ExcalidrawTurn rough ideas into diagrams, wireframes and sketches.
Free editor. No account or drawing quota.
Design & creative
D2
Free optionOpen sourceLocal
Create diagrams from text definitions and export them for documents or websites.
What you can use it for
Create diagrams from text definitions and export them for documents or websites.
- Covers the core use case of Lucidchart without a subscription.
- 25.6k GitHub stars, MPL-2.0, last commit 2026-10-11
Workflow coverage and comparison notes
Generate saved diagrams from text without a Visio subscription or paid diagram-document allowance. Requires text syntax rather than a drag-and-drop editor.
Before you switch
Text-based; no GUI editor
Alternatives to these paid apps
Each comparison covers the workflow described above, rather than every paid feature.
More for the same workflow
See alternatives →ExcalidrawDraw flowcharts, system diagrams and process maps in your browser.
'Free forever, no sign-up required' (site); Apache-2.0; desktop app too.
Write documents, edit spreadsheets and create presentations on your desktop.
Free and open source (MPL-2.0).