Microsoft Visio vs Structurizr

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.

Structurizr is a models-as-code tool for creating software architecture diagrams from one C4 model written in Structurizr DSL. A model can produce system landscape, system context, container, component, code, dynamic, deployment, custom, filtered and image views. Its C4 diagrams are interactive and animatable, can be embedded, and include an automatically generated key or legend. Users can work in a browser playground, use a local diagram viewer and layout editor, or run a self-hosted server. The CLI exports workspace views to PlantUML, Mermaid or a static HTML site; supported imports include Structurizr DSL and Structurizr JSON. Version history is available. The product has API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows availability. Structurizr offers a free plan and a 14-day trial. Paid server licenses start at £300/mo (annual) for 1–20 unique users per installation; higher user bands cost more. The self-hosted open core is free when built from source, but has no authentication and public workspaces. Structurizr is headquartered in Jersey, Channel Islands. Its cloud service runs in AWS US-East-1 and describes AES encryption and optional client-side encryption for paid workspaces.