Alternatives to Gliffy
Diagramming for flowcharts and UML, integrated with Confluence and Jira
Gliffy ranks #3 of 8 in Diagramming tools, with an Alt Score of 83. It is proprietary, freemium from $2.80 USD/user/month and available on the web. 13 of 13 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Gliffy is a diagramming tool for flowcharts, UML, network diagrams, and org charts, best known for its native Confluence and Jira integrations.
Teams already living in Atlassian Confluence (IT, software engineering, product, and business teams) who need flowcharts, UML, ERD, and network/architecture diagrams embedded directly in their documentation pages, including compliance-focused organizations that need diagram data to stay inside their Atlassian environment.
The Gliffy Diagrams for Confluence app (Cloud, Zero Egress, or Data Center) with drag-and-drop shape libraries, templates, Mermaid diagram-as-code, AI diagram generation, CSV data-linking, and Visio/draw.io import — free for up to 10 Confluence users, then billed per user starting around $2.80-$3.80/user/month via the Atlassian Marketplace. Standalone Gliffy Online is closed to new customers, and Gliffy for Jira has reached end of support.
Gliffy installs as an Atlassian Marketplace app inside Confluence; diagrams are created and edited inline on Confluence pages with Gliffy's own editor, and edits to a diagram automatically propagate to every copy of it across the space. The Zero Egress edition runs on Atlassian Forge so diagram data never leaves the customer's Atlassian Cloud, Government Cloud, or Isolated Cloud environment.
Where Gliffy stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Gliffy
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
draw.io (diagrams.net) is a free, open-source diagramming tool for flowcharts, UML, network and ERD diagrams, with desktop apps and Confluence/Jira integrations.
Lucidchart is a web-based diagramming application for flowcharts, UML, ERDs, network diagrams, and org charts, with real-time collaboration and data-linked shapes.
Cacoo, by Nulab, is an online diagramming tool for flowcharts, wireframes, network diagrams, and org charts with real-time team collaboration.
SmartDraw is a diagramming application for flowcharts, org charts, floor plans, UML, and ERDs, with automation, templates, and enterprise integrations.
Creately is a visual collaboration and diagramming platform for flowcharts, UML, ERD, and org charts, with data-linked shapes and real-time collaboration.
Eraser is a docs-and-diagrams tool for engineering teams, featuring diagram-as-code, AI diagram generation, and architecture/sequence/ERD diagrams.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Diagramming tools checklist (17 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Diagramming tools checklist | Gliffy | draw.io | Lucidchart | Cacoo | SmartDraw | Creately |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Flowcharts & org charts | ||||||
| UML diagrams | ||||||
| ERD / database diagrams | ||||||
| Shape libraries / stencils | ||||||
| Templates | ||||||
| Real-time collaboration | ||||||
| Diagram-as-code (Mermaid/PlantUML) | ||||||
| AI diagram generation | ||||||
| Data-linked diagrams | ||||||
| Import Visio (.vsdx) | ||||||
| Export (SVG/PNG/PDF) | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| Free tier |
Every fact and feature listed for Gliffy is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
-
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-17
Gliffy Diagrams for Confluence is free for up to 10 users with no time limit; beyond that it is subscription-priced per user (11-100 Users: $3.80/mo.).
Up to 10 Users Free No Time Limit
https://www.gliffy.com/pricing -
Starts at $2.80 USD/user/month verified 2026-07-17
Cheapest officially listed paid tier is Gliffy Zero Egress at $2.80/user/mo (as low as); standard Gliffy Diagrams for Confluence starts at $3.80/user/mo for 11-100 users. Both are billed via Atlassian
Gliffy Zero Egress | Compliance-Ready Diagramming 1-100 Users* $2.80 mo. As Low As
https://www.gliffy.com/pricing -
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-17
Commercial licensing via Atlassian Marketplace (subscription for Cloud/Zero Egress, perpetual license for Data Center); no open-source license or public source repository found on gliffy.com.
Gliffy Diagrams for Confluence Data Center is hosted on your servers. Licenses are perpetual and the purchase price includes 12 months of maintenance (support and version updates).
https://www.gliffy.com/pricing -
Platforms Web verified 2026-07-17
Confluence (Cloud, Zero Egress/Forge, and Data Center) is the only actively purchasable platform. Standalone Gliffy Online (web app) is closed to new signups ('Gliffy is no longer accepting new accoun
Web-based; compatible with Atlassian Confluence Cloud and Data Center
https://www.gliffy.com/products/confluence -
Status active verified 2026-07-17
Gliffy for Confluence has a live changelog with releases through July 2026 (research date), including an April 2026 migration to the Atlassian Forge platform. Gliffy for Jira, by contrast, has reached
July 2026 Bug Fixes and Improvements Improved text editor performance. Faster, more consistent diagram loading.
https://www.gliffy.com/products/gliffy-atlassian-apps/whats-new -
Flowcharts & org charts Partial verified 2026-07-17
Flowcharts are explicitly confirmed; 'org charts' specifically is not named on any deep gliffy.com content page (it only appears in homepage schema.org metadata, which is excluded as a source per the
Ability to create flowcharts, UML diagrams, BPMN diagrams, network diagrams, Mermaid diagrams, and more
https://www.gliffy.com/pricing -
UML diagrams Yes verified 2026-07-17
Mermaid Diagrams Create entity-relationship diagrams, UML diagrams, and more without dragging and dropping a single shape.
https://www.gliffy.com/products/confluence -
ERD / database diagrams Yes verified 2026-07-17
Entity-Relationship Diagrams ... Working with large amounts of data can be overwhelming, but with Gliffy, it doesn't have to be. Visualize your database directly in Confluence.
https://www.gliffy.com/use-cases/structures -
Shape libraries / stencils Yes verified 2026-07-17
AWS, Azure, GCP — whichever microservices your application relies on, Gliffy can help you diagram their structure with built-in shape libraries and an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
https://www.gliffy.com/use-cases/structures -
Templates Yes verified 2026-07-17
Review all the different official UML diagram types with examples and create your own UML diagrams with one of our free UML templates.
https://www.gliffy.com/templates -
Real-time collaboration Partial verified 2026-07-17
Feature-comparison table on this page marks 'Real-Time Collaboration' as included for the Cloud plan but not included for Cloud (Zero Egress) or Data Center plans (verified via the checkmark vs. x-mar
Real-Time Collaboration
https://www.gliffy.com/products/confluence -
Diagram-as-code (Mermaid/PlantUML) Yes verified 2026-07-17
Mermaid is supported (and listed in the feature table as 'Diagram with Code' for Cloud and Data Center, not Zero Egress); PlantUML is not mentioned anywhere on gliffy.com.
Mermaid Diagrams Create entity-relationship diagrams, UML diagrams, and more without dragging and dropping a single shape.
https://www.gliffy.com/products/confluence -
AI diagram generation Yes verified 2026-07-17
Also listed as 'Diagramming with AI' in the feature-comparison table, checked for the Cloud plan only (not Zero Egress or Data Center).
Generate Diagrams with AI in Gliffy for Confluence — Gliffy's AI feature generates your most complex ideas to diagrams in seconds.
https://www.gliffy.com/products/confluence -
Data-linked diagrams Yes verified 2026-07-17
Upload CSV files to Gliffy and drag and drop data into your diagrams — no more switching tools to enter information.
https://www.gliffy.com/products/confluence -
Import Visio (.vsdx) Yes verified 2026-07-17
Ability to import Microsoft Visio and draw.io diagrams
https://www.gliffy.com/pricing -
Export (SVG/PNG/PDF) Partial verified 2026-07-17
SVG, PNG, and JPEG export are explicitly confirmed; PDF export is not mentioned anywhere on gliffy.com.
Ability to export diagrams in multiple formats, including JPEG, PNG, and SVG
https://www.gliffy.com/pricing -
Open source No verified 2026-07-17
Commercial Atlassian Marketplace app; no open-source repository or license found.
Licenses are perpetual and the purchase price includes 12 months of maintenance (support and version updates).
https://www.gliffy.com/pricing -
Free tier Yes verified 2026-07-17
Permanent free tier for Gliffy Diagrams for Confluence at up to 10 users (not merely a time-limited trial).
Up to 10 Users Free No Time Limit
https://www.gliffy.com/pricing
FAQ
Yes. draw.io, Lucidchart and Cacoo have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
draw.io — every license claim links its source.