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SmartDraw

SmartDraw

Overview

What is SmartDraw?

SmartDraw is a diagramming and flow chart building tool from SmartDraw Software in San Diego, California.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

SmartDraw has become a go-to solution for many users who want to simplify the creation, editing, and sharing of org charts. Frustrated …
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Free trial IS NOT free

1 out of 10
June 20, 2023
I tried to use the free trial on this software. As soon as I finished the drawing I couldn't export, share or print without purchasing. …
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Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Multiple-Users (for 5+ users)

$5.95

On Premise
per user/per month

Single-User

$9.95

On Premise
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 Demos

SmartDraw Demo

YouTube

Team 6 SmartDraw Demo

YouTube
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Product Details

What is SmartDraw?

SmartDraw Video

While our first impressions of SmartDraw were quite positive, here we dive deeper into how they market their visual design tool, what their pricing plans look like, what users enjoy about SmartDraw, and what issues users have with SmartDraw. The biggest takeaway, is that Smart...
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SmartDraw Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsWindows, Mac
Mobile ApplicationNo
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(38)

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!

SmartDraw has become a go-to solution for many users who want to simplify the creation, editing, and sharing of org charts. Frustrated with the cumbersome nature of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, HR teams have turned to SmartDraw to streamline their org charting process. With both desktop and cloud-based versions available, SmartDraw offers an intuitive and user-friendly experience that surpasses other options like Lucidchart. In addition to org charts, users have found SmartDraw useful for discussing application flows, creating high-level designs, creating flowcharts, seating charts, and charts of responsibility. It has proven to be a modern alternative to Microsoft Office tools, offering a time-saving solution for tasks such as designing building floorplans, fire evacuation diagrams, and emergency operations plans. Users also appreciate the software for its capabilities in flow charting, milestone charting, process decomposition/documentation, and creating maps and timelines. With excellent customer service and a wide range of use cases across various departments within organizations, SmartDraw continues to provide an efficient and effective solution for visualizing information.

Clean and professional org charts: Many users have been impressed with SmartDraw's ability to produce clean and professional-looking org charts. They appreciate that the charts can be easily shared or printed in a readable format, making it convenient for presentations or documentation purposes.

Easy import of data for org chart creation: Several reviewers have praised the ease of importing data into SmartDraw for creating org charts. This feature saves them time and effort, allowing them to quickly generate accurate and up-to-date charts.

Wide range of features and templates: SmartDraw offers a wide range of features for various purposes such as flowcharts, structural design, sharing and collaboration, wireframing, and customizable templates. Users find these features to be valuable as they cater to different needs and make diagramming tasks more efficient. Additionally, the provided templates serve as great starting points when users are unsure of how to begin their diagrams.

Cons:

  1. Lack of customization options: Some users have expressed the need for more customizable functions in the program to achieve better integration, as well as the ability to customize plans and navigation.
  2. Performance issues: Several users have mentioned that the application is heavy on their system and takes time to load, especially for touch screen interfaces. Additionally, some users find certain tasks like manipulating bubbles in timelines or aligning multiple objects to be difficult and time-consuming.
  3. Issues with functionality: A number of reviewers have experienced issues with the autosave function not always saving changes, making it unreliable. Users have also found it difficult to link shapes together and desire more customizations and example shapes/objects.

Based on user feedback, here are the most common recommendations for SmartDraw:

  1. Users suggest exploring the different options available and trying out the software, as it is free and easy to use. They recommend playing around with it for a couple of hours before using it for serious tasks. It is also important to ensure that the software meets all requirements before relying on it.

  2. SmartDraw is highly recommended by users who work with PowerPoint. It is considered an excellent tool for creating presentations. Additionally, users suggest giving SmartDraw a try for easy drawings, diagrams, and representations. However, for certain types of drawings, some users suggest using Visio instead.

  3. Users find SmartDraw useful for designing documents such as process flow maps and org charts. It is praised for being easy to use and having useful components for different environments. Taking advantage of any training offered by SmartDraw is also recommended.

In general, users advise trying the trial version of SmartDraw to evaluate if it meets their needs. They find it cost-effective and compatible with other programs like Microsoft Office. Templates are suggested as a way to maximize the value of the software. However, users caution that SmartDraw may not be worth the money and time for certain professional fields, like architect firms. It is important to carefully evaluate use cases before deciding on the software. While generally user-friendly, some users note that support may not be particularly helpful in addressing concerns or issues.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-14 of 14)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
November 27, 2021

SmartDraw is Next Level!

Genie Huff-Forkner | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Charts of all kinds
  • Wire Framing
  • Easily customizable templates
  • 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
Michael Florant | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Create diagrams.
  • Convert diagrams to other formats like PDF and JPEGS.
  • Stores your designs in the cloud.
  • The autosave function does not always save your changes.
  • When creating diagrams and linking shapes together, they do not always stay linked.
  • Not enough customizations and example shapes and objects.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Ability to quickly and efficiently create flowcharts and org charts that are pleasing to the eye.
  • Cloud document storage always a plus. Can access work in progress anywhere.
  • Ability to export in multiple formats to fit your needs.
  • The software seems quite sophisticated. If you are looking to do something a bit more intricate, like a floor plan, you need to do some of their training.
  • Training options are a bit rough, they will offer free live training if you have more than 5 people on the training. Doesn't work well for a small company
Brad Holliday, PHR, SHRM-CP, CBM, MBA | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Impressed with SmartDraw's ability to produce a clean & professional looking org chart... one which can be shared with a link or printed out in a format readable by all parties.
  • We like that we are able to easily import data for org chart creation. Once the data is there, we can the easily place additional positions on an org chart with shapes automatically positioned and connected.
  • It would be great if there was an ability to customize some of the functions in the program, so that we have everything as integrated as possible.
  • Since we still sometimes receive draft versions of new org structures from department leaders in Powerpoint, I with there was an export option to better-enable file-sharing.
  • At first, it seems to take users a bit to adjust to zooming in/out in the program, which can be frustrating.
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • SmartDraw is great at visualizing process driven charts and models. They are simple, and somewhat understandable.
  • SmartDraw can still be a bit slow at times. While the ability to create complex charts and and figures that have multiple connecting (and intersecting) lines has improved, there are still some instances where SmartDraw can improve in (i.e.- sometimes I'm forced to freeze lines that I don't want a newly created line to automatically connect to).
  • Restructuring the ribbon to be more user friendly and intuitive could also go a long way. I am not sure why text alignment is all the way to the right of the ribbon on the user interface. It is nearly non-existent when I minimize my window. To me, the functionality in the Design ribbon does not make sense (only because I use PowerPoint and Word on a daily basis). Design is more content creation and editing, sort of like the functionality in the Home ribbon.
  • Creating additional right mouse click shortcut options would also save lots of time. I don't want to have to go to the ribbon every time I need to group or ungroup different sets.
  • Printing and properly adjusting printing is a nightmare. It is not intuitive, manually adjusting only complicates things, and there aren't enough options that allow for properly adjusting your window for printing. Printing functionality is too complex and a real deterrent when attempting to share content with clients.
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Adjusting size/dimensions for the drawing (up or down depending)
  • Simple to function
  • Move/Delete/Change drawing
  • Exporting to read-able PDF
  • Very glitchy. It randomly will move a line in the drawing especially after saving and re-opening.
  • Some things don't make any sense the way it is designed.
  • The add-on images are weird - Most would like that views are aerial vs. a picsart type image.
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • 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.
  • The timelines are a bit difficult to work with. Sometimes the bubbles take on a mind of their own and don't let you move and manipulate them easily. For timelines with a lot of events, this can get especially difficult.
  • The maps are missing some of the smaller countries, and sometimes you cannot fill in a smaller country without "sending to back" the larger countries around it. This becomes time consuming.
Cyndi Recker | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • SmartDraw has a great selection of templates to start from which are great thought starters when you don't know where to begin!
  • Often you have data, processes, concepts, flows and interactions to organize, yet you don't always know what will be the best way to put it all together.
  • SmartDraw is easy to use, I was productive right away and did not need to reference any help or tutorials in getting started. The UI is very intuitive and I could ramp up quickly.
  • I can keep creating and SmartDraw doesn't slow me down. When working with large flows, SmartDraw dynamically extends its display area. I like that when I am creating a flow, I am not constrained to a predefined space. I can keep working and use the zoom in/out as needed to view my diagrams.
  • I would like to be able to select multiple objects and right click to align them. So far I have only found one way to get to the alignment and that is on the Design Screen.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • The export capability is great.
  • The ability to create flow charts is easy.
  • The tool bars provide us with access to all the tools we need.
  • I believe the improvement can be in the compression of documents when they are saved in different file formats.
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