Flowova vs Cacoo: AI Flowcharts vs Collaborative Online Diagramming (2026)

Choosing between Flowova and Cacoo? They solve flowchart creation differently. Cacoo, made by Nulab, emphasizes real-time team collaboration with a clean interface. Flowova emphasizes AI-powered speed — describe a process and get a flowchart instantly. Here's how they compare.

What is Cacoo?

Cacoo is an online diagramming tool by Nulab, the company behind Backlog (project management) and Typetalk (team messaging). Cacoo focuses on real-time collaboration, letting multiple team members edit diagrams simultaneously. It supports flowcharts, wireframes, network diagrams, mind maps, and other diagram types. Cacoo integrates well with other Nulab products and common platforms like Google Drive, Confluence, and Slack.

What is Flowova?

Flowova is an AI-powered flowchart maker built for speed. Describe your process in plain text — or upload a document, image, or PDF — and Flowova generates a structured flowchart automatically. It focuses on making flowchart creation as fast and accessible as possible.

Feature comparison

Capability	Flowova	Cacoo
Target audience	General users	Collaborative teams
Creation method	AI text-to-diagram	Manual drag-and-drop
Diagram types	Flowcharts (specialized)	Flowcharts, wireframes, etc.
AI features	Core functionality	None
Real-time editing	No	Yes — multi-user
Document import	PDF, images, text, code	None
Mermaid support	Full import/export	None
Integrations	Export-focused	Nulab suite, Google, Slack
Learning curve	Very low	Low

Where Flowova wins

AI-powered creation speed

Cacoo's workflow is traditional: open a template, drag shapes from the panel, connect them manually, label everything. A moderately complex flowchart takes 20-30 minutes.

Flowova's workflow: describe your process, click generate, review. The same flowchart takes 3-5 minutes. When you create flowcharts regularly, this time difference is substantial.

Document-to-flowchart conversion

Have a PDF manual, a process document, or a photo of a whiteboard diagram? Flowova can ingest these and extract the process flow automatically. Cacoo has no document import — everything starts from a blank canvas or template.

This is particularly useful for converting existing SOPs and process documentation into visual formats.

Focused simplicity

Cacoo, as part of the Nulab suite, carries integration complexity. Settings, team management, and cross-product features add overhead when you just want a flowchart.

Flowova is a focused tool: describe, generate, refine, export. There's no suite to learn, no team management overhead for individual use, no cross-product features demanding attention.

Pricing for individuals

Flowova's lifetime option ($169 one-time) is attractive for individuals and freelancers who want to avoid monthly subscriptions. Cacoo doesn't offer a similar option — it's subscription-only with per-user pricing.

Where Cacoo wins

Real-time multi-user collaboration

Cacoo's strongest feature is real-time collaborative editing. Multiple team members can work on the same diagram simultaneously, seeing each other's cursors and changes live. This is genuinely useful during meetings, workshops, and design sessions.

Flowova supports sharing and comments, but not simultaneous multi-user editing.

Nulab ecosystem integration

For teams already using Backlog for project management and Typetalk for messaging, Cacoo completes the suite. Diagrams link to project tasks, team discussions reference shared diagrams, and everything stays connected.

If your team is invested in Nulab's ecosystem, Cacoo's integration advantage is significant.

Broader diagram types

Cacoo supports wireframes, mind maps, network diagrams, and organizational charts alongside flowcharts. While not as comprehensive as Lucidchart, it offers more variety than Flowova's flowchart focus.

For teams that occasionally need wireframes or org charts, having these in the same tool is convenient.

Practical example: customer return process

Creating in Cacoo:

1. Open Cacoo, select flowchart template
2. Invite team members to collaborate
3. Drag process shapes for each return step
4. Add decision diamonds (defective? within policy?)
5. Connect all shapes, label branches
6. Team members add their department's steps simultaneously
7. Format and align

Time: 25-35 minutes (shorter with multiple contributors)

Creating in Flowova:

1. Enter: "Customer requests return. Check if within 30-day return window. If no, deny return and suggest warranty options. If yes, ask reason for return. If defective, issue full refund and prepaid return label. If changed mind, check if item is opened. If unopened, issue refund minus shipping. If opened, offer exchange or store credit only. Process return shipment. Inspect returned item. Update inventory. Issue refund to original payment method."
2. Click generate
3. Review, adjust labels if needed
4. Share with team for feedback

Time: 5-8 minutes

Cacoo shines when the team builds the diagram together in real-time. Flowova shines when one person needs to create and share a flowchart quickly.

Pricing comparison

Flowova:

• Free: Basic AI flowchart generation
• Pro: $10/month or $60/year
• Lifetime: $169 one-time

Cacoo:

• Free: Limited to 6 diagrams
• Pro: $6/user/month (billed annually)
• Team: $6/user/month (min 3 users)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Cacoo's per-user pricing is reasonable for small teams but scales linearly. Flowova's lifetime option eliminates ongoing costs entirely.

Making the decision

Choose Flowova when:

• Speed of creation is the top priority
• You have existing documents to convert to flowcharts
• Individual or small team use
• You want to avoid per-user subscription costs
• Flowcharts are your primary diagram type

Choose Cacoo when:

• Real-time collaborative editing is essential
• Your team uses other Nulab products (Backlog, Typetalk)
• You need wireframes and mind maps alongside flowcharts
• Team-based diagram creation during meetings is common
• You value diagram version history and team management

The bottom line

Cacoo is a solid collaborative diagramming tool, especially for teams in the Nulab ecosystem. Flowova is an AI-first flowchart maker that prioritizes creation speed over team collaboration features.

If your team regularly creates diagrams together in real-time, Cacoo's collaboration features justify its per-user cost. If you need flowcharts created quickly and don't require simultaneous editing, Flowova's AI approach saves more time than real-time collaboration could.

Try Flowova free

See how fast AI can generate flowcharts. Start creating with Flowova — describe your process and get a diagram in seconds.

Related comparisons

• Flowova vs Miro — Collaboration-focused comparison
• Flowova vs Creately — Data-linked diagramming comparison
• Flowova vs Draw.io — Free diagramming comparison

Related resources

• How to Make a Flowchart — Complete beginner guide
• Flowchart Templates — Ready-to-use templates