Visio alternative: free flowchart software in Excel
Need flowcharts but not a Visio licence? FlowChart Excel draws them inside the Excel you already have, with automatic shapes and connectors.
17,000+ downloads · Excel 2007–2019 on Windows · Excel 2016–2019 on Mac · Microsoft 365
FlowChart Excel vs Visio
| FlowChart Excel | Microsoft Visio | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Separate Microsoft licence |
| Software needed | Excel you already have | Visio installed or online |
| Who can open the file | Anyone with Excel | People with Visio or a viewer |
| Process flowcharts | Yes, with automatic connectors | Yes |
| Specialised diagrams | Basic shapes | Large stencil library |
If what you need is clear process flowcharts that colleagues can open without extra software, Excel is enough.
How to create a flowchart in Excel
Click Add FlowChart on the FlowChart Excel tab. A new flowchart sheet is added.
Click any shape button on the tab: Start/End, Process, Decision or Data. The shape appears with a red anchor point.
Click the shape to open its anchor. A + appears on every side. Pick a side and a shape, and FlowChart Excel adds the new shape and draws the connector for you.
Keep adding shapes until the process is mapped. They are ordinary Excel shapes, so you can change colours and fonts as you like.
Works in Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2019 on Windows, Excel 2016 and 2019 on Mac, and every version of Excel in Microsoft 365.
Download FlowChart Excel free