Best diagram apps that work offline
Diagram apps that keep working without a connection, where your files are stored, and which ones are open source.
draw.io
draw.io (JGraph)
Desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux that work fully offline and save ordinary files wherever you choose. Free and open source.
All draw.io facts- How you draw
- Shapes, Code, Words
- Paid from
- Free
- Works offline
- YesYes
- Open source
- YesYes
Excalidraw
Excalidraw
Works offline in the browser and keeps scenes as local files you can save and reopen. Free and open source.
All Excalidraw facts- How you draw
- Sketch, Words
- Paid from
- $6/user/mo
- Works offline
- YesYes
- Open source
- YesYes
PlantUML
PlantUML project
Runs locally on Windows, Mac and Linux, so diagrams render from text files on your machine with no service involved. Free and open source.
All PlantUML facts- How you draw
- Code
- Paid from
- Free
- Works offline
- YesYes
- Open source
- YesYes
tldraw
tldraw
Works offline and has desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux, with local files as well as cloud storage. Source-available rather than open source.
All tldraw facts- How you draw
- Sketch
- Paid from
- Free
- Works offline
- YesYes
- Open source
- PartlyPartly
Every app that could fit, checked
11 apps, with the facts that matter here. Picks are outlined. The count is facts documented, out of 3.
| App | Works offline | Open source | Local files | Documented |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| draw.io | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 of 3 |
| Excalidraw | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 of 3 |
| PlantUML | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 of 3 |
| tldraw | Yes | Partly | Yes | 2 of 3 |
 D2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 of 3 |
 Creately | Yes | No | No | 1 of 3 |
 Microsoft Visio | Partly | No | Yes | 1 of 3 |
 Canva | Partly | No | No | 0 of 3 |
 FigJam | Partly | No | No | 0 of 3 |
 Lucidchart | Partly | No | No | 0 of 3 |
 Visual Paradigm Online | Partly | No | No | 0 of 3 |
Worth knowing. "Offline" means different things: some apps let you keep drawing and sync later, others store nothing online at all. If your files mustn't leave your machine, pick one that saves local files.
