Fabrik vs Draw.io for Evacuation Plans

Yes, Draw.io (diagrams.net) is completely free with no paywall or trial limit. There is no premium tier that unlocks evacuation-specific features — the product is uniformly free. The tradeoff is that evacuation plan features you might expect in a paid tool (ISO 7010 library, NFPA templates, compliance checklists) are not present and would need to be built manually.

Draw.io allows custom shape imports (SVG files and libraries). You could theoretically build an ISO 7010 library by sourcing or creating SVG files for each of the 200+ symbols and importing them. This is a significant upfront time investment. Fabrik ships 250+ safety symbols pre-loaded, including the ISO 7010 evacuation, fire and mandatory families, which is often worth the subscription cost for anyone building more than a handful of plans.

It depends on the stakes. For a small business with fewer than 10 employees doing an internal orientation document, Draw.io is adequate. For a healthcare facility with CMS requirements, a school with state licensing inspections, an ERP subject to commission de sécurité review in France, or any organization where a fire marshal will review the plan, the absence of ISO 7010 symbols and compliance templates is a meaningful gap.

Yes. Draw.io lets you export diagrams as PDF, PNG, or SVG. Fabrik imports PDF and image files as floor plan backdrops. Your existing Draw.io work becomes the starting point — you import it into Fabrik and overlay proper ISO 7010 symbols and compliance-ready elements. No need to start over.