Managing projects becomes easier with flowcharts as they are incredible at visualizing complex processes.
Flowcharts are the starting point of designing processes and workflows and help you troubleshoot and correct deviations as the project progresses.
Whether it’s workflow management, a product launch, or a social media campaign—all processes have moving parts. A well-designed flowchart makes it easier to understand how each component interacts.
Today, software has made creating a flowchart much easier. With the right tools, build flowcharts, make changes, and collaborate efficiently.
However, with so many online flowchart software options, picking the right one takes time and effort.
To simplify it, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best flowchart makers.
What Should You Look for In Flowchart Makers?
The features available in a flowchart maker will significantly impact its usability and effectiveness. While each business has its unique requirements, some functions are must-haves.
Here are some of the key features to look for in online flowchart software:
- Intuitive interface: Look for a tool with a user-friendly interface, offering drag-and-drop functionalities, easy data input, chart options, and intuitive functioning
- Graphical elements: The process mapping software should include various visual elements. A good flowchart maker must host various shapes, connectors, and fonts
- Customization: Tailor flowcharts by customizing colors, shapes, and styles per your preference. The higher the level of customization, the easier it gets to create complex diagrams
- Collaboration: Choose a flowchart maker that allows real-time collaboration to share your diagrams with team members and work on building processes together
- Templates: The ability to templatize flowcharts—or a library of flowchart templates—helps save a few steps. Launch your projects faster by quickly choosing themes and customizing elements
- Integration with other tools: Consider a flowchart maker that integrates seamlessly with other tools your team uses, such as project management software, mind mapping software, cloud storage solutions, or other diagram software
In addition, look flowchart tools that all team members will find easy to use, regardless of technical expertise.
The 10 Best Flowchart Makers to Use in 2024
Simplify your search with our curated list of the top 10 free online flowchart makers tailored to diverse needs and preferences.
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is more than a tool for flowcharts. With ClickUp’s Mind Maps, creating smart, collaborative, and professional flowcharts takes less than a few minutes.
Use the interactive Whiteboards to start building flowcharts along with your team, even if you work remotely. The interactive whiteboards allow you to collaborate with colleagues in real-time to create workflows and map processes.
Also, leverage ClickUp’s flowchart templates to demonstrate a customer journey map or product roadmap.
ClickUp best features
- Launch your projects faster with a rich library of flowchart templates, including ClickUp’s process flowchart template and diagram examples
- Collaborate in real-time with team members with Whiteboards and Mind Maps
- Link flowchart elements to tasks and to-do lists, which helps create a cohesive connection between process visualization and project execution
ClickUp limitations
- Challenging to create flow charts on mobile devices
- Given ClickUp’s multiple features, there’s a learning curve to master the interface
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/ month per user
- Business: $12/ month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,000+ reviews)
2. Zen Flowchart
Zen Flowchart is a lightweight yet robust free flowchart maker for crafting high-quality flowcharts, graphs, and diagrams.
This tool features multiple cliparts, elements, and themes to enhance your flowchart creation process. Use drag-and-drop elements and create nodes with a single click.
One feature that stands out is the tool’s commitment to user privacy. Zen Flowchart requires no personal information, allowing users to create flowcharts without any preliminary data submission. But, flowchart templates are limited.
For those familiar with Microsoft Drawing tools, transitioning to Zen Flowchart is seamless, thanks to their similar design structures.
Zen Flowchart best features
- Zen’s simple, no-frills UI makes creating flowcharts easy
- Enhance the flowchart’s design using the rich library of clip arts, elements, and themes
- Dive straight into the creative process without submitting personal information
Zen Flowchart limitations
- Users find the lack of advanced features or customization options limiting
- Offline functionality is somewhat restricted
- The free version only allows three documents per account
Zen Flowchart pricing
- Free Forever
- Plus: $6.3/ month per user
- Pro: $7.95/ month per user
- Team: $9/ month per user
Zen Flowchart ratings and reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
3. Visual Paradigm
Visual Paradigm is a versatile flowchart maker tool tailor-made for product and software development teams. The tool goes beyond traditional flowcharting, offering various modeling and diagramming capabilities.
A vital advantage of this tool is its UML or unified modeling language support, allowing users to create flowcharts and other diagrams essential for software design and system architecture, such as class diagrams, sequence diagrams, and more.
Collaborate with your team members with real-time editing, comments, and discussion threads.
Visual Paradigm best features
- Integrates with other popular development and project management tools, especially helpful for software developers
- Store designs with its inbuilt collage and photo book maker
- Extensive library to help you pick the most suitable flowchart template
Visual Paradigm limitations
- Limited customizable templates
- Slow learning curve
- The extensive feature set can make it resource-intensive
Visual Paradigm pricing
- Modeler: $6/month per user
- Standard: $19/month
- Professional: $35/ month
- Enterprise: $89/ month per user
Visual Paradigm ratings and reviews
- G2: Not enough ratings
- Capterra: Not listed on Capterra
4. Miro
Miro is a reliable and intuitive flowchart maker. What sets Miro apart is its robust design system, an extensive library of templates, and different features catering to specific business needs.
This equips users with the tools to create flowcharts, organizational charts, and other visual assets.
Miro features robust collaboration capabilities. Miro’s innovative whiteboard system permits multiple users to edit simultaneously, complete with clear cursor indicators, so everyone remains in sync.
Miro best features
- Collaborate from anywhere and across devices using the Miro app
- Integrate task management software tools with Miro
- Use the multiple flowchart templates on offer to get started with your flowcharts
Miro limitations
- There’s no task time-tracking feature
- It has a limited free version
- It doesn’t support all platforms, forcing users to look for Miro alternatives
Miro pricing
- Free
- Starter: $8/ month
- Business: $16/ month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Miro ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (5000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (1000+ reviews)
5. Gliffy
Gliffy is a user-friendly online flowchart creator that delivers an outstanding experience for both beginners and experienced users. While some might initially see it as limited to basic designs, Gliffy surprises with its impressive support for professional-grade features.
For example, to create a process flowchart, users can access various tools and functions, including different shapes, elements, customizable color schemes, and more, through Gliffy’s editor.
Gliffy allows users to explore its capabilities at no cost. Use the tool’s graph- and chart-making features by signing up for a free account.
Gliffy best features
- Integrate with Google Drive, Confluence, and Jira
- Create flowcharts with an easy-to-navigate and user-friendly interface
- Take advantage of its support for professional-level flowcharting features, such as SSO integration and data flow diagram automation
- Personalize flowcharts with customizable color schemes
Gliffy limitations
- Templates are restricted to premium plans
- The interface may pose challenges for creating intricate and complex diagrams
Gliffy pricing
- Free Forever
- Professional: $6 to $8/ month per user
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Gliffy ratings and reviews:
- G2: 4.4/5 (200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (70+ reviews)
6. Lucidchart
Lucidchart is among the most popular online free flowchart makers.
The online flowchart maker has numerous templates and features, enabling users to import data and customize chart shapes. Create distinctive flowcharts tailored to your business requirements.
It also has a user-friendly interface. The auto-formatting feature ensures a seamless flowchart creation experience, automatically adjusting the design to perfection as you work.
Lucidchart also allows uninterrupted sharing with team members. Comment on individual shapes, ensuring everyone stays on the same page during the collaborative process.
Lucidchart best features
- Work across platforms: Mac, Linux, and Windows
- Integrate major platforms such as Office or Google Workspace
- Create quickly with a simple drawing tool that automatically aligns items to pre-set elements
Lucidchart limitations
- Limited features in the free plan
- Data linking feature might be difficult to use for beginners, which makes them look for Lucidchart alternatives
Lucidchart pricing
- Free
- Individual: $7.95/ month
- Team: $9.00/ month per user
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
Lucidchart ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (4,900+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (2,000+ reviews)
7. Draw.io
Draw.io is a free online flowchart maker that gets you into creation mode instantly. You don’t need to log in or pay—simply launch the tool and build the flowchart on the whiteboard.
The flowchart maker’s charm lies in its simplicity; its major limitation is its comparatively limited feature set, which may not be suitable for teams with extensive diagramming needs.
Draw.io best features
- Customize as per your needs with this open-source flowcharting tool
- Import shapes and edit offline using its scratchpad features
- Save diagrams in various locations, such as Google Drive or GitHub
- Compatible with other common apps, such as SharePoint, OneDrive, Atlassian, Google Drive, Dropbox, and more
Draw.io limitations
- Limited features compared to other flowchart-making tools
- Lacks team collaboration features
Draw.io pricing
- Free
Draw.io ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (390+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (740+ reviews)
8. Canva
Canva is synonymous with design, but it’s also a great choice for those seeking a more creative approach to creating flowcharts.
It has an intuitive drag-and-drop editor that transforms templates into stunning flowcharts within minutes. You can also customize designs with Canva’s extensive library of illustrations and icons, ensuring your flowchart is informative and unique.
Canva places a strong emphasis on seamless collaboration. To create something like a process flowchart—adding comments to sharing designs, the tool simplifies the whole process for your team. Users can also create different versions of the same design, further streamlining collaborative efforts.
Canva best features
- Create quickly and easily with Canva’s user-friendly drag-and-drop editor
- Access work from any device as it operates on a cloud-based platform
- Create consistent designs using the customizable templates
- Turn presentations into flowcharts with advanced features
Canva limitations
- Sluggish to use and difficult to keep organized at times
- Less intuitive compared to other flowchart makers
Canva pricing
- Free
- Pro: $12.99/ month per user
- Teams: $14.99/ month per user
Canva ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (4400+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (11500+ reviews)
9. Whimsical
Whimsical is a creative AI tool for creating imaginative flowcharts, wireframes, and documents.
The flow chart creator has features such as a drag-and-drop interface, real-time collaboration with team members, and integrations with popular apps.
Among its features is an integrated AI mind-mapping tool that suggests new topics to enhance your mind map. Though not necessarily key to the flowchart-building process, it adds a delightful touch and contributes to Whimsical’s uniqueness.
Whimsical best features
- Feature-rich interface with customizable templates and wireframing option
- Interactive prototyping features
- Collaborate in real-time with multiple users working simultaneously on the design
- Integrate tools such as Figma, Slack, and more
Whimsical limitations
- Lacks integrated project management features
- Limited color options to create flowcharts
Whimsical pricing
- Starter: Free
- Pro: $12/ month per user
- Organization: $20/ month per user
Whimsical ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (170+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (50+ reviews)
10. SmartDraw
SmartDraw is a flowchart maker that enables users to generate over 70 types of diagrams, spanning from flowcharts to schematics. Its strength lies in powerful customization and collaboration features.
With advanced features like CAD drawings, SmartDraw goes beyond flowcharts and simple diagrams to cater to more complex design requirements.
SmartDraw best features
- Get professional design capabilities with CAD
- Use smart, modern design templates that lend a great look to diagrams
- Create different diagrams directly with inbuilt extensions
SmartDraw limitations
- Includes multiple features that aren’t required for creating flowcharts
- A steep learning curve
SmartDraw pricing
- Single User: $9.95/ month
- Teams: $8.25/ month per user
SmartDraw ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.1/5 (100+ reviews)
Select a Flowchart Maker That Works Best for You
Drawing flowcharts manually is not an option for most teams; it is time-consuming, difficult to store, and impossible to improve and collaborate on.
With a free flowchart maker, designing quickly and collaborating with your team is easy. Also, features that enable drawing diagrams with an intuitive editor, automatically connecting shapes, resizing shapes dynamically, and entering and editing text will add value.
With the addition of predefined templates, advanced design features, and integrations, process creation and improvement become more easier and quicker.
The best way to evaluate software is by testing it first-hand, and ClickUp is a great option for that! Create diagrams, collaborate with your team, and track your progress without leaving your browser.
Try ClickUp’s Interactive Whiteboard and process flowchart templates today for free, and discover how ClickUp works as a one-stop shop for all your flowcharting needs.
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