Lucidchart
Based on 101 reviews and ratings
Based on 97 reviews and ratings
Highlights
Lucidchart and Microsoft Visio are highly rated diagramming software used to create workflows, maps, and charts.
Lucidchart is a web-based solution that stands out because it can be used from anywhere and it has excellent collaboration features. Microsoft Visio is an excellent choice for businesses that are familiar with Microsoft apps and want a diagramming tool to enhance their capabilities.
Both programs are popular with individual users, students, and businesses from small to large.
Features
Despite their similarities, both Lucidchart and Microsoft Visio offer options that help them stand out.
Lucidchart is a cheaper option that Visio which may help it appeal to non-business users and to small companies. It also features greater collaboration abilities like chatting and sharing with other users on the platform. It is also able to integrate with other workflow software like Jira, Confluence, and Github.
Microsoft Visio has the advantage of being a Microsoft tool and users who are familiar with the Microsoft environment will have little trouble jumping into the program. Visio also features a brainstorming function that helps you organize ideas from meetings and can automatically recognize and order themes and hierarchies. Visio also offers a larger variety of file formats for both importing and exporting.
Limitations
Lucidchart is web-based and while it has the advantage of letting you work from wherever, it can also mean that slow internet speeds or spotty internet may lead to usage difficulties. An offline mode is currently in the beta testing stage. Users also report some issues with the selection of objects and layers when there are many items on the screen. The software also has a limited amount of templates available as compared to its competition.
Microsoft Visio’s main downside is that it is not available for all platforms and lacks compatibility with Apple products. Visio also has fewer preloaded shapes and Icons than LucidChart. It is also more expensive than some of its competition which may discourage some customers.
Pricing
Lucidchart has several pricing options available. These start with a free version that allows up to 3 documents to be edited and the ability to choose from 1000 templates. Next, is the Individual tier starting at $7.95 per month. This offers unlimited documents and over 1,000 templates. Users can then step up to the Team tier which is $9.00 per month and offers better collaboration tools. The highest tier available is the Enterprise tier where customers will need to contact Lucidchart for a quote.
Microsoft Visio also has multiple plans available. Visio can be purchased as a standalone software by individuals at a one time fee of $280 for Visio Standard Edition and for $530 for Visio Professional. Business plans are also available with Visio Plan 1 starting at $5 per user per month and offers access to Visio and Microsoft OneDrive for cloud storage. Users who need more can step up to Visio Plan 2 for $15 per user per month and offers self-updating desktop apps and a much larger library of templates and shapes.
Provided by the TrustRadius Research Team
Published on September 9, 2020
Likelihood to Recommend
Lucidchart
Microsoft Visio
Pros
Lucidchart
- Allows individuals to further realize engineering issues and collaborate, globally in real time, in order to resolve the issues.
- Allows individuals and teams to define a workflow or process to use for a platform or action. For instance, before selecting an HRIS platform, we used Lucidchart to map out all HRIS processes which made selecting a platform ridiculously simple.
- Lucidchart also allows anyone to easily publish their output so that users, both internally and externally, can view their ideas without needing a license, login or any complicated understanding.
- The mobile aspects of Lucidchart are also fantastic as an individual can create a concept or design and present it to individuals right from their pocket.
Microsoft Visio
- The templates for basic flowcharting are simple to use and cover most of the basic functions and touch points in a diagram.
- The variety of included icons and connectors means it's very easy to create floor plans and/or network diagrams.
- The ease at which you can customise connectors with different colours/thickness makes it very effective in overall presentation of a diagram.

Cons
Lucidchart
- I wish I could easier incorporate my companies themes / branding into the platform
- It seems really intuitive as a org chart system but perhaps more tutorials for other use cases?
- Google product suite security is so-so; perhaps Lucidcharts can improve upon it?

Microsoft Visio
- The shapes library can be a little daunting if you're unfamiliar. Unless you know what you're looking for and where to find it, you can spend a lot of time looking for a particular shape or icon. But once you find it, you can add it to your shapes menu for easy access.
- You can also spend a lot of time selecting your defaults for shapes, arrows, font size, etc. But like the shapes library, once you get it down, it's locked in.
- Be prepared to spend a few hours playing with Visio before figuring out all the nuances. But if you're a beginner and need to create a process flow or diagram, you can do it very quickly without a lot of effort or training. The fun stuff takes a little longer to master.
Likelihood to Renew
Lucidchart
Microsoft Visio

Usability
Lucidchart

Microsoft Visio

Support Rating
Lucidchart
Microsoft Visio
Alternatives Considered
Lucidchart

Microsoft Visio
Return on Investment
Lucidchart
- Speeds up the process of preparing presentations. It also really helps gain more insight and allows for changes to be made at will. Regardless of what industry you are in - you could literally use a template/diagram etc - to gain further insight on other industries business models or even analyse a business prospect or potential new client and their strategies. Has saved our organization a lot of time when it comes to creating graphs and illustrations.
- Has tremendously improved our process of gathering requirements, process mapping and documenting business process reengineering. With Lucid chart, any of our Business Analyst can consult with users and customers and within minutes have a detailed diagram of their current process which they can share with our developers and engineering. Editing and making changes is super easy and can be done online by any team member that has access. This has made us more efficient because team members can work from anywhere as long as they have a reliable internet connection
- With this application we can facilitate the work, we have the need to create additional coordination in the production department, with which we will test what is being explored in Lucidchart and submit a proposal of height and that is approved by the meeting. This has streamlined our process and reduced the amount of time it takes in making key decisions.
- In IT, we get a lot of internal questions from different departments asking process related questions about products like Gmail, or whatdata we share with vendors. With Lucidchart I can easily create a flow chart to show the emails and send dates and on top of that, I can hyperlink a shape in the chart and take someone to a sample of the actual vendoe email.

Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft Visio helps improve communication which ensures increased alignment. This helps reduce costly rework on projects.
- Microsoft Visio is expensive to license the whole organization, so it takes some time to ensure your diagram is in a good format for publishing and there are only so many people who can edit the Visio files.
Screenshots
Microsoft Visio
—Pricing Details
Lucidchart
General
Free Trial
Free/Freemium Version
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Entry-level set up fee?
Lucidchart Editions & Modules
Edition
Free | $01 |
---|---|
Individual | 7.951 |
Team | 9.002 |
Enterprise | Custom Pricing |
- per month
- per user/per month
Additional Pricing Details
The Team Pricing increases depending on the number of users on the account.Microsoft Visio
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
Microsoft Visio Editions & Modules
Edition
Plan 1 | $5.001 |
---|---|
Plan 2 | $15.001 |
Standard | $280.00 |
Professional | $530.00 |
- Per User Per Month