Visio is a free online tool by Microsoft that is used to create excellent flowcharts and other diagrammatic representations of text content. The tool was first developed and introduced in 1992 by Shapewear Corporation and was taken over by Microsoft in 2000. It was then included and integrated with the prevalent MS office software as people started taking advantage of the seamless connectivity between Visio and other MS Office tools like MS Powerpoint, MS Word, MS Access, and more. With this context, we'll here be thoroughly examining the top 5 Visio equivalents for macOS that are widely appreciated across the world.

SmartDraw offers a powerful and easy-to-use solution for those looking for a Visio® alternative on a Mac. Import and export Visio files, import Visio stenci. Our Free Visio Viewer for Mac, Windows, and Linux helps Chrome users collaborate with colleagues that diagram in Microsoft Visio. Use Lucidchart to open Visio files saved to your computer, attached to an email, or posted on a website.

The reason for such a topic is, everyone seems not pretty confident or comfortable working with MS Office, and also with Windows set-up. Considering the fact our discussion goes on here. If you are in the same boat, stick around till the end as we'll cover all the important features, pros & cons, pricing, and more of the best 5 Visio Replacement for macOS.

The Availability of Diagramming Tools of Mac Version

When it comes to macOS, there are no such options to use any diagramming tools for free. It's hard to believe, but really there is none of them. To beat the heat, you can use a few popular online tools for free and there are EdrawMax, ASCII Flow, Draw.io, etc.

But if you are still looking for a desktop application, then you can use these applications in offline mode. With the quantity of using MacBook over the world, the users who got used to Visio to make diagrams and other jobs will be disappointed that Visio could be able to utilize on the Mac version, at that time, the replacement or alternatives of Visio on the iOS system seem to be urgent to satisfy users’ demands.

What to Consider before Choosing Visio Equivalent for Mac?

Selecting a tool for personal/professional purposes requires a lot of research through online surveys and 'trial and error' methods. To help you find the best Visio equivalent for MAC, I have enlisted a few important points to consider before selecting the one.

• Usability

Irrespective of how powerful the tool is, you need to check out whether the tool meets your requirements. The Visio alternative software for Mac must be able to cater to your diagramming needs.

• Connectivity/ Portability

To sustain in today's fast work environment, only being powerful doesn't work anymore. Apart from the software abilities, it should also be well-integrated and portable with other platforms (example, just look at MS Visio for an example, it's not highly mobile, and that's why you are reading this). So the tool should produce such outputs that can be integrated and ported on other platforms.

• Pricing

Try for a free tool if your budget is not sufficient. But also check with your requirements. Based on the needs and pricing, select the one that suits you the best.

• Security

Sometimes you might need to work on very sensitive/confidential data that has to be highly secured. So check carefully with the security as well, then make a decision.

Best 5 Free Visio Equivalent for Mac

1. EdrawMax

Source:EdrawMax

The software is available to download for free and use it as a desktop version. You can create unlimited flow charts, mind maps, org charts, network diagrams, and stunning floor charts in just a few clicks. Choose your favorite templates from the dashboard equipped with plenty of options.

Pros:

Free Download Visio For Mac

• Platform Independent
• Output available in PDF format
• User-friendly interface

Cons:

• Lack of online help on “how to use EdrawMax
• Relational databases are not appropriately functional while creating complex flowcharts

Why We Picked It:

• Highly recommended by professionals and beginners who are interested in diagramming, since its substantial icons, charts and templates, as well as its strong storage.

EdrawMax

All-in-One Diagram Software

• Superior file compatibility: Import and export drawings to various file formats, such as Visio
• Cross-platform supported (Windows, Mac, Linux, Web)

2. Omnigraffle

Source:Omnigraffle

This sophisticated data management tool and customizable diagramming software are highly portable, consisting of hundreds of customizable templates to efficiently work with the complex management data. Engineering designs, infographics, and highly complex business models can be created with ease.

Pros:

• complex data-based drawings, flowcharts, mind maps, etc
• An easy drag-and-drop mechanism

Cons:

• No free version is available
• Features are very limited in the free version

Why We Picked It:

• Many people look for purchasing a premium tool that charges a one-time payment with life-long validity and support. That is the reason this premium super-powerful data management, and the diagramming tool is in our top 5 Visio alternatives for MAC OS list.

3. Dia Diagram Editor

Source:Dia Diagram Editor

One of the best Visio equivalents for macOS using an extremely professional interface with lots of features to create awesome flowcharts and vector diagrams. Ease of use is its priority for the users, especially for the beginners.

Pros:

• Dia editor is open-source software, download for free
• Platform independent
• Easy user interface

Cons:

• Hard to find the download link

Why We Picked It:

• When we did online surveys on feedback about MS Visio equivalent for macOS, we received excellent feedback about the Dia diagram editor, which is freely available across all platforms. Hence, it ranks in our top 5 MS Visio alternatives for macOS list.

4. ConceptDraw

Source:ConceptDraw

A highly advanced diagramming tool for use in creating flowcharts, business mapping, managing and maintaining business data, charts, workflow models, and also integrating them seamlessly through the cloud environment. Stuffed with plenty of useful, robust templates for using multiple times with designing accurate data-driven use cases, charts, infographics, and architectural models.

Pros:

• Simple and easy to use
• Plenty of in-built templates
• It can create infographics starting from the scratch with customizable designing templates.

Cons:

• Keyboard shortcuts are too complex
• Rearranging the set-up in case of business scaling is not easy

Why We Picked It:

• We found the cons of ConceptDraw are not that superior, having an overall good score ConceptDraw retains its position in the top 5 list of Visio equivalent for MAC.

5. Lucidchart

Source:Lucidchart

One of the best free MS Visio equivalent for Mac users, that comes with lots of features, online help, and a very simple User interface. You will not require any kind of technical skillset to use this tool. It’s so easy to use and step-by-step explanations with images are available as a complete tutorial/guide!

Pros:

• Available for free
• Easily Portable
• A bunch of ready-to-use templates is available
• Simple User Interface

Cons:

• Many features are available only in the paid version
• Extremely complex data cannot be handled perfectly

Why We Picked It:

• The software extremely easy to use, with a simple yet powerful user interface. Moreover, the tool is available for free across all platforms. The software is also voted as the top 5 Visio replacement for Mac in our online surveys. Thus, it has appeared on the list.

Recommendation

Though it is not easy to suggest a single tool to the users with a variety of requirements, especially when it is the Aternative to Visio for MAC users. But still, from our top 5 list of MS Visio replacement for Mac, I would recommend you one software which I liked the most - Edraw Max. I recommend the tool due to its user-friendliness, portability, and robustness. Unlike the other tools with similar functionalities, Edraw Max’s UI(User Interface) is more comfortable with excellent online user manuals that guide the beginners correctly in a stepwise manner explaining each step thoroughly. I also am a satisfied user of Edraw Max, and can assure you with the security and performance.

Jan 26, 2016 Hello Nadeem, Currently there is no Visio for MAC OS, as a workaround, you can host Visio Diagrams on SharePoint (to enable the data coonectivity), or any site when exporting the diagram as an html (will lose the data connectivity), and then you will be. Visio Online Plan 2 includes Visio desktop, Visio Online, and 2 GB of cloud storage on OneDrive, making it our most powerful diagramming suite. It’s best for professional diagramming needs. Visio desktop comes with a robust library of built-in and third-party templates and shapes, as well as integrated collaboration tools.

If you are a student and desire to download Microsoft Visio student version, then you need to pay attention. We will explore the possibilities of getting Visio for students right here. So, what is Visio? Microsoft Visio is a software application that was included in the Microsoft Office suite in the paste and used for making vector graphics. For instance, you use Microsoft Visio for drawing flow diagrams, making graphs, charts, and calendars. The version of the software now available for free trial is the 2013 version and you can get it from Microsoft website.

The software has different file formats like VST, VSS, and VSD. Others include VSW, VDX, and so on. It also has three editions like Standard, Premium and Professional versions. As at date, you can download Microsoft Visio trial version for free and use the cloud version online through a Microsoft 365 premium version. So let us see how to download Visio for students right away.

Steps for downloading Visio for students

Note that Visio is no longer included in the Microsoft Office suite, but you can buy it as a stand-alone application. Follow these steps to get the 30-day trial.

Microsoft Visio Online

1. Click on Buy or try Visio.
2. And then click on See plan and Pricing link
   
3. And select either plan 1 or plan 2 and click on “try for free”
4. Enter your email address (it must be either your work or school email address). And click on next
5. To create your new Microsoft Visio student account. Click on the “Set Up Account” link. And tell Microsoft about yourself by entering your name, organization and so on.
6. After you have created your account, then go ahead and set up your service.
7. Follow these steps.
8. Log into your Visio Dashboard, click the Setup link
9. Then in the QuickStart section, click on the Start button.
10. And select the right domain, and then click Next.
11. Also, Click on the Add users and assign licenses link.
12. But, if you are the only user, select that you “don’t want to add users right now”. And, if you would like to create new user accounts with short-term passwords, select “Add users one at a time”.
13. Now, click on the Start using your services link, and then click on Done.

To download Microsoft Visio student free trial

After setting up your account in those steps above, you can now begin the download process. This will take you closer to using the software as a substitute for the Visio for students.

1. Begin by clicking the Download link on the left part of the Office 365 Admin Centre. Also, see the gear icon in the upper right and select Menus there.
2. For instance, starting from the Office 365 settings tab, then select Software and then choose Visio.
3. Next, be patient for the Visio license to display
4. The next thing is to add Trial Licenses to User Account that was Existing Before. It simply means to use your present Office 365 Enterprise (i.e E3 Plan or Higher) to log on to the Dashboard and then click on Add or Buy Visio Pro for Office 365 for your trial subscription.
5. Next, is to add the Visio License to a user. To do that, sign in to the Admin Centre, and then add the Visio License to a user. So go on and Sign in to the Office 365 Admin Center, and click on Users and groups, and then click on the name of the user that is Displayed.
6. Next, go on to the Assigned Licenses page. In that page, choose Visio Pro for Office 365 and then click on save.
7. So, after you have finished assigning the license to a user, then download the Visio software.

Installing the software

Before you install the Visio for students software, on the left side of your Admin Page verify what version you had installed on your desktop before. So, if it is a 32-bit platform then click on the Install button. But, if it is 64 bit, then select Advanced, and choose 64 bit and then click on the install Icon.

Steps to get Visio for students using Microsoft Visio free trial for Advanced Users

You may also get the download of the Visio free trial software from the Microsoft TechNet Evaluation Center website. But to do, that follow the onscreen instructions. To get the software you will need to register, then save the trial key and install it on Visio on your Desktop by using that Key.

Conclusion.

In this post, we showed you how to download the Microsoft Visio free trial and use it for 30 days since there is no Student version available right now. Also, you can only get a free trial by using the 2013 version of the software for a free trial. Besides, you now know how to set up a user account and then add a trial license to a user. After the trial, you can pay for a subscription.

Related:

Originally published in October 2013, this post was updated in April 2014 to include simplified installation steps.

The Visio 2013 trial is available in 2 formats to meet your needs: subscription service or traditional download.

Visio trial via Office 365

Visio Pro for Office 365 is a subscription service and can be easily downloaded to most personal computers. You can sign up for a 1-month trial of Visio Pro for Office 365 that will give you the always up-to-date experience of click-to-run in Office 365, and it’s easy to continue your paid subscription after the trial period expires. We recommend this option for most users. Here are a few tips to help get started successfully.

New user accounts

New users or current small and mid-sized business subscribers (with E1 or E2 plans) should create a new user account.

Once an account is created, you can set up your service:

1. In the Dashboard, click the Set up link.
2. In the Quick Start section, click Start.
3. Choose the appropriate domain, then click Next.
4. Click the Add users and assign licenses link.
5. If you are the only user, choose I don’t want to add users right now. If you would like to create new user accounts with temporary passwords, choose Add users one at a time.
6. Click the Start using your services link, then click Done.

To download Visio, click the Download link on the left side of the Office 365 Admin Center, or click the gear icon in the upper right, and choose from the subsequent menus Office 365 settings > Software > Visio.

Note: It may take a few minutes to provision the Visio license.

Add trial licenses to existing user accounts

If you are an existing Office 365 Enterprise Subscriber (E3 plan and above), please sign in with an existing account. Then, simply click Add or Purchase Visio Pro for Office 365 for your subscription as a trial.

Now, add the Visio license to a user: Sign in to the Office 365 admin center, click users and groups, and then click the user’s Display Name.

On the Assign Licenses page, select Visio Pro for Office 365 and then click Save.

Now that the trial license has been assigned to a user, on the right side of the Admin page, click Download Software.

Installation from Office 365

Determine which version of Office is installed on your machine by following these steps.

If your version of Office is 32 bits, simply click the Install button. If your version of Office is 64 bits, then select advanced, choose 64 bit, and then click Install.

Visio trial via TechNet download

Visio For Mac Trial

If you are a bit more technical or plan a traditional 1-time purchase of the full software license, you can download the trial software through our TechNet Evaluation Center site. Like many common software trials, this installation will eventually expire and require that you enter an activation key for continued use.

Here are a few steps to follow for a smooth installation of the TechNet trial.

Choose the right version

Some confusion can arise if there is a mismatch between a version of Office already installed on your computer and the new Visio version. First, check whether you are running 32-bit or 64-bit Office. Then, when beginning the Visio download, choose the corresponding version of Visio. Here’s a screenshot that indicates how to choose the correct version.

Save your trial key

Once signed in, you will receive a trial product key along with an option to download the trial package.

The most common product key issues can be addressed as follows:

• Product key not visible in browser. Sometimes, there are issues in rendering the product key. To fix this issue, you can simply reset your browser settings.
• Product key lost or corrupted. If the product key is lost or damaged, follow a few simple steps to replace the key.

Installation steps

The TechNet trial of Visio 2013 is available for download in simple .exe format. Once the download is complete, double-click the .exe file to install Visio.

Troubleshooting

If there are problems with installation, please review the document General troubleshooting for installing Office 2013 and Office 365.

Persisting problems may require a re-installation of Office and Visio by following these steps and re-installing after reboot.

Microsoft Visio For Mac Download

Problems with licenses and activation are addressed in General troubleshooting for licenses & activation.

Note: Third-party tools mentioned here are offered only for reference and convenience. Microsoft does not endorse or assume liability for their use.

— Contributions from Saurabh Kumar and Abhishek Dhasmana