You can't accuse Microsoft of nurturing Not Invented Here Syndrome (is a pathological prejudice against ideas and software they didn't develop themselves); some of Microsoft's best products have been other people's creations, which they bought to add to their portfolio (e.g. Internet Explorer, WebTV, Hotmail, SQL Server, etc). Visio is one such program, now assimilated into the MS Office "family". This is a disappointment to long-time users who liked Visio as it was (a stand-alone application that didn't care what other software you used) because now it's changing to work only in conjunction with its new siblings. Fans of other flowcharting programs have reason to be concerned because those products are now in danger of being stomped by the strongest software marketing machine on the planet.
OK, I admit it: I don't know much of anything about this category of software beyond the one I used back in the day (Visio). And I don't do much charting anymore, so I haven't done any evaluation of the alternatives. But people keep asking me for this page, and I've gotten as far as finding out what many of the alternatives are, so here's an admittedly-not-very-useful list of links. I'll add actual facts and opinions as time permits; input from those in the know is very welcome.
	Inspiration is a tool designed to help "develop ideas and organize thinking". It's primary use is as a teaching tool (in language arts, science, and social studies), but don't assume that just because elementary school students also use it that it's beneath you. It could be just the thing many people need to get them thinking about problems creatively, which is one of the things flowcharting and diagramming is for. And unlike software written by engineers for engineers, you may find its user-friendliness appealing.
	TeamFlow does a lot more than just drawing pretty charts; it's a project management system that links the items in a chart to a database
	Corel iGrafx FlowCharter(formerly of Micrografx)
	SmartDraw
	Dia
	Kivio
	Edge Designer
	Visual Thought
	FlowBiz
	Flowchart Maker Mac
	PathMaker
	RFFlow
	Patton & Patton Flow Charting
	Graham Process Charting Software
	MainStay WinFlow/MacFlow
	allCLEAR
	Many drawing programs can be used to produce flow-charts and other such diagrams without too much difficulty, and they're flexible enough to be used for a lot of other things as well. They don't provide the same amount of structure, and most don't have the wealth of diagramming templates, but they can be a good choice if you do some of both kinds of work.

All logos and product names are trademarks of their respective developers or distributors.
This site is in no way affiliated with Microsoft Corporation
© 1999-2006, Todd VerBeek.