8 reasons why Lucidchart is the perfect Microsoft Visio® replacement

If Visio® has ever taken too much time to use, created versioning problems, or otherwise left you frustrated, we have the ideal replacement for you.

Lucidchart surpasses Visio® with its constant innovation, ease of use, compatibility across devices, and lower price—see all the unique advantages that Lucidchart offers to help anyone better understand and share ideas, information, and processes.

Note: This article refers to Visio® Professional and Visio® Standard plans. To see how Lucidchart compares to online Visio® plans, check out this article.

1. It’s easier to use

You shouldn’t have to complete training or spend hours in the product before you understand how to build a simple diagram.

Lucidchart aims for an intuitive experience from start to finish. Simply drag and drop the shapes you need onto the canvas. With powerful functionality like the ability to drag a line from a shape and an auto-prompt for which shape to choose next, you can diagram as quickly as you think. Lucidchart also offers custom shape libraries and more than 1,000 ready-to-use templates to get you started.

And if you do want to get some extra Lucidchart training, you can do that through interactive courses. 

2. You can work from anywhere

Visio® is limited to Windows, but Lucidchart is compatible with any browser on any operating system on any device. We even offer iOS and Android apps so you can open workflows in the field or leave your feedback on your diagrams while you’re on the go.

3. There are no more barriers to collaboration

Our co-founder created Lucidchart when he became frustrated with emailing Visio® diagrams back and forth as his team developed software, so collaboration is in our blood. While only one person at a time can edit diagrams in Visio® Standard, Lucidchart allows multiple people to edit and comment on documents in real time. All changes to a document sync automatically, not just when you save your work, and your co-workers and clients can view shared documents even without a Lucidchart account.

4. With automation features, Lucidchart will do the work for you

As you can probably tell from its ease of use, Lucidchart aims to save you time and allow you to innovate faster. With that goal in mind, we have built several automation features to diagram faster—import your data and see your ideas, infrastructure, and databases in a whole new light.

In Lucidchart, you can automatically generate:

• Entity-relationship diagrams from SQLs
• Org charts from CSVs
• UML sequence diagrams from text markup
• Sales account maps

5. It integrates with the platforms you use daily

Lucidchart syncs with many popular apps, so you can embed powerful visuals wherever you work. See our complete list of integrations including:

• G Suite (Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive)
• Atlassian (Confluence, Jira Software)
• Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
• Microsoft Teams
• Quip
• Slack
• Salesforce
• GitHub
• Asana

6. Lucidchart updates weekly

To keep our software ahead of the curve, our team releases updates every week. And because Lucidchart lives in the cloud, you don’t have to download updates, wait around as you install new software, or wonder whether you and your colleague are using the same version. Access the latest and greatest version of Lucidchart every time you open the workspace.

7. We still play nice with Visio®

If you’re hesitant about switching to Lucidchart because you have already created dozens of Visio® documents, we have good news for you.

In Lucidchart, you can import VDX, VSDX, and VSD files so you don’t have to waste time recreating your previous work. Simply click “Import” on your documents page and follow the dialog, or click File > Import Diagram within the editor. (Note that our Visio® import requires a paid Lucidchart account, but you can import any Visio® file in view-only mode when you sign up for a free account.)

You can even upload Visio® stencils to brand and personalize your diagrams with custom shapes. Just click “Shapes” in the top-left corner of the editor.

Are some of your co-workers die-hard Visio® fans? Don’t worry—you can benefit from all the viewer and editor features that Lucidchart offers and still collaborate easily with those colleagues. If you upgrade your account, you can export your Lucidchart documents as VDX files. Just go to File > Download As and select Visio (VDX).

8. The power of the Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite

Lucidchart is the intelligent diagramming application within the Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite. When you combine it with Lucidspark, a virtual whiteboard, the collaboration functionality increases tenfold. The Lucid Visual Collaboration Suite helps teams see and build the future from ideation to reality. Users can seamlessly move their workflow between our products, admins will have centralized account management, and procurement will enjoy the efficiency of fulfilling the needs of many different products under one roof.

The more you explore Lucidchart, the more value you’ll come across. Try it now and discover the ultimate intelligent diagramming solution.