Microsoft Visio vs OmniGraffle

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

OmniGraffle

• Mac, iPad and iPhone users who want a native diagramming app
• Designers drawing wireframes and precise vector diagrams
• Buyers who prefer a perpetual license to a subscription
• People who need to open or hand over Microsoft Visio files

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.

OmniGraffle

• OmniGraffle runs only on Mac, iPhone and iPad; there is no Windows, Android or web version.
• Mac and iOS perpetual licenses are sold separately; only the $129.99 yearly subscription covers all three devices.
• Visio import and export, shared layers, artboards and automation need a Pro license or the subscription.
• A perpetual license covers one major version; the next major version is a paid upgrade, offered at a discount.

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.

OmniGraffle

Diagramming tools

Shapes connect with straight, orthogonal, curved or Bézier lines that stay attached, and on the Mac an outline tab builds a flowchart from an indented list.

Stencils and templates

The Resource Browser on Mac holds a collection of stencils and templates and searches Stenciltown, the vendor's library of stencils shared by users.

Canvases and layers

A document holds several canvases in fixed, flexible or infinite size modes, organized with layers. Shared layers and artboard layers are Pro features.

Wireframing and vector drawing

A pen tool, a point editor, and grouping, snapping and alignment tools support wireframes and vector graphics. Pro adds shape combinations and blend modes.

Visio import and export

Pro reads Microsoft Visio files, templates and stencils in formats such as .vsd and .vsdx, and exports diagrams in Visio's XML format.

Automation

Pro runs JavaScript automation and plug-ins on both Mac and iOS, plus AppleScript on Mac, and objects can trigger actions such as switching canvas.

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.

OmniGraffle

• v3 Standard License (iOS)$59.99

  one-time purchase

  Perpetual license for OmniGraffle 3 on iPhone and iPad with the standard feature set and all 3.x updates.

• v3 Pro License (iOS)$119.99

  one-time purchase

  Perpetual iPhone and iPad license with the Pro features, such as Visio import and export, shared layers, artboards and JavaScript automation.

• Annual Subscription$129.99

  per year

  The latest Pro version on Mac, iPhone and iPad, with no charge for major version upgrades. Renews automatically until canceled.

• v7 Standard License (Mac)$149.99

  one-time purchase

  Perpetual license for OmniGraffle 7 on Mac only, including all 7.x updates. Later major versions are a discounted upgrade.

• v7 Pro License (Mac)$249.99

  one-time purchase

  Perpetual Mac license with the Pro features: Visio import and export, SVG export, shared layers, artboards, subgraphs and automation.

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.

OmniGraffle

• Lifetime license

  Perpetual licenses for Mac and iOS

  A one-time purchase owns the current major version: $149.99 Standard or $249.99 Pro for Mac, and $59.99 Standard or $119.99 Pro for iPhone and iPad.

• Education

  Educational pricing on Mac licenses

  Staff, faculty and students of accredited educational organizations get discounted Mac licenses through Omni's Educational Store. Subscriptions and App Store purchases are excluded.

• Other savings

  Quantity discount on perpetual licenses

  Each license beyond the first in one order takes a further 5% off the whole order, up to 30%. The discount does not apply to subscriptions.