Creately vs EdrawMax (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Creately grades higher than EdrawMax: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Creately grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Creately
Visual workspace for diagrams, whiteboards and planning
EdrawMax
Diagram maker with templates, a web editor and a desktop app
Which one is for you
Pick Creately if
- Fits if you draw flowcharts, mind maps and org charts and want them all on one canvas
- Works for one person who needs PDF or SVG export, at $4 an editor a month billed annually
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free, because a diagram stops at 40 shapes and can't be exported
- Skip it if you want a desktop or phone app, as Creately only runs in a browser
- Pricey if all you need is admin controls and roles for a few people, since those start at Business, $89 a month
- Watch out: SAML SSO, SCIM and data residency are Enterprise only, on a price quoted by sales
- Watch out: Starter and Team are gone from the plans page, though existing subscribers keep them
Pick EdrawMax if
- Fits if you draw UML, network diagrams or floor plans and want a template library
- Works for people looking for a Visio alternative that runs in a browser
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: plan names and prices couldn't be read, so check before you rely on the free version
- Watch out: whether the free version limits exports or templates isn't stated
- Skip it if you need a freeform whiteboard for live brainstorming
- Not for you if you need desktop or phone apps confirmed, as the listing can't say which systems they run on
How we grade them
| 2.6GPACreatelyGood | 2.0GPAEdrawMaxFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPro is $4 an editor a month billed annually, so $48 a year, against a category whose middle is $8.33 a month. That's the cheaper quarter, and it buys unlimited shapes and diagrams with PDF, SVG, PNG and JPEG export. Business jumps to $89 a month for the whole organization. | CNo readable price: the pricing page loads its figures with JavaScript. With nothing on record it sits in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree forever, with every diagram type, an infinite canvas, real-time collaboration and link sharing. The caps bite quickly, though: 40 shapes per diagram, and no PNG, JPEG, PDF or SVG export, no private links and no email invitations. | COffered as a free diagram maker online, but the pages we read didn't say what the free version limits on exports or templates. |
| Features | BThe whole job on one canvas: flowcharts, mind maps, org charts, UML, ERDs, BPMN and freeform whiteboards, more than 70 diagram types, with live cursors, comments and version history. AI drafts a first version from a description, and paid plans connect a data source. | CMany diagram types, a template and symbol library and AI tools, but it's a diagramming tool rather than a freeform whiteboard. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Nothing to install, and the AI will hand you a rough first draft rather than a blank page, but this is still a canvas you build yourself, with 70-odd diagram types and a shape library to find your way around. | CNo store rating on record. You build each diagram yourself, from a template or a blank page. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no desktop or mobile apps on the vendor's pages. It connects to Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Drive, Confluence, Jira, GitHub, Azure DevOps and Google Sheets, and there's an on-premise version for organizations that must host it themselves. | COnly the web editor is confirmed. Desktop and mobile editions exist, but the pages we read didn't say which systems they cover, and PowerPoint is the one connection named. |
| Best for | flowcharts, mind maps and org charts on one canvas | flowcharts, UML and floor plans from templates |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Creately and EdrawMax. How we grade
Where they differ
- Creately is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Creately also covers whiteboard and mind mapping.
At a glance
| Creately | EdrawMax | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4 per editor / month, billed annually ($48 a year) | Not published |
| Free plan | Every diagram type on an infinite canvas, up to 40 shapes per diagram, real-time collaboration and team link sharing. No PNG, JPEG, PDF or SVG export, private links or email invitations. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Cinergix Pty Ltd | Edrawsoft |
| Price read from | creately.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Creately
- The Free plan stops at 40 shapes per diagram and has no PNG, JPEG, PDF or SVG export, private links or email invitations.
- Admin controls, roles and the audit log start at Business; SAML SSO, SCIM, SLAs and data residency are limited to Enterprise.
- The vendor's pages list no desktop or mobile apps; Creately is used in a web browser.
- Starter and Team are no longer on the plans page. Creately says existing subscribers keep their current plan and price unless they choose to switch.
EdrawMax
- Plan names and prices could not be read: the pricing page loads its figures with JavaScript and the site's pricing addresses returned errors.
- The site lists desktop and mobile editions, but the pages read here did not say which operating systems they cover, so only the web editor is listed.
- Whether the free web version limits exports or templates was not stated on the pages read.
Key features
Creately
- Canvas for diagrams and whiteboards
- One canvas handles flowcharts, mind maps, org charts, UML, ERDs, BPMN and freeform whiteboards. The workspace page counts more than 70 diagram types, and every plan includes all of them.
- 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.
- Real-time collaboration
- Several people edit a canvas together with live cursors and comments, and version history shows earlier work. Real-time collaboration and team link sharing are on every plan.
- Connected data sources
- Pro connects one data source that refreshes daily, and Business removes the limit. The Free plan is limited to static imports.
- Basic tier of Creately's other products
- Every plan includes the Basic tier of Atlas for org charts, Process for process maps and Clinical for genograms. Their Advanced tiers are sold on Enterprise, one product at a time.
- 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.
EdrawMax
- Many diagram types
- The site lists flowcharts, mind maps, org charts, Gantt charts, floor plans, P&ID, UML and ER diagrams among the drawings it supports.
- Template and symbol library
- The site claims more than 20,000 free templates and 26,000 symbols, plus a community where users share templates.
- AI diagram tools
- The site claims 40 or more AI diagram generators and tools, and offers 500 free AI tokens when you try the app.
- Web editor with sharing
- EdrawMax Online lets teams co-create diagrams in a browser and export or share them publicly or privately.
Plans
Creately
Free$0
Every diagram type on an infinite canvas with up to 40 shapes per diagram, real-time collaboration and team link sharing. No image, PDF or SVG export.
Pro$4
per editor / month, billed annually at $48 ($5 billed monthly)
Unlimited shapes and diagrams, export to PDF, SVG, PNG and JPEG, private links and email invitations, and one connected data source refreshed daily.
Business$89
per organization / month, billed annually ($149 billed monthly)
Everything in Pro plus unlimited connected data sources, admin controls and roles, an audit log and priority support. Billed annually at $1,068.
EnterpriseCustom
Annual agreement quoted by sales: the Advanced tier of Creately's other products, granted per product, plus SAML SSO, SCIM, SLAs and data residency.
EdrawMax
Pricing could not be confirmed. See edrawmax.com.
Ways to pay less
Creately
- Annual discount
Save $12 a year per editor with annual billing
Pro is $48 per editor billed annually against $5 a month, which the plans page labels as saving $12 a year. Business is $1,068 billed annually against $149 a month.
- Education
Discounted plans for educational institutions
Creately's plans FAQ says it offers discounted plans for educational institutions, arranged by contacting the company. The size of the discount is not stated.
- Nonprofit
Discounted plans for nonprofits
The same FAQ says nonprofits can get discounted plans by contacting Creately with their details. The size of the discount is not stated.
EdrawMax
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Creately or EdrawMax?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Creately starts at $4 per editor / month, billed annually ($48 a year), and EdrawMax has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Creately or EdrawMax?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Creately has a free plan. EdrawMax does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.