# Alternatives to Cacoo

Cacoo, by Nulab, is an online diagramming tool for flowcharts, wireframes, network diagrams, and org charts with real-time team collaboration.

Cacoo ranks #4 of 8 in Diagramming tools, with an Alt Score of 79. It is proprietary, freemium from $6 USD/user/month (Pro plan, billed monthly) and available on the web. 13 of 13 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/cacoo/
Category: Diagramming tools

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Teams and organizations that need a browser-based, collaborative diagramming tool for flowcharts, org charts, UML, and ERDs — from small project teams working on the free plan up to enterprises needing SSO and centralized access controls.
- **What you get**: An online canvas with template libraries and shape stencils for flowcharts, org charts, UML, wireframes, and database/ER diagrams, real-time multi-user editing with in-app video chat and follow mode, dynamic charts/tables, a 'Code-to-graph' feature to generate diagrams from structured code, Microsoft Visio file import, and export to PNG/SVG/PDF/PS/PPT.
- **How it works**: Diagrams live on a shared, infinite web canvas built from Nulab's own diagram engine; multiple users edit the same board simultaneously with live cursors and version history, and diagrams can be embedded elsewhere or exported, with paid tiers unlocking more sheets, richer export formats, and enterprise security/admin controls.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-17)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-17)
- **Starts at**: $6 USD/user/month (Pro plan, billed monthly) (verified 2026-07-17)
- **Platforms**: Web
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-17)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [draw.io](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/drawio.md) | 93 | Apache-2.0 | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 2 | [Lucidchart](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lucidchart.md) | 89 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 3 | [Gliffy](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/gliffy.md) | 83 | Proprietary | Web |
| 4 | [SmartDraw](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/smartdraw.md) | 79 | Proprietary | Web, Windows, macOS |
| 5 | [Creately](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/creately.md) | 76 | Proprietary | Web |
| 6 | [Eraser](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/eraser.md) | 72 | Proprietary | Web |
| 7 | [Whimsical](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/whimsical.md) | 68 | Proprietary | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Diagramming tools checklist | Cacoo | draw.io | Lucidchart | Gliffy | SmartDraw | Creately |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starts at | $6 USD/user/month (Pro plan, billed monthly) | Free | $9 USD/month (Individual plan, billed annually) | $2.80 USD/user/month | $9.95/month (billed annually) | $5/month (USD, billed annually; $8/month billed monthly) |
| License | Proprietary | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux | Web, iOS, Android | Web | Web, Windows, macOS | Web |
| Flowcharts & org charts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| UML diagrams | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ERD / database diagrams | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shape libraries / stencils | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Templates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Real-time collaboration | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Diagram-as-code (Mermaid/PlantUML) | Partial | Yes | Partial | Yes | No | ? |
| AI diagram generation | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Data-linked diagrams | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Import Visio (.vsdx) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Export (SVG/PNG/PDF) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial |
| Open source | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for Cacoo. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Starts at**: $6 USD/user/month (Pro plan, billed monthly) — <https://nulab.com/pricing/cacoo/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: Cheapest paid tier; annual billing advertised as saving 17%. Currency shown as $ with no explicit ISO code on the fetched (default/US) page.
  - Quote: “Pro and Team plans cost $6 per user per month.”
- **Platforms**: Web — <https://nulab.com/cacoo/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: No dedicated desktop or mobile app store links found on cacoo.com/nulab.com; Cacoo is browser-based.
  - Quote: “Create diagrams online with a collaborative online diagramming tool.”
- **License**: Proprietary — <https://nulab.com/terms/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: Cacoo is a closed-source SaaS product owned by Nulab; no source code is published.
  - Quote: “All other content and materials used in the Service, including software, are protected by copyright, trademark, service mark, patent, trade secret, know-how, and other intellectual property laws.”
- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://nulab.com/pricing/cacoo/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: Free plan is permanently free ($0); Pro, Team, and Enterprise are paid subscription tiers.
  - Quote: “Sign up for Cacoo's free standard plan with unlimited users, or explore competitive pricing on monthly & annual plans, from small projects to enterprise level.”
- **Status**: active — <https://nulab.com/pricing/cacoo/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: Inferred from a live, currently-marketed pricing/feature comparison page (fetched 2026-07-17) with active paid plans and promotions; no dedicated changelog/release-notes page was found on cacoo.com or
  - Quote: “Pro and Team plans cost $6 per user per month.”
- **Flowcharts & org charts**: Yes — <https://nulab.com/cacoo/examples/org-chart-software/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: Flowchart support also confirmed via linked flowchart-maker page and features page template categories.
  - Quote: “Create organizational charts online with Cacoo”
- **UML diagrams**: Yes — <https://nulab.com/cacoo/examples/uml-diagram-tool/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Quote: “Cacoo supports use case, class, sequence, activity, state machine diagrams, and more using industry-standard shapes.”
- **ERD / database diagrams**: Yes — <https://nulab.com/cacoo/examples/database-diagrams-er-diagram-tool/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Quote: “Database & ER diagram tool for easy data modeling and visualization”
- **Shape libraries / stencils**: Yes — <https://nulab.com/cacoo/features/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Quote: “Choose from a robust library to quickly build flowcharts, wireframes, and more—no design experience needed”
- **Templates**: Yes — <https://nulab.com/cacoo/templates/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Quote: “A variety of templates for every kind of job”
- **Real-time collaboration**: Yes — <https://nulab.com/cacoo/features/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Quote: “Edit boards simultaneously, track version history, and keep everyone on the same page—literally”
- **Diagram-as-code (Mermaid/PlantUML)**: Partial — <https://nulab.com/pricing/cacoo/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: Cacoo has its own 'Code-to-graph' feature (generates diagrams from structured code blocks, included even on the Free plan), but no page found confirms compatibility with Mermaid or PlantUML syntax spe
  - Quote: “Code-to-graph: Generate diagrams from structured code blocks”
- **AI diagram generation**: No — <https://nulab.com/pricing/cacoo/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: This is the full Free-plan feature list on Cacoo's pricing/comparison page; no AI-powered diagram generation feature appears on this page for any plan tier. The only 'AI' link found on Nulab's site po
  - Quote: “Unlimited users, 6 sheets, Templates & shapes, PNG exports, Real-time editing, In-app video chat, Comment & chat, Follow mode, Code-to-graph, Kanban tool, Media library”
- **Data-linked diagrams**: Partial — <https://nulab.com/cacoo/features/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: This describes Cacoo's built-in 'Tables and dynamic charts' shapes (data entered within the diagram drives linked chart/table visuals); the page does not describe linking to external data sources like
  - Quote: “Create charts and tables that update automatically with your data—ideal for reports, dashboards, and presentations.”
- **Import Visio (.vsdx)**: Yes — <https://nulab.com/pricing/cacoo/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: Pricing comparison table shows a checkmark for this feature across all four plans (Free, Pro, Team, Enterprise).
  - Quote: “Visio import: Import Microsoft Visio files directly into Cacoo”
- **Export (SVG/PNG/PDF)**: Yes — <https://nulab.com/cacoo/features/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Quote: “Export as PNG, PDF, or SVG, or embed diagrams in websites and wikis”
- **Open source**: No — <https://nulab.com/terms/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: Proprietary SaaS product; no public source repository.
  - Quote: “All other content and materials used in the Service, including software, are protected by copyright, trademark, service mark, patent, trade secret, know-how, and other intellectual property laws.”
- **Free tier**: Yes — <https://nulab.com/pricing/cacoo/> (verified 2026-07-17)
  - Note: Free plan description on the pricing page; costs $0/month with unlimited users and 6 sheets.
  - Quote: “Always free”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/