9 Best Free Flowchart Software
By Eva Williams 8 days ago, Apps and Software
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In this review you will find the list of popular free flowchart software for Windows and Mac to produce brilliant flowcharts fast and easily even online. These programs allow you to design visual graphs in an effortless way.
Top 9 Free Flowchart Software
- Dia - Simple and reliable program for charts
- YEd Graph Editor - Broad functionality
- ThinkComposer - For producing flexible and multilevel diagrams
- Flowchart Designer - A great selection of templates
- VisualDesigner - Detailed customization of each element
- ClickCharts - Beginners will like it
- Draw.io - Free functionality for professional work
- Canva - Popular service for any work
- Lucidchart - Modern design and flexible setting
Flowcharts are helpful not only for engineers, programmers and managers. Everyone can take advantage of flowcharts as a way to streamline their work and life and even get rid of bad habits. The only difficulty is that you will have to find a good program compatible with Windows or Mac.
1. Dia
- Open-source
- Many templates
- Quick functioning
- Lightweight
- You cannot rotate an object to 10-20 degrees
Verdict: Dia is a free flowcharter with broad functionality. Licensed under the GPL, this open-source software is powerful, extensible and user-friendly. Use this program for creating various types of diagrams or charts.
With the help of Dia, you can load and save graphics to a custom XML format, but the diagrams can be exported in various formats, including EPS, SVG, XFIG, WMF and PNG.
Moreover, this free flowcharting program can print the visual graphics you have created. Pay attention to the fact that Dia is maintained voluntarily, so nobody can tell when some upgrades will appear.
2. YEd Graph Editor
- User-friendly
- Free
- You can create objects and shapes
- Allows printing as posters
- You need to get used to its controls
- Broken line graphs
Verdict: The program allows you to create charts manually or automatically by importing data. The editor provides many features that make it easier to create charts without paying much effort. YEd Graph Editor can import data in various formats, including GraphML, Excel XLS, GEDCOM, and GML.
This free flowchart software can automatically compose chart elements for complex datasets, or guide you through your manual layout design. The program allows you to save a chart document in a file format with the GRAPHML extension.
When you are done, you can export the chart in multiple file formats including PDF, SWF, SVG, JPEG and PNG. If you want to reach a wider audience, you can post your content online for interactive viewing.
3. ThinkComposer
- Modify styles, background, and font to your liking
- You can load data into a table from CSV files
- Multi-level charts
- Can crash unexpectedly
Verdict: ThinkComposer is a free flowchart program for professionals. In addition to flowcharts, it can handle business models, class diagrams, family trees, usage diagrams, and more. The program also creates multi-level and architecture diagrams like those that the best architectural design software produce for visual expression of any idea.
Also, such visual compositions can consist of many different graphs and charts. Moreover, ThinkComposer generates reports in PDF, XPS, or HTML formats based on your data. If you need additional features, you can always install various plug-ins.
4. Flowchart Designer
- Customizable templates
- Spell checker
- Helps with mathematical operations
- Several minor errors
- Can sometimes fail to save files properly
Verdict: Flowchart Designer is one of the best free flowchart software that provides you with a great variety of options and objects to drag and drop onto the sketch. The program is also fitted with such instruments as grids, rulers, snapping for lining everything up perfectly.
After you have added the necessary objects to the flowchart, they will appear on the right side of the interface. You can name these objects, as you want, for better and more convenient organizing of large flowcharts.
Verdict: VisualDesigner is a great flowchart program for Mac with lots of extensive features. It provides you with a wide selection of customizable shapes and connectors, the color and the size of which can be modified according to your preferences.
Work with layers, object positions, or size for creating a more complex flowchart. The ruler, grid, and snapping features will help you to arrange objects properly. Don’t forget about special symbols or clipart, with the help of which you can add some explanations to your charts.
6. ClickCharts
- Many templates
- Professional instruments
- Intuitive work
- Requires much storage space
- Free for personal use
- Rare updates
- New templates are rarely added
Verdict: You can download ClickCharts directly from a website and then enjoy its trouble-free usage. The program has an intuitive interface that resembles Microsoft Word with its ribbon of buttons and tabs on the upper part of UI.
Choose the objects you want to use in scheme, complex diagram, or flowchart and drag them onto the canvas. You can add various types of connectors manually or automatically.
Customize a selected shape modifying its color, text or font by using the top menu of ClickCharts. Use other features like grid or object snap, rulers for proper positioning of the newly added objects. You can enjoy this flowchart software free of charge provided you need it for personal use.
7. Draw IO
- Absolutely free
- Fast loading
- Easy to use
- Crashes during long-term operation
- File export is complicated
Verdict: Draw.io is the most popular online flowchart program for creating visual graphics. It has a good set of tools and functions that allow you to compose organizational charts, flowcharts, network diagrams, UML, and circuit diagrams.
Intuitive interface supports such types of virtual storage as Google Drive, OneDrive and DropBox, which belong to the group of the best file sharing services. This feature allows several users to work with the same file simultaneously.
8. Canva
- Intuitive interface
- Extensive customization options
- Many templates
- Flexible design
- It stops responding sometimes
Verdict: Canva is a simple, intuitive service for creating beautiful flowcharts. Although its functionality is similar to the features offered by other services, Canva lets users customize its appearance.
The program is compatible with both iOS and Android, so it can function even on mobile devices. Save projects in PDF format, which can then be easily edited in any free PDF editor. Canva is free flowchart software, but you can also get some premium features (photos and vector images) that cost $1 each.
9. Lucidchart
- • Can create complex diagrams
- Bright and pleasant design
- Can customize charts
- Extensive export options
- It is difficult to navigate in a large document
Verdict: Lucidchart has many elements, templates for creating flowcharts and diagrams, and the paid version has even more features. Its interface is intuitive and simple, and even a novice user will master it easily.
Many users consider Lucidchart as the best free flowchart software as it offers a great variety of functions necessary for a convenient work. However, you can pay a subscription to get more features. These include a larger amount of virtual storage, the ability to create an unlimited number of projects, and add links to data. The paid version costs from $5.95 to $20/month.
