Flowchart Software

What is Flowchart Software?

Flowchart software are digital tools used by individuals and various departments within an organization to visually represent processes, workflows, and steps to reach a specific outcome or goal. This type of software is particularly useful for teams involved in project management, process optimization, system design, quality assurance, and training.

One of the primary goals flowchart software helps organizations achieve is improved communication and clarity. By creating visual representations of complex processes or procedures, it becomes easier for team members to follow steps in a process and identify potential bottlenecks or areas for improvement. Flowcharts also aid in decision-making by helping users visualize different scenarios and analyze their potential benefits or consequences.

Flowchart software is closely related to diagramming software as both tools allow users to create visuals that represent relationships and connections between different elements, including project ideation such as Venn diagrams and mind maps. While diagramming software also enables the creation of org charts, seating arrangement maps, office plans, network diagrams, etc, flowchart software specifically focuses on representing sequential processes and workflow diagrams.

Flowchart Software Features

• Drag-and-drop interface: Allows users to easily add shapes, symbols, icons, connectors, arrows, and text boxes onto the canvas.
• Pre-designed templates: Offers a variety of ready-made templates for common flowchart types (e.g., process flowcharts, data flowcharts) which can be customized according to the user's needs.
• Collaboration features: Enables real-time collaboration between multiple users who can simultaneously work on the same flowchart and provide feedback.
• Conditional logic support: Provides the ability to include conditional statements (if/then/else) within flowcharts to depict different paths based on certain conditions.
• Exporting options: Allows users to export completed flowcharts as image files (e.g., PNG, JPEG) or PDF documents for sharing or printing purposes.
• Interactive diagrams: Some flowchart software includes interactive features like clickable elements, tooltips, and hyperlinks to provide additional information or navigate between different parts of a flowchart.
• Version history and revision control: Keeps track of changes made to the flowchart over time, enabling users to revert back to previous versions if needed.

Flowchart Software Comparison

• Customizability: Ensure that the software provides enough customization options such as shape styles, color schemes, fonts, connectors style, etc., so that your flowcharts align with your organization's branding guidelines.
• Real-time collaboration: If you have a geographically dispersed team or work cross-functionally, consider a platform that offers robust collaboration features like real-time editing, commenting, and version control.
• Integration capabilities: Assess whether the flowchart software integrates well with other tools you are already using in your organization (e.g., project management software), as this can streamline workflows and prevent data duplication.
• Use case: While flowcharts can be effective in displaying information, their use case is relatively narrow. You should consider if your team would benefit from a software that produces a wider variety of diagrams.

Pricing Information

Pricing models for flowchart software vary depending on team size and features offered. Many vendors do not publicly display their pricing but instead offer custom quotes based on users' specific requirements. Some vendors may offer a free trial period (usually 14 to 30 days) that allows potential buyers to test the software's functionalities before making a purchasing decision.

Basic plans include a monthly subscription plan for a single user typically starts at around $5 to $20 per month. Lower-tier plans may have limitations in terms of collaboration features, storage space, or the maximum number of diagrams allowed. Monthly pricing for premium plans often range from $10 to $50 per user, depending on the number of users and included features. Higher-priced plans often come with enhanced functionality such as advanced automation options, greater cloud storage capacity, and priority support. Enterprise or business plans are usually custom-priced based on the organization's needs, number of users, and additional services required.