Wondershare EdrawMax vs. SmartDraw

I have used over a dozen apps of this sort across 50 years of computing. None are even close to being as good!!

I believe SmartDraw is a great tool for small- to mid-sized organizations for simplifying the production and management of org charts. We've also had the PMO experiment with the use of some of their flow charts as well. If an organization has an HCM with the capability of producing (good!) org charts, that is likely the best option... but many that I have used in my 30-year HR career don't. So there is definitely a need for SmartDraw in the market!

Incentivized

• Flow charting
• Depict a complex process so its easily understood
• Its structure and organization are very similar to how mainstream apps work.
• Its huge and expandable feature set blows away all other apps
• I want the right tools because my time is precious. This is the right choice by far.

• Provides examples to work off of--these are helpful when you don't know exactly where to start.
• Provides a number of stylistic options without making things too complex, so you can be creative without getting overwhelmed.
• Provides a wide variety of templates, meets a wide variety of needs.

Incentivized

• One-click auto-export feature to a preferred format. Currently, you'd have to go through at least 3 steps to export)
• More ready-to-use Icon libraries
• API to adjust vector graphics
• AI augmentation to provide user input during complex diagramming

• A month-to-month plan would be ideal for users that don't have a need to create many projects
• The sidebar navigation can be a little confusing with all of the tools listed.
• Offering customizable plans with only the feature you need would simplify navigation

Incentivized

It is super easy to use because it works like the mainstream apps. Almost everything's familiar and easy to access

I rated 8 because its simple to use and easy to create network topologies quickly. I liked the drag and drop option which makes designing the network topology and flow chart easier. In general its does what it needs to.

Incentivized

Needed to contact the support team as I had lost license details. Their response was fast, professional and what's more, very helpful. All the needed data was sent to me and I was able to reinstall Wondershare EdrawMax again.

They are always very helpful, we get computers every two years and I have to call them to move the license from one computer to another and they do it with a smile in their voice!

Incentivized

Obviously, Visio is considered the Gold standard, But you are locked into the MS ecosystem. Lucidchart felt less polished and cumbersome to use. ConceptDraw UI was a bit more cluttered and the learning curves were a bit step.

We have used Corel Draw and Adobe Acrobat. Both of those tools were good when they came out but the abilities of SmartDraw far outweigh both those tools. Corel Draw was also more complex to operate and do tasks, as was Adobe Acrobat in which some basic tasks took additional steps to complete.

Incentivized

• Intellectual leverage
• Develops a large-scale trust (good graphics is always appreciated even if its complex to read)
• Impactful visualization (hard to enumerate)

• SmartDraw has provided good return for our internal purposes. Using it to understand an organization's structure and inner workings has been valuable. On the client side, creating steps and businesses processes has also been a big plus. It has helped decrease confusing reporting structures and has provided a detailed map for individuals to understand where they fit within their organization.
• Unfortunately, SmartDraw has been somewhat inefficient with some of the more complex projects on our plate and has really deterred certain employees from even wanting to use it.

Incentivized