Self-hosted alternatives to Microsoft Visio
Want diagrams and flowcharts without handing your data to Microsoft Visio? These 4 self-hosted apps run on your own server. Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $5/month.
About Microsoft Visio: Microsoft's diagramming software.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| drawDB | Active | 40.2k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| ChartDB | Active | 23.1k | AGPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| draw.io | Active | 9.2k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| LibreDB Studio | Active | 1.3k | MIT | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
The options in detail
1. drawDB
Browser-based visual and DBML database diagram editor and SQL generator for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB, MSSQL and Oracle.
Active Last commit 2026-10-31. 6 releases in the past year. Latest release v1.9.0 (2026-11-01). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM incl. mariadb/mysql/postgres. How to run it →
2. ChartDB
Database diagrams editor that allows you to visualize and design your DB with a single query.
Active Last commit 2026-11-01. 6 releases in the past year. Latest release v1.21.0 (2026-11-01). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
3. draw.io
Diagram software for making flowcharts, process diagrams, org charts, UML, ER and network diagrams.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release v32.6.10 (2026-11-04). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
4. LibreDB Studio
Browser-based SQL IDE for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, MongoDB, Redis, ClickHouse, DuckDB and more, with SSO, audit trail, ER diagrams and optional AI assistance on your own model key (alternative to DataGrip, DBeaver, CloudBeaver).
Active Last commit 2026-11-05. Latest release 1.2.0 (2026-10-31). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM incl. clickhouse/mongodb/mysql/postgres/redis. How to run it →
Why self-host instead of Microsoft Visio?
- Own your data — it lives on a server you control, with backups you decide on.
- Predictable cost — a small VPS often replaces per-seat pricing for a whole team or family.
- No lock-in — open-source licenses let you keep running the software even if a vendor disappears.
The trade-off: you are responsible for updates, backups and security. Pick an app marked Active (a commit in the last 90 days) and with Docker support for the easiest ride.
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Other alternatives guides
Microsoft Visio is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.