Design and diagrams decision
EdrawMax
A small team or solo developer can recreate a usable diagram editor and export/share workflow, but reproducing EdrawMax's scale (huge template library, polished native apps, enterprise certifications, and AI features) is not realistic without significant time and investment.
Visit website↗$69/mo
$828/yr
Read off the official pricing page.
$50one-off30 h to build
$0/mo5 h/mo upkeep
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 1 seat.
Open-source builds that already do this
Every project below is open source and already does this job today. Fork one, self-host it, or take the parts you need - the build prompt further down assumes an empty file, and this is the shortcut past that. Licences differ; check the one on each card before you ship. All EdrawMax alternatives, with the arithmetic →
What a replacement has to do
- Provide a web canvas where users pick a template or blank page, drag/drop/rescale symbols from a symbol library, edit labels/styles, save/load diagrams, and export PNG/SVG/PDF.
What it still won’t have
- Enterprise compliance certifications (GDPR/SOC 2/ISO 27001) maintained by vendor
- Large built-in template/community library (tens of thousands of templates)
- Desktop native builds for Win/Mac/Linux and polished installers
- Advanced AI features and proprietary model integrations advertised
- Deep import/export fidelity for Visio/Office formats and many integrations
What remains hard
- Compliance and regulation
GDPR, SOC 2, and ISO 27001 certified.
First-year cost
Keep paying
Paying is—cheaper in year one.
On cash alone, building overtakes the subscription at 1 seat.
Money you would actually spend
Time you would spend
—
What you would spend
What we assumed
The verdict above measures whether you could build it. This one is only about money.
Runnable build prompt
Build a minimal web diagram editor using React + TypeScript, Konva (or react-flow) for canvas, Node.js + Express + Postgres for storage, and S3-compatible object storage for exported files. In scope: canvas with drag/drop/transform, a searchable symbol library with ability to upload/import symbol JSON, template selection screen, save/load per-user diagrams, exports to SVG and PNG, and a simple shareable link. Out of scope: desktop native installers, SOC2/ISO certification, full Visio import fidelity, and large bundled template marketplace. Include error handling, input validation, and unit/integration tests for backend endpoints and key UI interactions.
How we checked
How the score was reached
- Partly verdict base52
- An open-source build was found+5
- 5 cited sources+3
- Price verified on pricing page+3
- 3/3 assessment runs agreed+4
- Hard moats found in the evidence-3
- Evidence score64
The base comes from the verdict. Everything under it is a check that either happened or did not, and each one is a fact frozen in this record rather than a judgement made at render time - so the same evidence always produces the same number.
How scoring works →Cited sources · 5
Every page the run actually retrieved.
- official productEdraw Software: Unlock Diagram Possibilities
- official pricingFree Floor Plan Creator with Free Templates | EdrawMax
- open sourcejgraph/drawio
- open sourcejgraph/drawio-desktop
- official pricingEdrawMax pricing
Integrity checks
What held up, and what did not.