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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Mural

    Score7.7 out of 10
    N/AMURAL (formerly Mural.ly) from Tactivos (DBA MURAL) in San Francisco is described by the vendor as a digital workspace and visual collaboration tool, designed for creative teams to make the process of design more efficient for distributed teams, working remotely.

    $12

    per month

    SmartDraw

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/ASmartDraw is a diagramming and flow chart building tool from SmartDraw Software in San Diego, California.

    $131.40

    per year (for a single user on an individual plan)

    Pricing
    MuralSmartDraw
    Editions & Modules
    Starter
    $12
    per month
    Plus
    $20
    per month
    Enterprise
    Contact sales team
    Team
    $119.40
    per year per user (3 minimum)
    Individual
    $131.40
    per year single user
    Enterprise
    Contact Sales
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    MuralSmartDraw
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsPlans are billed annually.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    MuralSmartDraw
    Considered Both Products
    Mural
    No answer on this topic
    SmartDraw Software
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    21 Answers
    88%
    Would buy again
    7 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    16 Answers
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    21 Answers
    75%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    15 Answers
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    15 Answers
    86%
    Implementation went as expected
    6 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    MuralSmartDraw
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    Whimsical
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    Score9.8 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Whimsical
    Score9.3 out of 10
    OmniGraffle
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Whimsical
    Score9.3 out of 10
    OmniGraffle
    Score9.8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    MuralSmartDraw
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.1
    (21 ratings)
    2.8
    (14 ratings)
    Usability
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.4
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    MuralSmartDraw
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Mural
    I've recommended MURAL to a lot of people in a lot of fields. This is a great tool for any group of people that might stand around a white board if they were in person. Even if they are in person, I still recommend it pretty often because, unlike a white board, MURAL is virtual, so it can go offline with you. I've recommended it to other Software Teams, individual software developers, engineering teams, Sales Managers, Office Staff, Manufacturing teams, and more.
    Read full review
    SmartDraw Software
    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
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    Pros
    Mural
    • enables easy for all collaboration especially in the hybrid environment
    • makes brainstorming better as users can create digital sticky notes, draw diagrams, and add images to visually represent concepts and ideas
    • it helps to visualize data effectively - users can create charts, graphs, and diagrams to present data-driven insights to team members and stakeholders
    Incentivized
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    SmartDraw Software
    • 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
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    Cons
    Mural
    • It'd be nice that the zoom regulation could be easier to manage
    • The advanced features are a little bit easy to adopt. Why not adding some agile trainings, or some other tools to facilitate their adoption
    • A faster and easier way to Integrate with ms office
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SmartDraw Software
    • 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
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    Usability
    Mural
    Overall, MURAL is really easy to use, but there are a couple downsides. It's really easy to make areas of the board consistent because double clicking adds stickies that match those around the current one. It's really easy to connect the elements. And it's really easy to organize elements. Inconsistent controls, Panning, Line Connections, and latency are the only issues I had. My biggest issue is that the MURAL mouse buttons are very different from
    most similar software. This always causes me problems switching to a
    graphics software or 3D modelling software. Because MURAL uses the same button to pan and move elements, it's really easy to move things when panning around. The lines can also be a (sometimes huge) problem because thew will occasionally disappear or connect to things incorrectly. I think this is tied to latency issues which, in addition to causing phantom lines, can sometimes cause confusion to your team.
    Read full review
    SmartDraw Software
    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
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    Support Rating
    Mural
    Chat support tends to get back to you within a few hours and are always helpful.
    Read full review
    SmartDraw Software
    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
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    Alternatives Considered
    Mural
    Mural was easier to use and share compared with Whiteboard. Whiteboard's functionality is limited. It is also integrated into Teams in an odd way that makes it difficult for team members to refer to old whiteboards. Mural as a stand alone web app is better.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SmartDraw Software
    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
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Mural
    • Mural allows us to draft communications for clients that aim to increase the NPS of the organization
    • Mural allows us to keep up with the agile framework, which reduces Time to Market of our products and initiatives
    • Mural allows us to identify blockers in our day to day tasks, which reduces the Cicle Time of our Kanban cards
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SmartDraw Software
    • 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
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Mural Screenshots

    Screenshot of the brainstorming templates that brings more minds to the table and helps turn good ideas into extraordinary work.Screenshot of energizers and icebreakers that help teams feel connected and open-minded so they can tackle big problems.Screenshot of strategic plan sharing, to improve people's sense of safety and expectation, leaving more brain space for creativity and innovation.Screenshot of retrospectives, which help teams get better and happier over time.

    SmartDraw Screenshots

    Screenshot of where to create diagrams, including: flowcharts and swimlanes, organizational charts, mind maps, CAD drawings & floor plans, project charts, network diagrams, and wireframes & mockups.Screenshot of a workspace that combines brainstorming with technical diagrams. SmartDraw can be used to visualize processes, organizations, roadmaps, and even generate diagrams from data.Screenshot of SmartDraw's templates and tools used to make flowcharts, swimlanes, and process maps.Screenshot of the org chart tool, used to document organizational structure and work as a team to plan for growth or manage change. Data can be imported to generate a chart automatically.Screenshot of the CAD drawing and floor plan tools, used to design a home or optimize office space to improve traffic flow in a retail space.Screenshot of an example of the built-in templates for landscapes, gardens, backyards used to design outdoor spaces. Users can drag-and-drop flowers, shrubs, and other plants, or add sprinkler systems, lights, and walkways, and apply photo-realistic textures for a professional finish.