# Microsoft Visio

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/microsoft-visio/

6 people recommended Microsoft Visio in Hacker News comments, 4 had mixed feelings and 13 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 12 months, in 8 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Criticized more than recommended, mainly for limited browser functionality and declining quality; those who recommend it see it as hard to match for features and browser reliability.

Summary written by Claude from the comments below.

## What people warn about

- Quality declining across releases (2 comments in the sample): "Every subsequent release is worse than the one before it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45875081)) "it was better before Microsoft bought it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47458619))
- Hard to lay out diagrams well (1 comment in the sample): "it’s very difficult to lay out the ports consistently and have them flow." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46411277))

## Why people recommend it

- Few alternatives match it (3 comments in the sample): "I still don't equate any of the alternatives to Visio as close to equal" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46355957)) "No other app or web-based copies are good enough still" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50045677)) "Visio does a lot of things competing apps just don't" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46186333))
- Works well in a browser (2 comments in the sample): "I think even Visio (additional fees) cloud/web version actually works okay now" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47721144)) "it worked well in a browser with ~ 10 participants" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47720698))
- Simple, powerful, pleasant to use (1 comment in the sample): "the applications are simple, powerful, and pleasing to use" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46064740))

## Other diagram tools people recommend

- [Mermaid](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mermaid/): 72 recommend, 16 mixed, 42 criticize
- [Excalidraw](https://hackerapproved.com/p/excalidraw/): 41 recommend, 7 mixed, 8 criticize
- [SQL to ER diagram tool](https://hackerapproved.com/p/free-sql-to-er-diagram-tool/): 23 recommend, 4 mixed, 1 criticize
- [Monosketch](https://hackerapproved.com/p/monosketch/): 18 recommend, 5 mixed, 4 criticize

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/visio)

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Microsoft Visio", https://hackerapproved.com/p/microsoft-visio/ (6 recommend, 4 mixed, 13 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.