draw.io is a free, open-source diagramming tool for flowcharts and technical diagrams, with security-first storage and paid Confluence/Jira apps on the…
Category
Security
Pricing
Free forever for the core web and desktop diagramming app, with no subscription or sign-up required. Separately, draw.io sells commercial Confluence and Jira apps via the Atlassian Marketplace in Standard and Advanced editions with a free trial; per-user pricing is set through Atlassian's billing.
draw.io (also known as diagrams.net) is a diagramming application used to build flowcharts, network diagrams, UML, org charts, wireframes, and other technical drawings. Made by draw.io Ltd / draw.io AG, a privately held, non-VC-funded company running the product since 2005, it serves over 100 million users. The core web and desktop editors are free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license, with a security-first design: diagrams are stored locally or in the user's own cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, GitHub, etc.), and the company states it cannot access user data. Beyond the free core, draw.io sells commercial Confluence and Jira apps through the Atlassian Marketplace in Standard and Advanced editions, aimed at teams that want native diagramming inside Atlassian products with dedicated support.
Key Features
Diagram editor — Web and desktop application for building flowcharts, org charts, network diagrams, UML, and wireframes.
Bring-your-own storage — Diagrams save locally or to the user's own cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, GitHub), and draw.io states it cannot access stored data.
Real-time collaboration — Multiple users can co-edit diagrams together in the browser or desktop app.
Broad integrations — Native integrations with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 (SharePoint, Teams), GitHub, VS Code, and Notion.
Confluence and Jira apps — Dedicated commercial apps embed diagrams directly into Confluence and Jira, sold via the Atlassian Marketplace in Standard and Advanced editions.
Export options — Diagrams export to SVG, PNG, and PDF, with backward file compatibility from 2005 onward.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Core diagramming tool is completely free and open source with no artificial feature paywalls
Security-first storage model — diagrams save to the user's own cloud or local disk, not draw.io's servers
Broad native integrations including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, GitHub, VS Code, and Notion
Long track record (since 2005) and very large user base (100M+ users)
Cons
Public pricing for the Confluence/Jira apps is not disclosed on the marketing site — must go through Atlassian Marketplace to see costs
Support for the free version is limited to email with a one-business-day response target, monitored only UK business hours
Interface and integrations are geared toward technical/diagramming use cases, less suited to general design work