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reviewer1311051 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. IT Project Manager at a university with self employed
Real User
Stable with a good interface but not included with the Office 365 Suite
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface of the solution is very good. It's easy to navigate."
  • "The solution should be included in Microsoft Office 365. For some reason, it's not. It should be bundled in with everything else."

What is most valuable?

The interface of the solution is very good. It's easy to navigate.

We've found that the technical support has been pretty helpful overall.

The project management and the business process are both very good.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward.

The stability of the solution is very good.

What needs improvement?

The solution should be included in Microsoft Office 365. For some reason, it's not. It should be bundled in with everything else. If they did, clients and customers would benefit a lot.

Just because you have technical support for other Microsoft products does not necessarily mean you will have it for Visio.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for ten years at this point. It's been a decade. It's been a long time. However, currently, I only use it occasionally.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable. It's reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's been very good over the years. That said, I haven't used it as much as I used to recently.

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Visio
June 2025
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Not too many people use the solution in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

While we do have technical support for other products, we don't have any for Visio

That said, in general, Microsoft does offer very good technical support. We just done get it for this product.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex. It's straightforward and pretty simple. However, I myself have a lot of experience with Microsoft. I've been working with Microsoft for 25 years and have handled fairly sizable products in the past.

What other advice do I have?

We use an older version of the solution. We don't use the latest one. It might be either the 2015 or 2016 version.

We're customers and end-users. We aren't consultants or resellers. We don't have a business relationship with the company. We are big clients, however. We have a volume license.

Overall, I would rate the solution seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1345620 - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Administrator at a government with 201-500 employees
Real User
It is stable and easy to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "It is stable. I have never experienced any issues."
  • "It can be complex. If you don't know a little bit about it, it can get really confusing."

What is our primary use case?

I mostly use it for network diagrams. It is a standard solution for creating this kind of stuff.

What is most valuable?

It is stable. I have never experienced any issues.

What needs improvement?

It can be complex. If you don't know a little bit about it, it can get really confusing.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Visio off and on for around 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have around ten users from IT, engineering, and HR. HR uses it for flow charts or organization charts.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have never used their technical support.

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

It has always been Visio. The first one I used was in 2003.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

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

I haven't looked at the prices lately. We have an older copy, and it was a couple of hundred dollars for this software. That's a huge expense.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Visio an eight out of ten, and that's just because I don't know how to use it fully. I know it does a whole lot. It has plenty of training. I wish I had more time to actually get really good at it.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Visio
June 2025
Learn what your peers think about Visio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1458378 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Associate Consultant at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
Easy to use and works well with PowerPoint, but it needs simulation functionality
Pros and Cons
  • "What I like the most is the simplicity and ease of usage."
  • "The simulation is an area that requires improvement."

What is most valuable?

What I like the most is the simplicity and ease of usage.

The reason I like it is that we, as consultants, use PowerPoint a lot, and it's easy to drag it and put in a slide of PowerPoint since it's a Microsoft product.

What needs improvement?

The simulation is an area that requires improvement.

In the next release, I would like to see the simulation improved. It's a Microsoft based, so it's still good, but it needs simulation. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Visio for the past four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

If we were to say that stable was equal to 100 and unstable was equal to zero, I would give Visio a 50 percent. I would say that if it's a product-based usage for Visio, and it is highly-critical, then I wouldn't use Visio.

For anything that has to do with numbers or with low-level visualization of the system, I wouldn't use Visio because I would need simulation.

If simulation falls under stability, then I would say that it is not stable.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not contacted technical support.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution a five out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1295343 - PeerSpot reviewer
Partenaire, CEO at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Good availability, really professional, and very easy
Pros and Cons
  • "I like all the features. I go online, and everything pops there. It is in the cloud, and everything is there. Even if there is a crash, everything is still there. I don't lose anything. That's what is the most valuable and likable. It is really a professional solution for designing. The designs look really nice in the PDF."
  • "They have to improve shapes. It has good shapes, but it certainly can have more shapes. There are no U shapes. It also requires more customizations. There are a lot of icons, but they can be modernized more. These icons have to be more customizable so that we are able to change the color and things like that. It should also have more integration so that we can use it with other tools on the web. We don't use Microsoft Teams. We use Discord, which is more for gamers. It would be helpful if Visio is integrated with Discord. I can then show my work to my team. We use Visio, and it is a must-have solution for us, but being a startup, we don't have the money to use the whole Microsoft system. Some day we will use Office. For companies like us, there should be connectors for other software. We should be able to use a connector with the software that we are using or with the new generation solutions. Connectors will make it very easy to transfer data."

What is our primary use case?

I use it to design business models, cyber defense portals, and pictures. We are using the latest version of Visio.

How has it helped my organization?

We tried other design tools from Google and other companies. We also tried a few open-source solutions, and frankly, you don't get that professional finish in any other solution. Visio is more professional and accurate. 

What is most valuable?

I like all the features. I go online, and everything pops there. It is in the cloud, and everything is there. Even if there is a crash, everything is still there. I don't lose anything. That's what is the most valuable and likable. 

It is really a professional solution for designing. The designs look really nice in the PDF. 

What needs improvement?

They have to improve shapes. It has good shapes, but it certainly can have more shapes. There are no U shapes. It also requires more customizations. There are a lot of icons, but they can be modernized more. These icons have to be more customizable so that we are able to change the color and things like that.

It should also have more integration so that we can use it with other tools on the web. We don't use Microsoft Teams. We use Discord, which is more for gamers. It would be helpful if Visio is integrated with Discord. I can then show my work to my team.

We use Visio, and it is a must-have solution for us, but being a startup, we don't have the money to use the whole Microsoft system. Some day we will use Office. For companies like us, there should be connectors for other software. We should be able to use a connector with the software that we are using or with the new generation solutions. Connectors will make it very easy to transfer data.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Visio for three to five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. I never had a bug.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. We are a small organization. We are a part of a startup, and there are about five to seven users who use it, which is not a big number, but it is enough for us. Architects and web designers are some of the users of this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

I never needed their service. It is so easy to use and stable. 

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

I used a workflow, which was free, but it wasn't better than Visio.

How was the initial setup?

It is really easy.

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

There are some cheaper as well as free solutions.

What other advice do I have?

It is natural and professional. It is very easy. You just align and drag and drop elements. That's the only thing Visio needs.

I would rate Visio a nine out of ten.

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?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1406118 - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Architect at a government with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Integrated well with Microsoft tools and the Office suite, but it needs better support for third-party tools
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is that it is integrated with other tools in the Microsoft Office suite, as well as at the backend with products like SharePoint and Microsoft Teams."
  • "I think that it feels a bit outside with respect to the icons that are available."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is that it is integrated with other tools in the Microsoft Office suite, as well as at the backend with products like SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.

What needs improvement?

I think that it feels a bit outside with respect to the icons that are available.

It should be easier to integrate with other platforms like Confluence, or other content management platforms for exporting and collaborating on drawings.

It would be helpful if Visio could open drawings from other kinds of tools.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Visio for at least 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution and we plan to continue using it for the foreseeable future.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Visio is a scalable product. We have perhaps 300 users in the company.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have not been in contact with technical support.

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

I did not use another similar solution before this one.

What about the implementation team?

Our in-house team installed the product for me.

What other advice do I have?

If you are using other Microsoft products then I can recommend using Visio.

I would rate this solution a six out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1446360 - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Has a good interface but it needs better third-party integration
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface is the most valuable aspect of this solution."
  • "When you use a BPA solution you can open an end-to-end process in one window, go down, or go up between layers to different places. You should be able to see descriptions of the steps of the process."

What is our primary use case?

We use Visio for process diagram. 

What is most valuable?

The interface is the most valuable aspect of this solution. 

What needs improvement?

My colleagues are not satisfied with this solution for many reasons. They don't see end-to-end processes or the layers of one process.

When you use a BPA solution you can open an end-to-end process in one window, go down, or go up between layers to different places. You should be able to see descriptions of the steps of the process.

Integration with third-party vendors is another aspect that needs improvement. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Visio for three to four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We don't have any stability problems. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We have local technical support. We have an IT department and the department solves all of our problems. They contact local support if need be. 

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

The price will always be high. It depends on the organization size, how many processes there are, and what requirements you have for the solution. If you require additional features like analysis, it will be a different price. It's a balance between requirements and price.

What other advice do I have?

My recommendation would depend on a few factors like the size of the organization. If it's a small organization and it does not have so many processes, I think Visio is a good solution. For larger organization solutions like Segnavio and Orbus would be better. Those are more complex solutions. 

I would rate Visio a six out of ten. We don't have a holistic vision of our processes so I can't open a process. If I open a process in Visio, I can't see how it's connected to other processes. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1288554 - PeerSpot reviewer
Integration Architect at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Flexible and easy to use in architectural modeling, but it needs better integration with external data sources
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the things that I like is the automation from external data."
  • "I would like to see better integration with external data sources."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is modeling architecture requirements.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are ease of use and flexibility.

One of the things that I like is the automation from external data.

The user interface is fine.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see better integration with external data sources.

Sharing work with colleagues is sometimes an issue with this product.

I would like to see integration with Microsoft Teams.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Visio for the past fifteen years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Visio is a very stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Given that it's a desktop application, you can't scale it. You can't do much and sometimes, sharing is an issue.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have never used technical support.

They do have lots of videos and everything is available online.

How was the initial setup?

As it is a Microsoft product, the installation is easy.

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

The yearly cost is approximately $400 CAD ($300 USD). 

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is implementing Visio is to establish the right templates for your project. Templating the models is very important so that everybody has the same ones.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Systems Engineer at Perspecta
Consultant
The system keeps track of each of its connections which has simplified the process for us
Pros and Cons
  • "It keeps track of its connections as you move things around."
  • "System architecture could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I use this solution as a graphic design tool for breaking down a flow or process. I'm a systems engineer and customer of Visio.

What is most valuable?

I like the fact that as you drag and move things around, everything keeps track of each of its connections. So you don't have to be bothered by mechanics of connecting things again in the right place. It just follows on. It's also a good diagramming tool.

What needs improvement?

I've had a variety of issues, usually related to the system architecture. It's almost like a general purpose tool but it's important to understand the interfaces and the components and how they're related to each other. It would be helpful if you could layer things easily for the diagrams so you can decompose a given object and see it both at the macro and at the breakout level and still have those kinds of connections would remain. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for 10 years. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight out of 10. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Visio Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: June 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Visio Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.