User flows are an important part of the planning of any website, app, or other digital product. They allow you to map out what steps a user will take to complete an action, from signing up for an account to completing a checkout process.
Product teams have three basic options for creating user flows: creating a diagram from scratch, adapting a prebuilt template, or employing an AI-based user flow generator.
One thing to note with this list is that it’s aimed more at people who are new to creating user flows and user flow diagrams. There are high-level professional tools out there that are used for this process by many designers, but the barrier to entry is often high and can be intimidating to new users. The user flow generators on this list are aimed at people with limited experience (though many of them can also effectively be used by more advanced users, too).
Template-Based User Flow Generators
Template-based user flow generators have been around for years. You start with a generic template for a similar user flow and then adapt it to fit your unique use case.
Flowmapp
Flowmapp lets you start from scratch or use a template to start your first user flow diagram. Choose from a variety of templates for common user flows, including sign in/sign up, changing a profile picture, onboarding new users, e-commerce checkout, and online referral processes.
Once you’ve selected a user flow template to start with, you can adapt the steps, connections, shapes, color palette, and other elements to match your product’s needs.
Flowmapp allows you to create one diagram for free, with paid plans offering additional features.
Creately
Creately is a template-based user flow generator that focuses on collaboration. In addition to templates, Creately also includes a large library of user flow shapes that you can use to customize templates or create a user flow from scratch.
You start out with Creately by choosing a template. From there, customize the steps that are included to match your product, add and arrange the visual elements you want to include, and define the decisions your users will make along the way. At any point in the creation process, you can bring in team members for collaboration.
Creately offers a free plan that allows you to create up to 3 user flows (or other flow charts) with up to 45 items per canvas.
Canva’s Flowchart Maker
Canva might be a surprising inclusion on this list, but many non-designers (and plenty of designers!) are very familiar with its interface, making the barrier to entry low. If the user flow you’re working on is fairly straightforward (a login flow, for example), it’s a great option to get started with. And the diagrams created can be polished enough to share with stakeholders.
Canva’s Flowchart Maker is part of their Whiteboard space, available on their free plans.
AI-Based User Flow Generators
As AI becomes more powerful, AI-based user flow generators have entered the scene. These generators work based on text prompts, allowing you to create a user flow diagram that’s based on your unique needs from the start.
Flowstep
Flowstep allows you to create a user flow from a text prompt. Once the initial user flow has been created, it includes powerful iteration tools for fine-tuning the diagram. You can zoom in to each step in the flow and then iterate based on edge cases, additional interactions, or make manual edits. You can customize the user flow by changing the shapes, connectors, text, and more.
Being able to easily expand on different steps with further instructions (including custom AI prompts) is a huge help for non-designers who want to explore their options in creating user flows.
Flowstep allows you to create an unlimited number of user flow diagrams with a free account.
Eraser
Eraser’s AI flowchart creator can be used as a user flow generator, though you’ll need to be more explicit in your AI prompts than with more focused tools. The interface is incredibly simple, with just a text box to input your prompt. Once you input your prompt, the AI will ask additional follow-up questions to further refine the output. Editing the output can be done via drag-and-drop, AI inputs, or via a code editor.
You can create an initial draft of the user flow diagram without signing up, but in order to save or edit your diagram, you’ll need to sign up for an Eraser account.
Galaxy User Flow Generator
Galaxy’s user flow generator uses a more structured prompt format than most, with specific fields to input different types of information. Enter the product or feature name, the target audience, the user goal, and additional requirements to get started. You can then select how many options you want to have generated, which is a nice feature if you’re in the early stages of planning and aren’t sure which direction you want to go in.
One key thing to note is that while the Galaxy User Flow Generator creates a user flow, it does so in text format, not as a user flow diagram. You’ll need to input the information produced into another tool to get a finished diagram.
Paid plans allow users to access more advanced AI features and more powerful models, but a free account allows basic outputs.
How to Choose a User Flow Generator
Choosing a user flow generator can feel daunting. But there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Price point: Can you at least try out the tool for free? Are there free plans that will allow you to get started on your user flow before deciding to upgrade?
- User-friendliness: The best tool is the tool you feel comfortable using! If you spend hours poring over tutorials instead of actually working on your user flow, that’s time wasted.
- Can it do what you need? Some user flow tools are very basic, some only output text when you might need a diagram, and some create outputs that are so overly complex that you spend more time simplifying the user flow created than you would designing one from scratch.
The most important thing to remember when choosing a user flow generator is that it should meet your project’s unique requirements. Spend a little time trying some options and go with the one you feel most comfortable using.