The SmartDraw Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about SmartDraw in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
SmartDraw
The Insider’s Guide
Floor plans, scaled layouts and business diagrams in the browser
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among whiteboard and mind map tools, read from SmartDraw’s own pages.
Made by SmartDraw Software, LLC · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from SmartDraw’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on SmartDraw’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 0 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade
SmartDraw is a browser-based drawing tool that combines scaled floor plans and site layouts with general diagramming such as flowcharts, org charts and mind maps. It can generate diagrams from data sources including AWS, Azure and Jira, supports real-time co-editing with whiteboarding tools, and saves files directly to a team's own OneDrive, SharePoint or Google Drive. It is sold as an annual license for individuals, teams of three or more, and enterprises.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about SmartDraw, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No store rating on record, and it's a browser tool where the work is drawing the thing itself.
- 1
Best for floor plans and scaled layouts without CAD
SmartDraw draws floor plans and site layouts to scale beside the usual flowcharts, org charts and mind maps, and can build diagrams from AWS, Azure or Jira data.
- 2
Paid plans start at $10.95 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $10.95 per month, billed annually ($7.95 intro price for new customers).
- 3
You can try it first
7-day free trial in the web app
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Floor plans and scaled drawings
Draw a plan to scale from scratch, or import a PDF or a Google Map and add a scaled layout on top, using libraries of industry-standard symbols.
- 6
General diagramming
Templates cover flowcharts, org charts, mind maps, project charts, and engineering and IT diagrams, and they adjust connections and layout automatically as items are added.
- 7
Diagrams generated from data
Built-in data visualizers produce AWS and Azure architecture diagrams, org charts, ERDs, class diagrams, timelines and Jira reports from imported data.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 0 of 30
That is against the other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of SmartDraw you could make: mind mapping and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 7 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
SmartDraw at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $10.95 per month, billed annually ($7.95 intro price for new customers)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 7-day free trial in the web app
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- SmartDraw Software, LLC
- Category
- Whiteboards & Mind Maps
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for floor plans and scaled layouts without CAD
SmartDraw draws floor plans and site layouts to scale beside the usual flowcharts, org charts and mind maps, and can build diagrams from AWS, Azure or Jira data. There's no free plan and the trial is 7 days. It's sold by the year only at a regular $10.95 a month, the lower prices are introductory, Team needs 3 users, and it only runs in a browser.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | The regular $10.95 a month, billed annually, is exactly where the dearest tenth of this category begins, against a middle of $8.33. New customers see $7.95, or $6.95 a user on Team, but the listing calls those introductory. No monthly billing, Team needs 3 users, SSO waits for Enterprise. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No free plan. There's a 7-day trial in the web app with no card mentioned, and that's all the time you get to decide before paying for a whole year. |
| Features | B | Scaled floor plans from scratch or over an imported PDF or Google Map, plus templates for flowcharts, org charts, mind maps and IT diagrams that tidy their own connections. Data visualizers draw AWS, Azure, ERD and Jira diagrams, and people co-edit with sticky notes and a timer. The job covered. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record, and it's a browser tool where the work is drawing the thing itself. Templates do adjust their own connections and layout as you add items, but 7 days isn't long to learn a floor-plan tool. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web only, with no desktop or phone app listed. It connects to Microsoft Teams, Confluence, Jira, Trello and Google Workspace, saves files straight to OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox or Box, and runs an MCP server for Claude or ChatGPT. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who SmartDraw is for
- Fits if you need floor plans or site plans to scale but don't want CAD software
- Works for teams whose files have to stay in their own OneDrive, SharePoint or Google Drive
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want to pay monthly, since it's sold only as an annual license
- Pricey if you're watching the bill, at a regular $10.95 a month when the middle here is $8.33
- Tight if you're a team of two, because the Team plan starts at 3 users
- Watch out: the $7.95 and $6.95 prices are introductory, and there's only a 7-day trial with no free plan
- Not for you if you want a desktop or phone app, or SSO below the Enterprise license
Good to know
Good for
- Floor plans, site plans and other scaled layouts without CAD software
- Police and fire departments documenting scenes and pre-incident plans
- Organizations replacing Visio or Lucidchart across many users
- Teams that keep files in OneDrive, SharePoint or Google Drive
Worth knowing
- There is no free plan; the free trial lasts 7 days.
- SmartDraw is sold only as an annual license, and the vendor says it does not offer a monthly payment plan.
- The $7.95 and $6.95 prices on the buy page are introductory prices for new customers; the regular price shown is $10.95.
- The Team plan has a 3-user minimum, and SSO and multiple shared folders need the Enterprise license.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$10.95
A month to start
SmartDraw is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $10.95 per month, billed annually ($7.95 intro price for new customers).
Individual
$10.95
per month, billed annually
A single-user license. New customers are shown an introductory price of $7.95 a month in place of the regular $10.95.
Team
$10.95
per user / month, billed annually
3-user minimum, with team admin controls, 1 shared team folder, document retention and premium support. Introductory price of $6.95 for new customers.
Enterprise
Custom
Everything in Team plus SSO, multiple shared folders, a custom company theme and a dedicated success manager. Advertised from $99 per user per year.
Trying it first
7-day free trial in the web app
Read from smartdraw.com on Oct 6, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Other savings
Introductory price for new customers
The buy page offers new customers $7.95 a month for Individual and $6.95 per user a month for Team, billed annually, against a crossed-out $10.95. No end date is given.
Stated on smartdraw.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Floor plans, scaled layouts and business diagrams in the browser. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, real-time collaboration, whiteboard, templates, mind mapping, diagrams.
Data visualizers draw AWS, Azure, ERD and Jira diagrams, and people co-edit with sticky notes and a timer.
- Floor plans and scaled drawings
- Draw a plan to scale from scratch, or import a PDF or a Google Map and add a scaled layout on top, using libraries of industry-standard symbols.
- General diagramming
- Templates cover flowcharts, org charts, mind maps, project charts, and engineering and IT diagrams, and they adjust connections and layout automatically as items are added.
- Diagrams generated from data
- Built-in data visualizers produce AWS and Azure architecture diagrams, org charts, ERDs, class diagrams, timelines and Jira reports from imported data.
- Collaboration and whiteboarding
- People invited by link edit the same document with labeled cursors, and whiteboarding tools add sticky notes, emojis, a pen and highlighter, and a session timer.
- Storage in your own systems
- Files can be saved directly to OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive, Dropbox or Box, using the folders and permissions an organization already has.
- SmartDraw AI and MCP server
- SmartDraw AI generates diagrams from natural-language prompts, and an MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT create floor plans and diagrams that stay editable in SmartDraw.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Microsoft Teams
- Confluence
- Jira
- Trello
- Google Workspace
- OneDrive
- SharePoint
- Google Drive
SmartDraw is made by SmartDraw Software, LLC.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
0/30
Other whiteboard and mind map tools it is graded above
SmartDraw's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 0 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on features (B, above 15 of 30) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $10.95 a month, against a middle price of $8.29 for the category: 21 of the 23 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 9 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 31 whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. SmartDraw’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 30
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 30
- BFeaturesAbove 15 of 30
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 30
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 5 of 30
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 28 whiteboard and mind map tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. SmartDraw is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of SmartDraw you could make: mind mapping and templates. What surrounds it you could not. The 7 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 25 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools grade higher. It costs $131.40 a year.
What you could make
- Mind mapping and templates: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A diagram editor.
- An endless canvas that stays smooth with hundreds of things on it.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- It plugs into other products, Microsoft Teams, Confluence and Jira among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. SmartDraw’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, draw.io, Creately and Miro
The 5 tools SmartDraw is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Lucidchart
Free plan · from $9/mo
Browser-based diagramming for flowcharts, org charts and systems.
- Lucidchart has a free plan. SmartDraw does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Lucidchart lists iOS and Android apps.
- SmartDraw also covers whiteboard.
- 2.4GPA
Microsoft Visio
Free trial · from $5.00/mo
Diagramming software for flowcharts, org charts and floor plans.
- Only Microsoft Visio lists a Windows app.
- Microsoft Visio can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- SmartDraw also covers whiteboard.
- 3.2GPA
draw.io
Free
Free diagram editor that saves files to storage you choose.
- draw.io has a free plan. SmartDraw does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only draw.io lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- draw.io is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
Creately
Free plan · from $4/mo
Visual workspace for diagrams, whiteboards and planning.
- Creately has a free plan. SmartDraw does not, though it has a free trial.
- Creately is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 3.0GPA
Miro
Free plan · from $8/mo
Online whiteboard for team brainstorming, diagrams and planning.
- Miro has a free plan. SmartDraw does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Miro lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is SmartDraw free?
No, SmartDraw is a paid product, but you can try it first. 7-day free trial in the web app.
How much does SmartDraw cost?
SmartDraw lists 3 plans. Individual: $10.95 per month, billed annually.
What platforms does SmartDraw work on?
SmartDraw is available on Web.
Does SmartDraw offer any discounts?
SmartDraw publicly lists the following: Introductory price for new customers.
Does SmartDraw have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. SmartDraw is listed for Web.
Does SmartDraw have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. SmartDraw is listed for Web.
Is SmartDraw open source?
SmartDraw is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does SmartDraw have an API?
Yes. SmartDraw offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does SmartDraw integrate with?
SmartDraw's listing names Microsoft Teams, Confluence, Jira, Trello, Google Workspace, OneDrive, SharePoint and Google Drive.
Who makes SmartDraw?
SmartDraw is made by SmartDraw Software, LLC.
What are the alternatives to SmartDraw?
The closest alternatives to SmartDraw in our directory are Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, draw.io, Creately and Miro.
How does SmartDraw compare with other whiteboard and mind map tools?
SmartDraw's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 0 of the 30 other whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, and level with 5.
Is SmartDraw good value for money?
ToolGPA grades SmartDraw D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $10.95 a month, against a middle price of $8.29 for the category: 21 of the 23 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of SmartDraw?
The plain part of SmartDraw you could make: mind mapping and templates.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from SmartDraw’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from SmartDraw's own pages on 6 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-07-25.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by SmartDraw Software, LLC. Prices change, so check smartdraw.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- SmartDraw, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/smartdraw
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "SmartDraw: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/smartdraw
Know someone choosing between whiteboard and mind map tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/smartdraw/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded whiteboard and mind map tools after SmartDraw, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Whiteboards & Mind Maps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 31 whiteboard and mind map tools we grade, compared
- Microsoft Whiteboard Insider's GuideFree collaborative canvas built into Microsoft 365 and Teams3.4 GPA
- draw.io Insider's GuideFree diagram editor that saves files to storage you choose3.2 GPA
- tldraw Insider's GuideFree online whiteboard with a local desktop app3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what SmartDraw’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. SmartDraw is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by SmartDraw Software, LLC. Prices and plans change: check smartdraw.com before you buy.