Wondershare EdrawMax

What is EdrawMax app?

EdrawMax is a free diagram software that gives its users the tools to draw charts and diagrams with ease. Its well designed interface and flexible toolset mean you don't have to be artistic or precise.

It will bridge your graphic design shortcomings to take your thoughts and present them in a clear, logical, and visual format. As an app designed to produce images that require precise alignment and placement, EdrawMax is much better for creating diagrams and charts than general purpose software. For example, if you make a flow chart with connectors, automatic restraints are placed for the elements that need them. If you pick up and move one block, the connectors and related parts move and maintain the diagram's integrity.

Each element is customisable but also identifiable by its type. If you want to change the format of one of those types across the whole document, you can do so. This structure gives you a lot of control over the visual feel of your creations but also lets the app assist you. A beautify button cycles through different coherent looks so you can choose which will suit your purpose.

You make each diagram from a selection of components that are easy to populate with information and straightforward to set out in a way that makes sense. There are templates to provide starting points and simplify the options to match what you want to create.

The templates range from general-purpose outlines to specifically created documents within different categories. You can modify and adapt any of these to suit your needs.

What we love about EdrawMax app

Technology has the power to compensate for skills that its users lack. EdrawMax, can help anyone display their ideas, work, and plans almost as if they were a graphic designer.

Making diagrams with this app hits an excellent balance between being guided and being flexible. You can easily drag new elements onto the page and link them to additional components. The app will ensure that the layout remains consistent, but you can overrule it if you choose.

Once the elements are on the page, entering the data for them to hold is easy, and they adjust to fit your content, saving you from struggling with sizing options. You can choose how to use colour and other settings for informational or purely decorative purposes.

The diagrams look great in their standard layouts but accessing the options to update them is straightforward.

The support that EdrawMax provides could be a great timesaver for teachers who need to produce custom teaching resources. It would not take long for a new user to become proficient enough with EdrawMax to get a boost to their resource creation proficiency. Clarity and attractiveness will also accompany this speed boost.

The final product does not preclude using your favourite presentation software, as the many export options ensure you can embed what you produce.

What skills does it teach?

EdrawMax, as a general tool, supports many different lesson types and learning activities but does not directly teach curriculum-type skills or knowledge. It does support more general skill development for students in choosing the appropriate way to present information and how to be organised.

What age is it appropriate for?

EdrawMax is for a general audience but is simple enough for kids to learn. Starting with simple diagrams, most kids should be able to build up their understanding of how to use this app.

Is EdrawMax app easy to use?

EdrawMax has ease of use at its heart. Its purpose is to make the creation of diagrams simple for everyone, whether they have graphic design talents or not. 

Within the app, there are many supporting tools to help new users. Video tutorials describe and show what to do, and detailed tooltips appear as the user does things for the first time. These explain the options available and how to use them. The overall look and feel of the app is similar to many other modern computer-based apps, so kids and adults who are used to programs such as Microsoft Word or PowerPoint will find much that is familiar.

How will students benefit?

Diagrams are a valuable tool for kids to organise their thoughts, plan their assignments, and demonstrate their learning. They are beneficial for kids who struggle with literacy as their diagrams allow teachers to distinguish between problems with reading and understanding at a subject level.

For example, a child might not be able to write a discussion about a historical event, but they could show causes and effects using an appropriate diagram. Diagrams also provide an alternative way of thinking for kids that could help guide the structure of their writing or help them revise.

Neither of these is feasible if kids have to think too much about making the diagrams. With the assistance of EdrawMax, kids don't have to worry about spacing out their diagrams or adjusting the layout when their follow-up thoughts don't fit with their initial layout. Its flexibility enables easy changes.

Having templates available also avoids overcoming the hurdle of a blank page. When they select a template, the relevant components become readily accessible, and kids can start to put them on the blank page.

EdrawMax is easy enough for kids to learn, and its different diagram types can introduce them to organisational strategies they might not otherwise encounter. Gantt charts, for example, are not difficult to understand and can be useful organisational tools for kids working on projects as a group. Learning what they do, how they work, and how they help is a valuable secondary skill kids can pick up as they complete work in different subjects.

How will parents benefit?

A general-purpose diagram tool can be handy for many things so having EdrawMax as an app on the family computer will likely get plenty of use not just from kids.

Specifically relating to family matters, parents can produce easy-to-read diagrams to help kids plan their days and follow routines. A simple flow chart can be a helpful reference aid for kids who are learning to help with more difficult tasks around the home, or it could act as a guide to what they should do in an emergency or difficult situation.

Creating these charts in cooperation with your child will help embed the processes more firmly in their minds.

How will teachers benefit?

Teachers rely on visual clarity in many aspects of their work. There are many times when teachers need to create something that looks good. Certificates, prizes, lesson resources, planning documents, school plans and more.

The software teachers often use to create these documents is not always best suited to the task. Using general art packages or trying to force presentation software to make charts and diagrams is not ideal. As with many things, using the right tool for the job is quicker and more effective

You might be proficient with general software, but even with experience, it is unlikely you'll be able to match the speed and flexibility with which you can create something with EdrawMax. This efficiency isn't only evident at the point of creation but when you need it again later.

You might need a certificate or diagram you have made before to use in a different context and following an alternative theme. Rather than start from scratch or recolour and adapt every element, EdrawMax will let you change your original design into something new with very little work.

With EdrawMax, the software lets you concentrate on the diagram's purpose. The templates, easily editable elements, and automated formatting allow you to display your thoughts easily. Just as important, you can modify them without starting from scratch or jumping through hoops to make changes.

Browsing through EdrawMax's website and looking at the huge variety of templates the app offers can inspire lesson ideas. Build floor plans of a medieval castle for history and expand it into math to work on area and perimeter. Create infographic diagrams of biological processes or food chains in science.

Anything you produce in EdrawMax is easily exportable in a format most people can access, even if they do not own EdrawMax. Popular export formats include Word, PowerPoint, PDF, and PNG.

The ease with which you can customise the look or the whole diagram will let all of your colleagues share their creations and adapt them to match the presentation of their classroom or other lesson resources. The one-click beautify button can help you find a look that works if you can't decide on a custom design.

What can EdrawMax app improve on?

The png export tool always exports with the diagram background set to transparent. An option to force the export to use a solid colour for the background, or at least white, would be helpful to save an extra step when the user requires an opaque background.

One workaround is to save the graphic in a format that does not support transparency, such as jpg, but this is not obvious to users. If you want to save in a format other than png, you need to change the file extension with the dropdown list in the save dialogue.

How much does EdrawMax app cost?

EdrawMax is available as a subscription app with yearly or six-monthly options. At the time of this review of EdrawMax, there is also a lifetime purchase option that does not require any future payments. You can also buy the app in a bundle with other software from the same developer, giving you a healthy discount over buying them individually.

The app comes with cloud storage for premium users. If you cancel your subscription, your account moves to the free tier, where you can still access previously produced files. The lifetime purchase option provides 10x more storage than the subscription version.

EdrawMax has educational licensing options available through its website, allowing one account to work on up to three devices. The app's website has contact details for schools that want to make EdrawMax available to more staff members and students.

Is EdrawMax app safe to use?

EdrawMax's app does not contain content other than its tools and tutorials however, there are many populated templates that could be very useful to you. During this review of EdrawMax, we could not look at each of the more than 1,500 templates, so it is possible that some might cover concepts you do not want to use with your kids.

The premium version of EdrawMax comes with 1Gb of cloud storage which is convenient, but schools will need to check that the app's data and security policies are compatible with theirs.

Overall rating of the app.

EdrawMax is a delight to use. During this app review, we created diagrams to help kids learn processes in math, certificates to reward achievements, and attractive charts to illustrate front-of-class explanations.

You'll face a short learning curve as you adapt to its methods, but once you've got them, you'll find that you can work quickly within the app to visualise your needs. 

With this new-found creativity at your fingertips, you'll be less dependent on finding or buying resources from websites or perhaps, you'll become a contributor to those communities.

Try out the free trial of EdrawMax to see why we have awarded the app five stars.