The best diagramming tools, according to hackers
17 diagramming tools were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 4 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended diagramming tools with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Modern, consistent user interface
Free, open source painting app praised for its modern interface, strong brush engine and stability. The common caveat is that it is mostly aimed at digital illustration and falls short of Photoshop for professional work.
Works inside notes and other tools
People recommend it for quick, low-friction hand-drawn diagrams and sketches, with fast keyboard shortcuts. Critics often find its hand-drawn default style and font unprofessional.
Built for pixel art workflow
Pixel art editor people recommend for its animation tools, onion skinning and pixel-by-pixel workflow. Main caveat: it is paid and not open source.
All 17 diagramming tools, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Krita | 77 | 11 | 88% | 12 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Excalidraw | 56 | 10 | 85% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 3 | Aseprite | 26 | 3 | 90% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 4 | Procreate | 23 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 4 | Monosketch | 23 | 4 | 85% | 2 | — | — |
| 6 | Monodraw | 17 | 4 | 81% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 7 | draw.io | 16 | 10 | 62% | 9 | — | — |
| Tied 7 | Inkwash | 16 | 2 | 89% | 1 | — | — |
| 9 | LibreSprite | 11 | 5 | 69% | 1 | — | — |
| 10 | Microsoft Visio | 10 | 14 | 42% | 7 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | Art symmetry drawing app | 7 | 3 | 70% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 11 | OmniGraffle | 7 | 1 | 88% | 4 | — | — |
| 13 | Clip Studio Paint | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 14 | LibreOffice Draw | 5 | 1 | 83% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 14 | Deluxe Paint | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 14 | Ameliorate | 5 | 1 | 83% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 14 | Flostep | 5 | 2 | 71% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same diagramming tool in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to diagramming tools that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.