Visio is hired to make diagrams: flowcharts, org charts, network maps and more. For ordinary diagrams that job is among the easiest to hand to another tool. Below: what the plans cost as published, two open-source options we verified, and how to move diagrams without losing the ones that rely on specialized shapes.
A diagram is documentation, and old diagrams do not get redrawn. A network map from three years ago, an org chart the auditor has seen, a process flow referenced in a policy: each is a file that has to stay editable.
Specialized shapes and linked data deepen the hold. That is why we sort diagrams by type before we recommend moving any.
Only alternatives we have checked. An open-source project is listed with the license its repository reports, on the date shown; one whose license could not be read as a single standard id is not offered as open source. Read the license guide before running any of them.
| Alternative | Kind | License | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|
| draw.io | Open source | Apache-2.0 | draw.io repositoryChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
| Mermaid | Open source | MIT | Mermaid repositoryChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
Each feature below is what the product's own page or README says, linked to where we read it on the date shown. Pros and cons are limited to what those pages state and to what the path itself changes. We do not rank products on quality.
| Plan | Price as published | Includes | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visio in Microsoft 365 | Included in Microsoft 365 commercial plans | Limited templates for general diagrams and basic flowcharts, with collaboration in the Visio web app or Teams | Visio plans and pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
| Visio Plan 1 | $5.00 per user per month, paid yearly | Thousands of shapes, cross-functional flowcharts, network and cloud architecture diagrams, ERD and UML, mind maps and org charts | Visio plans and pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
| Visio Plan 2 | $15.00 per user per month, paid yearly | Everything in Plan 1, plus the desktop app, BPMN 2.0, floor plans, P&ID and electrical diagrams, data connectivity and AutoCAD file support | Visio plans and pricingChecked Oct 25, 2026 |
As printed by Microsoft on the checked date, per user per month and excluding tax. The page shows a one-month free trial for first-time users with a work or school account, which is left out of the rows.
Visio is hired to make diagrams. For plain flowcharts and org charts the job is portable. For specialized stencils (engineering, electrical, floor plans) it is much less so, because the shapes and the data behind them are part of the work.
Count how many seats draw something specialized and how many only produce a basic chart. The basic group can often move; the other may need to stay. We rate this one easy because the common case is the basic chart.
Samples are made up and are not Visio's prices. Type in the figures from your own invoice or order form.
The honest yearly cost of running open-source software yourself, set against the bill it replaces, with the seat count where it stops paying.
Paid seats against seats in use: what the idle ones cost a year, and what you save by right-sizing at renewal.
Arithmetic only, not tax, accounting or legal advice. Check the figures against your own order form.
Sort diagrams by how specialized they are, then move the simple ones first. In outline:
List the diagrams, who owns each and what type it is. Mark any linked to data or embedded in another file.
Open a sample of each type in the candidate tool. Check that shapes, connectors, text and layers look right and that anything linked still works.
Move the simple diagrams first and keep a seat or two for the specialized ones until you know the replacement handles them.
Export PDF or image copies of the key diagrams and store the sources where you control them.
Wait a full month, then end seats inside the contract's notice window.
Run the vendor report for QuickBooks Online or Xero, then open the free audit.
General information, not legal advice. See cancelling without penalties. Last reviewed Oct 25, 2026. Product names belong to their owners and are used only to identify them.
Send us the export and see which lines are worth a second look. A connected version is planned. Visio is one of the lines worth a look.
Worked example. Type over it.
Result
| Self-hosting, per year | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hosting, backups, tooling | 720.00 |
| Admin and restore-test time | 2,640.00 |
| Total | 3,360.00 |
| One-off set-up (not in the yearly total) | 1,200.00 |
The saving holds only if the time is real. Price the admin hours at what that person's time costs the company, not at zero.
Worked example. Type over it.
Result
“In use” is your call: last sign-in in the past 30 or 90 days from the vendor's admin report. A seat for someone on leave is not idle.