What is the best org chart software in 2026?
An org chart is wrong the day someone new joins. The right tool is the one that fixes it.
First, a scope note: this page is about the organizational chart, the diagram of who reports to whom. It is not about flowcharts or process maps. If that is what you need, a diagram tool like draw.io handles it well, but this ranking does not judge it on that.
You run HR, operations or the company, and you redraw the chart by hand every time someone joins? The real question is not which tool looks nicest. It is this: do you want a static chart you redraw, or a live chart synced to your HRIS (the system that holds employee records)? We compared five tools on that question, and on what most roundups never put a number on: free plan limits, CSV import and export.
The short answer: Lucidchart if you want the smoothest import and sharing. draw.io if you want a free chart built from an HRIS export, no account needed. Creately to plan a reorg, Factorial if you also need an HRIS, Miro for a live workshop.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best org chart software for your situation
CSV, Excel, Google Sheets or BambooHR
Free, no account, no capsBuild it from an HRIS export
Your files stay with youNo data stored by the vendor
Planning a reorgScenarios and open roles
A chart that updates itselfBuilt from employee records
A live team workshopWhiteboard with an org chart widget
5 org chart tools compared
The "Updates" column tells you what happens when someone joins: redraw, re-import a file, or nothing at all. That is what separates a useful chart from an outdated picture. The rank follows the needs of a 20 to 500 person company, not just the score.
| Best for | Updates | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucidchart | Best for import and sharing | Re-import CSV, Excel, Sheets or BambooHR | 4.0/5 | Free (capped), then paid | ✓ | Any size | Visit → |
| 2 | draw.io | Best free option | Re-import a CSV | 4.3/5 | Free, no paid tier | ✓ | 20 to 300 people | Visit → |
| 3 | Creately | Best for reorg planning | Linked data source (Pro) | 3.8/5 | Free (45 shapes), then paid | ✓ | Mid-size and large companies | Visit → |
| 4 | Factorial | Best self-updating chart | Automatic from employee records | 3.9/5 | Custom quote | — | SMBs of 20 to 500 | Visit → |
| 5 | Miro | Best for workshops | Re-import CSV, no export | 3.8/5 | Free, Starter $8/member | ✓ | Teams that plan together | Visit → |
Prices read on each vendor's official pricing page in 2026. When a vendor shows no readable amount, the cell says "custom quote" or "paid" rather than an unverified number.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
How we compared and scored
A company org chart is not a normal diagram. It changes with every hire, exit and promotion. A tool that draws beautifully but makes you redo everything by hand gets abandoned within three months, and the chart on your intranet quietly goes stale.
We read each vendor's pricing pages and help docs: free plan limits, import formats, HRIS connectors, export formats. Then we went through vendor community forums, GitHub threads and user reviews, the negative ones first, to find what actually blocks people. Miro's score matches our full review; Factorial's matches the score already published in our HR rankings.
What we left out, and why. Canva and PowerPoint make nice one-off charts, but nothing links them to your data. Visio fits companies already on Microsoft 365. Organimi, ChartHop, Pingboard and OrgChart Now target larger companies with quote-only pricing. BambooHR and Rippling include a basic org chart in their HRIS; we cover that family below.
- Features and depthAutomatic hierarchy layout, open roles, multiple charts, people search.30%
- Available integrationsCSV or Excel import, HRIS connector, updates without redrawing. This decides how long your chart stays accurate.25%
- Value for moneyWhat the free plan really allows, readable pricing, cost for an HR team.20%
- Ease of useTime to a first clean chart, read-only sharing.15%
- Customer support and assistanceDocs, vendor answers on its forum, clear billing.10%
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Lucidchart
Lucidchart is the most comfortable way to turn a spreadsheet into an org chart. You import a CSV, Excel or Google Sheets file, point to the manager column (by name or by ID), and the tree builds itself. Import works on every plan, the free one included. There is also a direct BambooHR import.
One option you rarely see elsewhere: generate several charts at once from one column, for example one per office or per subsidiary. For a 300 person company across three sites, that means three readable charts instead of one unreadable poster.
The trap is the free plan. You get 3 editable documents and 60 objects per document, and lines and text boxes count toward the 60. Do the math for 25 people: 25 boxes, 24 connector lines and a title make 50 objects. You hit the wall before 30 people. One user stuck at 28 visible shapes learned from the Lucid team that a forgotten second page in the document was counting too.
Its weak spot is billing. Reviews of the billing side are harsh: hard cancellations, charges after cancelling, refused refunds, annual pricing read as monthly. People like the product much more than the invoices.
Tip: to see where you stand, open the performance metrics panel (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+K) and read "Total Objects". And write down your renewal date the day you upgrade.
- CSV, Excel and Google Sheets import on the free plan
- One chart per office or subsidiary in a single import
- Direct BambooHR import
- ✓Manager matched by name or by ID
- ✓Several charts split by any column
- ✓Polished, easy-to-read output
- ✗Free plan capped at 60 objects, lines included
- ✗Billing and cancellation complaints
- ✗Paid plan prices hard to read
The smoothest way to import and share, but the free plan will not hold past a small team. Watch the renewal date.
draw.io
draw.io is actually free. No sign-up, no credit card, no cap on shapes or documents. The code is open source (Apache 2.0), and your files stay with you: in your own cloud storage or on your laptop with the desktop app. The vendor states it cannot access them.
You get three ways to build an org chart. Draw it with the Org Chart layout (Arrange, Insert, Layout). Type "Manager->Report" lines and let it build the tree. Or, most useful for HR, import a CSV exported from your HRIS (name, title, manager) via Arrange, Insert, Advanced, CSV. Add a # ignore: column line to hide fields like salary or phone.
Branches collapse, which helps on a 200 person chart. Export covers PNG, JPG, SVG, HTML and PDF, so you can post an image on the intranet and keep the source file.
Its weak spot is the auto layout. Users report that a layout you tidied by hand cannot be reproduced through CSV import, and some arrangements (a single column of reports under one manager) have no CSV equivalent. The result is readable, not always pretty. And nothing updates on its own: each new hire means a re-import.
Tip: keep your CSV header (with the layout settings) in a separate file. Next reorg, paste the new HRIS export below it and the chart is rebuilt in two minutes.
- Free with no shape or document cap
- CSV import straight from an HRIS export
- Files stored on your side, never the vendor's
- ✓Zero cost, zero account
- ✓Collapsible branches for large charts
- ✓Export to PNG, SVG, HTML and PDF
- ✗Auto layout is not always tidy
- ✗No automatic updates
- ✗No customer support, just docs
The best pick for most small companies that want a clean free chart, as long as you accept a re-import after each change.
Creately
Creately plays two roles. It is a regular diagram tool, with a free plan capped at 45 shapes per diagram. And with its Atlas product, it is a real org design tool: you import a CSV, AI suggests the column mapping (name, title, manager), and you get views the others lack, such as each manager's span of control or open roles.
On Pro, you link one data source refreshed daily. Business gives unlimited sources, roles and an audit log. Enterprise, quote-only and annual, adds reorg scenarios, a view of the chart at a past date, SSO, SCIM and data residency choice.
If HR has to present "the org in six months" to the leadership team, this is the best fit in the ranking.
Its weak spot: the free plan is only for trying. 45 shapes is roughly a 20 person chart once you count lines. And Pro and Business prices are not displayed in a readable way, so get a written quote before you commit.
Tip: one data source on Pro is enough if your HRIS can produce a daily export. No need to jump to Business for that.
- AI-suggested column mapping on import
- Span of control and open roles views
- Reorg scenarios on Enterprise
- ✓Daily refreshed data source from Pro
- ✓Chart as of a past date
- ✓SSO and data residency on Enterprise
- ✗Free plan capped at 45 shapes
- ✗Pro and Business pricing hard to read
- ✗Advanced features locked to Enterprise
The tool for thinking about the organization, not just drawing it. Best kept for companies preparing a real change.
Factorial
Factorial flips the problem. You do not draw a chart: you set a manager on each employee record, and the chart builds itself from that. When someone joins, leaves or moves teams, it updates. Each box is clickable and opens the person's profile.
This is the only family of tools that truly fixes the number one org chart problem: they go stale within a month. Here, updates come from HR data entry you already do.
Pricing is less clear. The vendor shows entry prices per person on its regional pages, but plans are built after a demo, so expect a custom quote. Make sure the quote names the org chart explicitly.
Our 3.9 score matches the one already published in our HR rankings: strong ease of use (4.3), solid integrations (4.2), weaker value for money (3.5).
Its weak spot: you are not buying org chart software, you are buying an HRIS. If all you need is the diagram, it is far too much. And layout is whatever the tool gives you, with little room for a board-ready chart.
Tip: before importing employees, check that every record has a manager. One empty manager field and a whole branch floats on its own.
- Chart generated from the manager field
- Updates on every hire and exit
- Clickable boxes open the profile
- ✓No more outdated chart
- ✓Uses HR data you already maintain
- ✓Part of a full HR suite
- ✗Custom quote only
- ✗Only worth it if you take the HRIS
- ✗Little layout freedom
The right call if you also need an HRIS: the chart becomes a by-product of HR admin, always accurate.
Miro
Miro is a collaborative whiteboard, not org chart software. Still, it has an org chart widget with CSV import, and that is a real asset in a workshop: the whole leadership team moves boxes live, adds sticky notes and debates a reporting line.
Pricing: free with 3 editable boards, Starter at $8 per member per month billed annually ($10 monthly), Business at $20 ($25 monthly), Enterprise on quote. Our full review gives it 3.8 out of 5, with top marks for features (4.7) and ease of use (4.5), and low marks for value (2.8) and support (2.6).
Its weak spot, and it matters for an org chart: you cannot export the org chart as data. The Miro team confirmed this on its forum and logged it as an idea. In practice, any change you make in Miro has to be retyped into your source spreadsheet. Moderators also mention imports behaving differently depending on the browser.
Tip: use Miro for the workshop, then carry the approved version into your HRIS or draw.io. Do not make Miro your source of truth.
- Org chart widget with CSV import
- Live workshop with the whole team
- Sticky notes and comments on boxes
- ✓Great for debating a reorg
- ✓Quick to pick up (4.5)
- ✓Affordable Starter at $8 per member
- ✗No data export of the org chart
- ✗Imports sometimes inconsistent
- ✗Business at $20 per member, weak support
Excellent for a working session, poor as a lasting reference: the chart does not come back out of Miro.
Static or live: the three tool families
Before comparing logos, decide one thing: who will keep the chart current, and how often? The answer puts you in one of three families.
Diagram tools: you draw, you re-import
draw.io, Lucidchart, Creately, Miro, plus Canva, Visio or PowerPoint. The output looks sharp and you control everything. In exchange, the chart is static: every hire means a touch-up or a re-import. A good fit under 50 people, or when the chart changes twice a year. PowerPoint has SmartArt, but Microsoft itself warns that lots of text makes it hard to read.
Dedicated org chart tools: you sync
OrgChart Now, Pingboard, ChartHop. They connect to an HRIS to follow changes, usually with quote-based pricing tied to headcount tiers. They pay off above 100 to 200 people, when the chart doubles as the company directory.
HRIS with a built-in chart: it builds itself
Factorial, BambooHR, Rippling. The chart comes from the manager field on employee records. Built-in charts are often basic, but always current. Worth it if the HRIS is already there or planned; buying an HRIS just for the chart would be expensive.
What free plans really allow
Count objects, not people. A 25 person chart is about 25 boxes, 24 lines and a title. Lucidchart free stops at 60 objects (lines included) and 3 documents, Creately free at 45 shapes per diagram, Miro free at 3 boards. Only draw.io has no cap.
Microsoft 365: the chart you may already have
If your company runs on Microsoft 365, Teams and Outlook show an org chart built from each account's Manager attribute. Fill it in from the admin center. When the Teams chart does not update, the cause is almost always an empty Manager field, or a propagation delay.
Photos and personal data
Putting employee photos on the chart calls for clear, specific consent that people can withdraw, with no consequence if they say no. On a chart shared outside the company, stick to leadership. Remove people who have left. Check your local privacy rules before publishing.
- Decide who updates the chart, and how often.
- Count your objects (boxes, lines, text) before picking a free plan.
- Check that your HRIS can export name, title and manager as CSV.
- Ask for a quote that names the org chart module when no price is shown.
- Check that the tool exports the chart as data, not only as an image.
- Get consent before showing a photo.
A current org chart for free, in six steps
The best value method for a company that already has an HRIS or even a plain HR spreadsheet: one export, one draw.io import, and a template you reuse. Plan an hour the first time, minutes after that.
Export four columns from your HRIS
PrepareYou need an ID, name, title and manager ID at minimum. Add department if you want to color boxes by team. Leave salary, address and phone out: they have no place on an org chart.
No HRIS? A spreadsheet kept by HR works, as long as every row has a manager.
- Columns
- ID, name, title, manager
Fix missing managers before importing
PrepareA row with no manager creates a branch that floats on its own. A typo in a manager's name does the same. Sort the manager column and look for blanks: only the CEO should have one.
- Only blank allowed
- The CEO's
Import the CSV into draw.io
BuildIn draw.io, open Arrange, Insert, Advanced, CSV. Paste the org chart template, replace the sample rows with your export, and add # ignore: column for each field to hide. Pick a vertical or horizontal tree layout.
- Menu
- Arrange, Insert, Advanced, CSV
Tidy by hand, then save the template
BuildThe auto layout is readable but not always pretty. Collapse large teams and adjust two or three branches. Then save the CSV header with your settings separately: that is your template for next time.
- Keep
- The CSV header with your settings
Publish an image, keep the source
ShareExport PDF for print and SVG or PNG for the intranet. Store the .drawio file in shared HR storage, not on someone's laptop: the person updating it next year may not have joined yet.
- Formats
- PDF, SVG, PNG, HTML
Set an update rhythm
MaintainOne re-import a month, or after each hiring wave, is enough for most small companies. If the chart takes you more than an hour a month, that is the signal to move to an HRIS-linked chart like Factorial or a dedicated tool.
- Signal to switch
- More than an hour a month
Keep going
These pages extend this one without repeating it.
Pricing, free plan limits, support.
You want another whiteboardMiro alternativesThe tools that replace it.
You build charts in CanvaSwitch from CanvaWhere to go, and how.
You are also choosing payrollBest payroll softwareThe full ranking.
You track team hoursTime and attendance softwareTools compared.
You want to measure moraleEmployee engagement softwareTools compared.
Org chart software · FAQ
What is the best free org chart software?
draw.io: it is free with no cap on shapes or documents, needs no account, and imports CSV. Lucidchart free stops at 60 objects per document, lines included, and Creately free at 45 shapes per diagram, which is barely a 20 to 25 person chart.How do I make an org chart in Excel or PowerPoint?
Use SmartArt (Insert, SmartArt, Hierarchy). It works for a small team, but Microsoft itself warns that lots of text makes it hard to read. Keep your Excel table as the source (name, title, manager) and import it into draw.io or Lucidchart instead.How do I make an org chart that updates automatically?
It has to read a live source: an HRIS like Factorial or BambooHR that builds it from the manager field, or Microsoft 365, where Teams and Outlook show a chart from each account's Manager attribute. A drawing tool never updates on its own.What tool works for an org chart of 100+ people?
One that collapses branches and reads your data: Lucidchart (one chart per office in a single import), Creately with its open roles view or a dedicated tool synced to your HRIS. Test with your full file, since some tools slow down on very large charts.Why is my Teams org chart not updating?
Most often the account's Manager field is empty in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Otherwise it is a propagation delay: the change does not show up right away. Check the field, then give it time before retrying.Can I export an org chart from Miro?
As an image, yes; as data, no. The Miro team confirmed on its forum that org chart export is not supported. If you edit the chart in Miro, carry the changes back to your spreadsheet or HRIS by hand.Can I put employee photos on the org chart?
Yes, with each person's clear consent for that specific use, which they can withdraw at any time. Saying no should have no consequence. On a public chart, stick to leadership, and remove photos of people who have left.