Microsoft Visio for Mac has never been released so we’ve taken an expert look at the best alternatives to lớn Visio on a Mac.
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If you’re an IT professional, technician, software developer, engineer, business analyst or project manager, the lack of Visio on Mac doesn’t mean you can’t still easily present complex information in visual form.
All of the tools reviewed here however make it easy to draw diagrams on your Mac and import MS Visio files.
That means there’s no need to lớn say goodbye lớn your precious Visio diagrams & stencils when drawing complex flowcharts và diagrams such as process flows, work flows và org charts.
Even better, all the tools featured here are certainly easier khổng lồ use than MS Visio & in almost every case, much better value than Visio Professional which currently costs $579.99 for the desktop version.
These replacements for Visio are also all compatible with the latest táo bị cắn dở Silicon M1/M2 Macs and the most recent versions of macOS including Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur and Catalina.
In our extensive search for an alternative solution on Mac, we found that SmartDraw is by far the best alternative to Visio for Mac.
SmartDraw is the only tool we’ve used that can accurately import và EXPORT lớn the latest Visio VSDX format without everything look a mess.
This is essential if you need lớn edit Visio files on your Mac và share Visio files with Windows users.
Most Visio alternatives can import Visio files but very few can export them and even fewer that can do it accurately.
Unlike Microsoft Visio, SmartDraw can also be used on any platform so it’s easy to collaborate with Windows users too.
SmartDraw also works on the latest táo bị cắn dở Silicon M1 Macs and m2 Macs too so can be used on any model of laptop apple macbook Pro, apple macbook Air, Mac Mini or iMac.
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Visio For Mac Alternatives: ConclusionHow We Ranked These Visio Alternatives
Here’s what we looked for in choosing which was the best equivalent khổng lồ Visio for Mac.
Price: We only chose diagramming tools that offer excellent value for money with miễn phí trials or plans lớn start out withReviews: We selected tools that are widely acclaimed by other users và professionals for diagrammingVisio Imports: We gave preference to lớn software that allow you lớn import Visio files in VDX and VSDX formatVisio Export: We gave added preference khổng lồ software that can also export to the Visio VSDX formatTemplates: We ranked those apps higher that have a wide choice of templates for a range of diagramming needsSharing: We valued those programs that make it easy to nội dung diagrams via links or export khổng lồ Microsoft Office, Google Apps etc.Integrations: We valued those apps that allow you lớn integrate with third các buổi tiệc nhỏ software such as MS Office, Jira, Confluence, Trello, Excel etc.You May Also Like:
With this in mind, here then are the best Visio alternatives for Mac users in order of ranking.
1. SmartDraw
SmartDraw is easily the most powerful yet easy khổng lồ use alternative to Microsoft Visio for Mac.
The best thing about SmartDraw is that it does everything that Visio can but makes it far simpler và faster.
SmartDraw also works on the latest version of macOS Monterey plus the latest táo apple Silicon M1 and m2 Macs.
Since táo bị cắn don’t make an equivalent khổng lồ Visio, we think SmartDraw is the closest thing khổng lồ an táo bị cắn dở version of Visio as it really embodies the simple, functional aesthetic of a Mac product.
Not only that, but it’s much better value for money than MS Visio.
SmartDraw has been on the market since 1994 & is used by around half of Fortune 500 companies và more than 250,000 enterprises worldwide, many of them in Mac only environments.
One of the big reasons for this is that SmartDraw offers Enterprise Plans costing just $4,995 for 500 users compared khổng lồ Microsoft Visio which costs 10 times more than SmartDraw at $90,000 for the same number of licenses.
Even for individuals, SmartDraw works out much cheaper than the desktop version of Visio which now costs $579.99 và will need upgrading regularly.
Although Microsoft also offers a subscription version of Visio, it costs $15.00 per month for Visio Plan 2 if you want access khổng lồ the web version compared lớn pricing plans starting at $5.95 per month for SmartDraw.
The other major reasons for its incredible popularity among both individual users and companies is that SmartDraw has been designed specifically to rival Visio.
Most all-purpose diagram tools throw in Visio import support as an added extra but SmartDraw has clearly been made with Visio users in mind.
For example, it’s the only alternative to Visio on Mac that can both import và export to lớn the latest Visio VSDX format.
Often when importing Visio files into any third các buổi party program, there’s a lot of formatting issues but SmartDraw can import Visio files accurately và with ease.
The same goes for Visio stencils.
If you have hundreds of Visio stencils that you don’t want to say goodbye to, you can just import VSD và VSDX Visio stencils into SmartDraw and keep using them.
The interface of SmartDraw will feel familiar lớn anyone that’s ever used Visio but its far more user-friendly than MS Visio with a slick thiết kế that looks great on macOS.
SmartDraw also blows Visio out of the water for templates and objects which you can drag and drop into diagrams
There are more than 4,500 diagram templates in SmartDraw compared lớn little more than 100 in Visio.
These cover almost every conceivable need from flowcharts, org-charts and floorplans to lớn topics as diverse electrical layouts, UML or use case diagrams và crime scene reconstructions.
SmartDraw can even automatically make an org chart using data stored in Excel without the need for Visio.
If you want to giới thiệu diagrams, you can easily can export files lớn Microsoft Office For Mac, PDF, SVG or PNG format or chia sẻ via file sharing apps such as Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive for Business.
Overall, SmartDraw is an amazing professional alternative to Visio on Mac.
It produces results as good as Visio but with considerably less effort and time.
You can get started now with SmartDraw for free to judge for yourself.
For a more detailed look, you can check out our in-depth SmartDraw review.
You can also see how SmartDraw vs Visio compare side-by-side below.
Price: $5.95 per month for teams of 5+ / $9.95 per month individuals / Enterprise plans $4,995 for 500 users
Platforms: Cloud
SmartDraw vs Visio
| Works on a Mac | ||
| Works Online | Only some features | |
| Visio Import và Export (VSD/VSDX) | ||
| Import Visio Stencils | ||
| Import AutoCAD | ||
| Symbols | 34,000+ | 1,800+ |
| Templates | 4,500+ | 100+ |
| Mobile Support | ||
| Firewall Protected | ||
| Automatic Flowcharting | ||
| Easy Sharing via URL | Limited | |
| Real Time Collaboration | ||
| G Suite Integration | ||
| Confluence tư vấn | ||
| Microsoft Office Integration | ||
| Trello Integration | ||
| OneDrive Integration | ||
| Google Drive, Dropbox, Box Support | ||
| Build Class Diagrams from Data | Some support | |
| Build ERD from data | ||
| Build Sitemaps from Data | ||
| Open API | ||
| Shape Data | ||
| Standard Engineering Scales | ||
| Annotation Layer | Limited | |
| Pricing | $5.95/m (for teams) | $15/m for desktop & web verison or $579.99 for Windows desktop version of Visio Pro |
| Free Trial |
2. OmniGraffle Pro
If online apps are not your thing, OmniGraffle Pro is the closest thing to lớn a native Mac desktop alternative lớn MS Visio.
OmniGraffle Pro is designed specifically for Mac although it’s a more artistic design tool than Visio & it’s not as easy to lớn use at SmartDraw.
However, once mastered OmniGraffle Pro produces attractive, professional diagrams, user interfaces và wireframes that look better than anything possible in Visio.
It’s important to chú ý from the start that although OmniGraffle Pro can import Visio files, it does not export files to lớn the latest Visio VSDX format like SmartDraw can.
If you’re going to working alongside with PC based Visio colleagues, that will rule it out straight from the off.
OmniGraffle Pro can import all Visio formats (VSDX, VSD, VDX) fand Visio stencil files (VST, VTX, VSX & VSS).
Note however that Visio import support is not available in the Standard Version of OmniGraffle ($99).
Although there’s aren’t so many stencils và templates included in OmniGraffle, it has a dedicated following of users that have created repositories of free OmniGraffle Stencils.
It also has a very good native iPad app OmniGraffle for iOS ($49) that supports the táo apple Pencil & syncs with Mac via iCloud (you may also find our look at Visio alternatives for iPad useful too).
Finally, for Project Managers, OmniGraffle is fully integrated with project management tool OmniPlan from the same developer.
OmniPlan is also a powerful project management tool which makes a great replacement for Microsoft Project on Mac.
Pricing for OmniGraffle starts at $149.99 but for Visio import tư vấn you need OmniGraffle Pro for $249.99 which you can upgrade lớn in-app.
There’s also the OmniGraffle Enterprise edition ($249.99) which is exactly the same as OmniGraffle Pro but is for companies that want to pay for the Pro edition up-front for easier deployment across corporate networks.
You can also check out our full OmniGraffle review for more.
Price: Standard $149.99 / Professional $249.99 or $12.49/m
Platforms: Mac, iOS
3. ConceptDraw Diagram
ConceptDraw Diagram (formerly ConceptDraw Pro) is a cross-platform desktop alternative khổng lồ Visio that works on both Mac and Windows PCs.
The VSDX import and export tool does not work well at all & certainly nowhere near as smoothly as with SmartDraw.
However, if Visio compatibility is not important to lớn you, ConceptDraw Diagram does a better job of exporting diagrams lớn Microsoft Office & Evernote among other formats.
There are plenty of templates khổng lồ get you going divided into different areas such as landscaping, engineering, management, science, flowcharts etc.
There’s also a rich collection of high chất lượng vector objects, audiovisual clips, additional templates và tutorials in ConceptDraw Solution Park.
ConceptDraw Diagram also allows you to lớn create presentations và slideshows of your diagrams.
For Project Managers, it can be used alongside ConceptDraw Project which is a powerful project management software made by the same developer.
ConceptDraw Diagram is a viable option if you want something similar lớn Visio that works on both Mac and PC desktops.
You can kiểm tra out our review of ConceptDraw Diagram For Mac.
Price: $199
Platforms: Mac, Windows, iOS
4. Creately
Creately is a lightweight, fast và cost-effective alternative to lớn Visio. Creately is a lot simpler than Visio but you can create some pretty impressive diagrams, Venn diagrams, flowcharts and process flows with it.
Creately can import but not export khổng lồ Visio VSDX format.
There are some neat touches in Creately like shared project libraries, a useful Google Image search tool and tự động snapping of objects connectors.
Creately also integrates with Confluence, Jira and the G Suite Marketplace.
Creately has a Mac desktop client which allows you khổng lồ draw offline & sync any changes when you go online again.
There are thousands of templates to choose from lớn get things done quickly.
You can create up to lớn 5 diagrams for không tính phí in Creately before deciding whether it’s for you.
You can also read our review of Creately if you want khổng lồ learn more.
Price: Free for up khổng lồ 5 diagrams then starts at $5/month.
Platforms: Cloud, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android.
5. Lucidchart
Lucidchart is a powerful online diagramming software with strong team collaboration features và excellent integration with Microsoft Office.
While it’s not as slick as similar Cloud based solutions lượt thích SmartDraw and doesn’t come close to lớn it in terms of templates, objects or graphics quality, it’s still one of the leading diagramming tools out there.
Lucidchart can import Visio files (although it can’t export lớn the latest Visio VSDX format).
You can also import Visio stencils in VSS or VSX format (although Visio templates in VST or VTX format are not supported).
One particularly nice cảm biến is that Lucidchart tailors the interface & toolset according lớn your industry và needs such as engineering, flowcharting, UML diagramming etc.
Lucidchart really excels at multi-user collaboration và allows you to lớn chat with others inside the app, see revision changes, leave comments etc.
There are không tính phí Lucidchart plugins for JIRA, Confluence & Jive integration.
Lucidchart is very well-integrated with Microsoft Office so you can draw diagrams directly in Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
There’s also a handy Chrome plugin that allows you lớn draw diagrams offline.
Overall Lucidchart is an easy lớn use online diagramming tool ideal for team collaboration và those that need good integration with Microsoft Office.
For a more in-depth look at Lucidchart, check-out our full Lucidchart review.
Price: Teams $9/m, Individuals $7.95/m
Platforms: Cloud
6. Gliffy
Gliffy is an extremely easy khổng lồ use team focused Cloud diagram software that’s ideal for collaborating on UML, network diagrams and org charts.
Gliffy is actually divided into two tools, Gliffy Diagram & Gliffy Project. The latter is for integrating và sharing your diagrams with Atlassian products such as Jira và Confluence.
The biggest disadvantage of Gliffy is that although it can import Visio files, it can’t export lớn Visio which rules it out if you need to work alongside other Visio users.
Gliffy does however have a Chrome extension so although it’s Cloud based, you can create diagrams offline.
It also syncs with online storage solutions such as Google Drive và Dropbox directly from your desktop.
If you just want a basic but easy online diagramming solution that imports Visio files, allows you lớn diagram offline & is suitable for teams, Gliffy is definitely worth checking out.
You can try Gliffy for không tính phí and chạy thử drive it for yourself. Be aware however that the free version of Gliffy makes your diagrams public so it’s definitely not suitable for confidential data such as network diagrams.
You can also check out our full review of Gliffy for more.
Pricing: $8/month for individuals. Teams start at $6 per user/month.
Platforms: Cloud
7. Cacoo
Cacoo’s philosophy is “Teams who diagram together, thrive together” and it’s certainly true that Cacoo is an excellent alternative lớn Visio for Mac users when it comes lớn collaboration.
Cacoo is excellent for drawing everything from flowcharts to wireframes but it’s the remote team working features that we really like.
Cacoo makes it easy khổng lồ share & edit the same diagram at the same time, track changes and discuss diagrams with other colleagues.
There aren’t thousands of templates in Cacoo compared khổng lồ tools lượt thích SmartDraw but all the essentials are there including flowcharts, wireframes, mockups, network diagrams, presentations, database diagrams and project timelines.
Cacoo is very well integrated with third buổi tiệc ngọt applications including tư vấn for Visio file importing và editing although you can’t export to Visio.
You can also connect khổng lồ major apps like Google Drive, Adobe Creative Cloud, Dropbox, Microsoft Teams, Zapier & more.
Price: Starts at $6/user/m
Platforms: Cloud
8. D3M
D3M is a highly automated diagramming solution which is the perfect Visio replacement for network kiến thiết projects on a Mac.
D3M is great at simplifying the complex process of designing, documenting, delivering và managing networks.
It’s firmly aimed at network project managers, engineers, technicians and sales reps that need lớn design network topology, rack diagrams và floor plans.
One of the main aims of D3M is to lớn help you land more contracts by mapping out network plans clearly & professionally.
D3M is very easy lớn collaborate with others on via in-app email invites, PDF sharing và allows you to edit diagrams simultaneously with others.
The really neat thing about D3M is that unlike Visio, it also automatically generates project documents as you build networks to giới thiệu with your team và customers.
As you kiến thiết a network, D3M tự động hóa generates your project inventory, quote & sales proposals. This saves considerable time in the sales & pitching process khổng lồ potential clients.
There are lots of network specific icons and you can also create your own custom icons và bundles. This includes icons from network industry manufacturers to showroom an extra layer of professionalism lớn your diagrams.
There are also custom templates to showroom your own branding và company details.
D3M is heavily focused on network design and if you need to do other types of diagrams you may find it a bit restrictive. It has however recently added the possibility to lớn draw floorplan diagrams with it too.
Price: Starts at $20/m or $35/m per user for teams. Limited free version.
Platforms: Cloud
9. MyDraw
MyDraw (formerly known as Nevron Draw) is a budget desktop alternative khổng lồ MS Visio.
If the interface of MyDraw looks familiar, that’s because it’s heavily inspired by Microsoft Office’s Ribbon UI used in all MS Office products.
Visio file format support is excellent in MyDraw including support for importing older VDX format và VSSX stencils too.
MyDraw can also import, edit and export Visio VSDX files (although the results aren’t great with any type of Visio file).
MyDraw can also import family tree diagrams in GEDCOM format used in genealogy software on Mac. Other export formats supported include PDF, AutoCAD’s DXF format and as high-resolution images.
If you like to draw diagrams on your iPad, MyDraw also supports the hãng apple Pencil và other graphics tablets that work with Macs.
MyDraw isn’t quite on the same level as Visio but if you’re on a really tight budget và want a Mac desktop solution, it’s good value for money.
You can check out our full MyDraw review for more.
Price: Starts at $69
Platforms: Desktop – Mac, Windows
10. Edraw Max
Edraw Max is a cheaper desktop alternative lớn Visio but with a strikingly similar interface.
There are a lot of similarities between Edraw và MyDraw, most notably that they’re both desktop apps plus they can both import & export Visio files.
In fact the Edraw Max UI is very closely modeled on Microsoft Visio’s ribbon interface – so close in fact that it’s actually hard to distinguish the difference at first glance.
Edraw supports high unique vector graphics allowing you khổng lồ create eye-catching diagrams.
Edraw supports VDX as well as VSDX files although the exported results aren’t always great and may involve some manual adjustment depending on the complexity of the diagram.
Although there are only around 200 templates in Edraw Max, there’s enough there for basic flowcharts, org charts & brainstorming.
Overall, Edraw Max is an interesting option if you want something that looks lượt thích Visio, works on your Mac desktop but is considerably cheaper.
You can check out our full Edraw Max review for more.
Pricing: Lifetime License costs $198 with no tăng cấp costs. Subscription costs $99 per year.
Platforms: Desktop – Mac, Windows
Visio For Mac top Replacements Compared
| Edits Visio Files | |||||
| Export lớn Visio 2016/2019 (VSDX) | Only 2016 | ||||
| Real Time Collaboration | |||||
| Automated Diagramming | |||||
| Confluence tư vấn | |||||
| Microsoft Office Integration | |||||
| Templates | |||||
| Symbols & Objects | |||||
| Works on Mobile | |||||
| Pricing | $5.95-$9.95/m | $199.99 | $199 | $5-$25/m | $6.70-$8.95/m |
| Free Trial |
Is There A Mac Version of Visio?
Microsoft has never released Visio for Mac because the market for Mac users is far smaller than on Windows.
Although Microsoft claims you can now use Visio for the web on a Mac, the website version of Microsoft Visio is nowhere near as good as the desktop version.
Visio for the web does not have the same drawing tools as the full desktop version of Visio & should only be used for basic viewing and editing of Visio diagrams.
Can You Use Visio Online On A Mac?
Microsoft Visio is not included in the Standard version of Office 365 but Microsoft Visio Online (also known as Visio for the web) is now available in commercial Microsoft 365 subscriptions khổng lồ both Mac và PC users.
Previously Microsoft Visio users could save Visio files in the Cloud via Visio Services (which is also referred khổng lồ as Visio website Access in SharePoint) but it was discontinued in February 2023 & replaced by Visio Online.
However, as mentioned Visio Online is definitely not a replacement for Visio on Mac.
Microsoft claim that you can edit Visio files in your browser on a Mac but the reality is that Visio Online only allows basic editing and viewing of Visio files & there are many limitations.
For example Visio Online lacks things such as shape data, you can’t edit hyperlinks in diagrams and there are annoying glitches lượt thích session timeouts if you leave the browser tab idle for more than a few minutes.
It also only works if you have saved the files in SharePoint Online or One Drive for Business – you can’t open Visio files that are saved locally on your Mac’s hard drive or sent to lớn you via email.
Mac users can however leave comments for other users in diagrams và Visio Online is also integrated with Skype for Business for Mac so that stakeholders can discuss diagrams with others.
You can read more on why Visio for website is not a replacement for Visio here.
For iPhone & iPad users, there is also Microsoft Visio Viewer for iOS.
Installing Visio On A Mac
It is possible to lớn run Visio on a Mac although we don’t recommend it as a long term solution as it doesn’t offer stable performance và requires paying for extra software.
To run Visio on a Mac, you firstly need lớn install Windows on a Mac.
There are various ways to bởi this but the best way to lớn install Visio on a Mac is by using the Parallels virtual machine which allows you to lớn run macOS & Windows at the same time.
However, cảnh báo that táo bị cắn dở Silicon M1 and m2 Macs cannot run the standard version of Windows 11, they can only run the Windows ARM version.
Although Windows ARM can “translate” Microsoft Visio to work in Windows ARM on a Mac running in a virtual machine, the performance is slow and unstable due lớn the amount of processing needed to run it.
Is There A không tính tiền Visio Available?
There is no không tính tiền Microsoft Visio version available but there are some free alternatives to Visio.
However, all không tính phí diagramming software come with some serious catches in the small print which bởi not make them suitable for professional use.
Free Visio alternatives only allow very limited không tính phí use for individuals. If you need to lớn use them in a team, you will have to lớn pay for a team license.All không tính tiền diagramming tools limit the number of diagrams you can create & the number of objects available unless you upgrade to a paid plan.Many free diagramming software also make your diagrams public in the không tính tiền version. You will have to upgrade to lớn a paid version to make them private.Is There A Google Version Of Visio?
There is no software made by Google that can compare with Microsoft Visio.
The closest thing available is Google Drawings which is free and allows you to lớn draw very basic diagrams in your browser.
There’s also Sketchup which used khổng lồ be owned by Google but it’s a 3 chiều modelling software mainly designed for doing CAD work on a Mac.
Why Is There No Mac Version Of Visio?
The main reason is the relatively small market share of Macs compared to lớn PC.
The cost of dedicating a team of developers và engineers lớn creating and maintaining a macOS version of Visio is not considered economically viable by Microsoft.
In addition lớn this Microsoft also wants khổng lồ keep its business users – which are the majority of Visio users – within the Windows ecosystem.
Visio For Mac Alternatives: Conclusion
SmartDraw is hard to lớn beat as a powerful but far easier to use alternative lớn Visio on macOS.
Its been around longer than almost any other Visio equivalent và all that experience, features và user interface know-how has clearly gone into SmartDraw Online Edition for Mac users.
Crucially, it’s the best alternative lớn Visio when it comes to importing & exporting VSDX files and if you’re going to be working with Visio based clients or colleagues, you should definitely look no further.
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It’s also by far the most flexible diagramming software available with more templates than any other rival to lớn Visio.