A flowchart maker that walks its own path
- Free
- No sign-up
- Works offline
Draw the boxes, wire the decisions, then press Present — the flowchart explains itself, step by step.
Present reveals your flowchart one step at a time, on its own.
Diagramium's flowchart maker is a free, browser-based editor with one signature move: press Present and your finished flowchart walks its own path, one step at a time, with optional voice narration and a spotlight on the current shape. There is nothing to install and no account needed — you draw, present, and export stills without signing up.
It is also local-first. Your flowchart lives on your device and in the files you export; the app never uploads diagram content, and it keeps working offline once it has loaded. On the canvas you get editable shapes, smart connectors that route around other shapes instead of through them, alignment guides, and per-shape colors and looping animations.
Flowchart symbols: the four you actually need
A standard flowchart needs only four symbols: the terminator, the process, the decision, and the connector.
- Terminator — a rounded shape marking where the flow starts or ends. Give a chart one clear entry and at least one clear exit.
- Process — a rectangle holding exactly one action, written as a verb phrase: "Validate the order."
- Decision — a diamond posing one question. Each answer leaves through its own labeled arrow.
- Connector — a small circle that jumps a path across the page, so a long route does not drag an arrow over everything in between.
Arrows do the rest: they give the chart its direction, and a reader should be able to trace any route from start to end without lifting a finger. More specialized symbols exist — data, documents, subroutines — and the flowchart symbols guide covers them, but most working charts never need more than these four.
Decision branches, done cleanly
A decision branch is a diamond with one question inside and one labeled arrow per answer. Three habits keep branches readable. Keep the question binary where you can — "Approved?" beats "What is the status?" because two exits stay legible where five tangle. Label every exit, even the obvious one; an unlabeled arrow out of a diamond is a classic flowchart bug. And close every branch: each path must either rejoin the main flow or reach its own end terminator, so no route is left hanging.
Loops are just branches pointed backward — an arrow from "No" back to an earlier step models a retry. In Diagramium, smart connectors route around shapes rather than through them, so a chart with several branches and a loop or two stays readable as it grows.
Flowchart or process map?
Choose a flowchart when the logic is the point; choose a process map when ownership and hand-offs are the point. A flowchart follows one procedure through its decisions — an algorithm, a troubleshooting script, an approval rule. A process map documents a business process end to end, usually across several roles, and answers "who does what, in what order."
A practical tell: if your chart keeps sprouting notes like "Finance handles this part," you want lanes rather than more diamonds. The full comparison is in flowchart vs. process map. Diagramium includes both, plus a swimlane editor, among its 27 diagram types, so switching notation never means switching apps.
How to make a flowchart, start to finish
- Open the flowchart editor. It runs in your browser, free, with no sign-up.
- Place a terminator for your starting event, then a rectangle for the first action. Drag from a shape's edge to connect them — smart connectors route around shapes on their own.
- Add a decision diamond wherever the path splits, and label every exit arrow.
- Tidy as you go. Alignment guides snap shapes into rows and columns while you drag.
- Style it: per-shape colors, a looping animation such as pulse or glow on the step that deserves attention, or a hand-drawn theme like Doodle for the whole chart.
- Press Present to watch the reveal order, and attach per-step speaker notes — including a "why this matters" line — where a step needs context.
- Export. PNG and SVG are free with no account; animated GIF, video, and animated SVG unlock with a free account, or record the presentation live.
For a slower walkthrough with worked examples, see how to make a flowchart.
Press Present and the chart explains itself
Every Diagramium flowchart can present itself: press Present and the chart reveals one shape at a time, in story order. An optional AI voice reads each step, subtitles highlight word by word as it speaks, a spotlight tracks the current shape, and background music is there if you want it. Per-step notes carry the reasoning, so an audience gets more than boxes and arrows.
The live example on this page is this feature at work — a published diagram embedded as a self-playing frame, which any published diagram in the gallery can become. When your own chart is done, present it live or record the run; if you would rather not start blank, the Explore gallery holds hundreds of editable diagrams, including narrated explainers, ready to open in the editor.
Frequently asked questions
Is Diagramium's flowchart maker free, and do I need an account?
The flowchart maker is free, and no account is needed to draw, present, or export PNG and SVG stills. A free account unlocks the animated exports — GIF, video, and animated SVG. There is no paid tier.
What formats can I export a flowchart to?
You can export a flowchart as PNG or SVG without an account. Animated GIF, video, and animated SVG exports unlock with a free account, and you can also record a live run of the presentation as you give it.
Does the flowchart maker work offline, and where are my flowcharts stored?
Flowcharts are stored on your own device and in the files you export — Diagramium never uploads diagram content. Once the app has loaded in your browser, it keeps working without a connection.
What are the basic flowchart symbols?
The four core flowchart symbols are the terminator (a rounded shape marking start and end), the process (a rectangle holding one action), the decision (a diamond asking a question), and the connector (a small circle that jumps a path across the page). Arrows between them show the direction of flow.
How do I show a yes/no decision in a flowchart?
Draw a decision diamond, write one question inside it, and give each answer its own labeled arrow — "Yes" one way, "No" the other. Every branch should either rejoin the main path or reach its own end terminator, so no route through the chart is left hanging.
Can I embed a flowchart on my website?
Any published diagram from Diagramium's Explore gallery can be embedded on another website as a self-playing iframe: the flowchart loads, then presents itself step by step. Flowcharts you draw locally are shared as exported files instead.
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