Who is draw.io (diagrams.net) for?

Engineers drawing UML and flowcharts Privacy-sensitive orgs (data stays local) Confluence/Jira teams Zero-budget teams

Who is draw.io (diagrams.net) not for?

Enterprise architects needing object metadata and model governance Teams wanting AI-assisted whiteboarding Data-modeling teams needing deep ER tooling Buyers requiring vendor support SLAs—none documented

shouldiuse.io

draw.io (diagrams.net) Review

Worth it

Should I use draw.io (diagrams.net)?

Free, open source diagramming application with 100M+ users. Store your data wherever you want—we can't access it. - diagrams.net

Analyzed September 18, 2026 · 1 month ago

Use it if you want free diagramming with your data kept local—engineers, small teams, and Atlassian users get the most. Skip it if you need enterprise metadata modeling, AI-assisted whiteboarding, or vendor support SLAs.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~20 public sources; vendor pages dominate and independent review depth is limited.

Ratings

Value for money
Ease of use
Feature depth
Support qualityNo support evidence found
Security posture

Pricing

Free

Web / Desktop

ModelNot disclosed

Monthly feesNot disclosed

HardwareNot disclosed

Free tierYes

Atlassian app (Confluence/Jira)Paid via Atlassian Marketplace

Best for

Engineers drawing UML and flowcharts
Privacy-sensitive orgs (data stays local)
Confluence/Jira teams
Zero-budget teams

Not for

Enterprise architects needing object metadata and model governance
Teams wanting AI-assisted whiteboarding
Data-modeling teams needing deep ER tooling
Buyers requiring vendor support SLAs—none documented

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

CVE-2026-46642 XSS flaw; update to v29.7.12 or later

medium

Atlassian Confluence/Jira app is paid via marketplace; only web and desktop are free

medium

Versions under 18.0.0 had stored XSS when served without CSP

low

vs branding split causes confusion; domain security questioned

Pros

Free and open source—no enterprise price tag
Diagram data stays in your browser; vendor cannot access it
100M+ users; files from 2005 still load today
Praised for ease of use and intuitive interface
Only diagramming app meeting Atlassian's Cloud Fortified standard

Cons

Mediocre 7.4/10 TrustRadius rating
Weak for maintaining metadata of modeled objects
Documented limitations for business use
No security page found at
PCMag: handy mainly for occasional diagramming

Sources & method

Analyzed September 18, 2026 - 12 sources - Security-first: data stays local or in your Atlassian instance; two XSS CVEs documented, latest patched in v29.7.12.

official x3review x6security x3

CVE-2026-46642 — cross-site scripting, XSS vulnerability in; patched in version 29.7.12 (June 2026).
CVE-2022-1575 — stored XSS, Stored XSS attack in versions prior to 18.0.0 when served without a CSP.

Key stats

Value for money: 5/5
Rating
Free
Starting price
12
Sources
September 18, 2026
Analyzed

Value for money: 5/5. Free, open source, no price tag
Ease of use: 4/5. Praised as intuitive; 7.4/10 TrustRadius
Feature depth: 3/5. Deep shape library; weak metadata modeling
Support quality. No support evidence found
Security posture: 4/5. Local-first design; XSS CVEs patched

100M+ Active users vendor-reported
7.4/10 TrustRadius rating 195 reviews
Yes Free tier Web, desktop, open source
$0 Web app price Atlassian app paid separately

Pricing

Web / Desktop

Free

Full diagramming app
Store data locally or in your cloud
Open source

Atlassian app (Confluence/Jira)

Paid via Atlassian Marketplace

Diagrams stored inside Confluence/Jira
Cloud Fortified certified
Check marketplace for current prices

Security

Security-first: data stays local or in your Atlassian instance; two XSS CVEs documented, latest patched in v29.7.12.

CVE-2026-46642 — cross-site scriptingXSS vulnerability in; patched in version 29.7.12 (June 2026).^⁸
CVE-2022-1575 — stored XSSStored XSS attack in versions prior to 18.0.0 when served without a CSP.¹¹

What users say

Users call it a free, easy Visio alternative; complaints focus on business-use limits and thin metadata support.

“It is a very good alternative to Visio that allows you to create basic diagrams with no cost and very easily.”

TrustRadius review

“draw.io is nice for creating diagrams, but for me the value is more in maintaining the metadata of the objects being modelled, and so tools like”

Reddit, r/EnterpriseArchitect

“Draw.io is a useful, free diagramming service with strong collaboration features via Google.”

PCMag review

Alternatives

Compare draw.io (diagrams.net) with each alternative.

Lucidchart
Polished paid diagramming with stronger real-time collaboration.
draw.io (diagrams.net) vs Lucidchart
Miro
Whiteboard-first visual collaboration for whole teams.
Microsoft Visio
Enterprise standard if your org already runs Microsoft.
draw.io (diagrams.net) vs Microsoft Visio

Brainboard
Cloud-architecture diagramming tied to real infrastructure.
draw.io (diagrams.net) vs Brainboard

Full analysis

Based on ~20 public sources; vendor pages dominate and independent review depth is limited.

Free, private, good-enough diagramming for engineers and small teams. Skip if you need enterprise modeling or vendor SLAs.

Methodology

Based on ~20 public sources; vendor pages dominate and independent review depth is limited.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

Security-first diagramming for teams | draw.iodrawio.com
official
Your diagram data is secure and private with draw.iodrawio.com
official
Pricing - draw.iodrawio-app.com
official
draw.io Reviews from Real Users - TrustRadiustrustradius.com
review
Draw.io Reviews - G2g2.com
review
Draw.io Review - PCMagpcmag.com
review
Using draw.io, thoughts? - Redditreddit.com
review
CVE-2026-46642 Detail - NVDnvd.nist.gov
security
CVE-2026-46642: draw.io XSS Vulnerability - SentinelOnesentinelone.com
security
CVE-2022-1575 Stored XSS - GitHubgithub.com
security
draw.io or diagrams.net? - GitHub issuegithub.com
review
Uncovering the Limitations of Draw.io for Business Use - LinkedInlinkedin.com
review

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draw.io (diagrams.net) Review

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