Lucidchart vs yEd Graph Editor

Lucidchart9.3Visit yEd Graph Editor8.5Visit

Higher score Lucidchart #2 in Diagramming Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Lucidchart

vs

yEd Graph Editor #8 in Diagramming Software 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit yEd

• Lucidchart fits best

  Collaborative teams and business diagramming

• yEd Graph Editor fits best

  Free desktop graph and diagram editing

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Side by side

Feature	Lucidchart 9.3/10 Visit ↗	yEd Graph Editor 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.5
Ranking	#2 in Diagramming Software	#8 in Diagramming Software
Best for	Collaborative teams and business diagramming	Free desktop graph and diagram editing
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Desktop
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Lucidchart 2/3 · yEd Graph Editor 0/3
Real-time collaboration	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Desktop apps	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Offline editing	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Diagram types	process maps, flowcharts, org charts, technical diagrams, system architecture diagrams, UML diagrams, ERDs, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, C4 models	BPMN diagrams, semantic networks, family trees, flowcharts, social networks, UML class diagrams, entity relationship diagrams, swimlane diagrams
Import/export formats	VSDX, VSD, VDX, Draw.io XML, OmniGraffle flat files, BPMN, XPDL; export PDF, PNG, JPEG, SVG, VDX, VSDX, JSON, CSV	Not checked yet
Editor seat limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Real-time editing supports collaborative diagram work. Covers process, technical, UML, architecture, and data-linked diagrams. Imports and exports across Visio, Draw.io, image, and data formats.	Free for commercial use on Windows, macOS, and Linux Automatic layouts support graph-like structures and complex diagrams Imports GraphML, Excel XLS, GEDCOM, GML, and XML via XSLT
Cons	Offline editing is limited to previously opened documents. The product is not open source. Its broad feature set may exceed simple one-off diagram needs.	Desktop-only workflow does not suit browser-first collaboration No paid tier adds team or enterprise capabilities Its focus on graph-based diagrams may not fit every visual workflow
Our verdict	Lucidchart is a cloud-based diagramming application for individuals, teams, and enterprises. It supports process maps, flowcharts, organizational charts, technical diagrams, system architecture visualizations, UML diagrams, ERDs, sequence… Read the review →	yEd Graph Editor is a free desktop application for creating, editing, analyzing, and automatically arranging diagrams and graph-like structures. It suits individuals, students, analysts, and teams that need a capable diagram editor… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Lucidchart — where it wins

  • Real-time editing supports collaborative diagram work.
  • Covers process, technical, UML, architecture, and data-linked diagrams.
  • Imports and exports across Visio, Draw.io, image, and data formats.

  Where it doesn't

  • Offline editing is limited to previously opened documents.
  • The product is not open source.
  • Its broad feature set may exceed simple one-off diagram needs.

• yEd Graph Editor — where it wins

  • Free for commercial use on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Automatic layouts support graph-like structures and complex diagrams
  • Imports GraphML, Excel XLS, GEDCOM, GML, and XML via XSLT

  Where it doesn't

  • Desktop-only workflow does not suit browser-first collaboration
  • No paid tier adds team or enterprise capabilities
  • Its focus on graph-based diagrams may not fit every visual workflow

• Lucidchart9.3/10 · Free plan

  A broad, collaborative diagramming workspace for business and technical teams.

  Visit LucidchartFull verdict →
• yEd Graph Editor8.5/10 · Free plan

  A mature free desktop diagram editor with strong graph layouts and broad format support.

  Visit yEdFull verdict →