Lucidchart vs. Visio

Compare Microsoft Visio with Lucidchart, the intelligent diagramming application. See how Lucidchart beats Visio on ease of use and deep diagramming capabilities.

Lucid is the market leader in visual collaboration

Designed to help you transform complex data into actionable insights, Lucid is the most used visual collaboration platform. In contrast, Visio lacks features that make diagrams actionable.

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Why teams choose Lucidchart

Easy for everyone

Lucidchart enables technical users to create complex diagrams with built-in shape libraries, custom shapes, and data visualizations. But it’s not just for technical experts. All users can easily add text, insert image links, and edit colors within documents. Visio’s advanced diagramming tools come with a steep learning curve.

Collaboration features that are off the charts

With Lucidchart, you can do more than create polished visuals. You can collaborate in real time with your team or asynchronously with features for commenting, tagging, and more. While Visio allows users to view the same document simultaneously, its lack of multi-person editing can result in version control issues.

Integrations with industry-leading apps

To increase alignment and bridge silos, Lucidchart integrates seamlessly with the industry-leading apps you and your team use most—everything from AWS, Google, and Microsoft to Okta, Salesforce, Slack, and more. Visio works with other Microsoft products, but it offers a limited number of third-party integrations.

Templates to help you visualize anything

The Lucidchart template gallery features more than 1,000 customizable templates designed to help you visualize any idea, system, process, or workflow faster. Templates are browsable by category and searchable by name or partner. Visio offers fewer than 100 templates for a limited range of use cases.

Compatible with any internet-connected device

As a web-based application, Lucidchart is accessible from any internet-connected device. The desktop version of Visio doesn’t work on all devices. Its web-based alternative, Visio Online, is compatible with Windows, for Mac, and other operating systems, but it doesn’t include all the features of the desktop version.

"At a previous job, I used Visio. I had to spend a ton of time on my diagrams. I’d build up the diagram, then have to go back through it and reorganize and reconnect everything, just so it didn’t look like a bowl of spaghetti. With Lucidchart, I spend half the time and get a far better result."

Eric Karlinsky — Group Product Manager at Okta

"I have used Visio in the past, but it’s never been a particularly great experience, so I have never done a large amount of flowcharting until I came into this position. I started using Lucidchart, and it’s a pretty phenomenal product. I enjoy using it and find it much easier to use than Visio."

Sam Metzer — Solutions Engineer at DocuSign at DocuSign

"Lucidchart makes internal processes much more efficient. When we were using Visio before, we always had to send these documents back and forth, or we would have them in a shared drive, but then one person would make edits while the other still had it opened. So the internal coordination gets much easier with Lucidchart."

Jonas Spengler — Consultant at Metaplan at Metaplan

More resources to help you compare Lucidchart vs. Visio

Lucidchart checks all the boxes for ease of use and cross-team collaboration.

Buyer’s guide: How to evaluate visual collaboration platforms

Learn how visual collaboration capabilities can help accelerate key initiatives, and get a checklist for choosing the best platform.

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8 reasons why Lucidchart is the perfect Microsoft Visio replacement

See all the unique advantages Lucidchart offers to help you better understand and share ideas, information, and processes.

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Lucidchart template gallery

Browse or search ready-to-use templates for hundreds of use cases. Visualize, share, and document any idea faster.

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Lucidchart FAQ

Visio doesn't integrate with the apps my team uses most. Which apps integrate with Lucidchart?

Lucidchart allows you to seamlessly insert flowcharts and diagrams into industry-leading apps such as Atlassian, Confluence, and Jira. You can also import data from BambooHR, Salesforce, Zapier, and other apps to automate visualization of org charts, account maps, performance metrics, and more. Click the link below for a complete list of Lucidchart integrations.

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Visio is too expensive for my organization. How does Lucidchart compare?

Lucid applications deliver more value at a reduced cost. Professionals subscribe to Lucidchart at a low monthly rate, avoiding significant upfront costs for desktop software. Customers who choose the Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite, which bundles Lucidchart for diagramming and Lucidspark for whiteboarding, save an average of one-third on their licensing costs over paying for multiple, incomplete apps.

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Can I switch from Visio to Lucidchart without losing my Visio files?

With a free Lucidchart account, you can use our Visio viewer to open and view existing Visio files. When you upgrade to a paid Lucidchart account, you gain the added ability to edit and share Visio files. Because we’re committed to helping all teams make their ideas a reality, paid accounts also allow you to facilitate collaboration with anyone still using Visio by exporting Lucidchart docs to a Visio file format.

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How long does the Lucidchart free trial last?

Try Lucidchart free for seven days with no commitment. We’ll send you an email reminder before your trial expires. If you want to learn more about upgrading to an Individual, Team, or Enterprise account, contact our sales team.