Creately vs Microsoft Visio

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

Microsoft Visio

• Organizations already licensed for Microsoft 365
• IT, facilities and engineering teams drawing networks, floor plans or P&ID
• Process teams documenting BPMN 2.0 workflows
• Buyers who want a one-time license instead of a subscription

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.

Microsoft Visio

• The desktop app's system requirements list only Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019; on other systems Visio is limited to the web app.
• Visio Plan 1 is web and Teams only. The desktop app, BPMN 2.0, floor plans, engineering diagrams and data linking need Plan 2.
• The web app bundled with Microsoft 365 has limited templates and needs a work or school account; personal Microsoft accounts are not supported.
• Trials cover only Plan 1 and Plan 2 and require a credit card. Visio Standard 2024 and Professional 2024 have no trial version.

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.

Microsoft Visio

Templates and shape libraries

Templates, starter diagrams and stencils come with every version. Plan 1 adds thousands of shapes and Microsoft product icons, and Plan 2 opens more than 250,000 shapes.

Technical and business diagram types

Plan 1 covers cross-functional flowcharts, network, Azure and AWS, ERD and UML diagrams. Plan 2 adds BPMN 2.0, floor plans, P&ID, electrical and engineering diagrams.

Co-editing on the web and in Teams

Visio for the web and the Visio app in Microsoft Teams support real-time collaboration, commenting and sharing. Teams itself is licensed separately.

Data-linked diagrams

The desktop app links shapes to Excel workbooks, Access databases, SharePoint lists, SQL Server and other sources. The web app can only view data-linked diagrams.

Microsoft 365 integrations

Data Visualizer turns Excel process data into diagrams, Visio Visual embeds diagrams in Power BI dashboards, and diagrams can be exported to Word and PowerPoint.

Desktop app with offline support

Plan 2 includes the Visio desktop app with local file and offline support and AutoCAD file support, installable on up to five Windows PCs per user.

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.

Microsoft Visio

• Visio in Microsoft 365Included

  with Microsoft 365 commercial plans

  Web and Teams app for viewing and basic editing, with limited templates for general diagrams and basic flowcharts. Not sold separately.

• Visio Plan 1$5.00

  per user / month, paid yearly

  Web and Teams apps with thousands of shapes, cross-functional flowcharts, network, Azure and AWS, ERD and UML diagrams, mind maps and 2 GB of OneDrive storage.

• Visio Plan 2$15.00

  per user / month, paid yearly

  Adds the Windows desktop app with offline support, 250,000+ shapes, BPMN 2.0, floor plans, P&ID and electrical diagrams, and two-way data connectivity.

• Visio Standard 2024$309.99

  one-time purchase

  Non-subscription Windows desktop app with templates, thousands of shapes, in-app commenting, DWG import and org charts generated from data sources.

• Visio Professional 2024$579.99

  one-time purchase

  Adds diagram validation against BPMN 2.0 and UML 2.5 and links to live data from Excel, Access, SharePoint, SQL Server and other sources.

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.

Microsoft Visio

• Lifetime license

  Visio 2024 one-time purchase

  Visio Standard 2024 at $309.99 and Visio Professional 2024 at $579.99 are sold as one-time purchases of the Windows desktop app, with no subscription.

• Education

  Visio web app in free Office 365 A1 for schools

  Microsoft donates Office 365 A1 to eligible educational institutions at no cost, and Visio's FAQ lists Office 365 A1 among the plans that include the Visio web app.