CloudForge vs draw.io / diagrams.net
Free general diagramming
draw.io is free, private, and great for quick diagrams — including cloud icons. Like Lucidchart, though, the output is a picture. CloudForge turns the same drag-and-drop effort into deployable Terraform with cost, policy, and an AI architect included.
| Capability | CloudForge | draw.io / diagrams.net |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier + paid plans | Completely free |
| Cloud resource shapes | 200+ with provider intelligence | Icon libraries |
| Terraform / IaC generation | ||
| AI architect | ||
| Live cloud import | ||
| Cost estimation | ||
| Deploy from the tool | ||
| Offline / desktop | Windows desktop app + VS Code | Desktop app |
The honest verdict
draw.io wins on "free and simple picture." CloudForge wins the moment you want that picture to be real: generated IaC, live import, cost, governance, and deployment.
draw.io / diagrams.net is best for quick, free, offline diagrams of anything. Comparison based on publicly available information as of July 2026 — check both vendors for current details.