The Best Mac Software for Diagramming or Drawing Diagramming software Do you need to make an amazing flowchart on your Mac? Looking for the best MS Visio software, which you can use on your Mac, you can simply go for ConceptDraw DIAGRAM application, ensuring yourself in getting even better results of your drawing using it. The reason for ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software to be that popular is the solutions, developed for its users to have in order to create only professionally looking charts, flowcharts, diagrams, schemes, plans and maps. The pre-made examples and templates as well as the design elements from the stencil libraries of such solutions are meant to help you to make smart looking drawings within a very short period of time getting the needed result having all the necessary tools in only a few hours or even minutes, depending how good and familiar you are with the mentioned software.
Install Office on your PC or Mac.Find out why Lucidchart is the preferred diagram software for Mac users today!Find out why Lucidchart is the preferred diagram software for Mac users today!Visio For Mac Free. Visio for mac free Software for any Operating System. Perhaps the best part about Microsoft Word on mobile is how well it represents. LucidChart Mac Network Diagram Software It is an online and cloud-based Mac diagramming tool that allows you to draw basic network diagrams based on the clean and functional interface. After signing up for a free account, you will get access to an extensive library with hundreds of network diagram examples and symbols.
The Best Mac Software for Diagramming or Drawing In order to draw your business communication ideas and concepts, the simple visual presentations of some numerical data, illustrating this data in a way of schematics is always better with the best diagrams drawing software – Concept Draw PRO. The list of the diagrams, which can be created with help of this tool is almost endless: flowcharts, block diagrams, bar charts, histograms, pie charts, divided bar diagrams, line graphs, area charts, scatter plots, circular arrows diagrams, Venn diagrams, bubble diagrams, concept maps and many other diagrams can be all made using ConceptDraw DIAGRAM block diagrams, line graphs, area charts and many more other charts and flowcharts diagramming software. The Best Mac Software for Diagramming or Drawing As an example of what can be created with help of ConceptDraw DIAGRAM application, we want to mention the ER- diagram, which is well known and commonly used Entity-Relationship Diagram. The components for drawing such ER diagram are all there in our stencil libraries of the “Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) Solution”, and being an experienced user of ConceptDraw DIAGRAM will take you only about 10 or 15 minutes to create any ERD using the provided samples. Once you are not as experienced with the mentioned software, then it may take a little bit longer for the first time, but still our pre-made samples and templates will be very useful for you, simplifying your work of creating the needed diagrams.
Thus, the Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) Solution for ConceptDraw DIAGRAM allows you to create your own Entity-Relationship Diagrams of any complexity quickly, simply and effectively. The mentioned can be found and downloaded from ConceptDraw STORE application, extending the ConceptDraw DIAGRAM ector graphics and diagramming software with the ability of drawing your own entity-relationship diagrams using both Chen's or/and Crow's Foot notations, offering two stencil libraries with numerous pre-designed ER-icons, which are “ERD, Chen's Notation” and “ERD, Crow's Foot Notation” libraries.
ERD Diagrams in MS Visio and ConceptDraw Data flow diagram is also a very well-known as well as commonly used representation of data, with help of which you can represent any data flow in a system. Data Flow Diagrams (DFD) are a great part of the Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology, being consisted of so many different components, such as processes and functions, representing the actions happened in information system. There are the external entities mentioned within this drawing, which represent the data ingoing to and outgoing from in the system. The illustrated data depositories on the mentioned diagram represent places in the system, where data can be saved for a definite period of time and the represented data flows indicate the directions as well as a character of data, flowing within the considered information system. The main data flow diagram elements are: processes, data flow, external entities and data store.
So called “Yourdon — de Marco notation” is the one, being widely used for representation of the Data Flow Diagram objects. The design objects, which can be used for creating the Data Flow Diagrams, can be interpreted in a way of processes transforming the input data flows into the output data flows. Such design objects all can be found in the to be very useful for those who intend to make great looking, professionally as well as smart looking data flow diagrams while working in ConceptDraw DIAGRAM data flow diagramming software. DFD Diagram in MS Visio and ConceptDraw Apart from the diagrams, there are also very many different types of flowcharts which also can be created within the best flowcharts and diagrams drawing software — ConceptDraw DIAGRAM Thus, the Basic Flowchart, which is often being used for defining as well as documenting the basic work and data flows in production, quality and financial management processes in order to increase the efficiency of so many different spheres of business activity, can be simply created in ConceptDraw DIAGRAM basic flowchart software suing the Flowchart solution.
The Business Process Modelling Diagram is a simple graphical representation, used for specifying the numerous business processes in a workflow as well as the Process Flowchart (also known as the “system flow diagram” or “SFD”), used to show the relationships between the major parts of the system, can be made with the existing tools, which ConceptDraw STORE, as another CS Odessa product, provides in its Solutions. Another type of diagrams that can be made in the best flowchart maker — ConceptDraw DIAGRAM — is a Process Flow one, which presents a range of symbols representing different appliances.
It can be created with all provided necessary design symbols as well as design elements from the stencil libraries from Solutions, depending on what exactly you need to create and in what way it should look like. The mentioned design elements are meant to be used for making many different flowcharts and diagrams, including the “Cross Functional Flowchart”, which is often used to show the relationship between some business processes as well as the functional units (such as units or departments responsible for such business processes to be managed in an appropriate way). Concept Maps As concept map consists from conception-blocks and links between them, you can use ConceptDraw library objects and add to a document as much objects as you need. ConceptDraw tools let you to edit, group, move objects, change their appearance and add text signs and raster or vector pictures. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM v12 diagramming and vector drawing software extended with Concept Maps Solution from the 'What is a Diagram' Area is effective tool for creating professional looking Concept Maps.
Best Flowchart Software and Flowchart Symbols Do you like the professional schemes that you can find on the Internet? Take into account that the most part of them is made using the Best Flowchart Software and Flowchart Symbols. Try you own powers in creating such diagrams! Flowcharts are the most business diagramming tool. If you are a business manager, you can use flow chart to depict work flow in your organization, develop the effective organizational structure and present the information to investors or other stakeholders.
Combining the smart management solutions with ConceptDraw DIAGRAM v12 diagramming engine delivers the set of comprehensive flowchart tools necessary to support professionals in their creativeness and business activity. Storage area networks (SAN).
Computer and Network Examples A Storage area network (SAN) is a dedicated network that provides access to data storage and operations only on the block level. SAN usually has own network of storage devices/elements and disk arrays that are connected with each other and to a remote data-sharing network. SANs are widely used for enhancing the storage devices (optical jukeboxes, disk arrays, tape libraries) that are accessible for networked servers.
This example was created in ConceptDraw DIAGRAM v12 using the Computer and Networks Area of ConceptDraw Solution Park. It shows the hybrid of Storage area network (SAN) and Network Attached Storage (NAS) technologies.
Local area network (LAN). Computer and Network Examples Computer networks nowadays are spread all across the world.
The large number of parameters, such as geographic scale or communication protocols, can divide networks. One of the most common types of networks is called local area network (LAN). It convenient to represent network examples by means of diagrams. This local area network (LAN) diagram provides an easy way to see the way the devices in a local network are interacted. The diagram uses a library containing specific symbols to represent network equipment, media and the end-user devices such as computers (PC, mac, laptop), network printer, hubs, server and finally a modem. There are two types of network topologies: physical and logical. The current diagram represents precisely a physical type of LAN topology because it refers to the physical layout of a local network equipment.
Microsoft Visio is a powerful piece of software, allowing IT professionals, business people, engineers, and others working in highly technical fields to map out and display complex information in the form of flowcharts, site plans, floor plans, diagrams and more. Useful though all this is, the price point is well beyond what the average home user is willing to spend at $300 for the “Standard” version and $590 for the Pro version. (If you’re dead-set on using Visio, there is a potentially cheaper option where you can get Visio Pro for Office 365 for $13/month if you get an annual subscription or $15/month for a monthly commitment.). But why pay at all when there are perfectly free and viable Visio alternatives available to you? Here are our top picks. LucidChart Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux If you are looking for a web-based alternative to Microsoft Visio, is the perfect choice.
It provides a drag-and-drop web interface to draw any kind of diagram. LucidChart gives you an option to build your diagrams in collaboration with your team. Multiple people will be able to work with the same diagram, making it the perfect choice for small teams. One of the great features of LucidChart is that it can export or import Microsoft Visio vdx files very easily.
One thing that is missing in LucidChart is the built-in categorization of different shapes for different areas like networking, engineering, etc. You don’t need to sign up for an account with LucidChart; just open the site and start drawing. ASCIIFlow Infinity Platforms: Browser Starting with the simple stuff, if you’re looking for a quick, easy and instantly accessible diagramming tool with no bells and whistles attached, is a good option. You can forget about having a vast range of shapes at your disposal or using this to map out a complex engineering project, but for quickly conveying ideas in diagram form, this is about as efficient as you can get. The ASCII format is clear, and you can use familiar Windows shortcuts ( Ctrl + C, Ctrl + Z and so on) to quickly chop and change your diagrams. You can change the format of the boxes from ASCII to Lines to make things a little clearer, and sync it all with Google Drive, too (though currently the level of access it requests to your Google Drive may put more security-conscious users off – hopefully that’s something they can fix).
Gliffy Platforms: Windows, Mac, Browser Coming in both free and paid flavors, is a robust diagramming app that fully embraces the cloud. It integrates with services like Google Drive, Confluence and JIRA to allow you to collaborate on your UMLs, flowcharts and other diagramming projects seamlessly. Gliffy is free for students, while others get access to the ‘Basic’ version of the software (after a 14-day trial with the paid version), which has less templates, images and so on than the paid version.
With its simple drag-and-drop interface, large variety of exportable formats and a perfectly usable which is completely free, Gliffy is an excellent choice for those comfortable with diagramming and flowchart software. More advanced users, however, may find the free version a little wanting in features and opt for one of the other, more feature-packed options in this list. YEd Graph Editor Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux Quite possibly the most user-friendly diagramming software out there, has you covered for everything from flowcharts, to family trees, to more technical diagrams like network infrastructures and process models. You can set your chart to automatically lay itself out to suit whatever kind of data you’re entering. It has a decent repository of images for various types of charts and also gives you the option to import images from elsewhere.
When you’re done, you can save your chart as a JPEG, XML or HTML, among other formats, making it easy to upload to websites or send to clients. Graphviz Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux For something a little alternative, you can try, the near thirty-year-old tool in which you create graphs, hierarchies and so on using a command line utility and the robust DOT language. It takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll see that it could save you time in the long run. It has a good amount of formats you can export your graph to and a number of layouts such as hierarchical, radial, multiscale and more. It’s particularly useful if you aren’t too fussy about pretty colors but are more concerned about entering huge amounts of data that can get instantly organized and generated. (That colossal graph at the top of this article was made using Graphviz.) 6.
LibreOffice Draw Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux is the closest and biggest open-source competitor of Microsoft Visio. Draw is an all-purpose drawing, diagramming and charting tool.
The feature that I love in Draw is the grouping feature. You can easily group different objects together and then do different actions on the group like moving the group, connecting with other groups, etc. In addition to other formats (XML format is the default), you can also export your diagrams as SWF Flash files.
As an extra treat, here’s a that are similar to those you find in Visio. Dia Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux is an open-source program very similar to Microsoft Visio, with largely the same feature set. You can create UML diagrams, flowcharts, network processes and architectures, entity relationship diagrams, etc., easily with Dia. The default file format for any file created with Dia is.dia, but there are plenty of file formats you can export your diagram to, including Microsoft Visio’s.vdx format. Draw.io Platforms: Browser has a very responsive and accessible interface, with the tools in the column on the left and the drawing in the column on the right.
You don’t need to sign up for an account to use Draw.io, and from the moment you’re on the site you’re given the option to save your work to cloud services like Google Drive and OneDrive or your hard drive. If you connect Draw.io to your Google account, it has very functional real-time collaboration, letting you work on projects simultaneously with others. It’s not a complex tool, so while it’s accessible, it doesn’t offer the depth of features of some other diagramming software. Pencil Project Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux is an open-source alternative to Microsoft Visio which is actively maintained by the development community. Their goal for Pencil Project is to make diagramming as easy as possible and usable for everyone from a newbie to an expert. You can also install it as a so that you can easily create your diagrams while browsing the Internet. (Note that when we last checked, this extension wasn’t compatible with Firefox Quantum – here’s hoping that they update it.).
Thanks for this thorough review! I wonder: how did you determine that each of these were the best free options? I recently drew up a review of top alternatives myself, but I used a series of heuristics to help me determine what was best. I wasn’t necessarily looking for free competitors (I wanted to find the overall best), but I did limit pricing to under $200 per license or under $15 per user per month.
I also required that the alternative had to sync with at least one project management tool, and had to get generally good reviews. (You can see the whole article here: ) When filtering for “free” tools, I got similar, but not the same results: – Creately – Draw.io – Gliffy – Lucidchart (though their paid version is really what makes it stand out).