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reviewer1609395 - PeerSpot reviewer
Graduate Engineer at a engineering company with 11-50 employees
Real User
One diagram can have multiple users on it at the same time
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to have more than one person editing at the same time is the most valuable feature. You can have one diagram and have multiple users on it at the same time. We haven't been able to do that on other software. So that's the main reason we moved to Lucidchart."
  • "It might already exist and I haven't used it, but in terms of improvement, I would like a hot-key system for some of the diagrams to auto-generate things a bit quicker to be able to produce charts a lot faster, or have more standard templates that you can just go to if you're trying to generate something quickly."

What is most valuable?

The ability to have more than one person editing at the same time is the most valuable feature. You can have one diagram and have multiple users on it at the same time. We haven't been able to do that on other software. So that's the main reason we moved to Lucidchart.

The main benefits of Lucidchart are collaborative working and also being able to just create documents really quickly that are still editable. Even though you've done an initial quick layout, you don't lose the ability to go back and continue with that same chart and turn it into the final version.

The real-time collaboration among users, where we're working on the same version of the document or chart, sped up our project development process. Especially with remote working, you can have two people working and looking at it while discussing it at the same time. It just sped things up and especially eased remote working.

This real-time collaboration has also saved us time. It's just been quicker than it would otherwise have been if we didn't have it.

It's been more efficient than not using it. It's not like we had a regular process and we've changed over to this. It's that we've had a project and this is what we selected. It's been pretty good at visualizing and understanding workflows. We haven't come across anything that limits it.

What needs improvement?

It might already exist and I haven't used it, but in terms of improvement, I would like a hot-key system for some of the diagrams to auto-generate things a bit quicker to be able to produce charts a lot faster, or have more standard templates that you can just go to if you're trying to generate something quickly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Lucidchart for a month and a half. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not had performance issues. 

If you lose internet connection or you're in and out of the internet, then that can be an issue for loading it up, but that's the only issue.

Buyer's Guide
Lucidchart
June 2025
Learn what your peers think about Lucidchart. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We haven't rolled it out across too many people, but we haven't had any issues so far with adding people. We're not a massive company, so we're only looking at 10 users or so, but on that sort of scale, it's not an issue.

The users are all engineers of varying levels.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We switched from Visio to Lucidchart for some of our documentation. One of the main reasons why we use Lucidchart is to switch from Visio to that.

We haven't migrated any prior documents. We're still keeping them as a legacy on Visio, but anything new going forward is moving to Lucid.

The interface for Visio is obviously common to all of the Microsoft programs, so it's quite easy to pick that up, but despite Lucid not being as well known or having that background of being part of the 365 packages, I think it's pretty good for that integration and how easy it is to use.

We still have Visio for the old documentation that we have to keep information on. So we won't be getting rid of that, but won't be buying any new versions. It's not a subscription-type setup, it's that we own those versions of the software. We'll just keep them for when we need to do legacy-related support.

We won't be getting rid of the old documentation that we have to keep information on but we won't be buying any new versions. It's not a subscription-type setup, it's that we own those versions of the software. We'll just keep them for when we need to do legacy-related support.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was really quick. It was already set up within the organization, so I didn't do that, and then somebody just sent me an email invite and that was it.

What other advice do I have?

Lucidchart is really intuitive for a new user. We didn't specifically do any tutorials or anything like that. There's pretty reasonable support when you want. If you just Google how to do something, there's normally a step-by-step guide. I'd definitely encourage you to go with this solution especially if they want to do this concurrent working.

I would rate Lucidchart a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
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reviewer1597488 - PeerSpot reviewer
Salesforce Solution Architect at a consultancy with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Salespeople can organize ideas and brainstorm with it
Pros and Cons
  • "It is important to me that the solution accommodates both Mac and PC users because the developers in our company use Mac, then the business people use Windows. The technical people create the technical architecture using Lucidchart. So, it is important that it is compatible with both the systems."
  • "I would like to have more text boxes to write more comments so I can write a small note below a picture. I would like some flexibility."

What is our primary use case?

We use the data models. We create technical architecture and system architecture, usually for technical diagrams that we need processed.

How has it helped my organization?

On my team, there are business and technical people who all are using Lucidchart. It gives us really clean, professional-looking diagrams that we have tried to make in PowerPoint. Also, if you can leverage their templates, then you aren't starting from a blank canvas.

What is most valuable?

The templates are very useful. We get the templates for technical systems, which are helpful.

There is a connection to the system where you can directly pull the data model. There is a Salesforce Connector that you can use, which pulls out your diagram from the system. That is really cool. When we click on the data model, you can connect to your technical system, like Salesforce or AWS. This helps create a data model that you would otherwise have to do manually in a better looking format, like PowerPoint. It pulls the data model into a kind of presentation mode. You don't have to drag and drop lines and relationships between objects.

It is good for documenting processes. I see the salespeople organize ideas and brainstorm with it.

I use Lucidchart to create database schemas and modify existing data structures. Lucidchart is pretty good in its ability to support these processes. I would rate it as a four out of five.

We use Lucidchart's integration with Salesforce for getting the ER diagram and enterprise relationship architecture. We need it to connect to the database, which is very important.

It is important to me that the solution accommodates both Mac and PC users because the developers in our company use Mac, then the business people use Windows. The technical people create the technical architecture using Lucidchart. So, it is important that it is compatible with both the systems.

Lucidchart has helped us realize efficiencies in the projects that we use it for. The leveraging of templates has been a great help. Previously, I was creating an ER diagram in PowerPoint, which was very tedious to do. Now, I just connect to the Salesforce database and have to pull the data model. The Salesforce Connector pulls the relationship automatically, which is a very big help. It is a great feature.

What needs improvement?

I would like to have more text boxes to write more comments so I can write a small note below a picture. I would like some flexibility.

For how long have I used the solution?

I started using it this month.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

My team consists of five people. In my company, there are a lot of people who use it. We get our licenses on an as-needed basis, e.g., if we need to run a project, then we use it. Not everybody in the company uses Lucidchart. If we need it for a project, then your credentials are created and you are enabled access. 

Only people who are a little bit in the middle management level of leadership use it. Not even our leadership uses it because they have people working for them.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not contacted Lucidchart's tech support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used PowerPoint.

How was the initial setup?

I need to tell my company's IT that I need access to Lucidchart. There is a single sign-on that gets enabled, then I just need to set my password. It is pretty self-explanatory. It doesn't take much time. I just had to explore and browse a little bit to see what templates were available. It is pretty easy to navigate and use.

What was our ROI?

The ability for people to look at a diagram, rather than reading through written documents, has saved us a lot of time, and as a result money. In our clients' requirements, they need to see what our deliverables are and we have to produce these pictures, which is also better now.

What other advice do I have?

Go for it. Try it. The solution is good.

I do have plans to increase my usage. I just use it for deliverables and to generate a few diagrams and documents. I have not explored the full features of Lucidchart so much.

I would rate Lucidchart as an eight out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
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Buyer's Guide
Lucidchart
June 2025
Learn what your peers think about Lucidchart. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Continuous Improvement Manager at a consumer goods company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
I get better and more productive engagement from team members and I get through mapping processes more quickly
Pros and Cons
  • "It is important that Lucidchart accommodates both Mac and PC users because if you support Mac, that means you also support the mobile applications on the iPad... Some of the other employees have access to an iPad, but not all of them do. When we're trying to talk through a process with them on-the-fly, or at the point of occurrence, it's so much nicer if we can both have it up on the iPad. That's why I would say the Mac support is essential."
  • "One of the things that I find frustrating is that all of our Tableau information is on a server, so when I send that out people can't open it and use it. I then have to go back and do extra work to convert everything into an Excel format that everybody can use. It would be really important to me, if I send something out to somebody who doesn't have a Lucid account, that they can just click and see it, instead of having to log in and create an account."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use it for process improvement in a factory setting. What I am primarily using it for is making process flow diagrams—with the rectangles, circles, diamonds, arrows, and whatever else you would build into a process flow. 

We've had discussions about using it to build engineering-type stuff, as well. For example, "Here's the room, here are the dimensions. Here's what it would look like if we moved this piece of equipment, what space it would open up. Here are other constraints or barriers that it might create." We've had discussions on that, but we haven't really delved into that yet. 

I have the web-based for my laptop, and I have the app downloaded on my iPad Air. I've been using it on both of them.

How has it helped my organization?

We're primarily using it for process mapping and it's much quicker than trying to do it in Excel. 

Doing things digitally means that if I'm on a Teams or a Zoom meeting, I can get input from people and they can see it as we go. I'm a pretty big user of whiteboards. I have two in my office and those are great. But what I hate sometimes is when it comes to, "All right, let's take this away. Let's run with it," I have to take a picture and send it out. Then, at nine o'clock at night, someone on the team will say, "Oh, I just thought of this step that we completely overlooked..." I can't do anything about it because it's on my whiteboard. But using Lucidchart, I've been able to say, "Okay, I've got my iPad, let me add that in really quickly." I like the convenience and the user interface.

It is so great for understanding process flows or workflows. With the prior training that I had, doing things on whiteboards and in Excel or Word to manually build stuff was clunky. Because it was clunky, it was slow. When it's slow and you have a meeting, you lose people's attention. Because this is fast and not clunky, people are able to say, "Oh, okay. This is the next step and the next step." I get better engagement and I get through mapping the processes quicker. Because it has the different shapes and the explanations of what things mean, I'm able to get more out of it. Visually it is the best application that I've used.

I'm also getting productive engagement and productive challenge from my teams. Someone will say, "Well, that step shouldn't really be represented by a diamond. It's more a case that somebody has to go and get things and that causes a delay, but it's not necessarily a decision because it's built into the process." 

Per week, I probably do two of these exercises, and each one would take three-plus hours to get through when dealing with some of our more complicated processes. Now, we can get them done in about an hour. That's a huge improvement because of the software itself, but it has also helped us to see, "Wow, we have a lot of excess steps and waste in our process." For example, we were working on it with a team over the last two days and we got two new maps up in the span of an hour and a half or two hours. We're getting much quicker at process mapping and understanding what we need to address.

Lucidchart has also helped with training and developing standard operating procedures. Before, we would just use a piece of paper, and maybe it would have a picture of what is going on. And on that piece of paper would be a list of sequential steps. We still have to do that for FDA regulations of having and maintaining SOPs. But having printed out flowcharts benefits us because you can just flip over the piece of paper and see, "All right, here are the four or five little steps I take before I get to a decision, and here are the two branches from that decision." That extra context helps us in building a development tool. And we can post the process flow map for, say, operating a hopper, right on the equipment. That way, people can see things. And if they need more context or deeper instruction, they can bring up the actual SOP with all the words. But a quick little chart that shows the flow: "This is what I do. This is what I do if this fails, et cetera," is something that we're getting a lot of immediate benefit from.

What is most valuable?

It is important that Lucidchart accommodates both Mac and PC users because if you support Mac, that means you also support the mobile applications on the iPad. Because of the kind of factory setting we're in, all of the office personnel and management have laptops, but they also have iPads. Some of the other employees have access to an iPad, but not all of them do. When we're trying to talk through a process with them on-the-fly, or at the point of occurrence, it's so much nicer if we can both have it up on the iPad. That's why I would say the Mac support is essential.

It's easy to click and drag and automatically insert shapes. And once you have selected an arrow to move to a new location, it auto-associates the shape with it and you can right-click and change. There's no copy, paste, make next steps, start typing. It's all seamlessly integrated.

What needs improvement?

Integrations with third-party software are pretty important. I do a lot of work out of Tableau for data analysis. One of the things that I find frustrating is that all of our Tableau information is on a server, so when I send that out people can't open it and use it. I then have to go back and do extra work to convert everything into an Excel format that everybody can use. It would be really important to me, if I send something out to somebody who doesn't have a Lucid account, that they can just click and see it, instead of having to log in and create an account. I can understand if they can't edit it; that makes sense, to restrict that behind the paywall. But in terms of actually being able to open up the data, it would help. With Tableau, for our data management systems, it's a big constraint. The user interface across other software is very important to me.

Something that would also be nice—and maybe it's just a feature I haven't explored yet—would be to be able to link the data from other sources, whether Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, or even straight from Excel. That way, if we build processes we could immediately assign data, whether its defective units, operational uptime or operational downtime, changeover time, et cetera. It would help to be able to put it in there so that we can have the data collected and then somehow integrate it to each step of the process. For example, if this step of the process fails, it causes X minutes of operational downtime and Y number of defective units coming out of the machine. I understand that it might be a little advanced, but right now I'm taking the charts and correlating them to existing data from Tableau and from Excel. If there were a way to make it seamless, so I could click on my flow chart and show, "This decision point, this diamond, is potentially responsible for X number of minutes operational downtime, and Y number of defective bottles," that would be the continuous improvement dream.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Lucidchart for close to a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I've only had one or two issues where the performance of it was delayed. I don't know if the cause was the internet connection or if it was because I was trying to fill out the charts on the iPad. But using the Apple Pencil, there were time delays between drawing lines between different process steps and getting things entered in. It was a little awkward on the timing. When you build something on the iPad, its performance might just not be as effective as building it on the computer.

Other than that, every time I build something there's no buffering or issues with it deleting my work or not saving things. It seems to be doing all the things that it needs to be doing. The iPad issue is the only little snafu I've had.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I can't speak too much abou its scalability. We could probably expand it and get multiple supervisors at my plant using it. But in terms of getting the information made and sharing it out, it's pretty quick and pretty easy. If we were to add a company server for it and 18 people working on it at the plant, I don't know if there would be scaling or server issues.

I hope we have plans to increase usage of Lucidchart. Our business is split up into four plants across the country. In the Continuous Improvement department there are four of us. We each have a license. There are plans to bring one more person onto the team. I'm hopeful that we would then be looking at getting it at least for our operations and production managers, which would potentially be an additional two licenses per site.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not needed to use the technical support yet. I've not had any major issues.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before Lucidchart, we were building process diagrams in Excel.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of Lucidchart is a pretty straightforward process. There is still stuff I'm learning as I go, when it comes to knowing what to look for with different templates. But if the most basic function you need is to make process maps, and to do it quickly, and then figure out what you've got to improve, it's very effective at that.

What was our ROI?

While it's not directly saving money, because it is a paid-for service, it saves us money in the sense that we have a better understanding of our processes, what can be changed, and what we need to attack. We then go out and attack it, do it, update the maps, and then we get the return on the investment.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I used Visio here and there when I worked for another company, but I was not the main user of that application. Still, between it and Lucidchart, I prefer Lucidchart. It is a lot simpler and a lot more accessible.

In my current company, we have not evaluated any other solutions. I think our engineers do have CAD for facility layout, but in terms of competitors to this, we have not looked at any directly.

What other advice do I have?

Watch some of the tutorials, check the reviews, and definitely talk to folks who are using it. Figure out what they like, what they don't like, and what they would want changed. There's a lot that I like about it. I find it to be a pretty good service. Get involved and play around with it, especially if you're working on facility layouts. I have printouts for some of the areas where we're implementing 5S and changing processes in. It's nice having something that the engineers have printed out, like a schematic or a blueprint for us.

Also, if you're going to try it out, try to make a simple process that you already know all the steps for; one you've already done it in Excel or in something else. See how much faster you can do it on this. That would be the big selling point. Trying to make some of these process maps in Excel, because it's so clunky and so slow, could take me 35 minutes just to get a 15-step process properly built, connected with the decision points in the lines, and for us to really understand where the pain points are. Taking something as simple as a 15-step process, timing out how long it takes to build it in Excel or PowerPoint, and then comparing it to this may show you, "Wow, with Lucidchart it took, maybe, five minutes."

I've been discussing getting this implemented in other departments at my facility.

In terms of its integrations, we've used it with some of the Microsoft suite for sending things out. I haven't used it for Slack yet, although I do use Slack for a nonprofit that I'm in. That actually might be a good opportunity because then I could just make some process maps for some of the nonprofit stuff that I do. And could then just send it out that way.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Product Manager at Technogise
Real User
Enables us to remotely collaborate in real time and be more efficient, but the UI and UX need work
Pros and Cons
  • "Lucidchart is very visual in nature, and it is something that we do use extensively for stakeholder mapping, for example. If you want to build graphs for things like who the decision-makers are in a particular organization, Lucidchart can be used for that."
  • "There is a premium for the use of certain elements in Lucidchart... It becomes very annoying, especially if you are a first-time user of Lucidchart and you don't have a premium plan. It feels a little too restrictive, in terms of using very basic shapes and icons. It asks you to sign-up for the premium account, which I think shouldn't be the case."

What is our primary use case?

As a product manager, I often use these infinite canvases for coming up with ideas and  for brainstorming. I also use it for defining workflows of new products or features that we are brainstorming on.

Now that remote working has become so prominent, these types of tools come in handy when you are collaborating with a lot of folks and you need their input quickly, in a manner that is manageable. That is where I have used Lucidchart.

It's a SaaS-based service, through the browser. Things are automatically saved over the cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

We are a very visual organization. We are an Agile team and we practice XP (extreme programming). When we were on the floor in the office, we used to use whiteboards to create and visualize flows. The whiteboard was always stuck in front of the team's table so that we would know where we were up to as a team and the decisions that had been taken on that flow. When we all started working from home, in March 2020, those meetings became extensive and intense. That resulted in a little bit of Zoom fatigue. Being on a call for so long ends up with people tuning out. That is when we started looking at products with infinite canvases, and Lucidchart came in handy. It enabled us, once again, to work as a team. We could sketch out ideas and brainstorm on things collaboratively and comment on things in real time. We could see where and how things are moving in real time. It almost emulates the in-person meetings. Of course, it cannot replace the feeling of being on the same board, writing with felt markers. But it's a good enough replacement. 

The team could not operate without it. We were actually collaborating on Google Slides, which sort of worked. You can obviously edit a Google document in real-time, but it did not give us the same feeling of an infinite canvas, where the team could contribute and people could express their opinions on every step. I wouldn't say it improved the processes that we already had in place, pre-lockdown, but once we started working from home, it certainly aided us in doing something that we used to do. 

The solution also helped us be more efficient because we were using Google Slides. It's efficient in the sense that the information is percolated to everyone better. Everybody is on the same page and that is the most important thing when you are in the development stage of a project. Having everybody rowing in the same direction is very important. With Lucidchart, there is a document that everybody is able to look at and contribute to at the same time. It maintains the document well and in a very lucid manner so that the decisions are very clearly chalked out. That improves efficiency. Every member spends less time figuring out in which document decisions were taken or where that email is where they can get a sense of what the outcome was of a certain meeting. Instead of that, they can just look at Lucidchart and get the answers.

It saves time and money, at the end of the day.

What is most valuable?

The basic valuable feature is the infinite canvas, because that gives you the space to come up with anything. 

There are a few templates as well, for things like brainstorming or coming up with a mind map, although I haven't explored them much. I usually opt for a free-form canvas where I can build my flows from scratch and the team can collaborate at the same time.

Lucidchart is very visual in nature, and it is something that we do use extensively for stakeholder mapping, for example. If you want to build graphs for things like who the decision-makers are in a particular organization, Lucidchart can be used for that. It's a use case for which you might use a Google Doc or a Google Slide, but if you want to get everything on a single canvas, Lucidchart does come in handy.

We design flows and wireframes and models and we put in where the data would flow.  I have used Lucidchart to create the diagrams and flows of system architecture, and how the data would flow downstream and upstream. One thing that I really appreciate about Lucidchart, a standout feature, is that whenever you attach a Google Sheet link, to signify the data flows in a particular sheet, it actually captures a particular DB or Google Sheet with its link. If you double-tap on it, it redirects you to that particular sheet. I don't know if that feature is available in other products. I really like that in Lucidchart. It comes in handy if you don't want to have to bookmark that sheet separately. You can get it from within Lucidchart itself, which helps you to keep everything neatly in one place.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Lucidchart for about two months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have had no issues with the stability. Everything is saved in real time and whenever I access it, what I have worked on is there. I have no complaints. It almost works with the reliability of Google Sheets and Google Docs. Google is the gold standard for real-time saving of edits. Lucidchart is pretty much the same in that respect.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I haven't really thought of Lucidchart in terms of scalability. From an enterprise perspective, if 1,000 or 2,000 people were collaborating on a particular canvas in Lucidchart, it would probably become a mess. It works well for smaller teams, perhaps a maximum of eight to 10 people. Beyond that, it's not really practically possible. Even in physical settings, we do not do whiteboarding with more than 10 people. If there are 20 or 30 people in a meeting, on a whiteboard, it becomes very messy. A small, nimble team, like an XP team or a scrum team, can use Lucidchart.

Whether we will expand our usage depends on how Lucidchart evolves as a product. If the product gains enough momentum and enough industry adoption, where more and more people end up using it, then everybody ends up using it. So it is dependent on the adoption of the product itself and is not necessarily something related to the product's features. If it provides better value through its pricing, people will start adopting it. That is the same curve that we saw with Google Suite. They provided immense value to organizations and now everybody is using Google Suite. There might be better products than Google Suite, but the adoption of Google Suite has spread. In the three organizations I have worked at during my career, I haven't seen any using Microsoft Outlook.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't used their technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We tried using draw.io as a stop-gap solution, but that didn't work that well. While draw.io looks very similar to Lucidchart in terms of its UI, I don't think it has evolved much.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was done by our client's organization, so I wasn't involved. But because it is a cloud-based solution, I don't think there was any kind of deployment needed. I expect it is a plug-and-play solution that they paid for and we started using.

It doesn't really require any day-to-day maintenance because everything is stored in the cloud. It doesn't require any kind of configuration.

We have six or seven folks right who are using it. There are developers, people on the QA team, the product manager, and the engineering manager.

What was our ROI?

Right after the lockdown started, meetings were really long. That is when we felt the need to select something like Lucidchart. As a result, on average we have saved one and half hours per day in meeting time. That translates to value.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I wasn't involved in the purchase of Lucidchart, but Lucidchart does the same things that other products do, like Miro and MURAL. The way I would make the decision is that if Lucidchart is cheaper than those products I would pick it. Maybe the UI is not the most modern, but it helps you achieve the same goals. If there is a major difference in price, I would definitely go with Lucidchart. Otherwise, I would take Miro or MURAL, because they are more modern looking and have better UIs.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I do really appreciate that Lucidchart is actually on par with draw.io. That is a tool that I have been using for a very long time, and it is a free tool as well. Lucidchart can pretty much do what draw.io can do. It has been structured in a very similar manner. draw.io doesn't give you as many ready-made templates. Lucidchart can pretty much do what you ask of it, in terms of building workflows. draw.io is primarily used for creating architectural diagrams, to show how systems interact in a software program, for example.

But I feel that there is a premium for the use of certain elements in Lucidchart, like a drop-down. These features come at a premium and are only accessible in the premium plan. Most of draw.io's icons and clip art are free. It becomes very annoying, especially if you are a first-time user of Lucidchart and you don't have a premium plan. It feels a little too restrictive, in terms of using very basic shapes and icons. It asks you to sign-up for the premium account, which I think shouldn't be the case. I realize that companies need to make money, but first impressions are important. Without completely communicating the value of the product, people might switch to something else. After a while, my organization did take the premium account, so that problem was solved, at least for me. But this was one of my biggest gripes with Lucidchart in the beginning.

With the unpaid version of Lucidchart, where you can get a feel for the user experience, when you try to drag a premium icon into a chart, a pop-up says that you have to buy the premium account. There is a product called Canva. It's an online platform for designing. Something they do, which is really smart, is that they call out premium elements very clearly in the menus. If something is premium, you already know that you can't use it without a premium account, and that saves you time, instead of ending up with a premium element and seeing a pop-up. In Lucidchart, there's no clear demarcation that something is a premium element, unless you try to bring it into your chart. That is annoying at times.

I have been using a couple of other products, such as Miro, which is also an infinite canvas, as well as MURAL. What I have found is that Miro and MURAL certainly have better UIs compared to Lucidchart. Lucidchart emulates draw.io in terms of its UI. It's a little dated. A user will be able to find their way through Lucidchart and draw.io, but Miro and MURAL have a much more modern look.

Other than the visual aspects, Lucidchart can be used to achieve the same goals as the others when it comes to functionality. You can collaborate on the same canvas in real time and you can see other peoples' cursors.

What other advice do I have?

Collaboration is the key. For teams to move faster, they need to make decisions in real time and keep everybody in the loop. As a scrum team or an XP team, these are the things that we valued even before Lucidchart. But then, we needed something that would aid our discussions in the absence of a whiteboard.

My advice would be to visit product review sites, like IT Central Station, and see how the products in the category compare to each other. You might unearth certain features which are not very evident from a product website itself. Word of mouth is something that
will give you an unbiased opinion. It's actual users who can articulate the value proposition. If your own use case matches that of somebody who has already used it, read the reviews and evaluate it yourself.

Lucidchart is not seen as a tool that can be used for documentation purposes. It is primarily seen as a tool that can come in handy for things like brainstorming and when sketching out new processes. It is basically a replacement for a whiteboard, and the processes that we used to do at the office around that, such as collaboratively sketching. That is what it has replaced. It has not replaced Google Docs or other things that are primarily used for documentation.

We use Lucidchart's Slack integration, so if you share Lucidchart in Slack, it will automatically pop up if you want to share it with somebody who is on Slack. When you want to integrate Lucidchart with Slack, it asks for certain permissions. After that, if you want to share a particular file, it will start showing it to all the people who are on the Slack channel. Once you share that file for collaboration, it pops up on their Slack channel, and they can open it from there. That is a neat feature I would say. But if I had to use some other product that has better features than Lucidchart, but lacked this particular integration, I would be fine with it.

I would rate Lucidchart a seven out of 10. It achieves what it says in the value prop. But there is a lot of scope for improvement in making it easier and more modern in terms of the look and the experience for new users.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Paid Search Lead Marketer at a wellness & fitness company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Helps us to realize efficiencies in the projects we use it for
Pros and Cons
  • "There is no alternative to Lucidchart if you want to describe a five-step process with bullet points. I believe every person who ever worked with PowerPoint on any type of documentation and then thought about which tool would actually help to describe what they're trying to do but without the words, would come up with Lucidchart."
  • "They should make it more user-friendly. The only option is either to use the existing template with already existing colors and gradients. If you want to do custom colors and gradients, then it's too complicated to use and should be simplified."

What is our primary use case?

I mostly use Lucidchart to describe projects, processes, process descriptions, and project flows. I also use it for mind mapping a little bit. I cannot imagine working on a presentation for my manager without using Lucidchart. It's handy. It enables me to clear my mind in terms of how the process should look, what the necessary steps are, what the flow should be, how the flow should look, and all the beautiful stuff.

How has it helped my organization?

Lucidchart definitely helps us to realize efficiencies in the projects we use it for.

There is no alternative to Lucidchart if you want to describe a five-step process with bullet points. I believe every person who ever worked with PowerPoint on any type of documentation and then thought about which tool would actually help to describe what they're trying to do but without the words, would come up with Lucidchart.

I discovered Lucidchart by accident. Someone in my previous company had used it before. I requested access, found it useful, and tried to learn how the tool works. I knew from the beginning, once I learned how to use it, it would be the tool I would want to use forever. It helps every time I need to squeeze a huge amount of information into something short and simple. The flows and diagrams help with exactly that.

What is most valuable?

Documenting things like processes and systems is pretty simple. I open up the blank diagram and start from scratch. In the beginning, it's more like mind mapping, meaning I just put on the screen what I want to achieve, what I have in mind, and then try to figure out what is missing. I consider what the best way to actually describe what I'm working on is, what the dependencies are so that the person I will be presenting it to later will understand what I'm working on. With words, it's all about the economy and time-saving. Lucidchart is a tool that allows me to squeeze a few slides into one slide.

I've been using Lucidchart for three to two years, at least, and I don't remember when the last time was that I was working on a presentation where there were no slides involved. I remember how difficult it was at the beginning. You have one or two slides reserved for you in a presentation for management, and you're trying to squeeze in as much information as possible. You can then play with the formatting. It's annoying that Google slides or PowerPoint don't simply allow you to do the same thing as Lucidchart does. 

Lucidchart is fully integrated with PowerPoint and other documentation tools I'm working with. I know that if I start with Lucidchart and spend some time there, there will be no problem with adding this to Confluence and to PowerPoint presentations.

The integrations are the most valuable features. 

I use templates as a reference, but even if I start with a template, I provide many notifications where the purpose of the template is different. I like the template because of the colors of those flows. The way the flow was presented was nice. It just looked better than anything I could do on my own.

It's important to us that Lucidchart accommodates both PC and Mac. In most cases, I work on a Mac, and the whole company works on the same devices, but there was a moment in time where I was on a PC and I was really happy with the fact that I didn't have to find another tool for the PC.

What needs improvement?

I'm not a designer. Most of the diagrams and flows I create are blank, black, and white. And sometimes I hate it but trying to work with different colors costs me too much time to figure out what color I should use and in what gradient I should use the color. That's the painful part. I would like my matches to do better. I'm trying to learn something from the templates in terms of appearance, but a grading tool, a tool that would allow me to choose between different gradients of the same color is currently unavailable. 

For example, on templates, I see a different set of colors being used, and I don't know which colors there are, which is why I use different templates sometimes. They offer better colors and look better. There's an option to ultimately change the color of your shapes using conditional formatting, but it looks very complicated. I would like to know more. I would like to know how to create those rules easily. At the end of the day, in the last step, I need to pick the color myself. I would like this tool to pick the colors for me.

They should make it more user-friendly. The only option is either to use the existing template with already existing colors and gradients. If you want to do custom colors and gradients, then it's too complicated to use and should be simplified.

If I would like to use the color green for any reason, the tool currently offers three gradients of green. There should be two fewer. It's the same for every other color.

I actually provided this feedback once directly in a survey to them some time ago. The current audience, I understand, based on the templates in Lucidchart, is tech people. I'm a marketer. I have slightly different needs. I want the stuff to look better and have better clarity. I don't need to know how to use a template for Amazon services and how to set up a server or whatever. The set of icons look impressive but are absolutely useless for a marketer.

It would be nice to have something role-based. They should target more people like me, mid-management, people who we need to present a lot, create a lot of documentation, pitch products to other people, explain what the necessary steps are. And I believe this tool is perfect for that. It could also be much simpler than it is right now.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Lucidchart for at least two years but I joined my current company two months ago. I discovered Lucidchart before, in my previous company at least two years ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's absolutely stable. I never had any problems with it. I like the fact that sometimes I close the tab or close the whole window and there would be something I didn't save or forgot to save. I reopen the tool, and my stuff is always there, up to date. I love it.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I tried using Visio but my experience was horrible. I also used a free solution from GitHub, a mind mapping tool from GitHub. I remember the appreciation for Lucidchart really increased the moment I realized how different it is to combine two shapes. 

I saved a project but then I couldn't access it for some reason. I lost it and had to start from scratch. The customer support said, "It's a free tool, what do we expect?"

I didn't have any expectations from the tools I was using. I just needed an hour with an online tool for free. But then I didn't know that Lucidchart had a free option, so I didn't turn where I needed to go. I didn't use Lucidchart and it was a mistake.

How was the initial setup?

In my first week, there was a presentation. A manager shared his deck with a Lucidchart diagram in it. I immediately recognized the tool and thought that it was great that my new company uses Lucidchart and I didn't have to request it. I tried to open a new account for myself because it was free, and then I saw the presentation and realized that the company uses a paid version, so my account was upgraded immediately.

The CEO and his team use it. I have no idea who else is using it unless I see a chart in a presentation, and this is also why we're not working on this together. When I see the button "Share" it means to me that I'm sharing this tool with other tools, not a person.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I forgot how much it costs but if the tech team were to ask if we really needed it and they tried to dump the tool, I would definitely refuse, because I really like it.

This is the one tool I want to use. I don't care how much it costs. It's the best tool for the stuff I'm working on. It fulfills my needs, and for this sake, it can cost 10 times more. I don't care.

What other advice do I have?

We have a different tool for collaboration with our colleagues. If I create a business case and I need some feedback from the data team, I present the flow as I imagined it should look, and then I let the data person or the specialist tell me how to improve it, what needs to be different, and what needs to be changed. But I never thought about allowing anyone to have access to Lucidchart, simply because most of the people, especially the marketers, do not know about Lucidchart.

The transition into using it as a collaboration tool will not happen instantly. I remember there was a period of time when I was simply struggling with how to use the tool, and it took a while until I was capable of presenting my thoughts in an efficient way. And it would be hard to imagine that. For the sake of using the tool, I would have to do a workshop with other colleagues to explain how things work.

We do not use Lucidchart to compare versions of documents. We use Spark for that simply by sending the link to the presentation. I can integrate Lucidchart into presentations or another form of documentation, like on Confluence, but we rarely work on Lucidchart itself. It's just a tool for me where I need to accomplish something and then move it forward, copy and paste it somewhere else. It's not very interactive.

We just saw a presentation someone created and it had 30 different slides. I would just say in one sentence that this presentation could say even more with fewer slides if the person would use Lucidchart instead. PowerPoint or Google slides are not perfect tools. They're just carriers. The content you provide to those slides should be created somewhere else in a more professional way, and Lucidchart is the tool everyone should at least consider using because it speeds up the work. 

Sometimes I use Lucidchart just for myself, to mind map everything I have in my mind to see what exactly is there and how to make it simple. With Lucidchart, you just do step one, step two, step three, done.

I would rate it a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Sr. Software Engineer at Gartner
Real User
We don't need documentation on how to use it because it is self-explanatory
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface is very good and easy to use. We don't need documentation on how to use it. It is self-explanatory, which is very convenient for a new user."
  • "I am not quite sure what different functionalities it provides as well as the difficulties other people are facing. When I have a better understanding of the solution, I will increase my rating of it. No solution is perfect, so I am sure that I will be facing some problems in the future."

What is our primary use case?

I use it to filter data and create data models for applications.

We are in the starting phase. We are going step-by-step. We have just created our data diagram, and there is not much collaboration on this part. When we go to our architecture diagram, we will be having more collaboration.

I have used it for technical purposes and support.

I am still exploring the tool.

How has it helped my organization?

Our team asked me to create a data diagram for our applications. We have different tables in our applications and needed to come up with a diagram depicting the complete data structure in our applications, e.g., what are the different tables that we are using, what are the relationships between them, and how can we improve them. So, Lucidchart should easily help me to complete my work.

There are three more members on our team. We are sharing our document with team members, which is pretty good. Multiple users can add to it and comment on parts, e.g., whatever they want to ask. They can comment on the table structure or diagram. It is very easy to use. This real-time collaboration has saved us time.

What is most valuable?

Creating a collage diagram is the most valuable feature. 

Lucidchart is very good and convenient for creating database structures. I love it.

The interface is very good and easy to use. We don't need documentation on how to use it. It is self-explanatory, which is very convenient for a new user.

It is a very good tool that is easy to use. I can save time when collaborating with team members.

What needs improvement?

I am not quite sure what different functionalities it provides as well as the difficulties other people are facing. When I have a better understanding of the solution, I will increase my rating of it. No solution is perfect, so I am sure that I will be facing some problems in the future.

For how long have I used the solution?

I just started using Lucidchart a month ago.

My team has been using it for a long time. I just started using it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. I have not faced any difficulties when using it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are a growing team. My colleagues include managers, a Scrum Master, and a business user. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

This is the first time that I am using a tool of this kind, e.g., data modeling. I have never used other tools.

How was the initial setup?

My initial setup was very straightforward. My company already purchased the tool. When I tried to sign in with my company email, they automatically sent me an email with some steps, then I started using it.

It did not take me long to set it up. I just signed up for Lucidchart and my team provided me with the license. It was very easy to use.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I work for Gartner. They provide us with an account from the paid version.

What other advice do I have?

It is a very interesting tool. I love using this tool. I would rate it as an eight out of 10.

I have recommended Lucidchart to my colleague and other developers in different companies. It is a good tool that is easy to use with a good UI. It is also easy to understand.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Change Analyst at a leisure / travel company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Documents processes and systems and has good visuals
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are the different templates that they have already created, as well as all the different shapes you can use in the process charts because each shape stands for a different element or thing that's being done. It's easy to distinguish between different steps using the already set-out shapes."
  • "In terms of improvement, they should make it very clear, whether it's a single A4 page or two A4 pages, it should be mapped out. Either I don't know how to use it, or it's not there, but having to stick to margins so I can see what's going to be on different pages when I print it or move it to a PDF has been my only challenge so far."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is to document processes in the business organization.

How has it helped my organization?

One way we benefit from it is that multiple different people can be working on a single document and they can also make comments from different points of the process. My manager will comment that something needs to change or be moved. Then I can edit that really easily, see exactly what they're referring to, and understand the changes. It's really collaborative as well.

For me, the biggest thing is that it has a really good visual representation of what's happening. It also easily exports to things like PDF and Microsoft Word so that you can send them easily. The collaborative element and how good the visuals are the best parts for me. I am referring to real-time collaboration among users and also comparing versions of documents.

Real-time collaboration has definitely saved us time. I haven't had to call people back and forth and make changes like that. Whereas we're both just editing in a single document. It saves around an hour or two a day.

The version comparison features are very important. I'll often analyze what the initial process is, and then how it's going to be in a new business situation. It's important to be able to see those changes because they need to be mapped in a different way for the original process. It's very useful.

Lucidchart has helped us to realize inefficiencies. You can see what seems like taking too long or what step in the process doesn't need to be there. It has definitely helped me to identify those and remove steps from a process, make recommendations to the client, and what doesn't need to be done or different areas that can be automated.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the different templates that they have already created, as well as all the different shapes you can use in the process charts because each shape stands for a different element or thing that's being done. It's easy to distinguish between different steps using the already set-out shapes.

Their ability to document things like processes and systems is a ten out of ten. It's very easy to use and very user-friendly. You don't need a lot of training. I didn't get any training and I could use it from the get-go because everything's very clear. They have the tools you need to make all the changes you need, which are very clear, and a lot of the things just automatically fix up for you. If you drop an arrow, it will automatically connect it to another box, make sure it's straight, and adjust all those sorts of things. It's a massive time saver.

It's great for process flows and workflows because they use swimlane diagrams, which is really helpful. You can see who's responsible for different tasks, and at what different stages in the process they need to do different things. Visually, it's a really good tool to provide to clients and customers. I can clearly see what is happening and it has good use of the different shapes and colors. It's a really good graphic representation.

It's definitely important that Lucidchart accommodates both Mac and PC users. I am a PC user, but occasionally I'll be on a Mac and it's really important to be able to do it on both as well, just because people have their own preferences.

What needs improvement?

In terms of improvement, they should make it very clear, whether it's a single A4 page or two A4 pages, it should be mapped out. Either I don't know how to use it, or it's not there, but having to stick to margins so I can see what's going to be on different pages when I print it or move it to a PDF has been my only challenge so far.

In the next release, I would like to have good roles and responsibilities-type diagrams, like a table that's as a template. Because they have really good templates, but nothing for something like that.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Lucidchart for a few months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I've never had a problem accessing it and it always updates quickly and works well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It could definitely grow. It has been used in lots of different industries and areas. It's a really fantastic platform that, until this company, I didn't know about. I'd definitely use it for other areas of roles at different points in my life, I'm sure.

At this point, Lucidchart is being used all day, every day. I'm probably the main person using it, but there's someone who's a transformation specialist who uses it as well, who's above me. And anyone else who is a team specialist would use it as well.

How are customer service and technical support?

Lucidchart is easy to use so I haven't needed to contact technical support yet. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was super easy, it took me two minutes. I had a username and login, it was all there. My company shared the folders they needed to with me and I had instant access. They just have to give me permission. It really was a very quick process.

What was our ROI?

My company definitely thinks it's worthwhile. It's reasonably priced and they use it very easily and quickly. They recognize how much of a time-saver it is. Whereas, if we would have had to do this manually, in PowerPoint, or something like that, it would take around five times the time, or even more.

If you consider what you pay someone an hour, you've pretty much paid for the annual subscription probably within a week. 

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely advise purchasing it straight away. You will not regret it.

I would rate Lucidchart a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
CEO at growthmolecules
Real User
Easy to use, helpful for mapping out processes, saves time and improves efficiency, promotes collaboration
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the ease of use, and just being able to drag and drop."
  • "The layering is something that can be improved because sometimes, it is confusing for me when I'm trying to get to the layer that I want to edit."

What is our primary use case?

I use Lucidchart for creating journey maps and educating customer success managers on best practices when it comes to managing customers, relationships, and difficult conversations. 

People are visual, so I typically try to visualize what I'm trying to say and Lucidchart makes it easy.

As a Mac user, and with most people in the area using a Mac, it is important to me that Lucidchart accommodates both platforms.

How has it helped my organization?

Lucidchart is really useful for mapping out processes, even if you're just trying to think about how to write them out or relay an idea to other people. Being able to draw it out is very helpful.

The organizational charts for visualizing and understanding hierarchies and relationships are very simple to draw out, then share and quickly make edits, according to feedback.

Lucid's capabilities for visualizing and understanding process flows are good, as you can use layering on top of your ideas. There are also so many templates that I can start with, I don't have to start from scratch when trying to visualize the concept. It's very easy and clean to use.

I collaborate with other team members for assessments of clients' customer success teams, playbooks, and education. The ability to do this absolutely makes our process faster, mainly because you can visualize what you're trying to say, so people understand it faster.

I'd say that it cuts the amount of time we spend in half because you don't have to write emails back and forth. You can see what they've changed, even in real-time.

Using this platform has helped me to realize efficiencies because I can visualize what I'm trying to tell the person. Instead of writing it out or taking a long time trying to figure out how to do it in PowerPoint, I can just drag and drop so many different images to convey what I want to say into one page, as opposed to taking multiple pages or wasting time trying to figure out which icon or how to draw something out when they already have templates in there.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the ease of use, and just being able to drag and drop. Although it is easy to use, it has so many capabilities that you can make it as complex as you want.

There are many templates that I can start from, which is another valuable feature.

It allows me to look at and compare different versions of my documents, which is something that I do to look at the high-level changes when I'm working with a colleague. When I'm collaborating on work for a client, it's really important to understand what it is that the customer wants to relay to their team. Even if we're on a task like writing a blog, it is important that we're working together to make sure that we're visualizing what we want to convey to the audience.

There is a lot of good training available.

What needs improvement?

The layering is something that can be improved because sometimes, it is confusing for me when I'm trying to get to the layer that I want to edit.

When using the interface to maneuver about the axis, I struggle sometimes because I want to move only one line, as opposed to the entire sheet that I've just created.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Lucidchart for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very stable product and I've never had an issue with it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very good in terms of scaling because you can save folders and content, and you can share it easily. I'm a small consulting firm and there are just three of us. One is an advisor and the other helps build the assessments and playbooks.

If my company grows and I get more clients, then I will expand my usage of Lucidchart.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have been in contact with technical support and it was fine. I'm paying the lowest tier and I don't expect them to get back to me right away, which is fine.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used other similar products but I have given up. I feel this one is just very simple to use. For example, I have used Visio, PowerPoint, and I've dabbled with Bizagi but I really disliked it and it's super expensive. I quickly dropped that one. I've also played around with MURAL. 

Specifically, with Visio, I used it years ago but I hated it. I found it complicated to use and also, they may not have had an Apple version at the time for the Mac. I was very happy when the company that I was working for introduced this to me.

What I really liked about Lucidchart is the ease of use. I went to their conference and I thought that it was well put together. I really liked the content, and it's stuff like that that matters.

What about the implementation team?

The company that I used to work for performed the initial setup for me. Then, once I started my own company, I just kept using it.

What was our ROI?

I have seen a return on investment with respect to time, although I don't have enough clients yet to be using it as much as I wish I could. My return comes from creating playbooks and assessments and visualizing.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is very reasonable, and they have a free trial available that you can play with. 

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is considering this product is to take advantage of the free trial. Use the templates and they have a lot of good training available, so take advantage of it.

The biggest lesson that I have learned from using Lucidchart is that there are a lot of templates and ways to be efficient by using a platform.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Lucidchart Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: June 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Lucidchart Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.