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Data Advanced Analytic Specialist at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Vendor
Jul 12, 2021
Simple to learn and use, robust, and facilitates collaboration with colleagues in different time zones
Pros and Cons
  • "In general, this product has improved our organization because it makes accessing up-to-date processes and planning a lot easier."
  • "It would be helpful if there were different options available for organizing the folders, such as having a high-level display with pictures."

What is our primary use case?

A lot of people in my company are using it for mapping processes.

We use it for mapping sales processes and product management processes. We look at a product and map it, including how we interface it through the product life cycle. Personally, I use it a couple of hours a day for project process mapping work.

How has it helped my organization?

In general, this product has improved our organization because it makes accessing up-to-date processes and planning a lot easier.

In terms of documenting things such as processes, systems, and new teams, it's easy to go in and share it with people as you're putting the process down. They can interact with it as well, and make changes at a later date. It stores all of these pages together under one folder and allows others to make changes, and it is also documented.

Lucidchart's capabilities for visualizing and understanding process flows and workflows are very good. There are lots of different shapes to use, they are easy to connect, easy to drag and drop, and the user interface is good. Changes and updates are also very good.

Overall, it's a very simple and very easy application to learn and also to use.

Lucidchart is integrated with Atlassian and it works fairly seamlessly. It's fairly important to our operation and the way it has been set up, I don't notice the integration.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the user interface. We use it live, so as we're having a conversation and deciding on the process that we're working on, it's easy to map it down, drag and drop components, move the different boxes around, and then add labels and things.

This solution allows for real-time collaboration among users so that everybody is working on the same version of a document, and this has definitely improved our development process. It has saved us time because of the time difference between myself and my colleagues. For example, I work in the UK and I have colleagues that work in Calgary, Canada. There are several hours of difference between us. Whenever we have a meeting in the afternoon, we can sit down and see the same document that we're all working on. We can edit and create processes in the live format, which means that we can maximize the amount of work we can do in this limited window of opportunity.

The ability for people to look at a diagram, rather than reading through written documents, has saved us time. I estimate that it saves us perhaps five hours per week. The savings comes from the fact that it's all there in front of us and we can refer back to it when we're referencing something else.

What needs improvement?

It would be helpful if there were different options available for organizing the folders, such as having a high-level display with pictures.

Buyer's Guide
Lucidchart
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Lucidchart. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,371 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Lucidchart for between two and three weeks. The company has been using it for quite a long time.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This product is very robust, as far as I can tell.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is very good. You can map a whole product development cycle through sales and interacting with the customer, and probably roadmaps going forward.

It is being used company-wide and I think that most people are probably using it. We have approximately 30 in the UK and in Canada, it is probably 150 more. It seems to be the de facto system and I suppose that as the company expands, the usage will increase.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. It took a while to get my password for the license, although that may have been an internal issue rather than an external one. I expected it to be pretty quick but it took a couple of weeks, through our IT people.

Once I had my password, all that was required was for me to log onto it. I've also been given links that were shared by a couple of colleagues that I was working on things with.

What other advice do I have?

I probably use 20% of the features available in the product. I'm sure there is a lot more than I could be using it for and over time, I'll figure out more of it.

My advice for anybody who is looking into implementing Lucidchart is that if it fits what you want to do, I recommend it.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private 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.
PeerSpot user
Business Development Representative at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Jul 12, 2021
Provides real-time collaboration, saves time, and brings workflow efficiency
Pros and Cons
  • "I like how all the contacts in my chart are linked to LinkedIn. That's what makes it really easy for outreach and for making sure we have all the contacts right there in front of us when we need to."
  • "It would be nice to be able to import not just contacts from Salesforce but also leads. In the beginning, when I was still learning the ropes and my way around it, I couldn't find such an option. There might be an option, but I just don't know about it."

What is our primary use case?

It is mainly for sales and business development. We use it for account mapping. If we have a target account, we want to know who the key players are. They include the decision-makers, individual contributors, etc. We map this information out on Lucidchart.

We are probably using the latest version. They're pretty good about that. In terms of deployment, it might be SaaS.

How has it helped my organization?

When we have target accounts, we really need to see and get a really clear overview of who's who, who does what, and who the champions are. Lucidchart has been in charge of that.

I have used Lucidchart's abilities to modify existing data structures. When I joined the company, they had existing account maps, and I was able to duplicate them and then tweak them to my needs. Lucidchart supports such processes very well. It is very user-friendly. It was easy for multiple users to collaborate on a single chart. Anyone can jump in and start adding and changing to an existing chart. All that activity is also trackable, which is helpful.

We have integrated it with Salesforce and G Suite. These integrations are important because when you make tweaks on Lucidchart, you want to make sure that those tweaks are also reflected on Salesforce and other solutions. You can update on one, and it gets updated automatically on the other and vice versa. These integrations are critical to what we do.

There is also integration with Slack, which is our main communication channel. It is definitely something we use more than email. Having this integration between Lucidchart and Slack really allows us to share documents for feedback. For example, I can share a Lucidchart via Slack with my boss, and then he would take a look at it and give me immediate feedback over Slack, which works in conjunction with the comments in Lucidchart. Basically, when I'm speaking with my manager, we communicate via Slack about the Lucidchart file, but when I'm speaking with my counterpart, who's working with me on the same account, then we would make the tweaks directly in Lucidchart. Slack just complements the collaboration that's within Lucidchart. It adds another layer for sharing with the wider organization.

Lucidchart provides real-time collaboration among users so that everyone is accessing and working on the same version of the document. This real-time collaboration is key because I would be on Zoom with one of my colleagues, and then we would jump into a Lucidchart file and start tweaking it as we go together.

It has definitely saved time. More efficiency gains are definitely there. It has cut our time. Previously, we used to create something in a PowerPoint or Keynote file, but they were just not as collaborative, dynamic, and adaptable as Lucidchart. In terms of numbers, it has saved us at least 20% of the time that would have been spent on other programs.

It has definitely helped us in realizing the efficiencies in the projects. It has made us more efficient as a team. The collaborative nature of it is something that's key to time-saving and being efficient in our workflows. Each of us manages multiple accounts, and it is just easier to keep track of things with Lucidchart.

The ability for people to look at a diagram rather than reading through written documents has saved time and, as a result, money, but I don't have specific metrics to show for that.

What is most valuable?

I really like the drag and drop feature. It makes it really easy. I also like the comment feature that enables various users to comment on the chart in real-time.

I like how all the contacts in my chart are linked to LinkedIn. That's what makes it really easy for outreach and for making sure we have all the contacts right there in front of us when we need to.

It is very user-friendly for documenting things such as processes, systems, new teams, etc.

Lucidchart's organizational charts are very good for visualizing and understanding team hierarchies and relationships. That's the reason we use it. It gives you a very clear overview of who does what within the company. I also like how adaptable it is. It is very easy to tweak if someone leaves the company or someone joins, or as we find out more information about the company that we're working with in terms of who the players are. It is almost like playing chess. We can just move the pieces around the board.

It is very good for visualizing and understanding process flows or workflows. When I first started using it, I didn't feel the need to read the whole manual. It is very intuitive in terms of what the steps are. It is integrated with Salesforce as well, which makes it very easy to import leads from Salesforce into Lucidchart to create those maps. The workflows and processes are very seamless.

What needs improvement?

It would be nice to be able to import not just contacts from Salesforce but also leads. In the beginning, when I was still learning the ropes and my way around it, I couldn't find such an option. There might be an option, but I just don't know about it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for only about a month, but my company has been using it longer.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is really stable. I honestly haven't incurred any issues related to stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. As our team grows and we hire more people, it can definitely accommodate all the users that we need. I do not have the numbers, but I just know we're hiring a lot of new people, myself included, recently.

We have more than 100 licenses, and its users include the Business Development people and Sales Account Executives. I'm on the Business Development team. There are also some Customer Success Managers who get involved once a deal is closed. They need to know who the players are at various accounts. We also have a team of Sales Engineers. They definitely get involved in it as well. So, Business Development, Sales Account Executives, Customer Success, and Sales Engineers are the four groups that are the main players.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have never interacted with their technical support.

How was the initial setup?

I was not there for that. There is a whole team that does that. They know how to handle Lucidchart. They handle other tools too.

For its maintenance, maybe one or two people are required on a regular basis. They just need to send out very quick and short surveys to see our experiences with the software. It is usually done when we are getting close to renewal, and then they see if it's worth extending the licenses.

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely recommend it. It is a tool that I wish I had in my previous jobs and companies. I would advise others to start with an existing template from the company and then reverse engineer that. It is very easy and very intuitive to use, so I would say go for it.

Lucidchart really has a clear overview. Once you have your players charted out, it is bound to change at some point, and it is not going to be static. It is dynamic, and Lucidchart can definitely accommodate. It is adaptable enough to accommodate all those changes.

Our company only uses Mac. So, it's not important for us to be able to access it on PC. I have not used Lucidchart's ability to compare versions of documents.

I would rate Lucidchart a nine out of 10.

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. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Buyer's Guide
Lucidchart
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Lucidchart. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,371 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user1599150 - PeerSpot reviewer
People Performance & Culture - Generalist at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Jul 12, 2021
Makes things simpler and helps us in looking at the processes in a different light
Pros and Cons
  • "The flow chart is most valuable. It is a very user-friendly and simple-to-use product. Quite quickly, I was able to understand how to use it and just get on with my process flow."
  • "It can have more colors or graphics. Currently, it is a little boring. It can have a little bit more fun factor."

What is our primary use case?

We are mainly using it for flow charts, organization charts, and process flows. In terms of deployment, we have a subscription for it. It has a login and a password, and we have to log in.

How has it helped my organization?

I joined my new company at the beginning of May. I'm in HR, and it is called the People Performance and Culture (PPC) team. One of the things I was told to do was figure out the process flow for onboarding. Because it is APAC and we have some people in India, Japan, China, and Singapore, it was confusing to understand who comes under which part during onboarding. My manager wanted to make a process flow, so I decided to make a flow chart. I literally just searched for flow chart software or easy-to-use tools on the web, and I came across Lucidchart. I really enjoyed using it. I was quite quickly able to understand how to use it and get on with my process flow. This process flow has really helped all the regions in understanding how onboarding works across all the regions. In the future, we can easily see how the process works rather than thinking it is too complicated, and we don't want to get into it. It just makes things simpler. Now, more people use it, and obviously, I can add more features to it if I want to. I think we have used it for our org chart as well. We've just rolled out a new org chart. I wasn't part of that, but I can see that they've used Lucidchart for that.

It is very useful for documenting things such as processes, systems, new teams, etc. because it has everything. It is very easy to document, and it is very easy to see the date you created or gave access to something.

It provides real-time collaboration among users so that everyone is accessing and working on the same version of a document. This real-time collaboration has affected our project development process. I was able to get someone to look at the org chart while I was working on it. As opposed to making changes at the end, I could make changes as I was working on a document. Its real-time collaboration has saved us time. It has approximately saved an hour worth of work.

The ability for people to look at a diagram rather than reading through written documents has also saved time, and as a result, money. It has saved about an hour.

It has definitely helped us in realizing efficiencies in our projects. It has made everything more visual. Once things are more visual, it becomes easier for me to see whether there are glitches in the process, whether there is a better way of doing things, and whether we have too many steps for one thing. The visual aid has definitely helped us look at the processes in a different light.

We use Microsoft Teams in our company, and one of the reasons for using Lucidchart is that you can integrate it with Microsoft Teams. If I need to send somebody a document through Microsoft Teams, it is very easy. This integration is highly important for our operations because otherwise, we will have to use another solution or way to do the same thing. We are already using Microsoft Teams, so it is much easier to tag it on to Microsoft Teams.

What is most valuable?

The flow chart is most valuable. It is a very user-friendly and simple-to-use product. Quite quickly, I was able to understand how to use it and just get on with my process flow. 

Its organizational charts are pretty good for visualizing and understanding team hierarchies and relationships. These organizational charts are very visual. The colors also help. It is also easy to create an organizational chart.

I use it for visualizing and understanding process flows or workflows, and I would rate it really high from this aspect because I found it very easy to use. It has some suggested themes, so I can make them look pretty. There was access to videos or tutorials if I got stuck. That was really good as well.

What needs improvement?

It can have more colors or graphics. Currently, it is a little boring. It can have a little bit more fun factor.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have started to use it very recently. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is quite stable and reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is quite scalable. We are a small department. Currently, two departments have access to it. We have only about 30 people, and out of them, only four are using it.

I am pretty new here, and we're just figuring out APAC processes and hiring new people. I will be using Lucidchart a lot more in the coming months because we're trying to figure out all the processes and the process flows amongst all the regions.

How are customer service and technical support?

It is pretty good. They were videos available for any questions that I had while I was using the solution. I'm more of a visual person, so the videos really helped.

How was the initial setup?

It was straightforward. It took just a few minutes.

What about the implementation team?

I did it on my own. I was using the free account because you can use a free account. It turned out that we had a company account with Lucidchart. My manager gave me access to that, and then basically, I uploaded the flow chart that I had created over there.

For its deployment and maintenance, probably only one or two people are required.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I did come across Visio, but I looked at Lucidchart first. Visio wasn't as user-friendly.

What other advice do I have?

I have definitely told people to use it. It really makes things easier. The visualization is really good, simple, and neat. For me, visuals work much better, and it is easier to spot mistakes when you can see it all in one go rather than in different steps. I would definitely advise people to integrate it and use it as much.

In my organization, we currently only use PCs, but it is good that it is compatible with Mac and PC. I have not used its ability to compare versions of documents. I have also not used any other product from their suite.

I would rate Lucidchart a nine out of 10. It just needs a little bit more fun factor.

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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it_user1609395 - PeerSpot reviewer
Graduate Engineer at a engineering company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Jul 7, 2021
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.

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.
PeerSpot user
Game Designer at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Jul 4, 2021
Makes it easy to collaborate and share
Pros and Cons
  • "The best part of Lucidchart is its comfortableness when sharing it with my teammates. Lucidchart provides me a folder for my ERD. I can make a dozen lists of my chart, then share them with my teammates easily through the diagrams of Lucidchart. This is their main comfortableness, which is the reason why I choose Lucidchart rather than some other chart program."
  • "They could provide more documentation or tutorials of ERDs or DDD on the Lucidchart site. That could be better."

What is our primary use case?

I make the domain-driven designs (DDDs) for my teammates as well as ER diagrams (ERDs).

I usually use Lucidchart with my work for some idea improvements or brainstorming.

How has it helped my organization?

Our company has a linking system where we can share hierarchies and general information with our teammates. I use Lucidchart to visualize the main system of our old game systems, like the DDD.

I make the domain-driven design, and through that I make the ERD. Then, through the ERD, I make the database schema. So, all the charts that I make or propose for new systems go through that process.

Lucidchart provides real-time collaboration among users so everyone is accessing and working on the same version of a document. First, I make the proposal or concept of the domain, then I review it with my teammates. If they accept the whole concept of the domain, I make it as a domain model through Lucidchart. So, that loop of feedback makes a better version of the DDD, ERD, or schema.

The concept of a product is something that can always change over time. So, it is good to have a diagram for visualization that makes changes easily. This is the essence of Lucidchart. I fully agree with the concept of Lucidchart because of this reason.

What is most valuable?

The best part of Lucidchart is its comfortableness when sharing it with my teammates. Lucidchart provides me with a folder for my ERD. I can make a dozen lists of my chart, then share them with my teammates easily through the diagrams of Lucidchart. This is their main comfort, which is the reason why I choose Lucidchart rather than some other chart program.

We use Lucidchart for documenting things, such as processes, systems, new teams, etc. I can share these via email to my product team using a Lucidchart shared link. I also declare the main domain of our game as Lucidchart. Then, the majority of my work is the relationship between domains and visualization through Lucidchart. 

It is very important that Lucidchart accommodates Mac and PC because of my job. When our designers usually make their presentations to customers or my teammates, we usually use the iPad. Lucidchart also provides an application version that works from PC to iPad. It is very comfortable to use and present to someone with my iPad. Therefore, it's very important to provide versions for both Mac and PC. 

What needs improvement?

There are some situations where there is a difference between their iPad, mobile, and PC versions. For example, when I use Lucidchart on a PC, the PC provides a layer system for Lucidchart. When I am using the PC, I can assign or change the layer of my chart. However, when I use Lucidchart on the iPad or mobile, I cannot find any UI or UX that provides a layer system. I am unable to find the shape or other layers on the mobile or iPad.

They could provide more documentation or tutorials of ERDs or DDD on the Lucidchart site. That could be better.

If there were any charts from Lucidchart that can be shared as real-time collaboration through Slack or DataPal, then that would make it better to use as a software program.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Lucidchart for two months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There are 50 employees in our company who already use Lucidchart. So, everyone in the company is using Lucidchart.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not used the technical support.

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

In the past, I used draw.io for ERDs.

We switched because Lucidchart has standalone libraries, which makes it comfortable for me to create some draw charts or data flows. draw.io doesn't have anything like standalone libraries. When I use draw.io, I usually have to make my own standalone library for my work. Using Lucidchart, there is no reason to make my own standalone libraries because Lucidchart already has many good standalone libraries for their ERDs.

Lucidchart is essential. When I use other charts programs, like draw.io, there are no standard shapes nor standalone libraries. They cannot import my ERD or schema to a secure database. When I found Lucidchart, the program already provided the input system to SQL and MySQL. So, it is very comfortable to use this solution rather than another program.

I also switched from Visio to Lucidchart. Visio does provide some good functions and nice directories, but it is very hard to use on an iPad or mobile that is iOS-based. The major feature which made me decide to use Lucidchart is the compatibility because Visio doesn't provide good compatibility for the mobile or iPad. 

draw.io is a free program, but they provide very few standard libraries and no import programs. Visio has good features, but it does not have the compatibility. The reason that I selected Lucidchart was for my chart program.

How was the initial setup?

There were no problems downloading this program to my computer or iPad. Our country has a very good trial on the Internet. 

What was our ROI?

The real-time collaboration saves two hours a day for my team.

The ability for people to look at a diagram, rather than reading through written documents, has saved my organization time, and as a result money. Developers/artists don't want to read the documentation. They want to see the essence and relationship of their concept. They just want some simple diagrams to help them imagine their main concept. So, the visual diagrams are better than the documentation.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Other programs don't provide a print system, which Lucidchart does.

What other advice do I have?

It is not a complex system. It is very easy to use, collaborate, and share. I like it. It is easy to share, easy to learn, and has compatibility with PCs and iPads.

I already learned most of the information on how to make a schema or DDD in other assets. So, I did not use Lucidchart as my starting material.

We plan on exploring the solution’s integrations with Atlassian, Salesforce, Microsoft, Google Workspace, or other solutions.

I would rate this solution as an eight and a half out of 10.

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
Continuous Improvement Manager at a consumer goods company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Jun 29, 2021
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 a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Jun 27, 2021
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
it_user1591971 - PeerSpot reviewer
Paid Search Lead Marketer at a wellness & fitness company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Jun 27, 2021
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.
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Buyer's Guide
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Updated: December 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Lucidchart Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.