Lucidchart allows you to diagram on a Mac without running a virtual machine, plus it's much more intuitive than Visio. Visio import Whether you're creating a new diagram or importing an existing Visio diagram into Lucidchart, experienced Visio users will be pleasantly surprised.
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 Microsoft Visio 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 for Mac here.
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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 infographics. 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.
Work from home is on the rise as everyone is locked down these days. Offices are making it possible for people to stay at home ad do their jobs. Therefore a lot of applications are coming in handy during these challenging times. One of the essential apps is Microsoft Visio, which gets used for drawing up charts for presentations, and it becomes necessary to have an excellent diagramming and vector graphics application for those purposes.
Microsoft Viso was formerly known as Mircosoft Office Visio, and it first released in 1992. Microsoft made the application available for Windows in 2013, and they had two modes back then- Standard and Professional. The user interface for both is the same, but the professional model has some extra features. For getting the software anyway, Visio charges an amount. But sometimes it is not possible to afford software for so much money. For the pro version, people need to pay more. Therefore, we have curated a list of alternatives for the Visio app, which are free.
Read on to know more!
Visio is a powerful piece of software, but it becomes heavy on the pockets as people have to pay around 590 dollars for the professional version. Also, it is just usable on Microsoft platforms. So the list we have made consists of a mix of apps which can get used across many platforms like Windows, Linux and Mac.
LucidChart is the perfect web-based software for the purposes one will use Visio. The app has an easy to use interface and makes the work very much more comfortable, and its also at free. You can draw any diagram very quickly as it has a drag and drop option also. People can work in groups and collaboration because this app is user friendly for a small group of people.
The most outstanding feature of this app is that it can import/export Visio .vdx files very quickly. The app is available to use on Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac. The only problem with Lucidchart is the built-in categorization of the variety of shapes for different areas like networking; engineering is not available. The more significant part is that you don’t need to have an account for this app. You can go onto the site and start drawing.
If you want to go for a simple setup with no extra touches and troubles, then ASCIIFlow might be the apt application for you. It is available on Browser, as it is an online application. Although there is a problem of having no readymade shapes at the same default of the application, it is beneficial for small ideas. Familiar windows shortcuts can get used to change and chop your diagrams.
The format of the app can be changed very quickly by the users, and the backup can get taken to Google Drive. It is a good alternative for Visio overall.
Gliffy is available in both paid and free versions. While the free version is open to students, other people can have access to a Basic understanding of the software, which gives you a free 14-day trial and then one has to pay for using. Gliffy is a fantastic programming app as it comes with a lot of features. It has integrated services like Google Drive, Confluence and JIRA, which helps one to collaborate on UMLs easily.
The app is useful for flowcharts and other big diagram projects as it has a simple user interface. The drag and drop feature makes it easy to use, and the browser version is entirely free to use. Although the free version lacks some features, people can buy the paid version easily and get on with it. Gliffy is available on Windows, Mac and Browsers.
This software is the most user-friendly diagramming and flowchart application to existing out there. Technical diagrams like networking and processing models can also be drawn on this app quickly. The app has a good gallery of images for different types of charts, and it allows you to choose photos from somewhere else also. The map can get saved in a variety of formats like JPEG, XML or HTML which makes it better for uploading and sending. The app is easy to use and available on Windows, Mac and Linux.
If there is any closest competitor of Viso, then it is this app. It has a variety of features of which the group drawing feature stands out the most. Draw is an all-purpose app, which not only supports flowcharts and designer drawings but also is helpful for beginners. Many groups can be combined, and files can be exported to different formats too. This software is available on Microsoft, Mac and Linux.
These are the top free apps that can help you replace Visio and make it easier for you to do your office work. Hopefully, this list will help the users and prove it worthy.
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