Free Microsoft Visio Alternatives For IT Professionals

Free Microsoft Visio Alternatives For IT Professionals

The Microsoft Visio software is a powerful tool used to map out and display information in the form of diagrams and flowcharts. The price of the Standard version is $300, and the Professional version is available for $590. The software was made in 1992 by the Shapeware Corporation and later acquired by Microsoft in 2000. The best free alternatives for the software are yEd Graph Editor, LucidChart, LibreOffice Draw, Graphviz, Dia, and Pencil Project.

Free Microsoft Visio Alternatives For IT Professionals

Visio or Microsoft Office Visio is a diagram or vector graphics application part of the Microsoft Office series. This product was first introduced in 1992 created by Shapeware Corporation which was then acquired by Microsoft in 2000. It is used for many things that use layouts, charts, and diagrams.

The graphics used in Microsoft Visio are standard images used by flowcharts, playbooks, and decision diagrams as well as network diagramming. Visio started as a standalone product produced by Shapeware Corporation shipped in 1992 as Visio 1.0. Visio 0.92, a pre-release version, was distributed on a floppy disk for free together with Microsoft Windows systems readiness evaluation utility.

Shapeware Corporation changed their name to Visio Corporation in 1995 to benefit from the market recognition and similar product equity. When Visio was acquired by Microsoft in 2000, they re-brand it as a Microsoft Office application. Microsoft Office Visio 2013 for Windows is available in two editions: Standard and Professional.

Both editions share the same interface but the Professional edition includes additional templates for more advanced diagrams and layouts as well as the ability designed to make it easy for users to connect their diagrams with data sources and display their data graphically. If you are looking for alternative programs, here are two:

• Apache OpenOffice – Apache OpenOffice Draw is an alternative to Microsoft Office Visio
• LibreOffice – LibreOffice Draw is an alternative to Microsoft Office Visio