draw.io vs yEd

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Our analysts compared draw.io vs yEd based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Diagram Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

draw.io Software Tool
yEd Software Tool

Product Basics

Draw.io is a versatile diagramming software that excels in creating a wide range of diagrams, including flowcharts, network diagrams, UML diagrams, and more. It is particularly well-suited for professionals in industries such as IT, engineering, project management, and education, where visual representation of complex information is crucial. The software's intuitive interface and extensive library of shapes and templates make it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.

One of the standout benefits of draw.io is its seamless integration with popular cloud storage services, allowing for easy collaboration and sharing. Users appreciate its real-time collaboration features, which enable multiple team members to work on the same diagram simultaneously. Additionally, the software supports a variety of export formats, ensuring compatibility with other tools and platforms.

Compared to similar products, draw.io is often praised for its cost-effectiveness and flexibility. While specific pricing details are not always readily available, users can contact SelectHub for a tailored pricing quote based on their individual needs. Overall, draw.io's combination of powerful features, ease of use, and affordability makes it a compelling choice for anyone needing robust diagramming capabilities.

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yEd is a versatile diagramming software designed to facilitate the creation of high-quality diagrams, flowcharts, and network layouts. It is particularly well-suited for professionals in fields such as software engineering, project management, and education, where visual representation of complex information is crucial. The software's intuitive interface and powerful automatic layout algorithms enable users to generate visually appealing diagrams with minimal effort.

One of yEd's standout features is its ability to import data from various sources, including Excel spreadsheets and XML files, allowing for seamless integration with existing workflows. Additionally, yEd supports a wide range of diagram types, from organizational charts to UML diagrams, making it a flexible tool for diverse applications. Users also appreciate the software's extensive customization options, which enable precise control over the appearance and structure of diagrams.

Compared to similar products, yEd is often praised for its ease of use and robust functionality. While specific pricing details are not readily available, potential users are encouraged to contact SelectHub for a tailored pricing quote based on their individual needs. Overall, yEd stands out for its combination of user-friendly design and powerful features, making it a valuable asset for professionals requiring detailed and dynamic diagramming capabilities.

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$18.70 Monthly, Freemium
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$0 Free
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Product Assistance

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24/7 Live Support
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Product Insights

  • Enhanced Collaboration: Facilitates real-time collaboration, allowing multiple team members to work on the same diagram simultaneously, which improves productivity and ensures everyone is on the same page.
  • Cost Efficiency: Offers a free version with robust features, making it accessible for startups and small businesses without compromising on functionality.
  • Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrates with popular platforms like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Confluence, streamlining workflows and reducing the need for switching between applications.
  • Customizability: Provides extensive customization options, enabling users to tailor diagrams to specific project needs, which enhances clarity and communication.
  • Ease of Use: Features an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that reduces the learning curve, allowing users to create complex diagrams without extensive training.
  • Security: Ensures data protection with robust security measures, including end-to-end encryption and compliance with industry standards, safeguarding sensitive information.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility: Operates smoothly on various operating systems and devices, ensuring accessibility and flexibility for remote teams and on-the-go professionals.
  • Template Variety: Offers a wide range of pre-built templates for different diagram types, saving time and providing a solid starting point for users.
  • Version Control: Maintains a history of changes, allowing users to track modifications and revert to previous versions if necessary, which is crucial for maintaining project integrity.
  • Scalability: Supports projects of varying sizes and complexities, making it suitable for both small-scale tasks and large enterprise-level projects.
  • Visual Clarity: Enhances understanding and communication through clear, visually appealing diagrams, which can be crucial for presentations and stakeholder meetings.
  • Accessibility: Provides features that support accessibility, ensuring that diagrams can be used and understood by individuals with diverse needs and abilities.
  • Time Efficiency: Streamlines the diagramming process, reducing the time required to create and edit diagrams, which allows teams to focus on other critical tasks.
  • Support and Resources: Offers extensive documentation, tutorials, and community support, helping users to quickly resolve issues and maximize the software's potential.
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  • Enhanced Productivity: yEd's intuitive interface allows users to create complex diagrams quickly, reducing the time spent on manual drawing and adjustments.
  • Automated Layouts: The software offers various automatic layout algorithms, such as hierarchical and organic layouts, which organize diagrams efficiently without manual intervention.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility: yEd runs on multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring accessibility for diverse user groups.
  • Customizable Visuals: Users can tailor the appearance of diagrams with customizable shapes, colors, and styles, enhancing clarity and visual appeal.
  • Data Import and Export: yEd supports importing data from various formats like Excel and XML, and exporting diagrams to formats such as PDF and SVG, facilitating seamless data integration and sharing.
  • Collaboration-Friendly: The ability to save diagrams in a variety of formats makes it easy to share and collaborate with team members, even if they do not use yEd.
  • Error Reduction: Automated alignment and distribution tools help minimize errors and inconsistencies in diagram layouts, ensuring professional-quality results.
  • Versatile Application: Suitable for a wide range of diagram types including flowcharts, network diagrams, and UML diagrams, making it a versatile tool for various industries.
  • Free of Charge: yEd is available for free, providing powerful diagramming capabilities without the need for a financial investment, making it accessible to individuals and organizations with limited budgets.
  • Extensive Documentation: Comprehensive user guides and tutorials are available, helping users to quickly learn and effectively utilize the software's features.
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  • Intuitive Interface: The user-friendly interface allows for easy navigation and quick access to tools, making diagram creation straightforward.
  • Extensive Shape Library: Offers a comprehensive collection of shapes and symbols for various diagram types, including flowcharts, UML diagrams, and network diagrams.
  • Drag-and-Drop Functionality: Simplifies the process of adding elements to your diagram by allowing you to drag and drop shapes directly onto the canvas.
  • Real-Time Collaboration: Enables multiple users to work on the same diagram simultaneously, facilitating teamwork and collaboration.
  • Version Control: Keeps track of changes and allows users to revert to previous versions, ensuring that no work is lost and changes can be audited.
  • Cloud Integration: Seamlessly integrates with cloud storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox for easy saving and sharing of diagrams.
  • Custom Templates: Provides a variety of pre-designed templates to jumpstart your projects, saving time and effort.
  • Export Options: Supports exporting diagrams in multiple formats, including PNG, JPEG, PDF, and SVG, making it easy to share and present your work.
  • Keyboard Shortcuts: Enhances productivity with a range of keyboard shortcuts for common actions, reducing the need for mouse navigation.
  • Integration with Atlassian Products: Fully integrates with Confluence and Jira, allowing for seamless embedding and linking of diagrams within these platforms.
  • Customizable Styles: Offers extensive customization options for shapes, lines, and text, enabling users to create visually appealing and professional diagrams.
  • Offline Mode: Allows users to work on diagrams without an internet connection, ensuring productivity even in offline environments.
  • Data Import: Supports importing data from various sources, such as CSV files, to automatically generate diagrams based on the imported data.
  • Advanced Diagramming Tools: Includes advanced tools like layers, grids, and alignment guides to help create precise and organized diagrams.
  • Security Features: Implements robust security measures, including data encryption and access controls, to protect sensitive information.
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  • Automatic Layout Algorithms: yEd offers a variety of automatic layout algorithms, such as hierarchical, organic, and orthogonal, to help you organize complex diagrams efficiently.
  • Import and Export Options: The software supports multiple file formats for both import and export, including GraphML, Excel, and SVG, making it easy to integrate with other tools.
  • Customizable Node and Edge Styles: Users can customize the appearance of nodes and edges with different shapes, colors, and labels to suit their specific needs.
  • Real-time Collaboration: yEd allows for real-time collaboration, enabling multiple users to work on the same diagram simultaneously.
  • Extensive Symbol Libraries: The software includes a wide range of pre-defined symbols and icons, covering various domains such as flowcharts, UML, and network diagrams.
  • Data Binding: yEd supports data binding, allowing you to link diagram elements to external data sources for dynamic updates.
  • Integrated Search Functionality: The integrated search feature helps users quickly locate specific elements within large diagrams.
  • Undo/Redo Functionality: Comprehensive undo and redo capabilities ensure that users can easily correct mistakes and experiment with different layouts.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility: yEd is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring that it can be used on a variety of operating systems.
  • Scriptable via Groovy: Advanced users can leverage Groovy scripting to automate repetitive tasks and customize the software's behavior.
  • Interactive Tutorials and Documentation: yEd provides extensive tutorials and documentation to help users get up to speed quickly and make the most of its features.
  • Free to Use: yEd is available as a free download, making it accessible to a wide range of users without any financial commitment.
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Product Ranking

#4

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Diagram Software

#8

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Diagram Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Collaboration
Diagram Creation and Editing
Integrations
Security
Diagram Creation and Editing

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Cost-Effective: Draw.io is completely free to use, making it a budget-friendly choice for businesses of all sizes.
Integration Capabilities: It seamlessly integrates with popular platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Confluence, simplifying file storage and collaboration.
Diagram Versatility: Users can create a wide range of diagrams, including flowcharts, UML diagrams, and network diagrams, catering to diverse business needs.
User-Friendly Interface: The drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to create and edit diagrams, even for users with limited technical expertise.
Real-Time Collaboration: When integrated with Google Drive, Draw.io enables real-time collaboration, allowing team members to work together on diagrams simultaneously.
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Intuitive Interface: yEd provides a user-friendly experience with a comprehensive selection of tools, making diagram creation straightforward.
Automated Layout: The software excels at automatically arranging complex diagrams, even with large datasets, saving users time and effort.
Data Import Capabilities: yEd streamlines the diagramming process by allowing users to import data directly from Excel and XML files.
Versatile Export Options: Users can export their diagrams in various formats, including PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF, and SWF, ensuring compatibility with different applications.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: yEd runs seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Unix/Linux, making it accessible to a wide range of users.
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Limited Templates: While draw.io offers a selection of templates, some users desire a wider variety of pre-designed options to expedite the diagramming process.
Performance Issues: Users have reported occasional sluggishness and performance hiccups when working with particularly complex or large-scale diagrams, which can disrupt workflow.
Integration Costs: Although draw.io is free to use, integrating it with enterprise-level platforms like Confluence or Jira can lead to significant expenses depending on the number of users requiring access.
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Steep Learning Curve: New users might find it challenging to quickly learn and navigate yEd's extensive features, potentially slowing down initial diagram creation.
Occasional Performance Issues: Some users, especially those on macOS, have reported occasional bugs and sluggish performance, which can disrupt workflow.
Limited Real-Time Collaboration: Compared to other diagramming tools, yEd's real-time collaboration features are limited, making it less ideal for teams who need to work on diagrams simultaneously.
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Can we draw a conclusion about draw.io based on user reviews? Users rave about draw.io, consistently praising its user-friendly interface and robust functionality. A standout feature is its seamless integration with platforms like Jira and Confluence, a major plus for teams already entrenched in these ecosystems. This integration, coupled with its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, makes creating professional-grade diagrams a breeze, even for users with minimal technical expertise. However, while draw.io excels in its core functionality, some users have expressed a desire for a wider array of pre-designed templates. This enhancement would undoubtedly streamline the diagram creation process, particularly for complex visualizations. Despite this minor drawback, draw.io's intuitive design, extensive integration capabilities, and, importantly, its free-to-use model make it a compelling choice for individuals and businesses of all sizes seeking a powerful yet accessible diagramming solution.

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User reviews from the past year indicate that yEd is a breath of fresh air for many, particularly those seeking a robust yet free solution. Users consistently praise its intuitive interface and powerful automatic layout features, highlighting how these simplify the creation of complex diagrams, even for large datasets. The ability to import data from various sources, including Excel spreadsheets, and export to formats like PNG, JPG, and PDF further solidifies its practicality in professional settings. However, yEd is not without its drawbacks. Some users find the interface somewhat dated compared to newer tools like Lucidchart or Draw.io. The most significant criticism, however, stems from the restrictive licensing, which explicitly prohibits its use in automated processes. This limitation can be a dealbreaker for developers or businesses looking to integrate diagramming capabilities into their workflows. Overall, yEd emerges as a powerful and versatile diagramming tool best suited for individuals and businesses seeking a free, feature-rich solution for creating high-quality diagrams. Its intuitive design and robust features make it ideal for various use cases, from software engineering and data analysis to project management and business consulting. However, its restrictive licensing and somewhat dated interface might deter users who require automation capabilities or prefer a more modern look and feel.

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