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draw.io

Free, open-source diagram editor that saves to your own storage, in the browser or on the desktop.

FreeOpen sourceSelf-hostableDiagramming tools
Visit draw.ioSee 6 alternatives
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5 of 5
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About draw.io

draw.io (also known as diagrams.net) is a free diagram editor that covers flowcharts, UML, network, cloud architecture, BPMN, org charts and more, with large shape libraries for AWS, Azure, GCP and Cisco. It runs in the browser without an account and stores files wherever you choose: your computer, Google Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, GitHub or GitLab, so the company behind it never holds your diagrams. A desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux works fully offline. The source is Apache 2.0 licensed and there are no paid tiers in the web app itself; the company earns money from paid Confluence and Jira apps. Official integrations cover Google Docs, Microsoft Teams, Notion, VS Code and Atlassian. The interface looks a little utilitarian next to newer tools, and real-time co-editing depends on which storage backend you use, but for price, privacy and file longevity it is hard to beat.

Best for: Anyone who wants capable diagramming for free without handing their files to a vendor.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Completely free with no paywalled features
  • Files stay in your own storage or on disk
  • Offline desktop app for all three desktop OSes
  • Huge shape libraries including cloud and network icons

Why people leave

  • Interface feels dated next to newer tools
  • Collaboration features depend on the storage you pick
  • Fewer AI and data-linking features than paid rivals

Top draw.io alternatives

See all 6
  1. 1Lucidchart logo
    Lucidchart

    More polished collaboration, data linking and AI features if you're willing to pay per user.

    66.5
  2. 2Microsoft Visio logo
    Microsoft Visio

    Standard choice inside Microsoft-heavy companies that need .vsdx files and Office integration.

    62.6
  3. 3yEd Graph Editor logo
    yEd Graph Editor

    Another free desktop editor, with much stronger automatic layout for large graphs.

    59.6
  4. 4Mermaid logo
    Mermaid

    Write diagrams as text that render in GitHub and docs, instead of drawing by hand.

    57.2
  5. 5Creately logo
    Creately

    Online editor with real-time collaboration built in, regardless of where files live.

    55.3

Why people left draw.io

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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draw.io: common questions

Is draw.io free?

Yes, draw.io is free to use.

Is draw.io open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at jgraph/drawio. You can also run it on your own server.

What platforms does draw.io run on?

draw.io is available for Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted and Browser extension.

What are the best alternatives to draw.io?

The highest-ranked draw.io alternatives right now are Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio and yEd Graph Editor. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 6 draw.io alternatives