Microsoft Visio vs yEd (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, yEd grades higher than Microsoft Visio: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Microsoft Visio grades higher on features and platforms. yEd grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft Visio
Diagramming software for flowcharts, org charts and floor plans
Which one is for you
Pick Microsoft Visio if
- Fits if your company already pays for Microsoft 365 and works in Teams
- Works for IT or facilities teams that need network diagrams, floor plans or P&ID drawings
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on a Mac and want a desktop app, as that part is Windows only
- Not for you if you want to try it without a card, since the one-month trial needs one and a work account
- Pricey if you need the desktop app, at $15 a user a month or $309.99 to $579.99 to buy once
- Watch out: personal Microsoft accounts aren't supported, and the web app bundled with Microsoft 365 has limited templates
- Too light for work on a phone or tablet, as there are no mobile apps
Pick yEd if
- Fits if you lay out large graphs or networks
- Works for people who want a free desktop diagram editor
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want people editing the same diagram live
- Skip it if you want phone or tablet apps, as none are listed
- Watch out: you must accept a license agreement before the installer is offered
- Watch out: the paid side of its maker is the yFiles SDK, so don't expect support from a plan
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAMicrosoft VisioFair | 2.8GPAyEdGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPlan 1 is $5 a user a month paid yearly, but it's web and Teams only. The parts people buy Visio for, the desktop app, offline files, BPMN 2.0, floor plans and data linking, sit on Plan 2 at $15, well above this category's $8.33 middle. Buying outright is $309.99 or $579.99. | AFree to download, against $5 to $10 a month for most whiteboards. |
| Free plan and trial | DThere's no free plan at all. The one-month trial covers Plan 1 or Plan 2 only, and it wants both a work or school account and a credit card. The one-time 2024 versions have no trial whatsoever. A basic web app does come with Microsoft 365 commercial plans, if your employer pays for one. | AThe whole editor is free on Windows, macOS and Linux, and there's a browser version, yEd Live. |
| Features | AThe parts no other diagrammer here has: P&ID, electrical and engineering drawings, floor plans, AutoCAD files and 250,000+ shapes, with shapes linked to live data in Excel, SharePoint or SQL Server. The ordinary stuff is all there too, flowcharts, network maps and co-editing on the web and in Teams. | CAutomatic layout, Excel and XML import and several export formats. The product page describes no live multi-user editing. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Templates and starter diagrams come with every version, but getting going means a work or school account, since personal Microsoft accounts aren't supported, and picking between five ways to buy before you draw a box. | CNo store rating on record, and you work out the layout tools and data import yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app and a Teams app, tied into Excel, Power BI, Word, PowerPoint, OneDrive and SharePoint. The desktop app runs on Windows only, so on a Mac you're stuck with the web version, and there are no phone apps at all. | CDesktop on three operating systems plus yEd Live in a browser. The only integration listed is Excel. |
| Best for | technical diagrams in a Microsoft 365 workplace | a free desktop graph editor |
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: Microsoft Visio and yEd. How we grade
Price against what you get
Microsoft Visio starts at $5 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. yEd has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Microsoft Visio scores higher, and starts $5 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other whiteboard and mind map tools on the chart, 1 scores higher than Microsoft Visio for less, and none scores higher than yEd for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Microsoft Visio can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft Visio also covers templates and mind mapping.
At a glance
| Microsoft Visio | yEd | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $5.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Visio Plan 1) | Free |
| Free plan | None | yEd is freely available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and a browser version, yEd Live, is offered. |
| Free trial | One-month free trial of Visio Plan 1 or Plan 2 with a work or school account; a credit card is required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Microsoft Corporation | yWorks |
| Price read from | microsoft.com | yworks.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
yEd
- It is a desktop editor first; the product page describes no live multi-user editing.
- The download requires accepting a license agreement before the installer is offered.
- yWorks's paid business is its yFiles SDK, and its Confluence editor Graphity is sold separately in the Atlassian Marketplace.
- The latest release shown is 3.25.1.
Key features
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.
yEd
- Automatic layout
- Layout algorithms arrange the elements of even large diagrams at the press of a button.
- Data import
- Diagrams can be built by hand or from imported Excel (.xls) or XML data.
- Export formats
- Diagrams export as PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF and SWF.
- Diagram types
- The product page shows BPMN diagrams, semantic networks, family trees, flowcharts and social networks as examples.
- yEd Live in the browser
- The download page links to yEd Live, a version that runs in a browser without installing an app.
Plans
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.
yEd
Free$0
The yEd desktop editor, free to download after accepting the license agreement.
Ways to pay less
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.
yEd
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Visio or yEd?
As of Nov 12, 2026, yEd is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $5 a month for each person for Microsoft Visio. Microsoft Visio starts at $5.00 per user / month, paid yearly (Visio Plan 1), and yEd is free.
Which has a free plan, Microsoft Visio or yEd?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only yEd has a free plan. Microsoft Visio does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Microsoft Visio and yEd run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only yEd lists macOS and Linux apps. Both list a web app and a Windows app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.