# draw.io

> Free diagram editor that saves files to storage you choose

draw.io is a free diagram editor for flowcharts, UML, network diagrams, org charts and other technical drawings. It runs in the browser at app.diagrams.net, as an offline desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, or self-hosted in a container, and it saves files to storage the user picks instead of the vendor's servers. The editor's source code is published under the Apache 2.0 license, and the company is paid through separately licensed apps for Confluence and Jira.

- **Category:** Whiteboards & Mind Maps
- **Made by:** draw.io Ltd (since 2005)
- **Website:** https://www.drawio.com
- **Runs on:** Web, macOS, Windows, Linux
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

draw.io is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The online editor, the desktop apps and self-hosted deployment are free with no account and no paid tier. The apps for Confluence and Jira are licensed separately through the Atlassian Marketplace.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | The full editor online at app.diagrams.net, as a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, or self-hosted in a container. No sign-up is needed. |

Read from https://www.drawio.com/docs/about/ on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with draw.io before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Free Confluence and Jira Cloud license for charities** (Nonprofit): draw.io's licensing docs say charitable organizations and partners are eligible for a free license for its Confluence or Jira Cloud apps. Source: https://www.drawio.com/docs/integrations/atlassian/licensing/

## Key features

- **Shape libraries for technical diagrams:** Libraries and templates cover process flows, org charts, floor plans, network infrastructure, UML, entity relationship models, circuit and rack diagrams, and infographics.
- **Storage you choose:** Diagrams are saved to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, GitHub, GitLab, the browser or the local device. The online editor does not store diagram data on the vendor's servers.
- **Offline desktop app and self-hosting:** A stand-alone desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux works with no internet connection, and the editor can be deployed in a self-hosted Docker container.
- **Co-editing with shared cursors:** People editing the same diagram see each other's changes in real time when the file is stored in Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, or in draw.io for Confluence.
- **Diagrams generated from text:** The editor builds diagrams from Mermaid code, CSV spreadsheet data or SQL code, and an AI tool can generate a diagram from a written description.
- **Import, export and embedding:** Files from other diagramming tools can be dropped in and edited, and diagrams export to SVG, PNG or PDF or embed as interactive viewers in docs, wikis and web pages.

## Good for

- UML, ERD, network and flowchart diagrams at no cost
- Teams whose data rules require files to stay in their own storage
- Diagramming offline on Windows, macOS or Linux
- Documentation kept in Confluence, Google Drive or GitHub

## Worth knowing

- There is no hosted workspace or account: every diagram is a file kept in the storage you pick, so sharing depends on that storage.
- Real-time co-editing needs the file to be in Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, or the diagram to be in draw.io for Confluence.
- No native mobile apps are listed; the docs suggest adding the web editor to a phone's home screen instead.
- Using draw.io inside Confluence or Jira needs the vendor's Atlassian Marketplace apps, which are licensed separately from the free editor.

## Works with

Confluence, Jira, Google Drive, Google Docs, OneDrive, SharePoint, GitHub, Notion

**Tags:** Diagrams, Open source, Self-hostable, Works offline, Real-time collaboration, AI features, Templates

## Alternatives

- [Lucidchart](https://toolgpa.com/tools/lucidchart): Browser-based diagramming for flowcharts, org charts and systems. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/draw-io-vs-lucidchart)
- [Microsoft Visio](https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-visio): Diagramming software for flowcharts, org charts and floor plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/draw-io-vs-microsoft-visio)
- [Excalidraw](https://toolgpa.com/tools/excalidraw): Open-source whiteboard for hand-drawn style sketches and diagrams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/draw-io-vs-excalidraw)
- [Mermaid](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mermaid): Text-based diagramming platform with AI and a visual editor. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/draw-io-vs-mermaid)
- [Creately](https://toolgpa.com/tools/creately): Visual workspace for diagrams, whiteboards and planning. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/creately-vs-draw-io)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://www.drawio.com/docs/about/
- https://www.drawio.com
- https://www.drawio.com/docs/features/
- https://www.drawio.com/docs/integrations/
- https://www.drawio.com/docs/getting-started/
- https://www.drawio.com/docs/integrations/atlassian/
- https://www.drawio.com/docs/integrations/atlassian/licensing/
- https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1210933/draw-io-diagrams-uml-bpmn-aws-erd-flowcharts?hosting=cloud&tab=pricing

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/draw-io
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).