Alternatives · Whiteboards
Gliffy alternatives
As of Nov 13, 2026, the best Gliffy alternative for most people is draw.io (3.2 GPA), third in our ranking of whiteboard and mind map tools. It's also the best free one.
Gliffy compared with 7 alternatives: Lucidchart, draw.io, Microsoft Visio, Creately, SmartDraw and 2 more.
Gliffy has a free plan. Paid plans start at $3.80 per user / month, billed annually (Confluence Cloud, 11 to 100 users). 5 of the 7 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 2 more offer a free trial.
Listings checked up to Nov 12, 2026 · Where the facts come from
Black Friday: is there a Gliffy sale?
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| GliffyThis tool | Free plan · from $3.80/mo | Yes | Web |
| Lucidchart | Free plan · from $9/mo | Yes | Web, iOS, Android |
| draw.io | Free | Free | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux |
| Microsoft Visio | Free trial · from $5.00/mo | Trial only | Web, Windows |
| Creately | Free plan · from $4/mo | Yes | Web |
| SmartDraw | Free trial · from $10.95/mo | Trial only | Web |
| Visual Paradigm | Free plan · from $6/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux |
| yEd | Free | Free | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux |
Price against what you get
Gliffy starts at $3.80 a month for each person and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 1 of the 7 alternatives on this chart scores higher and starts lower: draw.io.
Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, Creately, SmartDraw and Visual Paradigm score higher without starting lower. yEd starts lower without scoring higher.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from Gliffy
Lucidchart
Browser-based diagramming for flowcharts, org charts and systems
- Lucidchart starts at $9 per month, billed annually.
- Lucidchart also lists iOS and Android apps.
- Lucidchart also covers mind mapping.
Suits: Documenting processes as flowcharts and process maps
draw.io
Free diagram editor that saves files to storage you choose
- draw.io is free.
- draw.io also lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- draw.io is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
Suits: UML, ERD, network and flowchart diagrams at no cost
Microsoft Visio
Diagramming software for flowcharts, org charts and floor plans
- Microsoft Visio starts at $5.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Visio Plan 1).
- Microsoft Visio has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Gliffy.
- Microsoft Visio also lists a Windows app.
- Microsoft Visio can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft Visio also covers mind mapping.
Suits: Organizations already licensed for Microsoft 365
Creately
Visual workspace for diagrams, whiteboards and planning
- Creately starts at $4 per editor / month, billed annually ($48 a year).
- Creately is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Creately also covers whiteboard and mind mapping.
Suits: Teams that mix flowcharts, mind maps and whiteboards on one canvas
SmartDraw
Floor plans, scaled layouts and business diagrams in the browser
- SmartDraw starts at $10.95 per month, billed annually ($7.95 intro price for new customers).
- SmartDraw has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Gliffy.
- SmartDraw also covers whiteboard and mind mapping.
Suits: Floor plans, site plans and other scaled layouts without CAD software
Visual Paradigm
Desktop and online modeling suite for UML, BPMN and architecture
- Visual Paradigm starts at $6 per month (Modeler edition, subscription).
- Visual Paradigm also lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Visual Paradigm can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Visual Paradigm also covers mind mapping.
- Visual Paradigm does not cover templates, which Gliffy does.
Suits: Software and systems teams doing UML, SysML or database design
yEd
Free desktop graph editor with automatic diagram layout
- yEd is free.
- yEd also lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- yEd does not cover templates, which Gliffy does.
Suits: Analyzing and laying out large graphs or networks
Limits worth knowing in Gliffy
- The pricing page covers Confluence apps only, and all purchases, renewals and upgrades go through Atlassian.
- Prices are per Confluence user and follow the size of your instance, not just the people who draw.
- On Confluence Cloud, diagrams become read-only if the license is not renewed.
- The Zero Egress price is shown as an as-low-as figure.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Gliffy?
The alternatives to Gliffy in this directory are Lucidchart, draw.io, Microsoft Visio, Creately, SmartDraw, Visual Paradigm and yEd. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Gliffy.
Is there a free alternative to Gliffy?
Yes. draw.io and yEd are free to use. Lucidchart, Creately and Visual Paradigm have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Which Gliffy alternatives work on Windows?
The Gliffy listing does not include a Windows app. draw.io, Microsoft Visio, Visual Paradigm and yEd list one.
Which Gliffy alternatives work on macOS?
The Gliffy listing does not include a macOS app. draw.io, Visual Paradigm and yEd list one.
Is there an open-source alternative to Gliffy?
draw.io is described as open source on its own site.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 5, 2026 to Nov 12, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.