Pick Builderii if…
- You want AI to draw the first version and change it
- Your team edits diagrams together, live
- Diagrams sit next to wireframes and prototypes
- You work in Mermaid, SQL or Prisma
draw.io alternative
Your draw.io diagrams, with AI and your team, live.
draw.io is the free workhorse of diagramming. Builderii opens your .drawio files and keeps them editable, then adds an AI that draws and changes diagrams for you, live cursors and comments for the whole team, and a keyboard-first canvas. When you need the file back, export draw.io.
Works in your browser · No card · Free while it’s new
In short
Builderii is a draw.io (diagrams.net) alternative that imports .drawio, .xml and .drawio.svg files and exports draw.io back, so nothing is locked in. On top, its AI draws flowcharts, sequence diagrams and database diagrams from a sentence and changes them in place, your team edits live with cursors and comments, and wireframes and prototypes share the board. draw.io is the better pick for a free, open-source, offline desktop app with huge shape libraries.
- Best for
- Teams who want draw.io’s diagrams with AI and live collaboration
- draw.io does better
- Free and open source, offline desktop app, files in your own storage, very large shape libraries
- Moving over
- Import .drawio, .xml or .drawio.svg; export draw.io back at any time
- Price
- Free while it’s new, with every feature and 200 AI jobs a month
Why teams pick Builderii
Diagramming, minus the busywork.
Opens .drawio files
Shapes, text, arrows, groups, tables and images from .drawio, .xml and .drawio.svg. draw.io shapes paste in too.
Exports draw.io back
Hand a .drawio file to anyone who still uses diagrams.net. No lock-in.
AI that draws and edits
“OAuth sign-in between the browser, our API and Google.” Then select a step and ask for a retry path.
Live together
Cursors, edits every frame, follow and spotlight, cursor chat, comments with @mentions and email.
Database diagrams from SQL
Paste CREATE TABLE statements or Prisma models; export SQL back.
Two-way Mermaid
Edit the code or the shapes and each follows; export Mermaid for docs and READMEs.
Keyboard-first
Single-key tools, ⌥+Arrow quick-add, one-click auto-layout and ⌘K for every command.
Screens and prototypes
Wireframes, linked screens and a clickable prototype on the same board as the diagram.
Switching
Bring your diagrams across, keep the exit open.
Import
Drop a .drawio, .xml or .drawio.svg file on the board, or use Import Excalidraw, draw.io or CSV…
Tidy up
One click lays a flowchart out again; elbow arrows route around shapes.
Ask for changes
Select part of a diagram and tell the AI what to change.
Export back
Export… → draw.io whenever someone needs the file in diagrams.net.
Side by side
Builderii and draw.io, side by side.
| Feature | Builderii | draw.io |
|---|---|---|
| Flowcharts and technical diagrams | Flowcharts, sequence, database, architecture, sitemaps and org charts | Very large shape libraries: UML, BPMN, network, cloud and more |
| AI | Nine kinds of diagram, laid out by Builderii and changed in place | A Generate tool for diagrams from a prompt |
| Live collaboration | Cursors, follow, spotlight, cursor chat, comments with @mentions | Through the storage or app you open it in |
| Where files live | In Builderii, with version history; export a .drawio any time | Your device, Google Drive, OneDrive, GitHub and more |
| Offline desktop app | No: it runs in the browser | Yes |
| Wireframes and clickable prototypes | Built in | Mock-up shapes |
| Price to start | Free, with every feature | Free and open source |
Compared from each product’s public pages in October 2026; features change, so check before you decide. Product names are trademarks of their owners. Builderii isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Which to pick
Which one fits the job?
Pick draw.io if…
- You want free, open-source software
- You need an offline desktop app
- Files must stay in your own Drive, OneDrive or GitHub
- You need BPMN, network or very specific shape libraries
Questions
Good questions.
Can I import draw.io files into Builderii?
Yes: .drawio, .xml and .drawio.svg files, with their shapes, text, arrows, groups, tables and images, as editable Builderii shapes. Copied draw.io shapes paste in too.
Can I export back to draw.io?
Yes. Export… → draw.io writes a .drawio file of the whole page or the selection that opens in diagrams.net.
Is diagrams.net the same as draw.io?
Yes. diagrams.net is another name for the same draw.io app, and Builderii reads and writes its files.
Does Builderii work offline?
No. Builderii runs in the browser and saves to your account. If you need an offline desktop app, draw.io is the better pick.
Which formats can I export?
PNG, SVG, PDF (a page per frame), PowerPoint with speaker notes, draw.io, Mermaid code, SQL for database diagrams and a Builderii file, or copy the board as an image.
Keep reading
More ways to use Builderii.
What do you want to build?
Start with a prompt, a template or a blank board. It’s free.