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draw.io

draw.io

Overview

What is draw.io?

draw.io is an online diagramming tool with integrations with Jira, Google, and Confluence available free online or at cost depending on integration chosen.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Draw.io is a versatile tool that has been widely adopted by users for various use cases. Many users have found it to be an excellent …
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Highly recommend!!

8 out of 10
March 23, 2020
Incentivized
Draw.io is a fantastic tool to assist in any diagrams, from network diagrams through to rack setups, even through to use case diagrams! …
Continue reading

Simple drawing program

8 out of 10
January 29, 2020
Incentivized
I use draw.io to make diagrams because of how simple it is to use. If I need to do a presentation, this is the easiest way to make a …
Continue reading

Ready, Set, Draw!

9 out of 10
August 01, 2019
Incentivized
We use this tool for many different types of graphs, diagrams, tables and charts. It is very intuitive and because we can export vectors, …
Continue reading
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Awards

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Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Up to 10 Users

$5

Cloud
per month

Up to 20 Users

$11

Cloud
per month

Up to 50 Users

$27.50

Cloud
per month

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Details

What is draw.io?

draw.io Video

With draw.io you can create flow charts and process diagrams, org charts and mind maps, network and architecture diagrams, UML diagrams and mockups, floor plans, and much more, and add them to pages in Confluence and issues in Jira.Document everything in diagrams with draw.io ...
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draw.io Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

draw.io is an online diagramming tool with integrations with Jira, Google, and Confluence available free online or at cost depending on integration chosen.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 7.8.

The most common users of draw.io are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(149)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Draw.io is a versatile tool that has been widely adopted by users for various use cases. Many users have found it to be an excellent replacement for Visio and XMind, using it daily to create flowcharts, entity relationship diagrams, and sitemaps. Organizations have embraced draw.io as a means to embed diagrams and workflows in shared document repositories like Confluence, making it easy for all departments to access and edit information in one centralized location. The software has proven especially valuable in clarifying complex business decisions through the creation of decision trees and workflows.

One of the standout features of draw.io is its ability to create and edit various types of diagrams with ease. Users appreciate the convenience of accessing their documents from any machine with a web browser, enabling them to work on their projects seamlessly. Draw.io has become a go-to tool for drawing flowcharts, diagrams, and illustrations used in writing papers and projects. Its availability as a free product combined with its intuitive interface makes it a smart choice for users seeking a simple yet powerful diagramming solution.

In addition to its popularity among individuals and organizations, draw.io has also found favor within specific industries. Web design agencies rely on draw.io to create complex information architecture, site maps, and spec requirements for websites, facilitating collaboration with clients. Researchers utilize draw.io to create different types of graphs, diagrams, tables, and charts without any loss of quality when exported. IT service departments embrace draw.io for diagramming software concepts such as database entity-relationship diagrams and system component diagrams.

The software excels at creating user flows through products, making it invaluable during the product development and design process. Its unlimited canvas and easy-to-use interface enable UX design teams to define user journeys and various flows for design solutions. Graduate education and research departments use draw.io to enhance student experiences by designing box flow solutions for websites and marketing strategies.

Draw.io stands out as a great alternative to Microsoft Visio due to its wide range of native stencils and intuitive web interface. It is commonly employed to create network diagrams, rack setups, and use case diagrams, which streamline communication and documentation processes. Overall, draw.io is a highly versatile and widely used tool that caters to the needs of individuals, teams, and organizations across diverse industries.

Wide variety of shapes and high level of customizability: Many users have praised Draw.io for its wide range of shapes and the ability to customize diagram layouts. They appreciate the flexibility this offers in creating visual representations that meet their specific needs.

Fairly intuitive interface: Several reviewers have mentioned that Draw.io is fairly intuitive to use, even without the need for a tutorial. They find it easy to draw shapes and connect them together, allowing them to quickly create diagrams without any steep learning curve.

Seamless integration with other platforms: Draw.io's ability to integrate with other platforms has been highly appreciated by users. This seamless integration allows for smooth operation when working with documents and file systems within their organization, enhancing collaboration and productivity.

Unintuitive Shape Connection: Some users have found connecting shapes together in less common ways to be unintuitive and requiring effort to figure out. This has led to a slower workflow and additional time spent trying to understand the mechanics of shape connection.

Limited Cloud Collaboration Features: Users have expressed dissatisfaction with the cloud collaboration environment in Draw.io, specifically mentioning the absence of group editing and live dynamic sharing/editing compared to Microsoft Office. This limitation hinders real-time collaboration and makes it difficult for teams to work simultaneously on diagrams.

Difficulty Importing from Gliffy: Several users experienced difficulty converting pre-existing drawings and workflows from Gliffy to Draw.io. They reported that formatting and dependencies often do not transfer correctly, causing frustration and extra work in recreating or fixing diagrams after import.

Users have made several recommendations based on their experiences with Draw.io. The three most common recommendations are as follows:

  1. Improve the interface and provide pre-determined templates. Many users suggest that Draw.io should enhance its interface and offer more pre-determined templates to make it easier to create diagrams. This would be particularly beneficial for users who don't have advanced knowledge in drawing diagrams.

  2. Work on design and user experience. Several reviewers have recommended that Draw.io should focus on improving shapes, colors, and overall ease of use. They believe that enhancing the design and user experience would make the tool more visually appealing and intuitive.

  3. Compare Draw.io with other tools. Users suggest comparing Draw.io with other similar tools to understand its power and ease of use. This would help potential users evaluate whether Draw.io is the right fit for their needs.

It is worth noting that these recommendations are based on the users' opinions and suggestions.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-18 of 18)
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Sahil Khan | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
In Numerator we use draw.io to create flowcharts, diagrams and organizational charts. We have been using draw.io to create decision tree and workflow of a certain project. It really helps us to clarify some of the complex and challenging business decisions. It make things very clear when we understand it through a diagram made on draw.io.
  • The drag and drop of visuals make it easy and fast to create diagrams and flowcharts.
  • It is very convenient and simple to connect the visuals from one point to another from different sides of the visuals.
  • It offers so many different visual, flowcharts and network diagrams. We can explore a whole lot of templates in draw.io as per our requirement.
  • We can connect draw.io with Google Drive and save our work over there.
  • I think draw.io can improve on importing of some file types.
  • I think draw.io should launch its desktop application for PCs and Mac.
  • There is no proper tutorials and technical support services of draw.io
Based on my experience, I would say draw.io is very well suited for creating decision trees, flowcharts, workflows, UML diagrams, network diagrams, organizational charts etc. It is only appropriate for creating diagrams. It is not appropriate for creating any official documents or any kind of presentations. Sometimes it can be difficult to integrate it with existing workflow.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Draw.io is used in the development team of the IT service department in my organisation to diagram software and all its related concepts such as database entity-relationship diagrams, system component diagrams, network diagrams, etc. It is a convenient, free tool with integration to Google Drive and can be used in a browser or as a downloaded app. In my organisation it has replaced Visio - a Microsoft Office product that the powers to be don't want to pay for anymore.
  • Easily produces good quality diagrams
  • Has a rich set of predefined shapes for all sorts of different diagramming needs
  • Allows grouping of shapes
  • Smart connectors
  • Integrates with Google Drive
  • Conveniently exports to a variety of formats
  • Allows for collaborative development of diagrams
  • Opening an existing diagram, the view is sometimes in a weird spot - zoomed in on blank space or something - so it can be disconcerting
  • Z order of shapes can be tricky to manage
This is a great free product, it has a rich set of features and functionality and I think it actually rivals commercial products like Microsoft Visio superbly. It is most suited to diagramming things like floor plans, systems, databases, electronics, networks, etc, but there really isn't a limit to what you can do with it. I have used it for both work and personal use. It helped me design the landscaping plan for my yard around my house really well. I was able to upload a picture of my house's floor plan as a basis and diagram around that.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I've been using draw.io for a couple of years now and it is a great (and completely free) alternative for Microsoft Visio. It has a good range of native stencils, such as AWS, Azure, Cisco, Citrix, GCP, Office, Veeam, VMware and many others. Draw.io is very intuitive and easy to use and requires no client installation, you can use it completely from its web interface. It's very useful to create diagrams and architecture designs. Since I started using it, it was also spread to other colleagues on my team and to my management.
  • A very good and friendly interface - easy to use since first time use.
  • It's free.
  • Integration to Google Drive, OneDrive, Drop Box, GitHub and GitLab repositories.
  • Doesn't require client installation - It's completely web-based.
  • Not so complete as Visio, it lacks a few advanced features.
It's very suitable to most part of demands, from small to large companies and also for studying and personal use, as it is completely free. It is a very good alternative to Visio that allows you to create basic diagrams with no cost and very easily. It has some native stencils/shapes to various technologies. In my case Veeam, VMware, Cisco, Azure and Citrix are the most useful. Of course it is not so complete as MS Visio, so if you need more advanced features you can switch to it.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Draw.io is one of the most functionally useful products out there. Completely free, the product gives you the ability to quickly build flowcharts, workflows, wireframes, and prototypes to get your point across. As product lead, I've personally used draw.io for all the use cases mentioned above. It has helped us design user experience on our platform without breaking the bank.
  • It's free to use.
  • It integrates with Google drive so your work autosaves with every change.
  • It's extremely user-friendly and easy to pick up.
  • As you work in a browser, the app seems to lag if you work on it for a while.
  • The app appears to glitch from time to time if you work for longer periods of time, making you lose some of your work of you're not careful.
  • Exporting your work in the form you would like can be challenging. You need to pay close attention to the previews and page layouts to make sure your work comes out the way you envision it.
If you have small budgets and need to quickly create prototypes or flowcharts, draw.io is perfect for you. It's free, easy to use and user-friendly. Even if you're a beginner and have no design skills, the application is intuitive and has a simple learning curve making it extremely easy to pick up and use.
March 23, 2020

Highly recommend!!

Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Draw.io is a fantastic tool to assist in any diagrams, from network diagrams through to rack setups, even through to use case diagrams! This ensures easy communication and is hugely beneficial for documentation.
  • Flow charts.
  • Network diagrams.
  • Rack mock diagrams.
  • Increase library image types.
  • Auto save ability.
  • Further automation for networking diagrams (e.g. cable runs).
Those who need to create professional diagrams for low cost, without having to use proprietary software, allowing for ability for any users to edit.
January 29, 2020

Simple drawing program

Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use draw.io to make diagrams because of how simple it is to use. If I need to do a presentation, this is the easiest way to make a diagram. It is also perfect for making things like flow charts to show a process. It's free, which is why I use it.
  • Draw.io is free!
  • Draw.io is super simple to use, which means basically anyone can understand how to use it.
  • It can be slow at times
  • Not enough tools to make super complex things
I would recommend draw.io to anyone who is needing to make any flow chart or anything that you want to map out with boxes or ovals connected with lines or arrows. If you are also on a budget and need to do these sorts of things, then this is an excellent program to use.
Mauro García Aurelio | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
In my particular case, from the product area of our company, I am the only one who uses the software. I usually make different graphs, but most of all flowcharts to describe our processes, both internal, and many times to present to our customers. I found in Draw.io a simple but very powerful solution that allows me to perform high-quality work in a short time.
  • Integration with Google Drive.
  • Friendly interface.
  • Sometimes it is a bit slow.
Draw.io allows you to quickly and easily make a large number of graphics such as flowcharts, networks, UMLs, etc. It allows working in collaboration with other users and is integrated with Google Drive.
Tyler Wright | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
A few people in my organization are using draw.io for creating and editing various diagrams. For me personally, I absolutely love draw.io. draw.io lets me send diagrams to others who may or may not have Visio or some other paid for diagramming software. In addition, draw.io is free, has great content (icons and templates), plus, I can log on to any machine and open my document with just a basic web browser!
  • draw.io is free to use! No more spending loads of money for licenses of diagramming applications.
  • draw.io is web based - no installation necessary! Due to this, your diagrams become very portable.
  • draw.io is always adding to their application; new features, new icons, etc.
  • Honestly, I can't come up with any cons.
draw.io is well suited for network diagrams, floor plans, flowcharts, and decision charts. It is less appropriate if everyone at your office already has Visio and is satisfied with it or if you need measurement functionality (like Visio's tape measure).
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use draw.io to define user journeys and various flows for our design solutions as a part of the UX design team's efforts. It is dependant on the department's access to the tools and budgets allocated to them. Our office deals with graduate education and research, and we work with other departments to create a better experience for graduate students. We use draw.io to create the box flow solutions for the solutions for our design work on the website and marketing strategy fronts.
  • Multiple shapes are accommodated, making it a great tool for everyone.
  • A good Scratchpad feature to create boards with relevant shapes.
  • The basic design is not visually appealing.
  • There's no dark mode to work in the dark and be softer on the eyes.
This tool does exactly delivers what it is made for. It is primarily used for making flow charts, organizational diagrams, and process systems. They helped us put together a quick printable chart for the managerial leaders to look at and approve the plans. We also use it to create system organization ledgers to show a map of all the resources and their locations.
August 01, 2019

Ready, Set, Draw!

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use this tool for many different types of graphs, diagrams, tables and charts. It is very intuitive and because we can export vectors, that makes is easy to scale to any size without loss of quality. This is important when creating presentations. I've used it to create several flowcharts that show the steps involved in different processes. This has been very helpful for others to understand who is responsible for each step and how they can use the process to request different services.
  • Vector graphics can scale to any size without loss of quality
  • Alignment of different elements are easy to perform
  • It can import from many services including Dropbox, OneDrive, GitHub, Google Drive and Trello
  • The user interface is very intuitive
  • When very elaborate diagrams are needed, it lacks the amount of tools and customization needed
  • Since this is an online tool, it can freeze and that causes you to lose that work up to that point
  • Performance can lag with very complex diagrams
It's very easy to collaborate on the same file with team members and create simple concepts and flowcharts that you can use in the development process. It is also very handy for creating graphs and tables for presentations. Since this is a web application, we can use it anywhere, anytime and on any device; which provides great flexibility and accessibility. It also offers the functionality to save your work as you develop it, which is very helpful.
Jesse Bickel, MS - PMP | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Draw.io is being used within our organization to embed diagrams and workflows within our company shared document repository. Our organization used Confluence and the connector to draw.io. All departments have access to this and use this on a daily bases. This helps keep not only information and documents in one place but editable within a page, a one-stop shop to see our workflows and diagrams as well.
  • Draw.io's ability to plug into other platforms makes it simple to have a single pane of glass operation when working your organization's documents and file system.
  • Draw.io is the refreshing approach to a very simple no-frills software that is easy to learn and get something out the door in minutes if need be.
  • Draw.io had a relatively deep repository of templates and examples to speed up delivery and prevent you from having to re-create the wheel.
  • One element that was hard to use was converting pre-existing drawings and workflows from Gliffy to Draw.io once our company made the change. While we were able to complete the migration, when going back we noticed, oftentimes, some formatting and dependencies did not make it or were not compatible.
  • While the template repository is vast, it has a heavy focus on network style maps. It would be ideal for added diversity in the templates with a focus on workflows just as much.
  • While the integrations are strong, the cloud collaborative environment could still use some work. While you can save and edit in the cloud. Group editing and live dynamic sharing/editing similar to Microsoft office are still missing.
  • Draw.io could add some version control functionality for ease of rollback, auditing, & comparison.
Draw.io is perfect for wide company distribution. There is not the deep complex training that typically comes with using something like Microsoft Visio or other platforms. This is easy to use, understand, and distribute.
Pankaj Bhowmik | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
In my group, we use draw.io vastly for drawing flowcharts, diagram, or illustrations. We further use these drawing to write papers and projects. This tool is a smart choice for users since it is free to use. Moreover, there are some paid drawing-software and there are some people who got used to those. Besides these guys, most of us in the dept use draw.io. My group consists of researchers and we have no collaboration in terms of business. In my opinion, there should not be significant objections regarding the draw.io. Yes, security might be a concern for business purpose where they may claim that their confidential design could be on the web portal.
  • This is a fully online dependent tool, easy to use, and free. At the same time, we can share the design with the people in a group. This feature gives a good match for teamwork.
  • This tool has a large collection of shapes. These shapes are possible to organize easily. If a high level of perfection is required, then it can be controlled by placing proper (x,y) coordinate or rotating by a specific angle.
  • You can have multiple pages on one webpage. It makes easier to edit, modify and update your file which is helpful to track different versions and projects (if you use draw.io a lot).
  • This is a great tool for researchers. Draw.io and Overleaf help to write research papers. When a PDF format of the image is exported, it gives good drawing quality.
  • This online tool is more flexible and user-friendly compared to other expensive software.
  • The tool is not efficient for adding 3D effect on the shapes.
  • The drawing quality degrades when JPG or PNG image formats are downloaded. The SVF format also has some problems for universal use. Hence, when you use Microsoft Word and try to put in an image, you might have to sacrifice image quality.
  • It is limited to shapes only, it would be nice to have a graph option.
  • The online integration of with Overleaf could be better.
Well suited scenarios:
  • Flowcharts
  • Shape drawings
  • Figures for research papers
  • PowerPoint presentations

Less suited scenarios:
  • The use of JPG format figures
  • Confidential figures used for business purpose
  • Graphs
February 02, 2019

Draw.IO: Easy to Use

Michael Jipping | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Draw.IO is being used as a diagram tool as needed to detail the infrastructure, network, security, and workflows for solution design and implementation. It is currently being used as an option to Visio Studio. Draw.IO provides a simple method for designing and editing diagrams used in the documentation process.
  • Draw.IO provides an easy method for manipulating and displaying data flows via its objects/shapes connectors. Ie. When you want the flow arrow to go in a certain direction or make a specific angle, it provides an easy to use interface.
  • Allows for multiple file formats you can export. (PDF , XML, VSDX, etc).
  • Allows for multiple custom objects to import (Various network and server Icons).
  • None to date, but could possibly allow for collaboration across a dispersed team.
Great tool to use for diagramming purposes. May not be the best fit if a software requirement is native Visio.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Draw.io is being used in my organization as a replacement for something like Visio that lives in the cloud. By this I mean creating things like flowcharts, entity relationship diagrams, etc. We're also evaluating it as a potential replacement for Xmind for creating sitemaps and sharing them with clients without requiring them to download any new software.
  • Draw.io offers a lot of shapes and customizability of how the diagrams are laid out. We've been able to create a lot of different things with it, and have barely scratched the surface of the sorts of things that we could do.
  • Draw.io is fairly intuitive in the way that you draw shapes and connect shapes together, I was able to figure it out without a tutorial.
  • Draw.io is fast and performant for me compared with some of the alternatives.
  • Connecting shapes together in slightly less common ways isn't quite as intuitive and took some effort to figure out.
  • It would be nice if the shapes could be auto-positioned and auto-sized accordingly to fit the contents and keep the diagram as neat and tidy as possible.
If you need to create a diagram in the cloud, I haven't found a better tool yet. If you need further customizability or export options not offered, then a larger tool might make more sense, but wherever Draw.io can fit in, I think it's the ideal solution.
January 17, 2019

Good Tool Draw.io

Erick de Leon Ponciano | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
It is being used by different areas to document processes, perform flow diagrams, as well as for simple plans.
  • Mobility allows you to make your projects, leave them in the cloud, and when you revisit it on another device your work is there, ready to continue.
  • If you want to share the projects, there are multiple options and it is not necessary for the person receiving the content to have a platform to see it.
  • Integration with browsers allows you to work in an online environment with great flexibility through Chrome.
  • Improve the shapes, other similar products have better options in this area.
  • Incorporate predesigned templates, this is attractive to continue developing content.
It's great for quick jobs (college jobs, house plans or office plans) and if you want to send by the cloud.

It is not so good if you want to share content in a corporate network, for projects or for very complex flowcharts.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We are using draw.io mainly for creating user flows as part of the product development / design process. It helps us a lot to easily draw the flows we need and collaborate with the team on that file. It's very intuitive and easy to use.
  • It's great for drawing user flows and prototypes.
  • Great for collaborating with the team.
  • When you are not using their stand-alone app and get invited to the draw.io file with a link, then it sometimes gets hard to open the file.
Great for team collaboration when you need to create and share visual flows, prototypes, mindmaps, etc.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I use draw.io to plan and design user flows through our product. It allows for easy to use diagrams and flow charting to depict the journey a user takes through our application. I use the free program which is lightweight and easy to use. I really like the unlimited canvas and being able to save common symbols
  • Diagramming user flows using shapes and arrows
  • Easily exportable outpouts
  • Ready-to-use, BPMN library
  • Allow for multiple pages
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Crisper icons in User Interface
This is a great product for anyone needing to brainstorm or diagram processes. I use it to design a user's path through my application. Draw.io is easy-to-use and quick to get started. It's a great service that I'm glad I found. It's akin to Google Drawing or PowerPoint/Keynote if you're familiar with those services.
Matt Heerema | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Our web design agency uses Draw.io to create complex information architecture, site map, and spec requirements for websites. It is an easy to use, easy to share, clear set of tools that allows us to rapidly create and share these artifacts with our clients, get their commentary, make changes, and finalize sign-off on the most important part of any web design project: the site structure.
  • Rapid mind-mapping: draw.io's tools are simple to use, minimizing time between thought and action
  • Cloud-based sharing: no need to hunt for the right export settings to share documents with a client
  • Google Suite / Drive integration: Draw.io files live alongside all our other project documentation inside of Google Drive.
  • Interface is pretty spartan, which can be a strength, but better utilization of Google's design standard could lead to a cleaner interface, making it more fun to use.
  • Better tools to reflow connected elements in a comprehensible way would be very handy.
Good for: Rapid mind mapping, prototyping, site mapping, org charts are our primary usage and what this is really well suited for.

Less good: complex drafting, room layouts, detailed physical layout emulating.
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