Microsoft Visio vs yEd Graph Editor
Microsoft Visio
microsoft.com
yEd Graph Editor
yworks.comSide by side
| Figure | Microsoft Visio | yEd Graph Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Spec score · Diagramming tools | 8.8 (#10) | 8.2 (#24) |
| Spec score · Diagram Software | 8.3 (#14) | 7.4 (#33) |
| Spec score · Diagramming Software | 8.3 (#20) | 7.4 (#42) |
| Spec score · Flowchart Software | 8.2 (#10) | 7.4 (#16) |
| Diagram types | Visio supports diagrams including flowcharts, network diagrams, mind maps, organization charts, UML diagrams, floor plans, and engineering diagrams, with availability varying by plan. | Supported diagram types include BPMN, semantic networks, family trees, flowcharts, social networks, and UML class diagrams. |
| Founded | 1975 | 1998 |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | Redmond, Washington, USA | Tübingen, Germany |
| Purpose | Visio helps users draw diagrams that communicate complex information at a glance. | yEd is a desktop application for manually creating diagrams or importing external data and arranging it with automatic layout algorithms. |
Plans
Microsoft Visio
- Visio Plan 1$5 a month
- Visio Plan 2$15 a month
- Visio in Microsoft 365Free
- Visio Plan 1$5 a month
- Visio Plan 2$15 a month
In their own words
Microsoft Visio
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.
yEd Graph Editor
yEd Graph Editor is a free desktop application for creating diagrams manually or importing data and arranging it with automatic layouts. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and supports diagrams including BPMN, flowcharts, semantic networks, family trees, social networks, UML class diagrams, entity relationship diagrams, and swimlane diagrams. Its palette includes common diagram elements, with options to add custom graphics and Visio VSX stencils. Layouts include hierarchical, orthogonal, organic, circular, tree, radial, swimlane, and flowchart arrangements. yEd imports GraphML, Excel XLS, GEDCOM, GML, and XML transformed into GraphML with XSLT. Export formats include PDF, SVG, EMF, JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG, HTML image maps, and EPS. The interface supports English and German. The Java Swing application is based on the yFiles for Java diagramming library and requires a suitable Java Runtime Environment. Its license permits one installed copy for personal or commercial use, but bars redistribution and use in automated processes. The listed plan costs nothing.