The Best Flowchart Software for Small Businesses

Data makes today’s world go around. It’s what powers Amazon’s “also bought” suggestions, Facebook’s ads, and connection suggestions, and even YouTube’s recommended video playlists. It goes so much deeper, however.

Data is at the heart of everything your business does. Reaching out to a potential lead? You’re doing that based on data that indicates they might be interested in what you have to offer. Working with a lead to move them through the funnel and convert into a customer? You’re using data based on the touchpoints they’ve encountered with your brand, as well as information about their wants, needs, and preferences.

Information is the lifeblood of your business, even more than capital is. Sure, without a steady flow of profit, you can’t keep the lights on, but data is the foundation to generating that cashflow in the first place. The problem is that raw, unfiltered data is pretty meaningless. It’s a bunch of points in space.

• 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are generated each day worldwide.

• 70% of the world’s data is user generated.

• 80-90% of all data is unstructured.

To truly make the most of the information you have access to as a business owner, you need tools that will help you organize, parse, analyze, and model that data. Only then can you use it to make informed decisions. And let’s talk about those decisions: How do you ensure that you’re creating the right flow of touchpoints for your customers or the optimum growth path for your organization? Again, it’s all about the tools you use.

While there are tons of tools out there designed to put you in greater control of your data, not all of them are suitable for this purpose. Flowchart software and diagramming tools can turn complicated workflows into easily followed instructions and transform data into something that’s genuinely useful for your business.

What goes into making great flowchart software for small businesses? 

While you’ll find a wide range of flowchart software and tools designed to help you create other diagrams, the ones worth your time and money all share several commonalities. These include the following:

• Great user interface: First, flowchart software should be simple and easy to use. The interface should support the user in their journey, and it should be thoroughly modern.

• Shapes: Flowchart software should also provide you with access to a robust library of shapes, as well as the ability to create and upload your own.

• Templates: Sure, sometimes you want to spend the time required to create a flowchart from scratch, but SMB owners and decision-makers are pressed for time. Templates save both time and sanity.

• Tools: The best flowchart software will also provide you with tools to help improve accuracy and speed of creation, such as auto-snapping shapes.

• Export: Finally, you’ll need simple but powerful ways to get the information out of the software and into the world. The right flowchart software should allow you to export in a variety of formats, including vector files.

With a better understanding of the features to look for in flowchart software, we can dive into the options available. We’ve built a list of the best flowchart software for small businesses and provided you with plenty of data points for comparison. With the information below, it should be easier than ever to find the right tool to help you transform your data into a powerful business asset.

The best flowchart software options

When compiling our list of the best flowchart software choices for SMBs, we focused on a few key criteria: functionality, ease of use, and affordability. Each of the options outlined below delivers critical capabilities well-suited to growing businesses and won’t break the bank.

Lucidchart

Our top pick is Lucidchart. Chances are good that if you’ve looked at your flowchart software options, this one came up pretty early on. It’s widely adopted and well-liked for several reasons. One of those is the web-based interface, which is both easy on the eyes and supportive of your workflows.

There are plenty of other reasons to love Lucidchart. For instance, you’ll find the traditional navigation menu at the top (standard to most types of software), so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. It’s also simple to add items and arrange them as you like. There’s a robust library of shapes and templates on offer, too.

Another high point here is the ability to import files from other software, such as Visio. Exporting is also simple, and allows you to create PDFs, vectors, image files, and more. It also exports to MS Visio, which is not something most flowchart software options can do.

What else should you know about Lucidchart?

• Free option? Yes

• Price: $7.95 per user

• Platform: Online only

• Real-time online collaboration capabilities

• Export to Visio, as well as many other file types

• Lots of flexibility in import/export

• Intuitive user interface with a solid library

Cacoo

Simple, effective, and affordable, Cacoo provides pretty much anything you might need, making it a solid choice when it comes to flowchart software. The user interface is simple and easy to understand, and you’ll find templates and shapes available, although the selection could be better. 

Cacoo also allows you to create more than flowcharts, including Venn diagrams and mind maps, which lends some versatility to the software. One high point here is the ability to export your creations as vector files, image files, PowerPoint, and Visio files.

What else should you know about Cacoo?

• Free Option? Yes

• Price: $6 per month

• Platform: Online only

• Create charts within the software and add them to your flowcharts and diagrams

• A decent number of templates and shapes

• Plenty of export options

Microsoft Visio

One of the biggest names in flowchart software, Microsoft Visio is an ideal choice for those who are familiar with the Office suite. That familiar interface is one mark in Visio’s favor, as it means ease of use and navigation for users. Visio has also been around for over 25 years at this point, with along track record of iterations and changes to make it more powerful and morec apable.

Visio makes it simple to create flowcharts but also supports many other types of diagrams. You can expert in almost any format needed, from vectors to image files, too. One feature offered with Visio that you won’t find with many others is the ability to automatically sort flowcharts – if your flow gets too messy, just get the program to organize it.

Other important things to know about Visio include the following:

• Free Option? No, but it’s included with MS 365

• Price: $5 per user per month for Plan 1, $15 per user per month for Plan 2

• Platform: Windows, browser

• Lots of import/export options

• Lots of templates and shapes

• A familiar Office interface lowers the barrier to entry

• Built-in flowchart organization capabilities

textografo

If you’re looking for a simple, minimalistic flowchart software option that still delivers plenty of performance, then textografo is your jam. This is a text-based flowchart maker that helps speed the process of transforming your text outlines into usable, accurate flowcharts. That’s actually its standout feature: rather than forcing you to move a bunch of boxes and shapes around the screen, you can just create a text outline and textografo will turn it into a true flowchart.

With that being said, there is a learning curve. Plain text won’t get you your flowchart – you’ll need to know the right syntax to use. It’s also notable for its complete and utter lack of drag and drop functionality. You literally cannot drag any shape with your mouse. Everything must be done via text. Finally, it’s a little limited in terms of diagrams. You can create flowcharts and other things that need to be connected by arrows, but not general diagrams.

What else should you know about textografo?

• Free Option? No, but there’s a free trial

• Price: $5 per month for the Essentials package

• Platform: Online only

• Somewhat limited in what you can create

• The single fastest flowchart creation process once you learn the syntax

• Completely text-based flowchart software

Draw.io

Looking for flowchart software that doesn’t require online access all the time? Draw.io can do that for you. It’s also free to use if you just want a personal account. However, there’s a lot more to love with this tool.

Draw.io is easy to learn and pretty intuitive. If you’ve used any of Google’s tools, you’ll find the interface pretty familiar. It has light and dark modes, provides simple tools for adding and moving shapes, and also provides shape and template libraries. Local storage for flowcharts and other diagrams is provided, but you can also connect to cloud storage if you’d prefer.

Other things to know about Draw.io include the following:

• Free Option? Yes

• Price: Depends on hosting option

• Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, browser)

• Local and online storage

• Intuitive and easy to use

• Shapes and templates are a little limited

• Online and offline capabilities

Zapier Canvas

Zapier is one of the platforms that manages to offer something for just about anyone. It’s a powerful tool for integrating almost any functionality you might want, and that includes flowcharts and diagrams. Zapier Canvas is the company’s offering for those looking for a way to design business processes and create visible connections between them and KPIs, customer interactions, and more.

Zapier also manages to include AI in the mix to further enhance and automate things. You can easily map out ideas, share flowcharts with stakeholders, refine workflows, and more all within this single app. Best of all, it’s free (for the moment).

What should you know about Zapier Canvas?

• Free Option? Yes, it’s free while in alpha

• Price: $0

• Platform: online

• Integrates with all of Zapier’s other offerings

• Impressive functionality

• Designed specifically for designing business processes

SmartDraw

SmartDraw is an online-only flowchart software option, but it comes with a host of benefits. For instance, if you’re looking for access to the largest collection of shapes and templates available, this is where you’ll find it. Of course, SmartDraw offers other capabilities, too.

SmartDraw lives up to its name with intuitive, easy-to-use drawing tools. You can also save files locally or to your choice of cloud storage service. Import/export capabilities are also good here, and you can even export to Visio (as well as vector and image formats). With all that being said, SmartDraw’s interface is a little bit dated.

Things to know about SmartDraw include the following:

• Free Option? No

• Price: $9.95 per month

• Platform: Online only

• Lots of cloud storage options

• Exports to Visio, as well as other formats

• Massive collection of shapes, templates, and maps

• Slightly dated user interface

JDElite

JDElite Flow Chart Builder is an affordable option for SMBs that delivers plenty of value for the money. Designed to be as easy to use as possible without sacrificing functionality or power, it’s well-suited to a wide range of needs, from presentations to data modeling, system behavior and management, and a lot more.

When it comes to features and functions, you’ll find that JDElite offers data visualization and design management capabilities. There’s also a process builder and project planning support, as well as the ability to import and export data easily from and to a wide range of other platforms and formats.

Other things to know about JDElite include the following:

• Free Option? No, but there’s a free trial

• Price: $95 one-time fee

• Platform: Online and desktop

• Lots of export options

• Drag and drop functionality

• White board

• Process modeling and design

Beyond flowchart software: creating a thriving business

As you can see, there’s a flowchart software option for just about any need. Whether you’re running on a shoestring budget and need to maximize affordability, or you want access to the most robust range of capabilities out there, you’ll find it in our list of the best flowchart software for small businesses.

With that said, you can’t neglect the human side of your business. Once you start improving processes and workflows, customer interaction will increase. Make sure you have the right solutions in place to handle that increase while also ensuring that your team can focus on what they do best.

From live receptionists and live chat support to streamlined appointment setting, handling outbound calls, lead qualification, and client intake, the Smith.ai team works with you to create a thriving business.

Ready to learn more about how we can help? Call us at (650) 709-2947 or shoot us an email at hello@smith.ai. Feel free to schedule your FREE chat consultation today, too!