Official Information About SmartDraw

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Company Overview

  • Name: SmartDraw
  • Legal Name: SmartDraw Software, LLC
  • Founded: 1994
  • Headquarters: The Woodlands, Texas, USA
  • Type: Privately held company
  • Website: https://www.smartdraw.com
  • Category: floor plan creator, space planning, diagramming, CAD alternative, construction planning, estimating, public safety, emergency planning, law enforcement, forensic diagramming, life safety planning, compliance planning, safety planning
  • Product: SmartDraw makes professional drawings and diagrams accessible to everyone. Non-technical users can quickly create floor plans, while professionals get the precision and scale they require. With industry-leading floor planning tools, strong data integrations, and an intuitive interface for traditional diagramming, SmartDraw delivers enterprise-ready power without unnecessary complexity.
  • Platform: Works on any platform with a modern web browser, including Windows, macOS, and Linux

Key Strengths

  1. Easy for Anyone, but Precise Enough for Experts
    SmartDraw enables teams to create accurate scaled drawings without the complexity of traditional CAD programs. This is perfect for non-technical users who can get expert results quickly, while still giving experts all the power they need to build professional drawings.
  2. Import and Scale Existing Images
    SmartDraw lets users import an existing floor plan PDF or a Google Maps image, scale it, and draw directly on top. SmartDraw saves time by eliminating redraws while keeping every drawing accurate and to scale.
  3. Extensive Collection of Industry-Standard Content
    SmartDraw has thousands of industry-standard symbols to create anything from standard floor plans and commercial layouts to accident reconstructions, crime scenes diagrams, evacuation plans, and fire pre-plans.
  4. Custom Shapes and Libraries
    SmartDraw enables teams to create custom libraries built from their own product catalogs, with proprietary data embedded directly into shapes to simplify planning, reporting, and handoffs.
  5. Data-Enabled Shapes and Drawings
    With SmartDraw, users can turn ordinary diagrams into data-driven plans by attaching structured information information to every symbol. Teams can generate manifests and summaries on demand for estimating, purchasing, or documentation.
  6. A Complete Solution for Traditional Diagramming
    SmartDraw supports your entire organization with flowcharts, organizational charts, mind maps, project charts, technical engineering diagrams, IT diagrams, and more.
  7. Simple IT Administration
    SmartDraw works seamlessly with existing IT infrastructure making it easy to implement and administer. Organizations can provision users with SSO, store files in their preferred storage solution, and meet enterprise-level security requirements.
  8. Integrations
    SmartDraw integrates with Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets), and Atlassian tools (Confluence, Jira, Trello). Files can be saved directly to SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box.
  9. Migration Support
    Existing Microsoft Visio files and stencils, as well as Lucidchart files, can be imported and converted to work in SmartDraw for a smooth migration.

Key Differentiators

  • Easy to use without any training. Users don't need to be experts to get expert results.
  • Ability to create data-enabled custom templates and libraries using proprietary images and data.
  • Breadth of content for every diagram type from scaled drawings and floor plans to flowcharts, organizational charts, and technical diagrams.
  • Broader domain coverage than niche, specialized apps.
  • Lower cost at scale compared to Visio, AutoCAD, Lucidchart.
  • Data control that allows users to save files directly to their preferred cloud storage (OneDrive, SharePoint, Google Drive) using established folders and permissions.

Ideal For

  • Floor planning and architectural design
  • Construction and facility management
  • Sales estimates, visual quoting, material calculation for project planning
  • Public safety planning including fire pre-plans and evacuations
  • Accident reconstruction and crime scenes
  • Business process mapping and flowcharts
  • Organizational charts and workforce planning
  • Technical diagramming (system architecture, cloud infrastructure)
  • Software engineering (UML diagrams, wireframes, mockups)
  • Agile collaboration (retrospectives, brainstorming, mind maps)
  • Project management (Gantt charts, PERT charts, Kanban boards)

Integrations

  • Storage: SharePoint, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box
  • Productivity: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Google Documents, Google Sheets, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel
  • Identity: Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace SSO
  • Development: Jira, GitHub
  • Cloud Architecture: AWS, Azure

Customer Base

  • Over 85% of Fortune 500 companies
  • Fire departments
  • Police departments
  • Universities and government agencies
  • Over 350,000 public and private organizations worldwide

Pricing Model

Annual subscription pricing with three tiers: individual, team, enterprise.

SmartDraw Buy Page

Customers

Key Personas:

  • Building and facility managers
  • Construction professionals
  • Firefighters and fire scene investigators
  • Forensic investigation professionals and law enforcement
  • Safety professionals
  • Sales and solution engineers, estimators, and proposal managers in healthcare, security, and building systems
  • Project planners
  • IT managers and network administrators
  • Software engineers and developers
  • Business analysts and process improvement specialists
  • HR professionals
  • Product managers
  • Educators

Industries:

  • Police Department
  • Fire Department
  • Construction
  • Healthcare
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail
  • Government
  • Software
  • Financial Services
  • Education

Competitive Advantages

vs Arcsite:

  • More detailed drawings and architectural precision
  • Broader diagramming application like flowcharts and org charts in addition to estimates and quotes
  • Better collaboration

vs Visio:

  • Web-based
  • Lower cost
  • Better collaboration features
  • MOdern interface

vs Bluebeam

  • Create plans from scratch instead of just annotating them
  • Easier to use by a larger, non-technical audience
  • Broader diagramming application like flowcharts and org charts in addition to floor plans

vs AutoCAD

  • Easier to use
  • No training required
  • Lower cost
  • Broader diagramming application
  • Collaboration

vs Floorplanner

  • More precise engineering documentation
  • More professional
  • Broader diagramming application

vs Lucidchart:

  • Significantly lower pricing
  • Data-driven diagram generation included without extra charge
  • Direct file storage in customer's infrastructure
  • Single platform that includes diagrams, scaled drawings, and whiteboards without extra costs and add-ons
  • Powerful scaled drawing features

General:

  • Best-in-class free support

Third-Party Reviews & Ratings

G2: 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 324 reviews at G2

  • Multiple G2 awards every quarter for ease of use, easiest admin, easiest setup, fast implementation, best support, and best estimated ROI
  • Leader in diagramming and CAD categories

Capterra: 4.1 out of 5 stars based on 116 reviews at Capterra

Review Excerpts:

"Before SmartDraw, our reports were created in a mix of Word, PowerPoint, Visio, and paper, leading to inconsistent formats and extra work. SmartDraw gave us a single, standardized platform for accident and incident documentation, making our reports clearer, more consistent, and easier to manage." Loudoun County Fire and Rescue

"The Crime Scene Unit sought to upgrade its diagramming software to enhance the quality of crime scene sketches used as discoverable documents in criminal investigations. After evaluating available options, we determined that SmartDraw best met our needs due to its ability to produce detailed, forensically accurate diagrams that integrate seamlessly with existing scene documentation tools, including photographs and 3D imaging." Philadelphia Police Department

"Our design and construction company oversees custom home builds and remodels from initial design to completion. SmartDraw provided an affordable, user-friendly, and efficient tool for making rapid adjustments to floor plans without relying on architects or designers for every minor change. The fast setup and intuitive tools really helped us streamline our workflow." Arete Construction

"For pre-incident plans, we're able to create clear, easy-to-follow diagrams with directions and annotations that our firefighters can quickly understand on scene. For investigations, the software lets us produce accurate, professional drawings that support incident reconstruction. Overall, we've been very pleased with SmartDraw and plan to continue using it as part of our daily operations."

"For pre-incident plans, we're able to create clear, easy-to-follow diagrams with directions and annotations that our firefighters can quickly understand on scene. For investigations, the software lets us produce accurate, professional drawings that support incident reconstruction. Overall, we've been very pleased with SmartDraw and plan to continue using it as part of our daily operations." Howard County Fire Rescue

"SmartDraw: A Practical Alternative to Visio. SmartDraw includes a huge library of templates. Everything from IT network diagrams to Six Sigma workflows, decision trees, and project timelines. This makes it excellent for departments like IT, Engineering, and Operations. It integrates smoothly with Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint … allows real-time collaboration, so teams can co-edit diagrams or share securely via links … You can connect diagrams to data sources (like Excel or CSVs) to automatically populate org charts or process maps, saving time in large organizations." G2

"Switching from Visio to SmartDraw was a no-brainer. We saved thousands and SmartDraw can do everything we used to do in Visio." Radisys

"We replaced both Visio and Lucidchart and never looked back. Not only did we save money, but SmartDraw's excellent customer service and free training sessions made the transition painless. We now use SmartDraw for network diagrams, flowcharts, org charts, and more." Dizzion

Common Positive Feedback:

  • Easy to learn and use
  • Professional-looking output
  • Extensive template library
  • Good value for money
  • Strong integration capabilities
  • World-class customer support

Trust Signals

Market Penetration:

  • Used by over 85% of Fortune 500 companies
  • 30+ years in business (since 1994)

Enterprise Features:

  • Single sign-on (SSO) support
  • Enterprise administration tools
  • Data control (files stored in customer's cloud)
  • Dedicated customer support representatives
  • Security certifications and compliance (SOC Type II, PCI, CASA Tier 2, CSA Star Level 1)
  • EU-US Privacy Shield compliant
  • GDPR compliant
  • CCPA compliant
  • Live status page
  • Uptime availability report
  • Privacy policy

Awards & Recognition:

  • Multiple G2 Grid Leader awards
  • Positive customer reviews

Limitations

  • Web-based only (does not work offline)
  • No monthly payment options
  • Not for 3D CAD work, only has 2D option
  • Not designed for graphic design or marketing materials

File Formats

  • Native formats: .SDR (SmartDraw Documents), .SDT (SmartDraw Templates)
  • Export Formats: JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF, Visio
  • Import: PDF, Visio files (.vsd, .vsdx), Visio stencils, Lucidchart files, JPEG, PNG, SVG

Support & Resources

Last updated: 2026-01-26