Beam vs Lucidchart
Beam and Lucidchart are both personal productivity tools. Beam is aimed at developers and creators, while Lucidchart is aimed at small businesses and enterprise. Lucidchart costs less, from $9/mo versus $12/mo for Beam. Both have a free plan.
Open individual windows from one Mac as native windows on another
Diagramming app for flowcharts, org charts and cloud architecture
| Pricing | Freemium · $12 | Freemium · $9 |
| Starting price | $12/mo | $9/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers, Creators, Freelancers, Small businesses | Small businesses, Enterprise, Developers |
| Platforms | macos | web, ios, android |
| Country | — | US · 2010 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Beam if
Developers and creators with two Apple silicon Macs who want a remote app to behave like a local window instead of a full screen share.
- Uses one remote app without taking over the whole desktop
- Window traffic goes directly between your Macs, not through Beam's servers
- Free plan has no card requirement and no limit on host Macs
Look elsewhere if: People who need to reach Windows or Intel machines or control a whole remote desktop across platforms (Jump Desktop, Parsec).
Choose Lucidchart if
Engineering, IT, product and operations teams that need accurate, data-linked diagrams embedded in their documentation tools.
- Excellent for structured technical and process diagrams
- Strong Atlassian, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 integrations
- Data-linked diagrams stay current without manual edits
Look elsewhere if: Teams wanting freeform brainstorming boards or UI design (Miro, Figma, Whimsical).
Beam vs Lucidchart pricing
Beam
- Free$0Host unlimited Macs, join share links, 20 minutes a day of use
- Monthly$12/moUnlimited use on every Mac you own, send share links
- Yearly$84/yrSame as Monthly; works out to $7/mo billed annually
- Lifetime$199One-time payment, all future updates, direct connections
- Team$12/seat/moOr $84/seat/yr; 20% off from 10 seats, one invoice
Lucidchart
- Free$03 editable documents, limited objects per document
- Individual$9/moBilled annually; unlimited documents, premium templates
- Team$10/user/moBilled annually; 3-user minimum, collaboration and admin
- EnterpriseCustomSSO, advanced security, data governance, Lucid Suite
Beam · Key features
- Single windows from another Mac open as native windows with Dock and Command-Tab entries
- Beam several windows at once or share an entire display
- Direct typing, shortcuts, two-way resizing, app audio and clipboard sync
- Works with headless Mac minis and Mac Studios that have no display
- Encrypted Mac-to-Mac connection on local Wi-Fi or over Tailscale
- Guest share links open one window in any browser, view-only by default
Cons
- macOS only, with Apple silicon and Sonoma or later required on both Macs
- Free use is capped at 20 minutes a day
- Devices without the Mac app, such as phones, only get browser links
Lucidchart · Key features
- Shape libraries for flowcharts, BPMN, UML, ERD and network diagrams
- AWS, Azure and Google Cloud architecture shapes
- Org charts generated automatically from CSV employee data
- Data linking from Google Sheets or Excel with conditional formatting
- Lucid AI that drafts diagrams from a text prompt
- Visio import and export plus SQL import for ERDs
Cons
- Free plan is capped at three editable documents
- Team plan requires at least three paid users
- Freeform whiteboarding is weaker than Miro
Beam vs Lucidchart: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Beam or Lucidchart?
Lucidchart starts at $9/mo and Beam at $12/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Beam and Lucidchart have a free plan?
Yes, both Beam and Lucidchart have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.