# Choose an editor

Six editors sounds like a lot until you realise they are answers to different questions. This page is the shortest path to the right one.

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## Decide in four questions

![Choosing a diagram editor](https://help.gocapable.com/images/att1411088545.svg)

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## What each one costs you

| **Editor**                | **You gain**                                   | **You give up**                         |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **draw.io**               | Total control of layout, huge shape libraries. | Changes are manual; no diffable source. |
| **Excalidraw**            | Speed, and a look that invites feedback.       | Precision, and a professional finish.   |
| **Text editor**           | Diffable source, layout done for you.          | Control over exact placement.           |
| **Mermaid visual editor** | Mermaid's source without writing syntax.       | Some of the rarer Mermaid features.     |
| **BPMN**                  | Real process semantics and validation.         | Freedom; it will refuse invalid models. |
| **DMN**                   | Decision rules that stay checkable.            | Only suits decision logic.              |

📝

**You are not locked in.** Several formats convert, and the original source is kept. See [Reference](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/reference.html).

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## Related

[Diagram typesStart from the diagram, not the tool.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/diagram-types.html)

[Text or visual diagramsThe underlying trade-off.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/overview.html)

[ExamplesSee each editor's output.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/examples.html)

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_Answer four questions, get the right surface._