Creately vs Lucidchart

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

Lucidchart

• Documenting processes as flowcharts and process maps
• Engineers drawing UML, ERD and cloud architecture diagrams
• Teams that embed diagrams in Confluence, Jira or Microsoft 365
• Org charts built from imported data

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.

Lucidchart

• The Free plan is limited to 3 editable documents and 75 shapes per document.
• The iOS app requires a Team or Enterprise subscription; Free and Individual accounts are pointed to the browser version instead.
• Revision history, the developer platform and the Microsoft 365, Confluence and Jira integrations start at Team; SAML is Enterprise only.
• The pricing page shows only annual-billing rates. Its FAQ says monthly billing is available but gives no monthly price.

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.

Lucidchart

Shape libraries for technical diagrams

Libraries cover flowcharts, process maps, org charts, UML, ER and network diagrams, plus AWS, Azure and GCP shapes. Premium libraries need a paid plan.

Lucid AI

Text prompts generate diagram content on the canvas, and AI can refine a prompt or summarize a document. Lucid AI is listed on every plan, including Free.

Data linking

Connect a diagram to Google Sheets, Excel or CSV data to build visuals from the source, then use conditional formatting to highlight patterns in it.

Diagram from markup

UML markup generates a sequence diagram from text, and ERD markup and diagram-as-code options let technical users edit the source instead of dragging shapes.

Collaboration and versioning

Several people can edit a diagram at once and leave comments. Revision history with versioning is added on the Team plan.

Visio import and export

Paid plans open and export Microsoft Visio files, and the Android app can import and view VDX, VSD, VSDM and VSDX formats.

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.

Lucidchart

• Free$0

  3 editable documents, 75 shapes per document, 100 templates, basic data linking, presentation mode and commenting.

• Individual$9

  per month, billed annually

  Unlimited editable documents and objects, 1 GB of storage, Visio import and export, and premium shape libraries and templates.

• Team$10

  per user / month, billed annually

  Adds revision history with versioning, password-protected publishing, the developer platform, and Microsoft 365, Confluence and Jira integrations.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Adds Lucidspark whiteboarding, team hubs, SAML authentication, enforceable sharing restrictions, advanced data and automation, and Salesforce integration.

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.

Lucidchart

• Annual discount

  Lower price with annual billing

  Lucid's pricing FAQ says paid plans can be paid monthly or, at a saving, annually. The listed rates are the annual ones and the page does not state the size of the saving.