SmartDraw 2010

1.0 stars

"I thought it was terrific, but . . ."

September 24, 2012  |   By susanrokita

Version: SmartDraw 2010 2010.12

Pros

Initially looked like it was exactly what I needed and was ready to pay for it.

Cons

Then, it wouldn't print a sample, watermarked chart (3 sample prints allowed). Then, it became unstable and went nuts. Then, my internet stopped working. I'm running a new HP laptop with Windows 7. I thought my laptop was shot. I had to clean the registry because of this piece of garbage.

Summary

BEWARE! Don't download.

Reply to this review

Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

1.0 stars

"It blows. Bigtime."

September 17, 2012  |   By parallaxone

Version: SmartDraw 2010 2010.12

Pros

Looks like a good program.

Cons

Difficult to activate free version.

Summary

It's not "free" at all.

Reply to this review

Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

4.0 stars

"Product is simple to use but too expensive"

February 27, 2012  |   By AlejandroCova

Version: SmartDraw 2010 2010.12

Pros

Handy program to have specially for its mind map ability.

Cons

I really liked this program unfortunately when weighing the pros vs cons the price of the products even with their $100 off is still too high

Summary

Because you can do all of what this program does with Powerpoint the price they are asking is too high even with their $100 off promotion.

Reply to this review

Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

5.0 stars

"Incredible Program"

February 15, 2012  |   By thecelebgroup

Version: SmartDraw 2010 2010.12

Pros

Stunning, helpful templates with awesome library icons that work no matter your industry or business. Incredibly user-friendly. Clear concise navigation that makes using the program fun and intuitive. This program has no peer. It's the best on the market of its kiind and the newest version, unbelievably, improves on what was already an AMAZING program. Highly recommend this program!The naysayers are "completely" wrong. This is the best out there!

Cons

Not really a con, because the program continues to evolve, but we're hopeful future editions will include more concert and special event templates, coupled with libary graphics.

Summary

Not sure where these naysayers are coming from. Our firm represents popular entertainers and producers which requires us to produce everything from Film Funding Proposals, Strategic Career Plans, Stage plots, organizational charts, etc. Prior to using SmartDraw, it was onerous to create and insert professional, yet visually stunning graphics. This program has it all. Templates, the ability to create your own templates, and a graphics library to create these templates that is awesome. What we like best is that whether we're creating a hard-nosed financial proposal which requires clear to-the-point graphics and charts, or creating a television, film or record company business plan, we can do so easily, effortlessly and with aplomb. We've used Visio and several other programs over the years and SmartDraw, hands-down, is without peer.

Reply to this review

Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

1.0 stars

"Filled with Adware - DO NOT DOWNLOAD -"

February 3, 2012  |   By asdfasdflkjhlkjh

Version: SmartDraw 2010 2010.12

Pros

Didn't have a chance to try it.

Cons

I had to decommission my computer for the entire day to scan and remove the adware.
I kept getting alerts from a fake program called "Security Shield" that I had many infections, but this was in fact the adware. It kept trying to get on the internet, but I'd pulled the network cable already.




MalwareBytes found:
PUP.CNET.Adware.bundle
in the file
C:/downloads/cnet_smartdraw_setup_CNET_exe.exe

Summary

I lost all trust in CNET.
SCREW CNET FOR INCLUDING ADWARE IN THEIR OWN DOWNLOADER.

Updated on Feb 3, 2012

I'm not the only one. Google "Cnet Adware bundle" if you don't trust me. CNET IS DOING THIS TO YOU. DO NOT TRUST THEM.
http://forums.cnet.com/7723-12543_102-552264/adware-pup-cnet-from-download-com/

Reply to this review

Was this review helpful? (1) (0)

3.0 stars

"Decent Alternative to Jump Start Your Process"

December 30, 2011  |   By Nolan Lemon

Version: SmartDraw 2010 2010.12

Pros

Reading several reviews, I cannot help but chuckle. This software is not supposed to be Visio. Of course, Visio has tons of options, but the learning curve (much like most of Microsoft's products) can be steep. For example, I'm sure if I were a mathematician, the countless features within Excel would delight me for hours on end. But, I'm not, so I just want an intuitive program that's easy to use in a pinch (need some visuals for a presentation tomorrow) without searching a manual or scouring the Internet for user-group comments and guidance.

Often, programmers design so many bells and whistles into programs, yet forget that most end users aren't programmers themselves. The core value of SmartDraw has to be it's fairly simple to use--even for people who aren't as adept with software. Within a short time of playing around with options, a complete novice can build decent visuals--no special conditions to be aware of, no rules to learn.

Cons

I'd have to say the biggest con is price. For what it does and provides, I'd price this between $99 and $149.

There are limitations to the program. It's not designed to do the heavy lifting of Visio. Hyperlinking between visuals and annotating--SmartDraw lacks these features.

If you require something that provides more extensive options and flexibility, and you have the time to learn a stronger program, then either purchase a program like Visio or research open-source alternatives.

Summary

SmartDraw is to Visio what SnagIt is to PhotoShop--a less expensive, quick, easy-to-use resource that can satisy the needs of most ordinary users.

It's a decent product. While it's not the greatest, it's certainly not the worst, as some user reviews have painted it. Reviewers who attempt to grade SmartDraw against Visio aren't always painting the most accurate picture. At the Visio Standard level ($249), SmartDraw is a decent product, depending on the needs of the user. Visio's big-box features are included in the more expensive versions: Visio Professional ($559.99) and Visio Premium ($999.99).

My recommendation is download the trial versions of SmartDraw and Visio and get a feel for both. Only you know what your needs are, as well as your comfort level working with software.

Reply to this review

Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

2.0 stars

"Not a replacement for Visio!"

November 16, 2011  |   By TxAg91

Version: SmartDraw 2010 2010.12

Pros

It is pretty easy to learn. The LDAP feature was cool.

Cons

You cannot import Visio files unless you own a copy of Visio and have it installed on your machine. This makes it useless in an environment where some people use Visio and you want to share files, or as a replacement for Visio.

Summary

As with any software, once you use it enough, it becomes easy to use. I think this software is just OK, not great at all. It might be easier than Visio to learn, initially, but in the long term, Visio is still much better.

Reply to this review

Was this review helpful? (0) (0)

2.0 stars

"Microsoft paint did the job better"

November 1, 2011  |   By firmbutfoul

Version: SmartDraw 2010 2010.12

Pros

Some useful symbols to insert and chart options.

Cons

There is far better software, microsoft paint worked better for my purposes, glitches meant formatting was painstaking and not really functional (could not get rid of hashed lines in all shapes). Mindmapping option is not great compared to other software.
Seems like much of the money spent was in advertising the software. - waste of money

Reply to this review

Was this review helpful? (0) (1)

2.0 stars

"It's nothing exceptional."

August 24, 2011  |   By MarzEz_

Version: SmartDraw 2010 2010.12

Pros

Slightly easier than Powerpoint
Does support some text formatting

Cons

Watermarks output
Not as customisable as Powerpoint
Only a seven day trial

Summary

Essentially, there is no major benefit to using this program over making a flowchart in Powerpoint. Although you can manage some text formatting with this program, Powerpoint only requires a little more effort, you can do more with it, you can use it for more than seven days, and it doesn't open web pages every ten minutes.
If you don't want to buy Microsoft's Powerpoint, then OpenOffice.Org will do the same thing for free.
Personally, I wouldn't say this is worth the download.

Reply to this review

Was this review helpful? (2) (0)