SmartDraw is an enterprise-friendly application for diagramming, whiteboarding and data visualization that provides easy implementation and setup with an outstanding estimated return on investment (ROI).
At first glance when opening SmartDraw, you are presented with its dashboard, which varies in appearance based on your past use and preferences. It serves as your home base for finding documents, selecting new templates, connecting storage services and importing files.
Ease of Use
SmartDraw and Creately are browser-based web apps that do not need to be installed locally on your computer, saving local storage space while eliminating updates and compatibility issues. Both programs also offer online help via email or chat and tutorial videos to get you up and running quickly.
Both programs feature thousands of templates to assist with developing diagrams without starting from scratch. These templates are organized into various categories to make finding what you need easier – these categories include decision trees, emergency planning, floor plans (both commercial and residential), org charts, mind maps, marketing charts, network designs, flowcharts and CAD charts – with subcategories available in each one so that users can narrow in on specific use cases; for instance the Networking Design category contains Cisco Diagrams under it so as to focus in on network hardware use cases!
SmartDraw’s interface is designed for ease of use and intuitive navigation, enabling users to simply drag-and-drop shapes onto a chart page, with SmartDraw intuitively anticipating what you may require for alignment and spacing purposes in the final diagram. For instance, when you select multiple text boxes that should all have equal sizes (e.g. text box sizes are equalized automatically by SmartDraw). It’s an efficient way of saving both time and effort!
Share and collaborate on diagrams with your team in real-time with this program, using files sent via link or attached to email messages. Add comments directly onto any diagram to discuss it with team members. It is compatible with Microsoft Teams, Slack and other collaboration tools while it integrates seamlessly with Jira Confluence Atlassian Stack for even easier team collaboration.
SmartDraw offers enterprise-level features designed to simplify diagramming across departments and teams in your organization. For instance, standard shapes and styles can be stored in custom libraries that everyone has access to; you can connect data through visuals such as dashboards, timelines and Gantt charts; you can quickly update or redraw diagrams as necessary – keeping them fresh!
Integrations
SmartDraw can integrate seamlessly with various programs such as Jira, Confluence, Trello and Google Workspace. Furthermore, SmartDraw offers an assortment of templates and shapes as well as its formatting tool, which enables users to automatically reshape diagrams with automated spacing, sizing and alignment features. Furthermore, this software supports multiple file formats.
This software also makes connecting to cloud services and data much more flexible, allowing for more creative diagrams that incorporate information from external sources and display it on maps or charts – for instance generating flowcharts from Azure Active Directory data! Setup is straightforward and any individual with internet access can use the app without issue.
IT administrators can easily configure the SmartDraw application to use SAML single sign-on by visiting the Settings page and clicking Manage, configuring federation metadata XML via clicking SAML Single Sign-On Settings button or assigning roles via Manage page using Add Role or assigning individual users from Users List via Assign option.
SmartDraw offers another great feature in real-time collaboration: sharing and viewing diagrams in real time with team members. However, this only works if using the online version; real-time collaboration will not work when using desktop versions of the program.
Smartdraw and Visio both provide assistance through email help desks, knowledge bases, webinars and video tutorials. However, Smartdraw stands out with more video tutorials than its competitor as well as live representative support as well as templates and tools designed to get users up and running more quickly.
SmartDraw’s integration with OneDrive and SharePoint makes creating a team workspace easy; existing permissions and sharing settings don’t need to change, plus users can open up SmartDraw files directly in OneDrive/SharePoint for editing purposes.
Pricing
SmartDraw is an enterprise-grade diagramming tool that assists teams of all sizes with managing the creation process of diagrams. Featuring predefined templates for different diagram types and available as either on-premise or cloud deployment, its key features include document retention, customizable extensions, team collaboration and single sign-on (SSO). Furthermore, its intelligent formatting tools enable users to change layout and format of shapes without redrawing.
Software designed to help users quickly create architectural diagrams, engineering CAD designs, flowcharts, organizational charts, and network diagrams without starting from scratch. Compatible with PCs, Macs and browsers alike and supporting various file sharing apps like Dropbox, Box, OneDrive and Google Drive, its intelligent formatting engine automatically adjusts sizing, alignment and color schemes when adding or moving shapes allowing users to quickly build architectural diagrams, engineering CAD designs, flowcharts org charts network diagrams without starting from scratch.
Due to its expansive library of templates, Smartsheet is an excellent solution for multidisciplinary teams. For instance, its architecture template boasts several floor plans and room layouts; additionally it provides templates for different industries including healthcare with genograms and personal charting templates as well as engineers with autoCAD designs, electrical wiring diagrams and body charts. Plus its unified design language makes working with various other software programs easy!
If you’re still unsure which edition of SmartDraw best meets the needs of your team, try out a free seven-day trial to see if it suits them. Simply enter your email address or create an account online – there will be no commitment afterward!
The program provides various pricing packages for individuals and teams of five or more, starting from $9.95/month for an individual and $5.95/month respectively. A site plan may be purchased for $2995 which offers everything in the Team Plan as well as administrative controls and a custom company theme.
MindManager may have more templates, but SmartDraw offers an impressive range of capabilities which make it an excellent option for businesses and professionals. Unlike other downloadable mapping software, such as AutoCAD and MindView, it has nearly everything covered while its intuitive interface works well on both desktops and mobiles devices.
Final Words
SmartDraw is a powerful drawing tool designed to make sharing and presenting content effortless, offering an intuitive user experience familiar to PowerPoint and Word users, with an impressive library of templates available. Plus, their technical support team provides quick assistance both by phone or email!
SmartDraw’s primary strength lies in its ability to seamlessly join shapes with lines that automatically snap and link — no extra tools or clicks needed! Furthermore, its auto-prompt menu for common symbols makes adding them effortless – simply hover your cursor over any shape until yellow dots appear along its perimeter, select from the list of available symbols, then decide the direction for which your line should extend from it.
Another key feature is the ability to add dimensions to shapes; simply hover your graphic over and a dialog box will appear asking for values such as length, width or height. It’s perfect for creating floor plans and other architectural documents as well as presentations when providing details about elements on slides.
Once you’ve created a SmartDraw document, you can export it in one of 18 file formats (WMF or EMF). When inserted within PowerPoint as an embedded graphic it will behave just like any other SmartDraw graphic allowing for easy edits, ungrouping, animation and transitions.
