We use Visio for process diagram.
Project Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Has a good interface but it needs better third-party integration
Pros and Cons
- "The interface is the most valuable aspect of this solution."
- "When you use a BPA solution you can open an end-to-end process in one window, go down, or go up between layers to different places. You should be able to see descriptions of the steps of the process."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The interface is the most valuable aspect of this solution.
What needs improvement?
My colleagues are not satisfied with this solution for many reasons. They don't see end-to-end processes or the layers of one process.
When you use a BPA solution you can open an end-to-end process in one window, go down, or go up between layers to different places. You should be able to see descriptions of the steps of the process.
Integration with third-party vendors is another aspect that needs improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Visio for three to four years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We don't have any stability problems.
How are customer service and support?
We have local technical support. We have an IT department and the department solves all of our problems. They contact local support if need be.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price will always be high. It depends on the organization size, how many processes there are, and what requirements you have for the solution. If you require additional features like analysis, it will be a different price. It's a balance between requirements and price.
What other advice do I have?
My recommendation would depend on a few factors like the size of the organization. If it's a small organization and it does not have so many processes, I think Visio is a good solution. For larger organization solutions like Segnavio and Orbus would be better. Those are more complex solutions.
I would rate Visio a six out of ten. We don't have a holistic vision of our processes so I can't open a process. If I open a process in Visio, I can't see how it's connected to other processes.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Integration Architect at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Flexible and easy to use in architectural modeling, but it needs better integration with external data sources
Pros and Cons
- "One of the things that I like is the automation from external data."
- "I would like to see better integration with external data sources."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is modeling architecture requirements.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are ease of use and flexibility.
One of the things that I like is the automation from external data.
The user interface is fine.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see better integration with external data sources.
Sharing work with colleagues is sometimes an issue with this product.
I would like to see integration with Microsoft Teams.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Visio for the past fifteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Visio is a very stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Given that it's a desktop application, you can't scale it. You can't do much and sometimes, sharing is an issue.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have never used technical support.
They do have lots of videos and everything is available online.
How was the initial setup?
As it is a Microsoft product, the installation is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The yearly cost is approximately $400 CAD ($300 USD).
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anybody who is implementing Visio is to establish the right templates for your project. Templating the models is very important so that everybody has the same ones.
I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Visio
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about Visio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,651 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Executive Director at Pilares Consultores
It's stable and the setup is straightforward, but the price is too high for some South American markets
Pros and Cons
- "Installing Visio is straightforward."
- "The price could be lower because it is too expensive in South America when paying in dollars or euros."
What is our primary use case?
I use Visio to go to meetings on Zoom.
For how long have I used the solution?
I use Visio all the time.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Visio is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Visio is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
Installing Visio is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price could be lower because it is too expensive in South America when paying in dollars or euros.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT/Business Architect at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Stable diagramming and modeling software, but lacks database integration
Pros and Cons
- "Architecture modeling software with satisfactory standard features. It's also stable and effective in facilitating communication with others."
- "Integration with other applications need improvement. Having the functionality to integrate with databases will also make this solution better."
What is our primary use case?
We use Visio for architecture modeling. We also use it to facilitate communication with other people.
What is most valuable?
The feature I like most about Visio is that it acts as a facilitator of communication, as it displays information that's easier to understand.
What needs improvement?
The only area for improvement we see in Visio is its integration. It could be improved, but in terms of features, we are really satisfied with the standard features of this solution.
An additional feature I'd like to see in Visio in the future is database integration. It would be good if it could be integrated with a database or data system to better manage the data, which would also help it communicate better with other applications.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Visio for seven years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We didn't experience any performance issues with Visio. It's a stable solution.
How was the initial setup?
The setup and implementation of Visio went smoothly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The popularity of a product is an indicator of its price. Because of the popularity of Visio, its price is on the higher side.
What other advice do I have?
I don't have an intensive experience with Visio on architecture.
Within our organization, there are more than 20 users of this solution.
We are satisfied with Visio, but we are not intensive users of it. We have not been able to try out all of its features.
We didn't have a chance to contact technical support because we have not experienced any performance issues from this solution.
My advice to people who would like to try Visio is that it may not be the best solution in the market for architecture modeling, or for other modeling purposes, but it is effective in facilitating communication with others.
With one being the worst and ten being the best, I'm rating Visio a seven.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Facility director at a aerospace/defense firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Very fluid, very interactive, designed to reduce the manual work for basic flowcharts
Pros and Cons
- "Very interactive with an intuitive interface."
- "As a user, it, unfortunately, lacks recognition by Microsoft products."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case of this solution is for process mapping and a little for organizational charts. We are customers of Visio.
What is most valuable?
The solution has a fairly intuitive interface. When it comes to process mapping, the best thing about it is that it's already configured for swim lanes and for drag and drop and easy manipulation of the objects and connection lines. It makes it a very easy-to-use solution. In comparison, if you're using PowerPoint, you have to manually size things and then adjust the font and it's very tedious trying to get everything connected. In contrast, Visio is very fluid, very interactive, and designed with features that reduce the manual work for basic flowcharts.
What needs improvement?
As a user, it would be helpful if Visio was in a native format recognized by Microsoft Word products, but that's not the case.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this product for 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. We're a global company although I'm not sure how many in the company use this product on a regular basis.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and the solution is intuitive enough that you can begin using it immediately.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Sr. IT Project Manager at a university with self employed
Stable with a good interface but not included with the Office 365 Suite
Pros and Cons
- "The interface of the solution is very good. It's easy to navigate."
- "The solution should be included in Microsoft Office 365. For some reason, it's not. It should be bundled in with everything else."
What is most valuable?
The interface of the solution is very good. It's easy to navigate.
We've found that the technical support has been pretty helpful overall.
The project management and the business process are both very good.
The initial setup is pretty straightforward.
The stability of the solution is very good.
What needs improvement?
The solution should be included in Microsoft Office 365. For some reason, it's not. It should be bundled in with everything else. If they did, clients and customers would benefit a lot.
Just because you have technical support for other Microsoft products does not necessarily mean you will have it for Visio.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for ten years at this point. It's been a decade. It's been a long time. However, currently, I only use it occasionally.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is quite stable. It's reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's been very good over the years. That said, I haven't used it as much as I used to recently.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Not too many people use the solution in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
While we do have technical support for other products, we don't have any for Visio.
That said, in general, Microsoft does offer very good technical support. We just done get it for this product.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex. It's straightforward and pretty simple. However, I myself have a lot of experience with Microsoft. I've been working with Microsoft for 25 years and have handled fairly sizable products in the past.
What other advice do I have?
We use an older version of the solution. We don't use the latest one. It might be either the 2015 or 2016 version.
We're customers and end-users. We aren't consultants or resellers. We don't have a business relationship with the company. We are big clients, however. We have a volume license.
Overall, I would rate the solution seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Delivery Manager at a transportation company with 51-200 employees
Good for developing proposals, but falls short on features for business process mapping
Pros and Cons
- "Putting details into the process flow and being able to link other objects into the diagrams are very helpful features."
- "I would like to be able to present diagrams in multiple ways, such as a Swimlane diagram."
What is our primary use case?
This solution is primarily used for architecture diagramming, process flow, and process mapping. We work on engineering projects, including software development projects, and this solution is used to create proposals for customers.
How has it helped my organization?
Prior to using this solution, we would draw a proposed architecture in PowerPoint and submit it to the client. With Visio, I can explain it to them in a step by step manner. For example, I will take one block and go into detail about it. I can explain how the architecture works inside a block, which might include how each tier in a multitier architecture functions.
What is most valuable?
Putting details into the process flow and being able to link other objects into the diagrams are very helpful features.
What needs improvement?
I would like to be able to present diagrams in multiple ways, such as a Swimlane diagram. Also, in other products such as TIBCO Nimbus, there are links that take you to a completely different diagram.
While I can use Visio for architectural diagrams and simple process mapping, there is room for improvement. The business process mapping capability would be really improved if we could link two completely different processes together. For example, in a company with multiple departments, I would like to have links between processes in the different departments.
I would also like to be able to embed objects into diagrams that can be opened by clicking on an icon. These are things like Excel or Word documents, or a PowerPoint presentation.
Eventually, the images or icons that we use in Visio will become obsolete, and we would like to have a way of suggesting new design options.
For how long have I used the solution?
Between four and five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not worked with various versions of the solution, but from what I can see it is pretty stable.
Because I am the direct coordinator with the customer, I am the primary user of this software in my company.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution would be more scalable with this inclusion of additional features.
How are customer service and technical support?
I don't normally use technical support. Rather, I check in Quora or in the forums.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used to create PowerPoint presentations and submit them to the customer. They were not interactive, the way Visio is.
We used TIBCO Nimbus for our business consulting projects.
How was the initial setup?
I was not involved in the installation because we do not have it installed on our company servers. Rather, the clients have it installed on their machines. I just access it remotely on the customers' servers.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not evaluate other solutions before implementing Visio.
What other advice do I have?
If you know how to use Visio and you know what you want to get as an output, then it's very helpful and easy. But, for beginners, or for anyone who wants to prepare a more informative diagram, I'm not sure if Visio is a very helpful tool. Once you have hands-on experience then it is easy to figure out.
I would rate this solution a six out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT System Engineer at a recruiting/HR firm with 501-1,000 employees
we have been able to put on paper our network design, server room setup, and network connections
What is most valuable?
The feature that I like the most, as simple as it may seem, is the addition of the vendor's vectors and shapes. I'm able to utilize the actual brands of our network appliances as devices to have a more accurate picture of our actual network and the server room setup.
How has it helped my organization?
By utilizing Visio, we have been able to put on paper our network design, server room setup, and network connections. It makes things a lot easier to troubleshoot and figure out where the issues, errors, or disconnects may be happening. This also helps when explaining to the upper management any questions in regards to our network environment.
What needs improvement?
At this point in time, it serves its purpose. I can't think of something that could be improved as of today. I'm sure there is something that can be improved, but nothing for my current needs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Visio probably since 2008, so it has been almost 10 years now.
I, primarily, started using it in school to do basic network diagrams, but now I've used it to even draw out full floor plans for our network designs based on our building floor plan.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There were no stability issues experienced.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There were no scalability issues experienced.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't requested any technical support for this tool. I'm sure it is great as I have used Microsoft Support in the past, and it has been great. So, I don't doubt that it would be the same for this product as well.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, I was using PowerPoint. It was obvious why I switched over to this solution. It is the product that we needed back then when drafting the floor plans and networks.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is just like any other Microsoft program, it is straightforward. Get the software, follow the prompts to install the products and it just works.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
As most Microsoft products, the price is not the cheapest but you just cannot pass this tool. So when you buy it for you/your team, save money and buy only what you need. We installed it in our Techroom computer so that all the members can use and access it. Thus, one license serves the purpose of all three of us.
What other advice do I have?
When using this tool, research your current vendors and manufacturers to get their most up to date shapes and vectors, so you can always design or draft your Visio projects using the most accurate picture.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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