Creately vs SmartDraw
Creately
creately.com
SmartDraw
smartdraw.comSide by side
| Figure | Creately | SmartDraw |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $0.75/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 5 | 5 |
| Spec score · Diagramming Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.6 (#15) |
| Spec score · Diagram Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.6 (#8) |
| Spec score · Flowchart Software | 9.4 (#1) | 8.6 (#6) |
| Spec score · Diagramming tools | 9.3 (#3) | 9.3 (#2) |
| Collaboration | Features include real-time editing, comments and tasks, and folder- and workspace-level sharing permissions with role-based permissions down to item fields. | Teams can edit diagrams in real time, comment, share links and use version history. |
| Desktop availability | Creately has a desktop application for Mac, Windows and Linux that caches documents locally and supports work during connectivity loss. | The current desktop launcher opens the web application, while SmartDraw says it runs on PC, Mac, browser and phone; the classic Windows desktop product is end-of-life. |
| Encryption | Creately states that connections use TLS 1.2 or higher and document content is encrypted at rest with AES-256. | The security documentation specifies AES-256 FIPS 140-2 encryption at rest and TLS 1.2 or newer in transit, with optional two-factor authentication and SSO. |
| Founded | 2008 | 1994 |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia | The Woodlands, Texas, USA |
| Integrations | The integrations page lists Google Drive, Slack, Confluence, and Microsoft Teams integrations. | Integrations include Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Teams, Confluence, Jira, Trello, SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, AWS, Azure, GitHub, Entra ID, ChatGPT and Claude. |
| Praise: ease and templates | G2 reviewers repeatedly praise ease of use, quick diagram creation and the availability and editability of templates. | G2 reviewers repeatedly praise the intuitive interface, drag-and-drop creation, extensive templates, quick diagram production and collaboration. |
| Rating on Capterra | 4.4 out of 5 from 216 reviews. | 4.2 out of 5 from 153 reviews. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.4 out of 5 from 1,394 reviews. | 4.5 out of 5 from 403 reviews. |
| Rating on Gartner Peer Insights | 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings. | 4.0 out of 5 from 1 review. |
| Rating on Software Advice | 4.4 out of 5 from 216 reviews. | 4.2 out of 5 from 152 reviews. |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 1.8 out of 5 from 56 reviews. | 1.4 out of 5 from 203 reviews. |
| Rating on TrustRadius | 8.5 out of 10 from 31 reviews and ratings. | 8.5 out of 10 from 40 ratings. |
Plans
Creately
- FreeFree
- StarterPrice not published
- TeamPrice not published
- Business$89 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
SmartDraw
- Individual$9.95 a month
- Team$8.95 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
- Team$8.95 a year
- Individual$9.95 a year
In their own words
SmartDraw
SmartDraw is a diagramming tool for creating scaled floor plans and professional diagrams, from building layouts and evacuation plans to flowcharts, organizational charts, network diagrams, UML diagrams, and mind maps. SmartDraw AI can turn natural-language prompts into editable diagrams and floor plans. Templates and automatic layout adjustment help shape diagrams as users add, move, or delete elements. Teams can edit together, comment, and review version history. The service supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web, though its desktop launcher opens the web app and requires an internet connection. Files can be imported from formats including PDF, Visio, Lucidchart, and common image files, then exported as JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF, or Visio. SmartDraw lists integrations with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Jira, Confluence, Azure, AWS, GitHub, ChatGPT, and Claude. The paid product has a free trial but no free plan; Team requires at least three users. SmartDraw was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas.