3 Microsoft Visio Alternatives for Mac OS. Microsoft Visio is arguably the most popular diagramming software in the planet. This is understandable because in the early days Windows operating system had a major market share and Visio was the only compatible diagramming tool. But the Mac is starting to challenge Windows and Mac OS is very. Crucially, it’s the best alternative to Visio when it comes to importing and exporting VSDX files and if you’re going to be working with Visio based clients or colleagues, you should definitely look no further. Is Visio Part Of Office 365 For Mac? Microsoft Visio is not included in the Standard version of Office 365.
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 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 See also: Best Alternatives to Visio for Mac 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. 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 is a professional diagramming application which is used for creating business graphics diagrams, flowcharts and 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 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. 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.
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 challenge – there is no Visio in Office for Mac.
The good thing is, there are a lot of capable third-party alternatives for Visio available for Mac that you can employ, and here we’ll give you our top picks for Visio alternatives for Mac. Lucidchart Lucidchart is one of the most favoured choices not just for Mac systems, but pretty much any platform, since this capable diagramming tool is web-based and can be used wherever you are. Lucidchart packs a really powerful feature set, being enough to meet needs of both amateurs and professionals alike. The online tool also supports importing Visio files (alongside the likes of Gliffy and Omnigraffe), ensuring that if you favour two different platforms, you still have cross compatibility.
![Visio Visio](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125423624/955716034.jpg)
In itself, Lucidchart allows you to either begin with a blank canvas, or select from many available templates to quickly get you off the ground. Also, when you’re done working on a project, you can export it in a number of formats, including Visio-c0mpatible VDX files. Lucidchart works on the freemium model, with a free, limited version being able to cater to most of an average user’s needs, while pricier paid versions can cater to business and high-end users.
This online tool packs a really powerful punch, is cost effective, can be used across a variety of platforms (including mobile devices and tablets), and totally deserves the first place in our list beyond question. License: Freemium (Paid plan starts at $8.95/month for single user, offers free trial) Availability: Lucidchart. Dia Diagram Editor Dia Diagram Editor is the tool of choice if you’re looking for a free, very powerful graphing and diagramming tool for Mac that is highly customisable as well. In fact, this one sentence pretty much summarises everything Dia has to offer.
This open source tool, although featuring a really outdated and distasteful interface, packs advanced features that are usually found in paid solutions only, including the ability to import and export from various formats, expand capabilities through addition of new plugins, precision charting, and more. The software carries a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, there’s nothing it can’t do for you. Please bear in mind that Dia has a dependency on XQuartz to run. It’s not a problem because the server is free, but setting it up is still a little annoyance that you’ll have to deal with.
License: Open source Availability: Dia Diagramming Editor 3. Cacoo Cacoo is an extremely powerful web-based diagramming and graphing tool, and it packs a mean punch. Consider this as Lucidchart on steroids, with the downside that the average user might not need as many options as this tool has on offer. Cacoo offers a rather cartoonish interface when compared to the likes of Lucidchart and some others, but don’t let that fool you – in all the web-based graphing tools that I have experimented with, Cacoo has the largest selection of templates for all imaginable categories, supplemented by an additional collection in the Cacoo store. There are powerful collaboration features, ability to import/export in different formats, and an installable “Cacoo ninja” that makes using this tool even better than it is already. Cacoo also operates under the freemium model, with the free version being more limited than what Lucidchart offers.
However, the pricing plans are quite affordable, and if you’re ever looking for a Visio alternative (not just for Mac), do check Cacoo out. License: Freemium (Paid plan starts at $15/month, offers 30 days free trial) Availability: Cacoo 4. YEd Graph Editor The yEd Graph Editor, more commonly referred to as simply yEd, is another really powerful software for graphing, mind mapping, swim lane diagrams, flow charts, family trees and lots more. The software packs a neater interface than the very close competitor Dia, but doesn’t offer as many features as the former. My biggest issue with yEd is lack of support for Visio files, both in import and export (and that is part of the reason why we’ve ranked it after Dia). Beyond this little shortcoming, there are quite a lot of useful and unique features, particularly the ability to import data for graphing directly from Microsoft Excel files. It also doesn’t hurt that yEd brings a neat looking interface that is considerably better than Dia’s.
YEd is also a free application that you can download at the link below. It’s worth noting that yWorks, the company behind yEd, has a number of other diagramming utilities on offer as well at their website, so do check out their full product suite if you have cross platform needs. License: Freeware Availability: yEd Graph Editor 5. Omnigraffle No list of Mac graphing and diagramming tools can be complete without mentioning Omnigraffle. Heralded as the most powerful software of its nature, perhaps even superior to the infamous Visio, Omnigraffle is the pinnacle of diagramming and the like. Then why does it fall at number 5 in our list?
Because of the pretty steep pricing; Omnigraffle pro costs at whopping $200! Moving past the pricing, you do get what you pay for. From wireframes to UML diagrams to floor plans pretty much anything you can imagine, can be created using Omnigraffle.
The software has the best shape recognition of any lot, and since it has apps for both iOS and OS X (purchased separately), you can even use the new Apple Pencil to work as freely as you like. Everything is top notch, from the program’s interface to after-sales customer support. If you do have need to for the most powerful bad boy on the block, and can spend the buck for it, look no further than Omnigraffle. Oh, and you can even try it for 14 days on a Mac if that fancies you.
License: Commercial (Standard version priced at $99.99, offers free trial for 14 days) Availability: Omnigraffle 6. ConceptDraw Pro Coming in at number 6 in our list is ConceptDraw Pro, another very powerful diagramming tool for both Windows and OS X that can give a fair amount of competition to both Visio and Omnigraffle, albeit falling short on some accounts.
What sets ConceptDraw apart from the crowd is its focus on making presentations out of your diagrams and flow charts etc, allowing for one-click conversion of a graphing diagram into a presentation. The program also features tight integration with Visio, and not only does it support Visio file formats but can also integrate with an existing Visio library for seamless operation (Windows only). ConceptDraw Pro is yet another paid utility that costs a good $200 for a single user license. This program is part of the ConceptDraw Project and offers several other software as well, including the ConceptDraw Office, MindMap, Project 7 and others. Check them all out at the source link below. License: Commercial (ConceptDraw Pro costs $199, offers free trial) Availability: ConceptDraw Pro 7. Pencil Pencil is a freeware that will be a pleasure to use.
First, let’s get this straight; this software doesn’t support Visio files directly, so if that’s what you’re after, look elsewhere. Beyond that, Pencil is a great wire framing tool that can do graphing and diagramming really well for you. I say wire framing because that’s where Pencil’s true strength shines. Pencil isn’t too big on giving templates, but offers one of the biggest possible libraries of shapes and artwork to choose from.
You get a ton of formatting options and can pretty much customise every aspect of your wireframe, flow chart or diagram to your liking. The software is pretty light and small, and doesn’t require any installation on your Mac either, making it a perfect choice if you have to work offline or don’t need an online solution for any other reason. License: Open Source Availability: Pencil 8. Gliffy Gliffy is yet another online diagramming tool not unlike Lucidchart, but has considerably fewer options than our top pick. You’ll favour Gliffy if you’re looking for a no-nonsense solution that lets you get your required work done easily with minimum distraction.
The biggest plus for this tool is that it relies on HTML 5 rather than Flash, making it suitable for any browser. There is Visio support, Google Drive integration, bunch of templates and themes to hit the ground running, and more.
What sets Gliffy truly apart, however, is the Wikia plugin that it offers if you want to embed diagrams in your Wiki, and a Chrome app for offline working – something that other online tools don’t bring to the table. Gliffy follows the freemium model as well, albeit it’s free version is rather limited for my taste. Still, it won’t hurt to give it a try. License: Freemium (Standard plan costs $4.95/month for one user) Availability: Gliffy 9. Draw Draw isn’t technically a graphing or diagramming tool, but it can get the job done fairly well. Draw is a part of the Libre Office suite, and not only does it make it possible to create professional grade drawings, but also equally powerful wireframes, flow charts, UML diagrams and the like.
There is no support for Visio files, though. It’s hard to recommend Draw as a purely graphing application, but since it’s free and carries the very reliable name of Libre Office behind it, it’s worth a try. The software performs well, and it’s worth noting as a possible alternative to Visio, but there are certainly better solutions available if you’re looking for just diagramming on your Mac. License: Freeware Availability: Libre Office 10. Creately Creately is the last web-based tool in our list of best Visio alternatives for Mac, and for good measure. While it’s pretty useful for a quick flow chart or two, it doesn’t pack quite a punch compared to the likes of Lucidchart and Cacoo. However, on the plus side, the interface of Creately is a sight to behold.
It’s just so neat and organised that using this tool is a pleasure. You get all the usual stuff with Creately: guidelines, automatic snapping, templates, shapes and artwork, and everything else you’d expect from a capable diagramming tool.
Like other online utilities of this nature, Creately is freemium, and the best part is, using the free version doesn’t really require a sign up either (if you’re doing a one-time project, that is). However, Creately relies on Flash to run, so if you’re using an unsupported browser like Safari, this utility won’t work for you. License: Freemium (Paid plan starts from $5/month for a single user) Availability: Creately SEE ALSO: Do you know of any other Visio alternative for Mac that deserves to be on this list? Let us know in comments section.