A detailed comparison of yEd Graph Editor and Graphviz to help you choose the right tool for your needs.
Free diagramming application for flowcharts, network diagrams, and UML
Open-source graph visualization software for network diagrams
| Plan | yEd Graph Editor | Graphviz |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | ✓ Completely free | ✓ Completely free |
| Lowest Paid | Free | Free |
| Enterprise | Free | Free |
| Feature | yEd Graph Editor | Graphviz |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic layout | ✓ | ✓ |
| Flowcharts | ✓ | — |
| Network diagrams | ✓ | ✓ |
| UML diagrams | ✓ | — |
| Org charts | ✓ | — |
| Mind maps | ✓ | — |
| Desktop application | ✓ | — |
| Import/export formats | ✓ | — |
| Batch processing | ✓ | — |
| Custom styles | ✓ | ✓ |
| Graph visualization | — | ✓ |
| Text-to-diagram | — | ✓ |
| Multiple output formats | — | ✓ |
| Command-line tool | — | ✓ |
| Library for applications | — | ✓ |
| Hierarchical graphs | — | ✓ |
| Open source | — | ✓ |
| Open Source | ✗ | ✓ |
| Rating | ⭐ 4.2 | ⭐ 4.3 |
Choose yEd Graph Editor if: You need users needing automatic layout for complex diagrams and preferring desktop software. yEd Graph Editor excels with its completely free and powerful automatic layout.
Choose Graphviz if: You need developers and data scientists needing automatic graph layout from text descriptions. Graphviz stands out with its completely free and powerful automatic layout.
Best free option: Both yEd Graph Editor and Graphviz offer free tiers. yEd Graph Editor offers "Completely free" while Graphviz offers "Completely free".
It depends on your needs. yEd Graph Editor is better for users needing automatic layout for complex diagrams and preferring desktop software, while Graphviz is better for developers and data scientists needing automatic graph layout from text descriptions. Both are excellent tools rated 4.2 and 4.3 respectively.
yEd Graph Editor starts at Free while Graphviz starts at Free. Both offer free tiers.
Most tools offer import/export features to help you migrate. We recommend trying Graphviz's free tier before fully committing to a switch.
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