Microsoft Visio
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Microsoft Visio does
Microsoft Visio is a diagramming and vector graphics application owned and operated by Microsoft Corporation as a product line within the Microsoft 365 productivity suite. Originating as an independent Visio Corporation (founded 1990) and acquired by Microsoft in 2000, the product has been maintained within Microsoft's business productivity stack for over two decades. The primary offering is Microsoft Visio 2021 Professional, a diagramming tool that provides over 250,000 shapes and templates, supports industry standards including BPMN 2.0 and UML 2.5, and offers live data connectivity for dynamic visualizations.
The platform serves two distinct customer segments. The primary use case is network infrastructure teams, including IT professionals and network engineers who design, optimize, map, and monitor networks using dedicated network planning and mapping tools. The secondary segment comprises business and technical professionals requiring flowcharts, business process modeling, UML diagrams, and organizational charts. Distribution occurs through the official Microsoft Store, third-party resellers such as StackCommerce offering promotional lifetime licenses, and inclusion in select Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, and Premium subscription bundles.
The revenue model is dual-track. Visio 2021 Professional is sold as a one-time perpetual license at a $249.99 MSRP, with promotional prices as low as $14.97 through resellers. The product is also bundled or available add-on within Microsoft 365 subscription plans ranging from $99.99 to $199.99 annually for consumers, shifting portions of the mix toward recurring revenue. Microsoft's reported advantage lies in ecosystem integration with the broader Microsoft 365 stack, the substantial content library, and decades of brand recognition in the enterprise market. Revenue is not disclosed separately by Microsoft Corporation.
Microsoft Visio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Microsoft Visio
- Website
- https://visio.microsoft.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Microsoft Visio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Diagramming Software
- NAICS
- Drafting Services (541340), Graphic Design Services (54143), Graphic Design Services (541430)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Suites (HDAEAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Digital Inventory, Part Libraries & Secure File Management (IMAAACAH), Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)
Keywords
Where Microsoft Visio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Microsoft Visio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- One-time Perpetual License: Microsoft Visio 2021 Professional sold as a one-time perpetual license with lifetime access. Regular price $249.99, promotional pricing available through third-party sellers.
- Microsoft 365 Subscription: Visio may be available as part of Microsoft 365 subscription plans, including Personal ($99.99/year), Family ($129.99/year), and Premium ($199.99/year) tiers, which bundle productivity apps with AI capabilities and cloud storage.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Visio 2021 Professional Lifetime License |
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Microsoft Visio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Microsoft Visio is professional diagramming and vector graphics software used to create flowcharts, network topology diagrams, business process models, UML 2.5 designs, and other technical visualizations. The flagship product, Microsoft Visio 2021 Professional, ships with an extensive Shape Library of more than 250,000 shapes and templates, supports industry standards such as BPMN 2.0 and UML 2.5, and includes Live Data Connectivity to link diagrams to dynamic data sources. It is sold as a perpetual license and distributed through Microsoft 365 subscription plans.
Product overview
Microsoft Visio is a single unified diagramming and visualization product. The primary offering is Microsoft Visio 2021 Professional, which provides tools for creating flowcharts, diagrams, and professional visualizations with support for industry standards including BPMN 2.0 and UML 2.5. The software includes over 250,000 shapes and templates, and offers live data connectivity capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Microsoft Visio 2021 Professional Professional diagramming software used by IT network engineers, business analysts, and systems/software designers to create flowcharts, network topology diagrams, business process models, UML designs, and other technical visualizations. Bundles 250,000+ shapes/templates, live data connectivity, BPMN 2.0 and UML 2.5 compliance, and is sold as a perpetual license (regular price $249.99) or within Microsoft 365 subscription plans.
Companies that use Microsoft Visio
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Microsoft Visio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Microsoft Visio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Microsoft Visio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- OmniGraffle: OmniGraffle is a macOS/iOS diagramming application that targets a comparable audience to Visio but is primarily focused on Apple platforms. It is comparable in feature set (diagramming, flowcharting) but does not directly compete on Windows/enterprise IT, where Visio is strongest.
Direct peers
- Miro: Miro is a collaborative whiteboard platform with robust diagramming, flowcharting, and process-modeling capabilities. It directly competes with Visio in enterprise diagramming use cases while also expanding into broader visual collaboration, putting pressure on Visio's enterprise footprint.
- SmartDraw: SmartDraw is a long-standing Visio competitor offering diagramming, flowcharting, and org-chart software for enterprise and government customers. It targets similar buyers (IT, operations, engineering) with comparable BPMN/UML-style functionality.
- Lucidchart: Lucidchart is a cloud-native diagramming and visualization platform that directly competes with Visio across flowcharts, BPMN, UML, and network diagrams. It is the most prominent modern alternative, with stronger real-time collaboration and SaaS integration than Visio.
- Gliffy: Gliffy is a browser-based diagramming tool used primarily by Atlassian ecosystem customers. It competes with Visio for the same flowcharts, network diagrams, and UML use cases, particularly inside organizations standardized on Confluence and Jira.
- Creately: Creately is a visual collaboration and diagramming platform that directly competes with Visio across flowcharts, mind maps, BPMN, and UML diagrams. Its collaborative, cloud-based model positions it as a modern Visio alternative.
- draw.io (JGraph): draw.io is a widely used free/open-source diagramming tool with strong BPMN/UML support. It directly competes with Visio in the same product category, particularly among cost-sensitive enterprise users who want similar functionality without a license fee.
Broad incumbents
- Adobe Illustrator: Adobe Illustrator is a broad vector graphics and design platform that overlaps with Visio for high-quality technical and informational diagrams. It is an established incumbent in the graphics/design space but is not specialized for BPMN/UML/process modeling.
- Figma: Figma is a broad design and collaboration platform that, while focused on UI/UX design, increasingly overlaps with Visio in flowcharting and diagramming use cases inside product and engineering teams. It represents a broader incumbent expanding into Visio's category.
Emerging players
- yEd: yEd is a free general-purpose graph and diagram editor with strong automatic layout algorithms. It overlaps meaningfully with Visio for network and graph-style diagrams and serves as a low-cost alternative in academic and engineering use cases.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Microsoft Visio social profiles
Digital presenceMicrosoft Visio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Microsoft Visio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Microsoft Visio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Microsoft Visio M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Visio
What does Microsoft Visio do?
Microsoft Visio is professional diagramming and vector graphics software used to create flowcharts, network topology diagrams, business process models, UML 2.5 designs, and other technical visualizations. The flagship product, Microsoft Visio 2021 Professional, ships with an extensive Shape Library of more than 250,000 shapes and templates, supports industry standards such as BPMN 2.0 and UML 2.5, and includes Live Data Connectivity to link diagrams to dynamic data sources. It is sold as a perpetual license and distributed through Microsoft 365 subscription plans.
Is Microsoft Visio a public or private company?
Microsoft Visio is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Microsoft Visio founded?
Microsoft Visio was founded in 1990.
Where is Microsoft Visio based?
Microsoft Visio is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Microsoft Visio make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. One-time Perpetual License is the primary driver. The others are microsoft 365 Subscription.
Who are Microsoft Visio's main competitors?
OmniGraffle is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Miro, SmartDraw, Lucidchart, Gliffy, Creately and draw.io (JGraph). Broad incumbents are Adobe Illustrator and Figma. yEd is listed as an emerging player.
Does Microsoft Visio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Microsoft Visio.
What industry is Microsoft Visio in?
Microsoft Visio's product category is Diagramming Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAGAB, Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Suites, with a secondary code of IMAAACAH, Digital Inventory, Part Libraries & Secure File Management. Its NAICS code is 541340 and its SIC code is 7370.