Lightweight Visio web app coming to Microsoft 365 business subscribers for free
It's diagram time.

What you need to know
- Visio has been a standalone paid app up until now.
- In July, a lightweight web app version will be released.
- It will be free for commercial license subscribers.
Every business loves to make diagrams, but not every business is interested in paying for diagram-making services and apps. Microsoft's heard that pain point and has announced plans (opens in new tab) for a lightweight Visio web app that'll be free for commercial license subscribers.
This lightweight Visio will start rolling out in July, so you have a few weeks until the costless diagram goodness is yours to enjoy. As for what you can expect in it, Microsoft says you'll get core, basic functionalities that won't detract from the appeal of the paid variants but will grant you the essential Visio experience.
As for what that experience is, it's the ability to seamlessly inject diagrams into Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, and more. You can collaborate with colleagues to co-author flowcharts, choose from popular templates for speedy design work, and more.
Again, for specialized Visio features and functions, you'll need to go for the paid options instead of resorting to the lightweight web app. Still, this new free option will allow easier access to Visio than has been previously available. If you're keen on trying the app out ahead of its official rollout, Microsoft has a sign-up page (opens in new tab) for early access to Visio in Microsoft 365.
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Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He's a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author of Cold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.
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As some one who uses visio, I will say that Microsoft needs to stop locking the desktop app behind a buisness / seperate subscription. It's £11.30 a month just for Visio (visio plan 2) at the present time.... for 12 months thats £135.60...
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I feel the same way... I use Visio maybe twice a year.... $150usd is allot to spend.
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Yes! I have been waiting for something like this for a long time, wondering why Visio (a business productivity app) was unavailable on a paid Microsoft 365 business offering. I wanted the full software, but this lightweight version is a good place to start. I really hope they make a seamless and well integrated experience that surfaces well in Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, and so on, with minimal fuss.
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meanwhile, draw.io continues to gain ground.