes that 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.

Pros:

Tons of professionally designed templates

Easy-to-use drawing tools

Plenty of presets and themes

Seamless collaboration

Cons:

Importing SVG files isn’t always painless

Platform Availability: macOS, Windows, Linux, and web

Pricing: Free, $4.95/month

Visit: Website

3. Microsoft Visio

Microsoft’s Visio stands out from the rest in many aspects. The best part about this powerful diagramming software is 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 a large 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 to co-authoring features, cool annotation, and Skype integration. Hence, you can team up with your colleagues and get your work done proficiently.

Plus, the visual workspace software also comes with the support for AutoCAD to 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).

Pros:

A large collection of templates

Co-authoring feature, cool annotation, and Skype integration

Better collaboration

Support for AutoCAD

Cons:

The integration of the stencil library could be better

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

4. Coggle

If simplicity is 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 a fairly good gallery of templates that 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 can integrate it with Google Drive to keep your data secure. Features like auto-arrange branches, multiple start points, and over 1600 nice-looking icons offer 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.

Pros:

Works with Google Drive

Over 1600 nice-looking icons

Auto-arrange branches

Cons:

The note-taking style seems a bit odd

Platform Availability: Web

Pricing: Free, $5/month

Visit: Website

5. ProtoPie

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 a robust suite of tools that can enable you to create high-quality prototypes. Thanks to the effective integration, you can import design tools from Sketch, Adobe XD, and Figma and 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.

Pros:

Intuitive UI

Robust suite of tools

Import design tools from Sketch, Adobe XD, and Figma

Cons:

Doesn’t offer a freemium model

Platform Availability: macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android

Pricing: 7-day free trial, $11/month

Visit: Website

6. yEd

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 a clutter-free interface and comes with almost all the tools. You can use the handy group nodes to 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 the automatic layout that makes it pretty easy to arrange diagram elements. Using the interactive 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 the support for many file formats including 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.

Pros:

Automatic layout

Interactive web viewer

Support for many file formats

Clutter-free interface

Cons:

The user interface seems a bit outdated

Not enough customization

Platform Availability: Windows, macOS, and Linux

Pricing: Free

Visit: Website

7. OmniGraffle

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 a unified sidebar with 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 of reusable assets so that you can cut the slack and work more efficiently.

Unlike LucidChart, OmniGraffle is restricted to macOS and iOS only. Besides, it is available for $12.49/month for the macOS and iOS variants. If you just want to use it on Mac, you can buy it for a one time fee of $249.99. The Mac app is costly but the payment is onetime so you are not caught in a subscription pricing model. If that is something that appeals to you, then you should check it out.

Pros:

Unified sidebar

Reusable assets

A large collection of templates

Native apps

Beautiful UI

Cons:

Expensive upfront price

Now requires subscription for getting both macOS and iOS apps

Platform Availability: macOS and iOS

Pricing: 14-day free trial, $12.49/month (for Mac and iPhone), $249.99 for Mac only

Visit: Website

8. Figma

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 has one 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 provides team libraries so that everyone can easily access the files and work on them. With the help of reusable 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.

Pros:

Smooth collaboration

Team libraries

Reusable and scalable elements

Cons:

The app uses more RAM

Platform Availability: Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android

Pricing: Free, $15/user/month

Visit: Website

9. Axure RP 9

For creating visually appealing and functional prototypes, you can’t go wrong with “Axure RP 9”. By combining top-of-the-line tools like Sketch integration 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 is Axure Cloud that 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 of on-screen comments to 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.

Pros:

Sketch integration and SVG import

Sketch artboard

Axure Cloud

Cons:

The interface feels clunky

Platform Availability: Windows and macOS

Pricing: 30-free trial, $25/user/month (billed annually)

Visit: Website

10. Moqups

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 with Slack, 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 a huge collection of hundreds of fonts integrated with Google fonts.

Pros:

Integrated with Slack, Dropbox, and Google Drive

Curated design tools

Huge collection of fonts

Cons:

Doesn’t offer a desktop app

Platform Availability: Web

Pricing: Free, the paid plan starts at $16/month (up to 3 editors, paid annually).

Visit: Website

11. XMind

When it comes to mind-mapping, XMind has a clear edge over LucidChart. So, if you are hunting for fully-featured mind-mapping software, you shouldn’t look beyond this one. The app provides multiple ways to capture your thoughts so 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 the support for most modern formats so 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.

Pros:

Multiple ways to capture your thoughts

Support for most modern formats

Cross-platform

Cons:

It allows you to create only mind maps

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

12. PlantUML

If you are hunting for a LucidChart alternative that can let you create 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 to make state diagram create deployment diagram or craft a detailed class diagram, it has got the tools to help you design high-quality UML diagrams.

Design-wise, this open-source software looks 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 you generate images in PNG, SVG, and LaTex.

Taking everything into account, PlantUML is a reliable LucidChart free alternative.

Pros:

Very efficient for creating UML diagrams

Comes with a good collection of diagrams

Allows you to generate images in PNG, SVG, and LaTex with ease

Cons:

Old-fashioned interface

Platform Availability: macOS, Windows, and Linux

Pricing: Free

Visit: Website

Source For Alternatives - https://beebom.com/best-lucidchart-alternatives/