Cacoo vs PlantUML

Cacoo is a diagramming and visual collaboration tool for teams creating flowcharts, wireframes, mind maps, workflows and technical diagrams. Its editor offers templates, shapes, sticky notes, an infinite canvas, tables and dynamic charts, with real-time collaboration and in-app video chat. It supports network, organizational, BPMN, component, deployment and AWS architecture diagrams. Users can share diagrams by public URL or shared folder, present them, embed them in websites and wikis, and protect them with passwords. Cacoo imports Microsoft Visio files and CSV. The Free plan supports PNG exports; paid plans add SVG, PDF, PS and PPT. Free includes unlimited users and six sheets, but limits exports and activity history. Pro and Team each cost $6 per user per month, billed monthly, and include a 14-day trial without a credit card. Enterprise offers security controls such as SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning and audit logs; private-server hosting is also available.

PlantUML turns textual descriptions into diagrams, covering UML forms such as sequence, use-case, class, object, activity, component, deployment, state, and timing diagrams. It also supports JSON, YAML, EBNF, regex, network, wireframe, Archimate, Gantt, mind map, and WBS diagrams. Outputs include PNG, SVG, LaTeX, EPS, and other listed formats; sequence diagrams can also be rendered as ASCII art. Its browser editor renders diagrams with JavaScript and refreshes them as the text changes. Layout options include Graphviz, Smetana, VizJs, and ELK, though ELK lacks some features. PlantUML offers integrations for tools including GitHub, GitLab, Confluence, WordPress, Slack, Visual Studio Code, Eclipse, and IntelliJ IDEA. It is free, with a plan listed at free, and runs on web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API, extension, and self-hosted platforms. Local installation requires Java, with version 11 or later recommended; Graphviz is needed for some diagrams. PlantUML can also run as a local server, which the project recommends for sensitive diagrams.