EdrawMax vs Microsoft Visio

EdrawMax is diagramming software for creating, importing, and exporting a wide range of diagrams. Its online edition offers more than 210 types, including flowcharts, circuit diagrams, floor plans, UML, and network diagrams. The product advertises 20,000+ free templates and 26,000+ symbols, plus AI tools for diagramming, presentations, drawing, symbols, analysis, copywriting, OCR, and stickers. It supports Visio, SVG, and CAD imports and exports to PNG, JPG, PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SVG, and Visio. EdrawMax is available on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web. The browser edition processes files on its servers, while the desktop edition processes documents locally. The free plan includes 500 AI tokens and 100M cloud storage, but limits shapes and document pages and adds a watermark to exports. Basic is listed at $5.90 per month billed annually; Unlimited is listed at $11.90 per month billed annually. The pricing note lists a 7-day trial. Premium users can save and open files directly with Google Drive and Dropbox.

Microsoft Visio helps users communicate complex information through diagrams. Its supported formats include flowcharts, process and cross-functional diagrams, organization charts, UML and ERD models, network and cloud diagrams, floor plans, timelines, Gantt and PERT charts, and business diagrams such as matrices and value-stream maps. The web and Microsoft Teams apps support real-time collaboration, comments, and sharing. Listed integrations include Teams, Power BI, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, OneDrive for Business, and Azure. Visio Plan 2 can link diagram shapes to Excel, SharePoint lists, and SQL Server data. The compared plans support Microsoft Information Rights Management and GDPR compliance; IRM permissions must be set in the desktop app, though they are honored for online files opened in the web app. Accessibility support includes Narrator, an Accessibility Checker, and high-contrast display. Visio is available on Windows and the web, but Microsoft does not offer a macOS desktop app. Plan 1 costs $5 a month billed yearly; Plan 2 costs $15 a month billed yearly. First-time trial users with a work or school account can try either plan free for 30 days.