draw.io is a popular online diagramming tool that is mainly used for Confluence teams to collaborate using diagrams. If you occasionally need to make diagrams, you can rely on draw.io. This post gives you a full draw.io review to tell its key features, pros, cons, pricing, download, and other related information.
Part 1. Full draw.io Review, Pros, Cons, Price, and Download
draw.io is a free online diagramming platform that can help you create high-quality designs, custom flow charts, network diagrams, Unified Modelling Language system layouts, and more. Here in this part, we like to guide you to know its functionality, pros and cons, price, download, and other related information.
What is draw.io
draw.io is a free flowchart or diagramming tool that helps you create diagrams and other visuals. It carries good collaboration features to ensure you produce professional diagrams with ease. This vector graphics editor is designed with a beginner-friendly interface for you to quickly start creating your diagram. draw.io allows you to collaborate on diagrams and whiteboards in real-time. It can integrate with Google, Confluence, and Jira.
draw.io is freely available across platforms and browsers. You can easily access a variety of tools and features to design on any device based on your needs. It will help you get right to work and get real results without inhibition. As a reliable and feature-rich diagramming tool, draw.io also extends its support for revision management, process mapping, organizational charting, and more.
draw.io pros and cons
draw.io offers useful diagramming features for you to quickly make organizational charts, mind maps, flowcharts, whiteboards, UML and process diagrams, ERDs, and more. More importantly, draw.io has good support for real-time collaboration. In that case, more than one person can work on a diagram or whiteboard simultaneously.
After you connect draw.io to your Google account, you can directly access all the same collaborative tools when editing any other documents in Google Drive. As mentioned above, draw.io is specially designed for Confluence teams. It offers unique features like real-time Confluence-native collaborative editing.
draw.io provides you with a vast array of diagram types for different cases. You are allowed to freely mix, match, and experiment with customized shape libraries. You can directly drag and drop SVG, JPEG, and PNG images into your projects. It works well with VSDX, Lucidchart, and Gliffy. In addition, it enables you to export projects in various formats like SVG, XML, HTML, and PDF. You can easily store your created diagrams on your device or a cloud storage service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive.
draw.io offers an enterprise-grade privacy service. You get full control of data residency. Your data will only be stored in Confluence. draw.io is easy-to-use. What's more, you can easily get video tutorials, interactive tutorials, and step-by-step guides from its official website to efficiently set up the diagrams you need.
draw.io does not offer any advanced examples, templates, or themes for you to quickly start your projects. So you may not be satisfied with its layout catalog. You need to find some templates first, then add shapes and words, and arrange them manually. Also, draw.io lacks an auto-save function. While making a diagram, you need to manually save your changes at times. What's more, as a free diagramming tool, the technical support of draw.io is fairly limited.
draw.io price – Is draw.io free
draw.io offers a totally free level of diagramming service. It only has one paid version for Confluence Server. This version is a plug-in for Confluence and lives entirely behind the firewall. It allows you to create diagrams within those spaces so that you and your teammates have visual aids and representations of the work. While this draw.io for Confluence Server doesn't contain any collaboration features. Its prices vary based on the number of people on your team.
draw.io download
You can directly use draw.io on any modern web browser, including Chrome, IE, Edge, Firefox, Yahoo, and Safari. Also, you can download the draw.io Diagrams app for Windows and Mac. As a Windows user, you can free download it in Microsoft Store.
Part 2. Best draw.io Alternative to Make Diagrams
MindOnMap is a great diagramming alternative to draw.io. Compared with draw.io, it offers many read-made themes, templates, and objects for you to quickly start your projects. You don't need to find a diagram example and then manually build a project based on it. Similar to draw.io, it allows you to easily create organizational charts, mind maps, fishbone diagrams, tree diagrams, and other visuals for free. Also, you are allowed to import from and export to multiple file types.
As an online diagramming tool, MindOnMap is compatible with all commonly-used web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, and Yahoo. You don't need to download any third-party installations or plugins to use it. When you get to the official website of MindOnMap, you can simply click the Create Your Mind Map button to start your diagram creation.
You can sign in with your Google account or email. After that, many themes and templates are listed there for you to choose from. You can scroll down to select your preferred one.
This draw.io alternative carries all the necessary tools and shapes. You can freely add nodes, shapes, and other elements. Moreover, you can customize the theme, style, icon, and outline according to your need. With a concise interface, you can easily find the tools you need to create your diagram, including the flowchart. It will automatically save your editing after you stop operating in a few seconds.
Part 3. FAQs of draw.io
Question 1. How to import a VSDX file to draw.io?
Click the top File menu in draw.io, choose the Import from option from its dropdown, and then choose Device. Here you can also choose to add a diagram from one of the cloud services. Find the .vsdx file you want to export, and then click Open to confirm your operation. You should know that only VSDX files saved from Visio can be supported.
Question 2. Can I use draw.io to make diagrams offline?
Yes. draw.io allows you to work on your diagrams even when you are offline. Without an internet connection, you can still use draw.io on any popular browser like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. As a Mac user, you should use its offline app when you are connected to the internet.
Question 3. Does Google have a diagramming tool like draw.io?
Yes, Google has a diagramming tool called Google Drawings. You can go to Google Drive, click + New, and then choose the More option. Now you can find Google Drawings and use it to build diagrams, paint an image, or create flowcharts.
Conclusion
In this full draw.io review, we have discussed the key features of draw.io, the pros and cons of using this software package, and its pricing and plans. What's more, we introduce you to a great draw.io alternative for quickly making diagrams. If you still have any questions about draw.io, you can leave us a message.
