Lucidchart vs Microsoft Visio
We give Lucidchart a 3.4 GPA and Microsoft Visio a 2.8, out of 4.0. Lucidchart grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lucidchart
Browser-based diagramming for flowcharts, org charts and systems
Microsoft Visio
Diagramming software for flowcharts, org charts and floor plans
How we grade them
| 3.4GPALucidchartVery good | 2.8GPAMicrosoft VisioGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BIndividual is $9 a month billed annually, about what tools in this category charge. Team is $10 a user and adds revision history plus the Confluence, Jira and Microsoft 365 integrations. The page gives no monthly price. | BPlan 1 is $5 a user a month paid yearly, cheap for thousands of shapes plus network, ERD and UML diagrams on the web. But the desktop app, BPMN 2.0, floor plans and data linking need Plan 2 at $15. Buying once is steep: $309.99 for Standard 2024 and $579.99 for Professional. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree forever, with Lucid AI, commenting and presentation mode included. But it's 3 editable documents and 75 shapes per document, so one big process map can hit the shape limit by itself. The 7-day trial of the paid plans wants payment details. | DNo free plan. The one-month trial of Plan 1 or Plan 2 needs a work or school account and a credit card, and the one-time versions have no trial at all. A basic web app does come with Microsoft 365 commercial plans, if your employer already pays for one. |
| Features | AShape libraries for flowcharts, UML, ER, network, AWS, Azure and GCP diagrams. Lucid AI drafts from a prompt, data linking builds visuals from Google Sheets, Excel or CSV, and UML markup turns text into a sequence diagram. Paid plans open and export Visio files. | ATemplates and stencils for flowcharts, networks, Azure and AWS, ERD, UML and mind maps. Plan 2 adds BPMN 2.0, floor plans, P&ID and electrical diagrams, with more than 250,000 shapes. The desktop app links shapes to live data in Excel or SQL Server. People co-edit on the web and in Teams. |
| Ease of use | B4.59 from about 5,300 App Store ratings, a whisker under our line for an A. It runs in a browser, so there's nothing to install, and you start from templates and ready-made shapes. | BNo App Store rating on record. Templates and starter diagrams come with every version, which helps. You'll need a work or school account for the bundled web app and the trials, as personal Microsoft accounts aren't supported. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, iOS and Android, with Jira, Confluence, Microsoft 365, Slack, Teams, Notion and Google Drive hooked in, plus a developer platform. One catch: the iOS app needs a Team or Enterprise subscription. | BA web app and a Teams app, tied into Excel, Power BI, Word, PowerPoint and SharePoint. The desktop app only runs on Windows. On anything else, a Mac included, you're limited to the web version. |
| Best for | flowcharts and technical diagrams in a browser | technical diagrams in a Microsoft 365 workplace |
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: Lucidchart and Microsoft Visio. How we grade
Where they differ
- Lucidchart starts at $9 per month, billed annually. Microsoft Visio starts at $5.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Visio Plan 1).
- Lucidchart has a free plan. Microsoft Visio does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Lucidchart lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Microsoft Visio lists a Windows app.
- Microsoft Visio can be bought with a one-time purchase.
At a glance
| Lucidchart | Microsoft Visio | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $9 per month, billed annually | $5.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Visio Plan 1) |
| Free plan | 3 editable Lucidchart documents, 75 shapes per document and 100 templates, with basic data linking, presentation mode, commenting and Lucid AI. | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of Individual or Team; payment details are required at sign-up | One-month free trial of Visio Plan 1 or Plan 2 with a work or school account; a credit card is required |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Lucid Software Inc. | Microsoft Corporation |
| Price read from | lucid.app | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
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
Worth knowing
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.
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.
Key features
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.
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.
Plans
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.
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.
Ways to pay less
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.
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.
