# Alternatives to Eraser Eraser is a docs-and-diagrams tool for engineering teams, featuring diagram-as-code, AI diagram generation, and architecture/sequence/ERD diagrams. Eraser ranks #7 of 8 in Diagramming tools, with an Alt Score of 72. It is proprietary, freemium from $15/member/month (billed annually; $20/month billed monthly) and available on the web. 13 of 13 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/eraser/ Category: Diagramming tools ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Software engineers, DevOps, architects, and technical consultants who need to create and maintain architecture, sequence, ERD, and flow diagrams alongside technical design docs, without hand-dragging boxes and arrows. - **What you get**: A web-based canvas that combines diagram-as-code (a proprietary DSL for flowcharts, ERDs, cloud architecture, sequence, and BPMN diagrams), AI diagram generation (DiagramGPT) that can also pull from a connected Git repository, a markdown note editor, templates, 1000+ tech/cloud icons, and real-time collaboration. Free plan available; paid Starter/Business/Enterprise tiers add more AI credits, private files, SSO, and API access. - **How it works**: You describe what you want in a prompt (or paste existing Mermaid/PlantUML code, an image, or point at a Git repo) and Eraser AI generates an editable diagram; you can then refine it via follow-up AI prompts, by editing the underlying diagram-as-code syntax directly, or by click-dragging elements. Files live in the Eraser web app and can sync to GitHub, embed in Notion/Confluence, or be edited via a VS Code extension; Eraserbot can keep codebase diagrams updated automatically in CI. ## Profile - **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-17) - **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-17) - **Starts at**: $15/member/month (billed annually; $20/month 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 | [Cacoo](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/cacoo.md) | 79 | Proprietary | Web | | 5 | [SmartDraw](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/smartdraw.md) | 79 | Proprietary | Web, Windows, macOS | | 6 | [Creately](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/creately.md) | 76 | 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 | Eraser | draw.io | Lucidchart | Gliffy | Cacoo | SmartDraw | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Freemium | Free | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription | | Starts at | $15/member/month (billed annually; $20/month billed monthly) | Free | $9 USD/month (Individual plan, billed annually) | $2.80 USD/user/month | $6 USD/user/month (Pro plan, billed monthly) | $9.95/month (billed annually) | | License | Proprietary | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | | Platforms | Web | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux | Web, iOS, Android | Web | Web | Web, Windows, macOS | | Flowcharts & org charts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | | UML diagrams | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | ERD / database diagrams | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Shape libraries / stencils | Partial | 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 | Partial | No | | AI diagram generation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | | Data-linked diagrams | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | | Import Visio (.vsdx) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Export (SVG/PNG/PDF) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | | Open source | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | | Free tier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ## Sources Sources for Eraser. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **Pricing model**: Freemium — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: Free plan plus paid Starter/Business/Enterprise tiers. - Quote: “Free $0 per member / month Try Eraser 3 files 3 AI diagrams 7-day version history Unlimited guests Diagram-as-code Markdown notes” - **License**: Proprietary — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: Closed-source commercial SaaS operated by Eraser Labs, Inc.; no open-source license found on eraser.io or docs.eraser.io. - Quote: “© 2025 Eraser Labs, Inc.” - **Starts at**: $15/member/month (billed annually; $20/month billed monthly) — (verified 2026-07-17) - Quote: “Starter $15 per member / month billed annually OR $20 MONTHLY” - **Platforms**: Web — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: Core product is the browser-based Eraser web app; also offers a VS Code extension and GitHub/Notion/Confluence integrations for embedding, but no native desktop or mobile app. - Quote: “Docs and diagrams can be saved on the Eraser web app as well as in your GitHub repository.” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: Recent launches (MCP Server, Codebase Diagrams, Eraserbot) and 2026-dated guides (e.g. best-agentic-diagramming-platforms-in-2026) indicate ongoing active development. - Quote: “🎉 Launching Eraser MCP Server Install MCP Server” - **Flowcharts & org charts**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: Org charts are also offered as a dedicated template (eraser.io/templates/org-chart). - Quote: “Visualize your process flows, user flows, and logic flows represented as nodes, groups, and relationships.” - **UML diagrams**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: Sequence diagrams are natively supported, but there is no dedicated UML class/state/use-case diagram type; the AI approximates class, state, and use-case diagrams using the 5 native diagram types rath - Quote: “5 types are currently available – flow charts, entity relationship diagrams, cloud architecture diagrams, sequence diagrams, and BPMN diagrams.” - **ERD / database diagrams**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-17) - Quote: “Visualize data models represented as entities, attributes, and relationships. Diagrams are created using simple syntax.” - **Shape libraries / stencils**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: Eraser ships a large library of tech/cloud icons (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.) usable in diagram-as-code and AI diagrams, but this is an icon set rather than a classic flowchart/network shape stencil palett - Quote: “1000+ tech logos and cloud icons included” - **Templates**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-17) - Quote: “Templates are starting structures that the AI fills out. A template is a real Eraser file – it can contain a diagram (a template diagram), a document (such as an SOP), or both.” - **Real-time collaboration**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-17) - Quote: “Once signed in, you can simply share the link to a file or diagram with a collaborator to work together on a diagram in real-time.” - **Diagram-as-code (Mermaid/PlantUML)**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: Eraser's own diagram-as-code DSL ("Eraser syntax") is proprietary, not literal Mermaid/PlantUML syntax. Mermaid and PlantUML code can be pasted in and AI-converted into an editable Eraser diagram (sam - Quote: “Paste your Mermaid code into the prompt field... Your Mermaid code should be converted into an Eraser diagram in a few seconds.” - **AI diagram generation**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-17) - Quote: “AI-powered diagrams built for technical teams Leverage AI to generate and manage diagrams effortlessly.” - **Data-linked diagrams**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: Diagrams can be generated from, and kept in sync with, a connected Git repository via Eraserbot CI; there is no evidence of live spreadsheet/database data-source linking (e.g. Lucidchart-style data-li - Quote: “Codebase diagrams are AI diagrams generated from a Git repository. By providing a prompt, Eraser scans relevant files to create the requested diagram... Eraserbot is a CI integration that keeps diagra” - **Import Visio (.vsdx)**: No — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: The Import documentation lists images, draw.io files, and Eraser content as importable; .vsdx is not listed. Visio (.vsdx) is only available as an export format, and only for Cloud Architecture, Flowc - Quote: “Images — PNG, JPEG, GIF, SVG... draw.io (.drawio) — converted to an editable diagram. Eraser content — diagrams or elements copied from another Eraser file, inserted directly.” - **Export (SVG/PNG/PDF)**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-17) - Quote: “Diagrams export to PNG, SVG, PDF, and diagram formats (BPMN, Visio, draw.io); documents export to Markdown or PDF.” - **Open source**: No — (verified 2026-07-17) - Note: Eraser is a closed-source, paid multi-tier commercial SaaS product; no public source repository or OSS license was found. - Quote: “Free $0 per member / month ... Starter $15 per member / month billed annually ... Business $45 per member / month billed annually ... Enterprise Call us for pricing details” - **Free tier**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-17) - Quote: “Free $0 per member / month Try Eraser 3 files 3 AI diagrams 7-day version history Unlimited guests Diagram-as-code Markdown notes GitHub, Notion, Confluence, VS Code integration” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/