Microsoft
Microsoft Visio
Drag shapes
Microsoft's diagramming app: you drag shapes and connectors from stencils, in the browser with Visio Plan 1 or in the Windows desktop app with Plan 2 or a one-time licence.
- How you draw
- Shapes
- Free for work
- No
- No free version
- Paid from
- $5/user/mo
- Visio Plan 1, billed yearly
- Exports
- SVG, PNG, PDF, VSDX
- Runs on
- Web, Windows
- Made by
- Microsoft
- United States
Good to know
- No free version
- SVG export is on paid plans only
- Can be bought once: $579.99
Where it stands among 24
Each fact with every app's answer. Microsoft Visio is outlined.
Main way to draw
Drag shapes
Sketch by hand 5
Drag shapes 13
Write code 4
Describe in words 2
Free for work use
No free work use
Free version allows work use 10
Exports SVG
On paid plans
On every plan 15
On paid plans 5
Draws from a text prompt
Not stated
On every plan 14
On paid plans 3
No AI drawing 1
Not stated 6
Diagram code
No live code
Works offline
Partly
Open source
Closed source
Plans and prices
In USD, per month, as listed by Microsoft. Checked 17 October 2026.
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | No free versionIncluded Visio in Microsoft 365: basic diagrams in the browser, .vsdx only | Work use: not allowed | ||
| Visio Plan 1 | $5/mo$60 a year | Not stated | per user | Web app, 2 GB OneDrive storage. |
| Visio Plan 2 | $15/mo$180 a year | Not stated | per user | Adds the Windows desktop app, BPMN and engineering shapes. |
- Free for work use
- Not statedNot applicable
- One-time licence
- $579.99
- Enterprise
- Price on request
How you make a diagram
- Ways to draw
- Shapes
- AI from a text prompt
- Not statedNot stated Microsoft's Visio pages don't describe diagrams from a prompt
- AI limits
- Not stated Not stated
- Diagram code
- None No diagram-as-code authoring documented
- Diagram types
- Flowcharts, Network, Cloud architecture, ER / database, UML, Mind maps, Org charts, BPMN, Sequence, Wireframes Specialised types on Plan 1 and Plan 2; BPMN on Plan 2; Azure and AWS shapes
What you get out
- SVG
- Paid plansPaid plans Plan 1 and desktop Visio; the free web viewer can't export
- PNG
- Paid plansPaid plans
- Paid plansPaid plans Visio for the web needs an editing licence to export PDF
- Visio (VSDX)
- Paid plansPaid plans Native format
- Watermark on free exports
- Not statedNot stated No free plan
- Imports
- Visio Also .vsd, AutoCAD .dwg/.dxf, images and Excel data; no Lucidchart, draw.io, Gliffy or Mermaid import
Where it runs and where files live
- Apps
- Web, Windows
- Works offline
- PartlyPartly The Plan 2 / one-time Windows desktop app works offline; the web versions don't
- Open source
- NoNo Proprietary Microsoft product
- Self-hosting
- Not statedNot stated Not stated
- Where diagrams are stored
- OneDrive, Files on your device OneDrive for Business and SharePoint; local files with the desktop app
- Works inside
- Teams, Microsoft Office Also Power BI; no Confluence, Jira, Notion, Google, Slack, VS Code or GitHub integration stated
- Live co-editing
- Paid plansPaid plans With Plans 1 and 2 or eligible Microsoft 365 commercial plans; desktop coauthoring needs Plan 2
- API
- YesYes Visio JavaScript API for SharePoint Online embeds; desktop object model with Plan 2 or a one-time licence
Who you're trusting
- Company
- Microsoft Corporation Visio became a Microsoft division after the 2000 acquisition
- Owned by
- Microsoft Corporation
- Based in
- United States Redmond, Washington
- Launched
- Not stated Microsoft doesn't state the original launch year; it completed the Visio acquisition in 2000
- Security reports
- Not stated Microsoft's compliance catalogue lists certifications for its offerings generally, not for Visio
- Single sign-on
- Not stated Not stated for Visio
- Data residency
- Not stated Visio-specific residency isn't stated; Microsoft 365 regional options apply generally
Compare Microsoft Visio
Microsoft Visio vs draw.io
Microsoft Visio vs Lucidchart
Microsoft Visio and CacooShapes
Microsoft Visio and CanvaSketch, Shapes
Microsoft Visio and CreatelyShapes, Words
Microsoft Visio and EdrawMaxShapes, Words
Microsoft Visio and GliffyShapes, Words
Microsoft Visio and OmniGraffleShapes
Microsoft Visio and SmartDrawShapes, Words