# SmartDraw Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is SmartDraw the right Flowchart solution for you? Explore 152 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/78945/SmartDraw/reviews --- SmartDraw 4.2 (152) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/78945/SmartDraw/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated June 3rd, 2026 # Reviews of SmartDraw Ease of use 4.1 Customer Service 4.2 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews MS Meg S RetireeDesign, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “The tools are similar to other drawing and design software, which I am familiar with, so learning how to design a accurate floor plan, add furniture and appliances, add doors and windows has been a breeze.“ April 20, 2026 SS Savya S ManagerConstruction, Self-employedUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “One of the main drawbacks of SmartDraw is that it lacks the advanced drafting and engineering capabilities available in AutoCAD. While SmartDraw is useful for creating simple diagrams and floor plans, it does not provide the powerful 2D drafting, precision tools, and 3D modeling features that AutoCAD offers for professional architectural and engineering work.“ March 9, 2026 MO Mario O Safety ManagerConstruction, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “I used it to do floor plans and emergency exit plans, love the end product, helped us meet state, city and county requirements for Certificate of Occupancy.“ April 6, 2026 CL Cristina L Healthcare SpecialistFurniture, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Limited advanced design tools, mostly 2D (weak 3D), not ideal for complex architecture or engineering work, fewer collaboration features than newer tools“ March 13, 2026 MB Michael B Lieutenant - Technical SupportPublic Safety, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “The ability to utilize layers and various templates has been helpful with the extra benefit of existing icon libraries for various project types.“ February 27, 2026 MS Margaret S TeacherPrimary/Secondary Education, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “Also, students can access, edit, and delete other student's projects, which is extremely problematic.“ March 10, 2026 TW Taylin W Project ManagerRetail, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “The customer support is extremely helpful as well, we had new team members join and we were able to schedule a tutorial with the Smart Draw team.“ February 24, 2026 JH Jensen H Crime scene technicianLaw Enforcement, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Searching for things is really frustrating, especially how you can simply change a word to plural and get an entire new set of symbols.“ February 26, 2026 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 152 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Rohit Y. Business Analyst Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great tool for business analyst activities" April 4, 2019 5.0 Pros Can create your mind maps and complex flowchart of any kind with ease. Using it on office desktop and well integrated with Microsoft office suit. Also compatible with google docs which is very helpful Cons So i didn't find anything and i will strongly recommend this for pm and business analyst activities. Review Source Response from SmartDraw April 11, 2019 Hi Rohit, Thank you for taking the time to write a review, I'm happy to hear SmartDraw worked well for you. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out. US: 800-768-3729 International: +1 858 225 3300 email: support@smartdraw.com -Chris LA Lyell A. IT Manager, IT Infrastructure Transportation/Trucking/Railroad Used the software for: 2+ years ### "SmartDraw is Awesome" March 31, 2026 5.0 SmartDraw is very easy to use and is a great alternative to more expensive products. We have been using SmartDraw for over 9 years now and couldn't be happier. It imports from Vision very easily and does everything we want it to do! Pros Always have great customer support. Especially from our Rep, \[sensitive content hidden\]. She reaches out and checks in on us regularly. Although I don't re4spond as much as I would like, I very much appreciate her! It is very intuitive and whenever we deploy it to a new user, they are instantly able to maneuver around it quickly. And since they moved to a cloud-based SaaS platform, we don't have to worry about updates or patches Cons SmartDraw was not available for Single-Sign-On when we first procured the software. And the software was installed locally. That was an issue for our Cybersecurity team. With SSO not available, updates and patches had to be monitored closely. But that was eventually addressed and it is no longer an issue. So now we no not have any COns to list Switched from [Visio](https://www.capterra.com/p/201133/Visio/) Cost and ease of deployment were attractive. Sales Rep was also very nice and helped us through it all was very helpful. Review Source RG Rebecca G. Owner Food & Beverages Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Amazing Program" April 20, 2026 5.0 From someone that has no skill - drawing up a scale of our new building was very easy with this program. Pros All the measuring ease and the number of prop/pictures I could add into my drawing. Very easy to add a second floor as well. Cons When drawing a line/wall - you had to remember to click back on to the arrow or walls would keep being drawn with every click. Review Source WC Wiiliam C. District Sales Manager Retail Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Nice to Try Horrible to Own" September 9, 2025 3.0 Overall I like smartdraw as a program but the customer service, lack of customer retention and acting like they are robots, not actually helping or answering you, just like they are reading from a scripted book. Have over 500+ customers ready to sign up at $15 a month, and they still refuse to budge. Pros Ease of use, templates, learning was a breeze, simple program with basic features. I recommend this if you are a beginner and want to do a free 7 day trial or are looking for a basic program with basic features to get to your desired design. I would not buy this as it's a annual trap. Cons The plans offered are horrible. No monthly plans for those of us who want to periodically want to create personal designs. It's either all or nothing with them. Even with the $10.99 monthly subscription, this has to billed annually which is a headache. They have lost so many customers over not offering a month to month subscription with a $15 subscription fee. Switched from [Planner 5D](https://www.capterra.com/p/164022/Planner-5D/) Because 5dPlanner was way too powerful for what were doing, a little clunky to use and very very intricate in design features. I loved the free version they had and the monthly subscription options. Review Source JH Jensen H. Crime scene technician Law Enforcement Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good basic CAD program " February 26, 2026 4.0 Overall it has been good, I’ve used it personally and professionally for years. Just needs some tweaks here and here. Pros Customer service is top notch. For the most part it is beginner friendly and quick to use. Great for visualizing literally anything you could think of. Latest update provides even more customizable options. Cons User interface could be more streamlined, I constantly have to hit other tabs to use tools/options that I feel should be lumped together (like editing text, all text editing and formatting options should be together, not under separate tabs). The program does lag if you’re using it for a prolonged period of time. Searching for things is really frustrating, especially how you can simply change a word to plural and get an entire new set of symbols. That definitely needs some work. Switched from [AutoCAD](https://www.capterra.com/p/265024/AutoCAD/) I was new to the unit and realized the program that was used for sketches was way too outdated. I found smart draw in college and have used it ever since so I convinced command staff to get a license for it and now our whole unit has used it. Review Source ME Michael E. Instructor Writing and Editing Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Excellent replacement for MS Visio, Project, and Excel!" March 10, 2026 5.0 Pros I have used MS Visio for many years, but now that I'm retired and don't have a business account with Microsoft, I am inexplicably ineligible to give Microsoft my money to subscribe to Visio. Regardless, SmartDraw is more than just a substitute for Visio; it's a robust app with a flatter learning curve than I expected. I was able to easily create the diagram and find the icons that were perfect for my purposes. SmartDraw anticipated the features I needed, which helped reduce the time I spent completing my project. The tutorials and help engine also helped me visualize my end-product more easily. I am now using SmartDraw to build a Gantt chart to help me manage my project. Again, I have used MS Project and MS Excel for this in the past, and I am pleased that I can now do everything right in SmartDraw. Cons So far, I haven't found anything significantly lacking in SmartDraw. If I do find something that I don't like as I continue to use the program, I will update my review. Alternatives considered [Canva](https://www.capterra.com/p/168956/Canva/) Reason for choosing SmartDraw Canva is supposed to be easy to use, but it isn't for me. In addition, it doesn't do everything that SmartDraw can do. Switched from [Visio](https://www.capterra.com/p/201133/Visio/) After retirement, I was no longer eligible to purchase MS Visio, but my need for workflow diagrams, project management tools, etc., remained. SmartDraw fit the bill super well. Review Source DP Dylan P. Mechanical Engineer Maritime Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "An enjoyable program to use." March 13, 2026 5.0 It is smooth to work with and is visually appealing. It is fairly intuitive and once you have some time to work through it you can create quick and efficiently with it. Pros The ease of connection points and the visual appearance. I can work through a schematic layout much quicker than I could in Visio. Cons It can be difficult at times to get line hops in a way that is easy to read. It would be nice if there was an option to select all line hops on vertical or horizontal lines at crossings. Switched from [Visio](https://www.capterra.com/p/201133/Visio/) Cheaper and more robust solution that is much more visially appealing for less time invested into a design or diagram. Review Source JD Jone D. Assistant Director of Human Resources Human Resources Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Outstanding Support" March 27, 2026 5.0 I would like to recognize \[sensitive content hidden\]. for her outstanding support as a Sr. Customer Success Manager at SmartDraw. From the very beginning of our onboarding process, she was incredibly helpful, ensuring we felt confident and comfortable using the program. Her guidance was clear, patient, and always supportive. More recently, I encountered an issue and reached out to \[sensitive content hidden\] for assistance. She responded promptly and resolved the matter quickly, demonstrating her continued commitment to excellent customer service. Pros What I liked most about SmartDraw is how user-friendly and efficient the platform is. Additionally, the customer support has been exceptional. Having a responsive and knowledgeable Customer Success Manager made the onboarding process smooth and ensured we were able to fully utilize the program with confidence. Cons There is not much to dislike about SmartDraw overall, but at times, navigating certain advanced features can take a bit of trial and error. Additionally, occasional minor issues may arise, but they are typically resolved quickly with the help of the support team. Switched from [Insperity OrgPlus](https://www.capterra.com/p/115974/OrgPlus/) The system is very outdated and not a lot of functions Review Source iA isaac A. Product Dev Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "SmartDraw for Engineering development" March 16, 2026 5.0 it has been about a month since our operations team has created a chart to support our weekly meetings and updates. Less resistance in project deadlines and a smooth transition to the formatting Pros SmartDraw provides an easy to view planner that can be learned and implemented within minutes of signing in. This has kept our team task oriented through clear visual assignment management. Cons our team hasnt found a weakness with smartdraw yet. unfortunately i would like to see more users for the base package Switched from [Microsoft Excel](https://www.capterra.com/p/176574/Excel/) visualization and functionality of a operations hub was needed Review Source MS Margaret S. Teacher Primary/Secondary Education Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Almost perfect for this teacher's purposes" March 10, 2026 4.0 SmartDraw is rather easy to use, which a greatly appreciate. Improve the Cons above and it would be perfect! Pros I greatly appreciate that there are existing icons for the types of projects my school needs - salon floorplans, crime scenes, professional kitchens, etc. Cons I create templates and distribute them through Google Classroom. The integration could be smoother. Also, when students create work from templates, the new projects push the template down among student work, which makes the template difficult to find. Also, students can access, edit, and delete other student's projects, which is extremely problematic. Switched from [Lucidchart](https://www.capterra.com/p/146136/Lucidchart/) Lucidchart is not NYS Ed Law 2d compliant, SmartDraw is. Review Source BL Barry L. Human Resources Deputy Director Government Administration Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good and Bad" January 3, 2020 3.0 Project management and organization development. Pros I liked the price and the easy project management Tool Set. Cons Newer version does not allow import of Excel or Text files to build org charts. This is a show stopper for me! Alternatives considered [Visio](https://www.capterra.com/p/201133/Visio/) Switched from [Visio](https://www.capterra.com/p/201133/Visio/) Earlier version had the org chart import feature that I liked, along with the price. Since the org chart import Excel and Text files feature has been eliminated, I'll have to look for a different solution. Review Source Response from SmartDraw February 6, 2020 Hi Barry, Thank you for the feedback. The Excel and text file import still exist for org charts. Whether you are using the online or downloaded version of SmartDraw, they are located in the SmartPanel on the left once you have opened an org chart. Hopefully this helps. If you require more, please let us know. Thank you, Chris support@smartdraw.com 858 225 3300 aY ariya Y. territory manager Furniture Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Simple and Effective Layout Tool" March 31, 2026 5.0 Overall, I’ve had a really solid experience with SmartDraw. It saves me time, keeps things looking professional, and helps me communicate ideas without a ton of back-and-forth. Being able to show a layout instead of just explaining it is awesome. Pros SmartDraw is super easy to use and makes it really quick to throw together clean-looking layouts. I use it a lot to show customers how things will fit in a space. Cons Some of the customization can feel a little limited depending on what you’re trying to do, and sometimes you have to mess around with it a bit to get things exactly how you want. Not a dealbreaker, but yeah. Review Source aB anthony B. Territory Manager Business Supplies and Equipment Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "A thankful partner's review" March 26, 2026 5.0 Pros Vanessa answered quickly and tactfully with the right solution. Love how intuitive the program is to use! Everything is simple, measurements easy to read! Cons i dont necessarily have a con so far. I guess i wish the left side had quicker options for selecting desks or chairs without searching. I also wish i could click an item to add instead of dragging. OH ALSO! what about "grouping" like in microsoft powerpoint. that would help me link text boxes to items ! Review Source LV Laura V. Government Accounts Business Supplies and Equipment Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Quick and easy to use" March 13, 2026 5.0 I had a 30 minute training with \[sensitive content hidden\] a week ago, she was great and explained how to use SmartDraw. Pros SmartDraw has been very easy to learn how to use. I like that I can give my customer a quick sketch to see what furniture would fit into a space. Cons It would be nice if SmartDraw would have more office furniture symbols with different sizes and layouts. Review Source CL Cristina L. Healthcare Specialist Furniture Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great for Quick Diagrams and Simple Layouts" March 13, 2026 4.0 Overall, my experience with SmartDraw has been pretty positive. It’s easy to pick up and great for quickly putting together diagrams or simple floor plan layouts without having to dive into more complex design software. I like how quickly you can get ideas down visually, especially when you just need something clear and presentable. Pros The software produces scaled diagrams showing major architectural features (ie: walls, doors, columns) as well as furniture, and measurements Cons Limited advanced design tools, mostly 2D (weak 3D), not ideal for complex architecture or engineering work, fewer collaboration features than newer tools Review Source TC Tara C. Researcher's Education Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "High quality and professional looks drawing software" February 3, 2023 5.0 SmartDraw is helping businesses quickly and easily create professional-looking visuals for presentations, documents, reports, and websites. The benefits enterprises have realized from SmartDraw include increased efficiency, cost savings, and improved communication, with visuals helping to communicate complex information more simply. Pros The most impactful features of SmartDraw include an extensive library of templates and shapes, drag-and-drop editing, real-time collaboration, integration with Microsoft Office, and compatibility with Windows and MacOS. The product is relatively easy to use, with a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, which makes it simple to create diagrams with minimal effort. Integration with existing business processes is also straightforward since the product works with most existing file formats. Cons Features that I feel are missing or could be improved: Better support for text orientations when editing diagrams, Ability to customize the interface based on user preference.Aspects of the product that are difficult to use: Tooltips are not always clear, making it difficult to understand how to use certain features; navigation can be confusing, especially when trying to find specific parts, Customizing diagrams can be time-consuming, especially when using the software for the first time. Integration with existing business processes should be easy with SmartDraw, but depending on the complexity of the business processes, this may become difficult. Review Source MS Marc S. Seeking Opportunity- Project/Program Management -Organizational Transformation & Change Catalyst Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "SmartDraw - Not quite a Visio replacement-- but pretty close" August 19, 2020 3.0 SmartDraw is great if starting from scratch to create drawing ( both simple & complex). If documents need to be traded with users who are using Visio, there will be issues-- especially if drawings need to be updated or converted across several users. It has most of the power of Visio with some added discovery things so if one is starting without the requirement of Visio integration, its a solid, but pricy tool. Pros Lots of examples and help videos Enterprise discovery tools are great but expensive Cons Stated the Enterprise version would import Visio but it is not a 100% conversion to SmartDraw format so that the properties of the Visio document carry thru in the same way with the same functionality. \*) Layers don't really stay intact. \*) Significant amount of the custom formatting gets lost. \*) Support and 'help' is primarily from static Web Videos. While they may provide some help, there is not much detail about what steps to take when things DO NOT work -- so one needs to call in and request support. No exactly the fastest turnaround. Reason for choosing SmartDraw Didn't choose one. As stated above, Smart Draw only eliminates other tools, if there is no requirements to share or update documents from those tools. I still have both on my systems. Review Source GC Glenn C. Homeowner Construction Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Worst program I have ever bought!" October 27, 2019 1.0 Tried to draw floor plan for a house we are building, took FOREVER to get a plan together. Don't waste your money, I should have asked for a refund. Pros Relatively inexpensive, somewhat easy use Cons Lost count...tried using SmartDraw to create a floor plan for a house we are building and so far have a list of about 2-3 dozen issues and it keeps growing. I have encountered each issue multiple times on different computers with different operating systems so I know it is the program. Issues range from minor issues like I try to expand walls or measure lines with a click and drag of a mouse and the wall or measure lines jumps from 3 foot in length to 45 foot in length or longer or I try to copy and paste a door and a wall gets pasted to major and the most frustrating issues like locking up every 10 - 15 minutes or after a I save a file then reopen it later, doors and windows have moved, room measure lines in some places have moved (even locking objects does not fix this). They sent me an updated version, but it did not help. Then they wanted me to disable user account controls even though it could cause security issues because they know it creates a lot of false positives, nice. Review Source Carl F. Ministry Director Arts and Crafts Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "smart draw 101" July 18, 2019 5.0 I am able to organize,plan,and create forms,documents for my ministry,and hobby,and it makes it so much easier to do.smart draw is a great starter for anyone that has a hobby.or likes to keep track of activities. Pros This software not only helps you draw but has other activities you can plan,organize any kind of project you want to build.I got the free trial and it is great.it is good as a starter for a first timer that desires to create activities for work,school,club,organization. Cons the free trial is limited,but it is worth learning the basics of creating document,forms,and lots of projects that you are going. Review Source Response from SmartDraw July 25, 2019 Hi Carl, Thank you for the positive review. Good to hear you are getting so much use out of the software. If you need anything from us at all, please let us know. International: +1 858 225 3300 US: 800-768-3729 / 858-225-3300 email: support@smartdraw.com -Chris GP Graciela P. Employee Consumer Services Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "SmartDraw a great tool for everyone" July 23, 2022 5.0 I really like this software, it was absolutely useful. Pros I really like the differents tools that this software provide us, I'm a lawyer and for some diagrams this software let me have a great experience, I really like it, this software it's absolutely great Cons This software was so good, it doesn't have things I don't like but I think that the interface can be more friendly and easy to understand for new users Review Source GK Gulshan K. Associate Project Manager Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Powerful tool for designing software" March 25, 2019 4.0 Over-all experience as per my requirements is good and doing my work done easily and fast. Pros Very easy to draw flowcharts. Easily import and export visio. Available at cheap price and can easily replace visio i believe which is much costlier. One can use its rich library of colours. Templates help alot to quickly built mocks. Cons When I used i didn't find multiple user facility. Review Source SM Simon M. Self employed Photography Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good when it doesn't crash" February 27, 2019 3.0 Cannot recommend to others due to the continual crashing. When it works it does a good job. Customer support were good when I contacted them several times in the first year. They gave me a program to remove the software and a link to re-install each time, sometimes worked well for a few times but then the crashing started again. Interested to hear others still experience the same problem with the latest version. Pros Good when it works, good symbol library, versatile Cons Have the desktop version for drawing floor plans only and have persevered with it for 2 years (version 2017). It regularly crashes on me as others have detailed. If it crashes once you may as well start again as it will crash continually after that. For the price I paid I was hoping for much better and feel ripped off. Review Source SJ Simeon J. Architectural Assistant Architecture & Planning Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Can't change thickness of walls" April 4, 2019 1.0 Five minutes of trial version. I realised after that short amount of time that it wasn't good enough. Pros Simple to use, I guess. You can get started straight away adding walls and dimensions. Cons It is utterly useless if you actually want anything precise. I'm an architectural designer, and the most basic thing I need to be able to do, even if I'm just measuring up an existing building, is change the thickness of the walls, but this doesn't seem to be possible! Without even this basic feature, it's just an utterly useless piece of software to me. After seeing this software, though, I realise why many estate agent's floorplans are so poor. If they use software like this, there just isn't the amount of flexibility within the software even to draw a normal house, let alone anything which is complex or has a variety of unique features. I think SmartDraw really need to up their game, and in doing so, could enhance the quality of estate agents floorplans for everyone! Review Source Response from SmartDraw April 5, 2019 Hi Simeon, Sorry your trial of SmartDraw did not go as you had hoped. You can change the thickness of the walls by choosing Line (between Fill and Effects) under the Home tab and then More from the dropdown menu if you want to specify an exact thickness. I'll see if we can add that same option in the right click menu as well for ease of location. Should you need more, we offer live US based phone support: 800-768-3729 (+1 858-225-3300 for callers outside of the US), or via email: support@smartdraw.com. -Chris SD Susan D. Consultant Information Technology and Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "For those who are Visual Planners" April 21, 2022 4.0 Pros I was a programmer in the 70's and flowcharts and diagrams were how we designed applications and programs. SmartDraw was a great tool to get ideas "on paper" without having to draw it out, erase changes and store the diagrams in a file folder. It was a great transition to a digital format. Cons No tool is a "perfect fit" for everyone and doesn't solve every need but this fills the diagram need nicely. Review Source TTO Tania Tamara O. Departamento Recursos Humanos Used the software for: 2+ years ### "I love doing flow charts, timelines, mind maps, decision trees and other visual presentations." June 7, 2018 5.0 Pros With SmartDraw, I can create visual documents in an easy way, in addition to streamline the work, smartDraw has templates that come with a library of shapes and symbols, which I can use with just drag them to the worksheet. I can add textures and photos to further improve the document. Cons \-Consume abundant resources, and its installation is so slow that it becomes tedious waiting until fully charged. Review Source Similar Products Featured ## Send me user reviews about this product ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox.