Software Alternatives & Startups

Visio VS D2

Compare Visio VS D2 and see what are their differences

Visio

Simplify and communicate complex information using data-linked diagrams.

Rating
0 reviews
D2

Modern diagram scripting language to turn text to diagrams

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, D2 seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 4 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 4
Diagrams popularity
96% vs 4%
alternatives listed
196 vs 30

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Visio
D2
Website microsoft.com github.com
Company Startup from the United States —
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Visio 5 features
D2 0 features
  • Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem
    Visio integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint, making it easier to incorporate diagrams into documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and collaborative spaces.
  • Wide Range of Templates and Shapes
    Visio offers a large variety of templates and pre-made shapes for different kinds of diagrams such as flowcharts, network diagrams, organizational charts, and more, which can save time and make the process of creating diagrams more efficient.
  • Cloud-Based Collaboration
    Visio Online allows real-time collaboration where multiple users can work on a diagram simultaneously, share feedback, and make edits, enhancing teamwork and productivity.
  • Robust Data Linking
    Visio supports data linking from external sources like Excel, SQL Server, and SharePoint lists, enabling dynamic diagrams that automatically update based on the data source.
  • Professional-Level Features
    Features such as layering, advanced formatting options, detailed customization, and high-quality visual outputs make Visio suitable for professional use in complex projects.

Possible disadvantages

  • Cost
    Visio is a premium product that can be expensive, especially for small businesses or individual users, requiring either a subscription to Microsoft 365 or a standalone purchase.
  • Learning Curve
    The wide range of features and customization options can make Visio overwhelming for new users, requiring a significant investment of time to become proficient.
  • Performance Issues
    With complex and large diagrams, Visio can sometimes become slow or unresponsive, impacting the user experience.
  • Limited Platform Compatibility
    Visio is primarily designed for Windows environments, and while there is a web-based version, it lacks some of the features and functionality of the desktop version, potentially limiting its usability across different operating systems.
  • Requires Internet Connection for Collaboration
    The cloud-based collaboration features require a stable internet connection, which can be a limitation in areas with poor connectivity.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Visio
D2

No analysis of Visio yet.

Overall verdict

  • D2 is an excellent modern diagramming tool that lets you create diagrams from plain text, offering a clean syntax, attractive automatic layouts, and strong developer-friendly integration, making it a top choice for text-based diagramming.

Why this product is good

  • Uses a simple, readable declarative syntax that makes diagrams easy to write and version-control
  • Produces polished, professional-looking diagrams with multiple layout engines (Dagre, ELK, TALA)
  • Open source and actively maintained with a growing community and ecosystem
  • Supports advanced features like themes, animations, sketch-style rendering, and interactive tooltips
  • Integrates well with developer workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and documentation-as-code setups
  • Offers both a CLI and a hosted playground for quick experimentation

Recommended for

  • Software engineers and architects documenting system designs
  • Teams practicing diagrams-as-code and version-controlled documentation
  • Technical writers who want reproducible, maintainable diagrams
  • Developers who prefer text-based workflows over drag-and-drop editors
  • Open source projects needing embeddable architecture and flow diagrams

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Visio 3 videos + Add
D2 3 videos + Add

Microsoft Visio 2019 - Full Tutorial for Beginners [+General Overview]

More videos

  • - 9 Alternatives to Microsoft Visio
  • - Updates to Microsoft Visio

D2 Review | If John Carpenter's The Thing Was A Soap Opera

More videos

  • - Review: Gait D2 Series
  • - Classic Game Room - D2 review for Sega Dreamcast

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Visio
D2
96% 96%
4% 4%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Visio and D2. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Visio no reviews yet
D2 no reviews yet

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We have no reviews of D2 yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Visio 0 mentions
D2 4 mentions

Tracking Visio since Mar 2021.

  • Exploring Goja: A Golang JavaScript Runtime
    I work on the D2 project ([0]) and we switched from other Javascript runners (v8go) to Goja. Using a JS runtime with a dependency on cgo means your Go program loses the (huge) benefit of cross-compiling to different architectures, since... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • I want to contribute to open source but don't know where to start
    You're welcome in D2! I maintain a Text to diagram language, released a few months ago, 13k+ stars, I'm actively tagging issues that are good first issues, clean well-tested Go, and I'm happy to help you get that first merge in. Feel... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Concrete Diagramming, a Lightweight Alternative to C4
    Right. It's okay to leave written documentation on SaaS (e.g. Notion), because the text is the artifact. If they're shutting down, or I don't like them anymore, I just move the text. But if Ilograph goes down, all I have is... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago

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Alternatives to Visio and D2

When comparing Visio and D2, you can also consider the following products.

  • LucidChart

    LucidChart is the missing link in online productivity suites. LucidChart allows users to create, collaborate on, and publish attractive flowcharts and other diagrams from a web browser.

    Compare LucidChart to Visio or D2:

  • draw.io

    Online diagramming application

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  • Fyne

    The Fyne toolkit is an easy to learn, free and open source, platform for building graphical applications for desktop, mobile and beyond.

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  • Creately

    From Idea to Execution - 10x Faster with AI Diagrams

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  • PocketBase.io

    Open Source backend with realtime database, authentication, file storage and admin dashboard, all compiled in 1 portable executable.

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  • yEd

    yEd is a free desktop application to quickly create, import, edit, and automatically arrange diagrams. It runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Unix/Linux.

    Compare yEd to Visio or D2: