Gliffy vs yEd Graph Editor

Gliffy, owned by Perforce, is a diagramming tool built to work natively inside Confluence and Jira, letting teams create flowcharts, UML diagrams, BPMN process maps, and network diagrams without leaving their existing Atlassian workflow. It supports drag-and-drop editing, freehand drawing, and full-text search of diagram content within Confluence. Gliffy also offers a standalone Gliffy Online product and a Gliffy Zero Egress option built for regulated industries that require diagram data to stay within their own Atlassian environment for compliance reasons such as ITAR, GDPR, and HIPAA. The product holds SOC 2 Type II compliance and ISO 42001 certification.

yEd is a free desktop diagramming application from yWorks for creating, editing, and analyzing diagrams. Rather than requiring every node to be placed by hand, it can import structured data directly from Excel spreadsheets or XML/GraphML files and use automatic layout algorithms, built on yWorks' commercial yFiles diagramming library, to arrange even large and complex graphs cleanly. It covers a wide range of diagram types including flowcharts, BPMN process diagrams, UML class diagrams, organization charts, and network topologies, and it exports finished diagrams to PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF, or SWF. Built as a cross-platform Java application, yEd runs offline on Windows, macOS, and Linux and is free for both personal and commercial use, making it a common choice for engineers, analysts, and IT teams working with data-driven diagrams.

• Deep native integration with Confluence and Jira workflows
• Free tier covers small teams of up to 10 users
• Compliance-focused Zero Egress option for regulated industries
• Supports importing existing Visio and draw.io diagrams

• Completely free for both personal and commercial use, with no account or subscription required.
• Automatic layout algorithms handle large graphs far better than manually dragging boxes in most diagram tools.
• Importing directly from Excel or XML saves significant time versus manually recreating data as a diagram.
• Cross-platform Java app means the same tool works identically on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

• Primarily useful for teams already invested in the Atlassian ecosystem
• All purchases route through the Atlassian Marketplace, adding a dependency
• Standalone diagramming outside Confluence/Jira is less of a focus

• Requires a Java Runtime Environment, which adds friction compared to native lightweight apps.
• Interface looks dated and less polished than modern web-based diagram tools.
• No built-in real-time collaboration; it's a single-user desktop tool, not a shared online canvas.