Lucidchart is SaaS software that helps you to make beautiful diagrams and charts for your presentations – it offers you a service that you can try out for free.
What diagrams do you use for your presentations? Do you work with conventional graphs and charts on basic software or something more advanced? Of course, cost reduction is a concern when choosing software for projects; that said, premium charts and graphs make a difference.
Lucidchart sits somewhere in between; not only can it provide high-quality charts and graphs for professional projects, but it can offer them for free. So if you’re yet to be convinced by Lucidchart, why not try the free version and learn the ropes before signing up to a paid service?
Lucidchart is one of the best-known software options for creating professional charts, graphs, and diagrams. It has been around for 14 years and has amassed 13 million users globally in that time. In addition, some of the largest multinational companies use Lucidchart for business.
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What is Lucidchart?
Lucidchart is the software you need to if you want to create beautiful diagrams for your business or project.
The software has a full suite of features allowing you to design the diagrams you need to communicate complex ideas simply and collaborate with team members and viewers.
Lucidchart is user-friendly and creative; it allows you to visually see the diagrams and charts and work with them in real-time to develop impressive presentations. Lucidchart allows you to work effectively with colleagues and collaborate long-term using comments and notes.
Lucidchart is diagram-making software that is similar to conventional programs such as Microsoft Visio. The difference is in the pricing scale – Lucidchart operates a freemium service – along with the features and formatting. Also, Lucidchart is made to be user-friendly and distinct.
How Does Lucidchart Work?
Lucidchart is cloud-based SaaS software specially designed to help individuals and businesses create beautiful professional charts and diagrams for different applications. Lucidchart is a web-based software that is excellent for individual and collaborative projects.
Lucidchart is not only easy to access; it is also easy to learn and guarantees high-quality professional results. Simply navigate to the website and signup for the payment plans. Then, choose between a free plan or a premium version with more features. Both are easy to learn.
Lucidchart is extremely user-friendly; if you have a basic knowledge of software platforms, you can learn the basics simply by navigating the software and following the prompts. However, if you want to learn more advantages methodology, you can take some useful tutorials.
Lucidchart Pricing
Firstly, Lucidchart operates a freemium service which sets it apart from similar services such as Microsoft Visio. Freemium is a portmanteau that combines the words free with premium. This means that Lucidchart offers some services for free and others on a premium service.
The free version of Lucidchart gives you many features for free that are good enough to create excellent charts and diagrams for a range of professional applications. With the free version, you can edit 3 documents and use 100 professional templates. Collaboration is also possible.
If you sign up for a premium version and extend the capabilities of Lucidchart, there are three options to choose from. These are Individual, Team, and Enterprise. Each pricing level offers progressively more features at reasonable prices. In addition, a quote is offered for Enterprise.
Who Uses Lucidchart
Lucidchart is a popular chart and diagram creating platform. Lucidchart is a cloud-based platform operating as software as a service (SaaS). Lucidchart is also a freemium service meaning it provides some services for free while others are offered at a premium.
Lucidchart began in 2008 and has since grown to 13 million users in over 180 countries. The fact that Lucidchart has grown so successfully is not a surprise. Lucidchart provides an alternative to chart and diagram creation software that doesn’t always provide the tools needed.
The success of Lucidchart over competing solutions such as Microsoft Visio is clear when you consider the brands that use Lucidchart. These include Netflix, Starbucks, Tesla, Google, Adobe, Ford, and more. So why not raise the game in your company with Lucidchart software.
Lucidchart Features
Style Shapes Easily
Whether for a meeting or a white paper, you want your charts and diagrams to look professional and engaging; that’s one good reason to use Lucidchart software. Lucidchart gives you some of the best quality colors and shapes for diagrams you can find on the net.
Not only that, Lucidchart gives you an amazing level of functionality for your charts and diagrams. Other software might offer stylistic choices that are professional enough to satisfy at a boardroom level, but how easy are they to organize, and does it affect your productivity?
If you have a vision for your diagrams or you want to change any of them at any particular time, you can with Lucidchart’s drag and drop system. Alternatively, you can program the software preferences to change every shape, saving time and headaches simultaneously.
Create Clean Diagrams
When presenting diagrams to managers and colleagues, you want them to look contemporary, modern, and sharp. The last thing you want is to have oversized diagrams that look unprofessional or shoddy – this simply reflects badly on you and the business.
With Lucidchart, you can create clean diagrams using smart lines. Unlike alternative software and older software, Lucidchart uses smart line technology to make it easy for you to position lines accurately and make your diagrams and charts as professional as possible.
Instead of dragging and dropping lines on the edge of the next shape, run the line past the edge until you see the blue halo effect. This blue halo effect signals that smart line technology is available. All you have to do is release the mouse, and the smart line does the rest.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Building diagrams for your presentation is all about subtle movements. Naturally, you want the diagrams to look and feel as professional as possible, so you need to ensure that your bubbles are the right size for the text and that you have the most suitable lines and formatting.
Lucidchart helps you to achieve this with keyboard shortcuts. Keyboard shortcuts are not a new feature in diagram software solutions but not every software solution offers the same features. The shortcuts offered by Lucidchart allow you to work fasters and create professional results.
If you want to zoom into your diagram, simply hold the F1 key and rotate the mouse forward instead of scrolling up it zooms into the diagram, helpful when working with large diagrams that require detailed changes. Other hotkeys are available for subtle changes like these.
Canvas capabilities
There should be no limitations on canvas size; that only serves to limit the possibilities of your diagram and chart-making software. Lucidchart understands the issues and provides a platform capable of efficiently making charts of any size- use hotkey buttons to extend canvas capability.
Lucidchart allows you to make extra-large diagrams; this means you don’t have to worry about the limitations of the screen size or the software limitations. In addition, working with large diagrams on Lucidchart is easy; simply click the button in the top right, the panels disappear.
With the panels gone, you have an enlarged panel to work with freely. This allows you to extend the parameters of your project and increase the possibilities without sacrificing any of the aesthetics. In addition, Lucidchart integrates the editor also integrates an editor for changes.
Use Containers to Organize Diagrams
When you’re building diagrams for professional purposes, things can get complex pretty quickly; before you know, your bubble diagrams can get out of control and disorganized. Lucidchart helps you to organize diagrams easily using swimlanes and containers to keep everything clear.
A swimlane is similar to a column in a word processor; it aligns your diagram with a category heading and lines up diagrams, separating them on a subject basis. Similarly, a container organizes your diagrams with boxes helping to delineate them and distribute them evenly.
Lucidchart allows you to use swimlanes and containers to organize your content. Since this is an important part of diagram creation, the software makes it easy to access and edit. Simply use the navigation bar to locate the format you want and apply your selection to the content.
Create easy-to-read diagrams
There’s not much point in creating diagrams that are not easy to read; in fact, diagrams by their nature are designed to be simple to understand and pretty to look at; unfortunately, that isn’t always the case when you invest in software to build your diagrams and charts.
Lucidchart makes it easier to create visually appealing diagrams and still contains the level of detail you need for your project. If you want o to add more detail to your diagrams and charts, use the Lucidchart tools in the properties bar to increase the dimensions of shapes.
Furthermore, Lucidchart provides an “external link” tool that allows you to link your diagrams to external text. For example, let’s say you have a Google Document for which you want to create diagrams; you can easily use the external link tool to combine your creative diagrams with Docs.
Easy Collaboration
Creating diagrams and charts isn’t always a solo effort; sometimes, you need the input of others to highlight things that work and things that don’t. In the past, you would have to start a lengthy e-mail threat that included lots of attachments and comments – but not with Lucidchart.
Lucidchart contains a commenting feature that allows users to leave individual comments on diagrams and charts. These comments can then be accessed by users and implemented right away – an excellent for enhancing the quality and professionalism of charts and diagrams.
Not only can you leave comments on the diagrams, but you can leave subtle notes on individual shapes. Simply click the shape and leave feedback in the comments box, which anyone on the project can access: you can also use the chat feature to hold conversations.
Add Context to Diagrams
Lucidchart allows you to make comments on a shape or project that collaborators can pick up and implement. While this is an excellent feature for live projects, it doesn’t provide all the functionality you might require for longer-term projects that require more context.
Thankfully, Lucidchart also provides tools to add context more permanently. If you know that a chart won’t be worked on for a long time, you can add a permanent not to a shape or diagram, providing some reassurance. Permanent notes are also useful for larger collaborative projects.
Once again, Lucidchart makes the process of adding a permanent note very easy. All you have to do is right-click the target shape and enter the note in the pop-up box that appears. This note will remain on the shape and diagram until it’s deleted; a grey icon indicates a shape has a note.
Presenting Diagrams
One of the marks of professionalism is when the outcome of a project looks effortless. For example, a presentation is so streamlined and beautiful that the audience doesn’t appreciate the work; they simply sit back and enjoy it, then discuss the professionalism afterward.
Not only does Lucidchart make it easy to create these beautiful projects on the backend, but it also has a presentation mode that breaks your project up into neat slides and helps you methodically present them. This kind of presentation enables you to get the buy-in you need.
To operate presentation mode, simply click the slides icon on the right side of the dock. A yellow box appears, and anything inside that box will be included in the presentation slide. Use this feature to craft a story around your diagrams that bring everything together cohesively.
Publish Diagrams
Sometimes the diagrams you create with Lucidchart are good enough to go public. For example, it might be your intention to make the document public for the purposes of your website, or you need other companies and collaborators to access it.
Lucidchart works in the same way as Google Docs when it comes to publishing your work. All you have to do is press the “publish” button, and Lucidchart generates a URL. This URL can be set to view only if you want to restrict access or send it to your collaborators.
When you publish a diagram or chart with Lucidchart, there will be limited editorial access. Unless you alter the settings to allow for editing to a project, those who view it online will not be able to make changes. Published diagrams are still saved with Lucidchart for modifications.
Lucidchart Pros
Excellent Diagrams
Lucidchart has one of the best diagram resources on the internet. If you’ve been using alternative software until now, you’re in for a pleasant surprise because the charts and bubble graphs you can find on Lucidchart are second to none. These are diagrams you wish you had.
Graphical Elements
Lucidchart is varied and diverse; unlike alternative diagram software, it does not have limitations on what diagrams and charts can be used for. Conversely, Lucidchart takes a creative approach to its diagram designs so they can be optimized for any business or industry.
Tools and Styles
Lucidchart uses a drag and drop interface with a full range of style tools to help you create the diagrams you envisage for your project. Lucidchart has a set of style tools for every level, so whether you are a beginner or advanced user, you will find something to make your project pop.
SaaS
Lucidchart is a software as a service meaning that it can be accessed anywhere from a web browser. This is very convenient, especially if your team operates remotely from various locations; it also brings down the cost of the product since it exists on shared servers.
Lucidchart Cons
Time Consuming
In many ways, Lucidchart is an exceptional platform, but it does have a few drawbacks. For one thing, its integration with Microsoft apps is time-consuming. That said, integrations with Microsoft apps such as Word and Excel are possible, which adds another dimension to projects.
Limited Export Options
Lucidchart is designed for team collaboration on projects; that’s why it offers an easy collaboration button in the top right of the screen. The trouble is exporting raw diagrams to send to partners that aren’t integrated on Lucidchart. It’s again possible but requires a workaround.
FAQs
Does Lucidchart have any limitations?
It wasn’t always the case, but Lucidchart now has some limitations on the number of documents you can access. From April 1st, 2020, Lucidchart introduced a premium service for EDU free tier users that limits the documents they can access to 10 with up to 100 objects in each document.
This means that users with more than 10 documents in their account must first delete a document before they can access a new one. Before you delete a document and start a new one, it’s strongly advised that you save and export any Lucidchart work before moving on.
Is Lucidchart suitable for team collaboration?
Nowadays, software platforms such as Lucidchart are expected to provide access for teams. Across the board, the software platform has collaborative capabilities that allow multiple team members to work on a shared project. In this respect, Lucidchart software is no different.
Open a document on Lucidchart and invite someone to collaborate with you by pressing the orange button in the top right corner. Some options appear, giving you the chance to select a collaborator; once selected, this collaborator with gain edit access allowing you to work together.
Is Lucidchart better than Visio?
Flowchart software has been around for some time; probably the best-known software of this kind is Microsoft Visio. As with much of the standard software around, Microsoft was one of the first to the top table, but how does the more modern Lucidchart software compare?
The answer is pretty well! While Visio is reasonably good, some limitations and drawbacks aren’t an issue on Lucidchart. Visio, for instance, is only available on a Windows operating system, and it is far from user-friendly; strong knowledge of its controls is required.
How fast is Lucidchart?
Lucidchart offers exceptional functionality for your business, allowing you to turn complex ideas into easy-to-understand diagrams quickly. So it’s no wonder companies are interested in the speed of the software, especially if you need results quickly for a meeting or an event.
There’s good news! Lucidchart is not only user-friendly; it’s also very fast. The simple interface offered by Lucidchart allows you to create complex, visually appealing diagrams in minutes. Also, unlike Visio, there are no controls to learn; simply log in and start dragging and dropping.
Final Thoughts
If you want beautiful and professional-looking charts and diagrams for your business projects, Lucidchart is the obvious choice. Lucidchart has been around long enough to know what businesses need and how to provide it. That’s why Lucidchart provides a high-quality freemium service along with a creative and collaborative platform to suit a diversity of businesses.
Charts and diagrams can bring a business project to life and help to explain complex ideas in a simple way. Different people absorb data in different ways, and you might find that investors are more intrigued by your proposal when presented in an alternative way. Lucidchart makes the process of turning data into charts straightforward.
When you choose Lucidchart, you can try the advanced software features for free. However, there are indeed limitations to what you can achieve – there are only three documents available at one time with the free version; that said, you can still create beautiful pieces for your project. Furthermore, the paid versions of Lucidchart are competitively priced, so it’s easy to invest.
Try before you buy with Lucidchart! Simply navigate to the website and sign up for a subscription service; if you don’t want to invest money right away, you don’t have to; all you have to do is try the free version that doesn’t have any limits in relation to functionality. If you’re satisfied with the service, the natural step is to level up to the paid subscription of your choice.