Creately vs draw.io

Creately

• Teams that mix flowcharts, mind maps and whiteboards on one canvas
• Larger groups that want a flat price for unlimited users on Business
• Organizations that need on-premise hosting or regional data residency
• Teachers and students, who can request discounted pricing

draw.io

• UML, ERD, network and flowchart diagrams at no cost
• Teams whose data rules require files to stay in their own storage
• Diagramming offline on Windows, macOS or Linux
• Documentation kept in Confluence, Google Drive or GitHub

Creately

• The Free plan allows 45 items per canvas, 1 folder and 2 imports.
• Starter and Team cap a canvas at 1,000 and 1,500 items; databases, guest access, custom templates and the Microsoft Teams integration start at Business.
• The vendor's pages list no desktop or mobile apps; Creately is used in a web browser.
• Enterprise and on-premise deployment have no public price and are quoted by sales.

draw.io

• There is no hosted workspace or account: every diagram is a file kept in the storage you pick, so sharing depends on that storage.
• Real-time co-editing needs the file to be in Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, or the diagram to be in draw.io for Confluence.
• No native mobile apps are listed; the docs suggest adding the web editor to a phone's home screen instead.
• Using draw.io inside Confluence or Jira needs the vendor's Atlassian Marketplace apps, which are licensed separately from the free editor.

Creately

Canvas for diagrams and whiteboards

One canvas handles flowcharts, mind maps, org charts, UML, ERDs and freeform whiteboards. The free plan lists 50 professional diagram types and paid plans list 70.

AI diagram drafts

Describe a process, structure or set of ideas and the AI lays out a first version made of editable shapes and connectors. AI Diagrams is listed from Starter up.

Real-time collaboration

Several people edit a canvas together with live cursors and comments. Version history covers 30 days on Starter and Team and 1 year on Business.

Databases and data sync

Business adds 50 databases with 500 items each, two-way sync with Excel and Google Sheets, and project management tools.

Template library and toolkits

Premium templates and shape libraries come with paid plans, and Business adds HR, product, IT and process toolkits plus custom templates.

Enterprise and on-premise options

Enterprise offers data residency in the United States, Australia, the EU and the Middle East, and Creately On-Prem runs inside a customer's private infrastructure.

draw.io

Shape libraries for technical diagrams

Libraries and templates cover process flows, org charts, floor plans, network infrastructure, UML, entity relationship models, circuit and rack diagrams, and infographics.

Storage you choose

Diagrams are saved to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, GitHub, GitLab, the browser or the local device. The online editor does not store diagram data on the vendor's servers.

Offline desktop app and self-hosting

A stand-alone desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux works with no internet connection, and the editor can be deployed in a self-hosted Docker container.

Co-editing with shared cursors

People editing the same diagram see each other's changes in real time when the file is stored in Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, or in draw.io for Confluence.

Diagrams generated from text

The editor builds diagrams from Mermaid code, CSV spreadsheet data or SQL code, and an AI tool can generate a diagram from a written description.

Import, export and embedding

Files from other diagramming tools can be dropped in and edited, and diagrams export to SVG, PNG or PDF or embed as interactive viewers in docs, wikis and web pages.

Creately

• Free$0

  Unlimited canvases and collaborators with 45 items per canvas, standard shape libraries, 1 folder and 2 imports.

• Starter$5

  per month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)

  For one professional: 1,000 items per canvas, premium shape libraries and templates, 20 folders, AI Diagrams, PDF and SVG export, and 30-day version history.

• Team$5

  per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)

  Multiple named users with 1,500 items per canvas, 30 folders, advanced collaboration, chat support and an account management portal.

• Business$89

  per month, billed annually ($149 billed monthly)

  Flat price for unlimited users: 3,000 items per canvas, 100 folders, 50 databases, guest access, Microsoft Teams integration and 1-year version history.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Quoted by sales, with an on-premise option for organizations that need to host Creately on their own infrastructure.

draw.io

• Free$0

  The full editor online at app.diagrams.net, as a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, or self-hosted in a container. No sign-up is needed.

Creately

• Annual discount

  Save $36 a year with annual billing

  Starter and Team cost $5 a month when billed annually against $8 billed monthly, which the pricing page labels as saving $36 a year. Business drops from $149 to $89 a month.

• Education

  Discounted pricing for teachers and students

  Creately's pricing FAQ says teachers and students can request discounted pricing with a school or college email address. The size of the discount is not stated.

draw.io

• Nonprofit

  Free Confluence and Jira Cloud license for charities

  draw.io's licensing docs say charitable organizations and partners are eligible for a free license for its Confluence or Jira Cloud apps.