Text to Diagram — Sketch a Flow by Typing
You know that moment in a meeting when someone asks "wait, how does this actually work?" and you start drawing boxes in the air. This is for that. Type the flow in plain text and Sketmi draws the diagram while you're still typing. No dragging boxes around, no fighting with arrows.
It's free and there's no sign up. The syntax is basically A -> B: label, and you can chain a whole pipeline in one line. If you want the details there's a short flow diagram syntax guide, and some flow diagram examples you can open and edit instead of starting from a blank page. When it looks right, share the link, copy the image, or export a PNG or SVG.
Features
Live preview
Diagram updates as you type. No build step, no reload.
Two visual styles
Hand-drawn Sketch mode or clean corporate Clean mode.
Node shapes
Declare type database for cylinders, type actor for stick figures.
Auto layout
Layered left-to-right layout with automatic crossing reduction.
Export
Download PNG (with or without background) or SVG vector. Copy directly to clipboard.
Share via URL
Entire diagram encoded in the link. Send to anyone — no account needed.
There are eight ready-made flow diagram examples you can open and edit, and the flow diagram syntax guide covers everything in about five minutes.
What is a text to diagram tool?
Exactly what it sounds like. You describe a diagram in words and the tool draws it. Type Customer -> Web App -> API: checkout and three boxes with labelled arrows appear next to your cursor. No shape palette, no dragging.
The point is speed while thinking. When an idea is half-formed, stopping to nudge boxes into alignment kills it. Typing keeps you in the thought. And because the diagram from text stays text, you can paste it into a ticket, keep it in version control, or send it to a teammate as a link they can edit.
Sketmi's version is free with no sign up. Open the page, type, share. If you've ever redrawn the same architecture on four different whiteboards, this is for you.
Common questions
Is it free?
Yes, completely. There's no paid tier, no locked export, no watermark.
Do I need an account or login?
No. Open the page and start typing. Your work saves in your browser automatically.
Can I share a diagram with someone?
Yes. The whole diagram is encoded in the URL, so you copy the link and send it. The other person doesn't need an account either.
Can I export the diagram?
Download it as PNG (with or without background) or SVG, or copy the image straight to your clipboard and paste it into Slack, Notion, or a doc.
What's the difference between this and a flowchart tool?
Flowchart tools come with rules: decision diamonds, swimlanes, connector types. This has none of that. You type plain text and get freeform boxes and arrows, which is usually what you wanted in the first place.
Do I need to learn a syntax?
Barely. A -> B: label is most of it. If you can write a bullet list you can draw a diagram here, and the syntax guide covers the rest in five minutes.
Does it work on mobile?
It works in any modern browser, phones included. Drawing by typing is honestly nicer with a keyboard, but reading and small edits on a phone are fine.