How to Make a Flowchart in Confluence: Step-by-Step Guide (+ Faster Alternative)

Confluence is the documentation hub for teams using the Atlassian ecosystem. When your organization runs on Jira, Bitbucket, and Confluence, creating flowcharts inside Confluence pages keeps process documentation close to the work. But Confluence doesn't have a built-in flowchart editor - you'll need to use marketplace apps or workarounds. This guide walks you through the most practical approaches and helps you decide when a dedicated tool is the better choice.

Why Use Confluence for Flowcharts?

The strongest argument for creating flowcharts in Confluence is organizational context. If your team already documents processes, runbooks, and technical specs in Confluence, adding flowcharts to those pages keeps everything discoverable in one place. When someone searches for "deployment process," they find the written procedure and the visual diagram together.

Confluence also integrates tightly with the rest of the Atlassian stack. You can link flowchart pages to Jira tickets, reference them in Bitbucket pull requests, and include them in Confluence spaces organized by team or project. For enterprise teams with established Atlassian workflows, this integration is valuable.

Permission management is another consideration. Confluence's space-level and page-level permissions mean you can control who views and edits process flowcharts. In regulated industries or large organizations where access control matters, keeping diagrams inside Confluence leverages existing permission structures.

How to Create a Flowchart in Confluence (Step-by-Step)

Method 1: Using draw.io (Recommended Free Option)

draw.io for Confluence is one of the most popular diagramming apps on the Atlassian Marketplace. It's available in both free and paid versions.

Step 1: Install the draw.io App

If your Confluence instance doesn't already have draw.io, ask your Confluence admin to install it from the Atlassian Marketplace. Search for "draw.io Diagrams for Confluence" and follow the installation prompts. For Cloud instances, this is a straightforward one-click install.

Step 2: Insert a draw.io Diagram

Open the Confluence page where you want the flowchart. Click the + button in the editor toolbar or type /draw.io to insert a draw.io macro. A new diagram editor opens in a modal or new tab.

Step 3: Build Your Flowchart

The draw.io editor provides a full diagramming environment:

1. Select a template: Choose from the template library under Flowcharts for a head start, or start with a blank canvas.
2. Drag shapes: Use the shape panel on the left to drag flowchart shapes (Process, Decision, Terminator, etc.) onto the canvas.
3. Connect shapes: Hover over a shape to see blue connection arrows. Click and drag from an arrow to another shape to create a connector.
4. Add text: Double-click any shape to type text. Double-click a connector to add a label.
5. Style elements: Use the format panel on the right to change colors, borders, fonts, and connector styles.

Step 4: Use Auto-Layout

draw.io includes layout algorithms. Go to Format > Layout and try options like Tree or Vertical Flow to automatically arrange your shapes. This isn't always perfect for complex diagrams, but it provides a reasonable starting point that you can fine-tune.

Step 5: Save and Publish

Click Save and Exit to return to your Confluence page. The flowchart appears as an embedded diagram. Other users can double-click it to open the editor and make changes. The diagram data is stored within the Confluence page, so it's covered by Confluence's version history and backup processes.

Method 2: Using Gliffy

Gliffy is another popular diagramming tool for Confluence, though it requires a paid subscription.

Step 1: Install Gliffy

Install the Gliffy Diagrams app from the Atlassian Marketplace. Your admin handles the installation and license management.

Step 2: Create a Gliffy Diagram

In the Confluence editor, type /gliffy or use the + menu to insert a Gliffy macro. The Gliffy editor opens with a template chooser.

Step 3: Build the Flowchart

Select a flowchart template or start blank. Gliffy's interface is similar to draw.io:

• Drag shapes from the left panel
• Connect shapes by dragging from connection points
• Double-click to add text
• Use the properties panel to style elements

Gliffy offers some enterprise-friendly features like diagram version history within the macro, team libraries for shared shapes, and integration with Jira for referencing issues directly in diagrams.

Step 4: Save to Confluence

Save the diagram to embed it in your page. Gliffy diagrams render as interactive images in Confluence - viewers can zoom and pan without opening the editor.

Method 3: Using Mermaid or PlantUML Macros

For teams that prefer text-based diagramming, several Confluence marketplace apps render Mermaid or PlantUML syntax.

Step 1: Install a Rendering Macro

Search the Marketplace for "Mermaid" or "PlantUML" and install a compatible app. Options include "Mermaid Diagrams for Confluence" and "PlantUML for Confluence."

Step 2: Insert a Code-Based Diagram

In your Confluence page, insert the macro (e.g., /mermaid). Type your flowchart code:

graph TD
    A[Deploy Request] --> B{Tests Pass?}
    B -->|Yes| C[Deploy to Staging]
    B -->|No| D[Fix Issues]
    C --> E{QA Approved?}
    E -->|Yes| F[Deploy to Production]
    E -->|No| D
    D --> A

The macro renders the diagram when the page is published or previewed.

Limitations of Confluence for Flowcharts

• Third-party dependency: Confluence has no built-in flowchart editor. You're dependent on marketplace apps like draw.io or Gliffy, which means additional licenses, potential compatibility issues with Confluence updates, and varied quality.
• Performance with complex diagrams: draw.io and Gliffy diagrams are rendered as macros. Pages with multiple large diagrams can be slow to load, especially on Confluence Cloud.
• License costs add up: While draw.io has a free tier, advanced features and Gliffy both require paid licenses. For large teams, diagramming app costs can be significant on top of existing Confluence licensing.
• Editing friction: Opening a diagram macro, waiting for the editor to load, making changes, and saving back to Confluence is slower than editing in a dedicated tool. Each edit cycle involves multiple loading screens.
• Limited collaboration: While Confluence pages support co-editing, the embedded diagram editors typically don't support simultaneous editing by multiple users. One person edits the diagram at a time.
• Admin dependency: Installing and managing marketplace apps requires admin access. Teams can't start using diagramming features without IT involvement.

A Faster Way: AI-Powered Flowcharts with Flowova

When you need to create flowcharts regularly and want to skip the macro-loading, plugin-managing workflow, Flowova provides a streamlined alternative. The text-to-flowchart tool generates complete flowcharts from process descriptions. Type "CI/CD pipeline with testing, staging, and production stages" and get a professional diagram in seconds, with auto-layout, clean connectors, and editable nodes.

For Confluence users, the workflow is simple: create and refine your flowchart in Flowova, export as PNG or SVG, and embed the image in your Confluence page. This approach bypasses marketplace app dependencies, loads faster for page viewers, and gives you a better editing experience for the diagram itself. When the process changes, regenerate or edit the flowchart in Flowova and replace the image.

Confluence vs Flowova: Quick Comparison

Feature	Confluence (with apps)	Flowova
Price	Confluence license + app license	Free tier available
Built-in editor	No (requires draw.io/Gliffy)	Yes
AI generation	No	Yes - text to flowchart
Auto-layout	Limited (draw.io)	Full auto-layout
Templates	Varies by app	Template library
Real-time collaboration	Limited in diagram editors	Real-time editing
Export formats	PNG, SVG (via apps)	PNG, SVG, JSON
Enterprise permissions	Confluence space/page controls	Team sharing
Atlassian integration	Native (Jira links, etc.)	Export and embed
Page load performance	Slow with multiple macros	N/A (image embed)

When to Use Each Tool

Use Confluence with draw.io/Gliffy when your entire organization is in the Atlassian ecosystem, the diagram needs to be editable by anyone who opens the Confluence page, and your admin has already approved and installed a diagramming app. This approach makes sense for living documents where the flowchart is updated frequently by different team members directly in Confluence.

Use Flowova when you want to create flowcharts faster, when you don't have a diagramming app installed in Confluence, or when page performance matters (image embeds load faster than macro-rendered diagrams). It's particularly useful for teams that create many flowcharts - the AI generation feature eliminates the repetitive work of dragging shapes and routing connectors for each new diagram.

Related Resources

• How to Make a Flowchart - complete beginner guide
• Best AI Flowchart Generator 2026 - top tools compared
• Process Mapping Guide - document processes effectively
• Flowchart Symbols and Their Meanings - standard shape reference
• Try AI Text-to-Flowchart - create a flowchart in seconds