A free BPMN diagram maker for processes two teams must agree on
- Free
- No sign-up
- Works offline
Start with an event, run the tasks, branch at the gateways — then press Present and walk the process through in the order it happens.
Present reveals your BPMN diagram one step at a time, on its own.
BPMN is the notation to reach for when a process has to be read the same way by the business and by the people implementing it. Free to draw here, no account, stored on your device.
It is more formal than a flowchart on purpose: the shapes carry defined meanings, so "what happens if the approval times out?" has an answer written in the diagram rather than in somebody's memory.
Events, tasks, gateways, pools
Events are circles — something happens. Start events begin a process, end events finish it, and intermediate events are the timers, messages and errors in between. Tasks are rounded rectangles: work being done. Gateways are diamonds where the flow splits or merges.
The gateway types are where BPMN earns its formality. An exclusive gateway takes exactly one path; a parallel gateway takes all of them; an inclusive gateway takes any that apply. A flowchart's plain diamond leaves that ambiguous, and the ambiguity is usually where two teams disagree.
Pools and lanes carry the participants. A separate pool means a separate organisation, and messages — not sequence flows — cross between pools.
Model the exceptions, not just the happy path
The reason to spend the extra effort on BPMN rather than a flowchart is that it can express what goes wrong. Boundary events attached to a task say what happens when it times out, errors or is cancelled — and those paths are where real processes actually spend their difficulty.
A BPMN diagram showing only the successful route has paid the cost of the notation without collecting the benefit; a flowchart would have done.
Present it in execution order
Press Present and the process reveals from the start event forward, narrated. For a process review with both business and technical people in the room, that is the difference between a shared understanding and two readings.
How to make a BPMN diagram, start to export
Open the editor, place the start event, then the tasks in order. Add gateways where the path branches, choosing the type deliberately. Put each participant in its own lane, add the exception paths, then export a PNG or PDF.
Free, private, and offline
Diagramium is free and there is no paid tier. Draw, present and export PNG or SVG without an account; a free account unlocks the animated export formats — GIF, video and animated SVG.
Your diagram is stored in your own browser, not on a server. It keeps working with the network off, and nothing is uploaded unless you choose to publish it.
Frequently asked questions
Is this BPMN maker free?
Diagramium is free and there is no paid tier. Draw, present and export PNG or SVG without an account; a free account unlocks the animated export formats — GIF, video and animated SVG.
What is the difference between BPMN and a flowchart?
BPMN is a standard with defined semantics: gateway types state whether paths are exclusive or parallel, and events express timers, messages and errors. A flowchart is informal and easier to read, but leaves those distinctions to the reader.
What is the difference between a pool and a lane?
A pool is a participant — usually a separate organisation — and flows do not cross between pools, only messages do. Lanes divide one pool into roles, and sequence flows cross lanes freely.
Do I need to know all of BPMN?
No. Start events, end events, tasks, exclusive and parallel gateways, and lanes cover the large majority of real diagrams. Add boundary events when you need to model timeouts and errors.
Can I export BPMN XML?
Not today — exports are PNG, SVG, PDF, GIF and video. If you need a file to drive a process engine, model it here for the human conversation and keep the executable definition in your engine's own tooling.
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