The short answer. OmniGraffle is the native Mac diagramming standard. Excalidrawz is the open-source Excalidraw client with local file management. Simple Diagrams is for hand-drawn-style sketches. ygraph Editor is the lightweight one. Quikflow creates flowcharts with a mind-mapping workflow. StarUML is the one that models rather than draws, which is a different job from the rest and the reason it is in this list at all. The dividing question is whether you draw by hand or generate from a description — and if you want the second, look at a tool that reads text, because most diagram editors do not.
This guide covers 6 diagramming tools for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ExcalidrawZ | design tool | Open source | MIT | 2.4.3 |
| OmniGraffle | design tool | not published | not published | 7.26 |
| QuikFlow | design tool | not published | not published | 2.0.10 |
| Simple Diagrams | design tool | not published | not published | — |
| StarUML | developer tool | not published | not published | 6.3.4 |
| yGraph Editor | design tool | not published | not published | — |
What actually decides this
- Hand-drawn or generated. A hand-drawn diagram is a sketch you control. A generated one is derived from a description and stays in sync with it. Very few tools do both well, and this is the first fork in the road.
- How much layout it does. Automatic layout is worth a great deal on a large diagram and is in the way on a small one. Check whether it can be turned off, not just on.
- Export formats. A diagram is usually consumed somewhere else. Vector output, and whether text stays as text, decides whether the export is usable.
- Where the file lives. A local file you can version is a different artefact from a cloud document that only one tool can open. For anything that has to survive, the first matters.
- Whether connectors follow the nodes. A diagram is mostly lines between boxes, and the question is whether moving a box moves the arrows with it. Orthogonal connectors that reroute are what separate a diagram editor from a drawing canvas, and no product page leads with it.
Our picks
- OmniGraffle — Its record describes diagramming and graphic design for Mac, iPhone and iPad, which is the established native option. Choose it when you want the native Mac diagramming tool with the deepest feature set.
- ExcalidrawZ — Its record describes a native Excalidraw client with local file management and iCloud sync, which is the open-source case. Choose it when you want the Excalidraw workflow with local file management.
- Simple Diagrams — Its record describes a diagramming tool for quick hand-drawn-style sketches, which is the style choice. Choose it when the diagram should look hand-drawn.
- QuikFlow — Its record describes creating flowcharts with a mind-mapping workflow, which is the authoring-style case. Choose it when you think in maps rather than boxes and want flowcharts from them.
The apps
ExcalidrawZ
ExcalidrawZ is a design tool for macOS. Open-source native Excalidraw client with local file management and iCloud sync. It is released under MIT.
What it does. A native Excalidraw client for Mac, iPad, and iPhone with local-first files, history, search, import/export, iCloud-aware workflows, and optional AI assistance.
ExcalidrawZ is listed with current version 2.4.3.
Full profile and verified facts for ExcalidrawZ →
OmniGraffle
OmniGraffle is a design tool for macOS. Diagramming and graphic design for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Visual communication software that helps people make professional-looking content quickly.
OmniGraffle is listed with current version 7.26.
Full profile and verified facts for OmniGraffle →
QuikFlow
QuikFlow is a design tool for macOS. Create flowcharts with a mind-mapping workflow. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Create flowcharts and mind maps without worrying about layout.
QuikFlow is listed with current version 2.0.10.
Full profile and verified facts for QuikFlow →
Simple Diagrams
Simple Diagrams is a design tool for macOS. Diagramming tool for quick hand-drawn-style sketches. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Create hand-drawn diagrams with an easy-to-use application.
Full profile and verified facts for Simple Diagrams →
StarUML
StarUML is a developer tool for macOS. Powerful UML app. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. A sophisticated software modeler for agile and concise modeling.
StarUML is listed with current version 6.3.4.
Full profile and verified facts for StarUML →
yGraph Editor
yGraph Editor is a design tool for macOS. High quality diagrams made easy. Its pricing is not published.
Full profile and verified facts for yGraph Editor →
How to choose
- No licence fee, source available. ExcalidrawZ — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. OmniGraffle, QuikFlow, Simple Diagrams, StarUML and yGraph Editor — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: ExcalidrawZ (1 of 6).
Common mistakes
- Buying automatic layout and then fighting it. If you know where the boxes go, you want a tool that lets you put them there.
- Exporting a diagram as a bitmap and then wondering why the text is unreadable at print size.
- Using a diagram tool for what a spreadsheet does. Structure belongs in data, not in arrows.
- Assuming a file you can open today can be opened in five years. Local formats age better than cloud documents.
- Redrawing a diagram to make a small change. If the tool has no way to edit the underlying structure, that is what every revision costs.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these diagramming tools?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 6 diagramming tools: ExcalidrawZ, OmniGraffle, QuikFlow, Simple Diagrams, StarUML and yGraph Editor. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these diagramming tools free?
Pricing across this group: open source (ExcalidrawZ) and not published (OmniGraffle, QuikFlow, Simple Diagrams, StarUML and yGraph Editor). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these diagramming tools are open source?
ExcalidrawZ (MIT) is open source.
Do these diagramming tools support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
