PRISMA flow diagram generator options
Updated 2026-10-27
There are several ways to produce a PRISMA flow diagram, and the best one depends less on the tool than on your workflow: where your counts live, who has to edit the figure, and what your journal accepts. This guide compares the main options honestly, including where this site's generator is not the right choice.
Quick comparison
| Option | Cost | Setup | Where the counts come from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This online generator | Free | None, runs in the browser | You type them in | Counts are ready and you want a clean figure quickly |
| PRISMA2020 R package / Shiny app | Free, open source | R, or the hosted web app | A form or a CSV data file | R users and reproducible, scripted reviews |
| Screening platforms (e.g. Covidence, Rayyan, DistillerSR, EPPI-Reviewer) | Mostly subscription; some free tiers | Account and team setup | Recorded as you screen | Teams already screening on that platform |
| Official template from the PRISMA website | Free | Word or PDF | You type them into boxes | Small edits, or journals that want an editable Word figure |
| General diagram tools (PowerPoint, draw.io, Lucidchart) | Free to paid | App or browser | You draw and type | Unusual layouts the templates don't cover |
| Code (TikZ, Graphviz, Mermaid) | Free | Coding | Written in code | LaTeX manuscripts and version-controlled projects |
Features and pricing of third-party tools change, so check the current details on each tool's own site.
Online generator (this site)
The free PRISMA flow diagram generator runs in your browser with no sign-up and no install. You pick one of the four official PRISMA 2020 templates, type numbers into a form, and the diagram updates as you type. Every heading, database name, register and exclusion reason can be edited. You can export PNG or SVG, or print to PDF, and save your progress to a file so you can come back later or pass it to a co-author.
Strengths: fast, private (nothing you type is uploaded), follows the official wording, and needs nothing installed, which helps on locked-down university or hospital computers.
Limits, honestly:
- It doesn't connect to any screening tool. You copy the counts across yourself.
- It makes a static figure. It doesn't produce the interactive, clickable diagrams the R package can.
- There's no live multi-user editing. Co-authors share the saved progress file instead.
- PDF export goes through your browser's print dialog, so check the page size before you save.
PRISMA2020 R package and Shiny app
The PRISMA2020 R package and its Shiny web app (Haddaway NR, Page MJ, Pritchard CC, McGuinness LA. Campbell Systematic Reviews 2022;18:e1230) were written by researchers involved in PRISMA 2020. They draw the diagram from a data file, and they can also produce interactive diagrams in which each box links to more detail, such as the search strategy or a list of excluded reports.
Choose it if your analysis already lives in R, you want the diagram to rebuild from a spreadsheet whenever the counts change, or you want an interactive version for supplementary material. Skip it if you've never used R and only need one figure. The data-file format takes a little learning.
Screening platforms
Covidence, Rayyan, DistillerSR, EPPI-Reviewer and similar platforms manage title and abstract screening, full-text review and conflict resolution between reviewers. Because they record every decision, several of them can generate a PRISMA diagram or a count summary directly. Covidence, for example, builds a flow diagram from the screening done in it. Whether a diagram export is included, and whether it uses the 2020 layout, depends on the tool and sometimes on your plan.
Watch out for counts the platform never saw. This is the most common reason a platform's diagram doesn't match the paper:
- Duplicates removed earlier. If you deduplicated in EndNote, Zotero or another reference manager before importing, the platform only sees the remaining records. Add those duplicates back into "records identified" and "duplicates removed".
- Records found outside the platform. Citation searching, websites and contacting authors often happen outside it, so they belong in the other-methods column.
- Exclusion reasons. Platforms store the reasons you set up. If you merged or renamed categories later, the exported counts may not match the categories in your paper.
A common workflow is to screen in the platform, check its counts against your search log, and then enter the reconciled numbers into this generator or the PRISMA2020 app to draw the final figure. This generator is independent and isn't affiliated with any of these services.
Word, PowerPoint and the official template
The PRISMA website provides the official flow diagram templates as editable files. Typing into them is easy for a single change, but boxes don't resize to fit long text, arrows have to be realigned by hand, and nothing checks your arithmetic. Some journals ask for figures in an editable format, so check the author guidelines first. If you generate the figure here, see the Word guide for how to insert it.
General diagram tools and code
draw.io (diagrams.net), Lucidchart and PowerPoint give you full control. That's useful when a review needs a non-standard layout, for example several linked searches or a living review with many update rounds. The cost is time and the risk of drifting from the official wording. Researchers who write in LaTeX sometimes draw the diagram in TikZ, or with Graphviz or Mermaid, so the figure lives in version control alongside the manuscript.
What about AI tools?
This generator doesn't use AI. The diagram is drawn only from the numbers you enter. Be careful with general AI chatbots for this job. A flow diagram reports real counts from your own search and screening records, and an AI model can't know those numbers. If asked, it may invent plausible-looking figures, so treat every number it produces as unchecked.
AI can still be useful around the diagram: for example, to draft the results paragraph from numbers you've already verified, or to double-check your subtractions. Even then, check the output against your screening log, and follow your journal's policy on disclosing AI use.
Questions to ask before you choose
- Where do my counts live? If they live in a screening platform, start there and reconcile. If they live in a spreadsheet, use the R package or type them in here.
- Will the diagram change again? Peer review often changes the counts. Pick something you can update in minutes, such as a saved progress file, a data file or code.
- What does the journal want? Check whether it wants vector files (SVG, EPS, PDF), a minimum resolution for images, or an editable figure.
- Is anything sensitive? Counts are rarely confidential, but if your institution restricts uploading research data, a tool that runs only in your browser avoids the question.
- Do I need an interactive version? If so, use the PRISMA2020 R package.
Which should you use?
If you have your counts and want a fast, private option with nothing to install, use the online generator. If your workflow is in R, or you want an interactive diagram, use the PRISMA2020 package or Shiny app. If your screening platform already produces a correct 2020-layout diagram and you've reconciled its counts, use that. Whichever you choose, follow the official PRISMA 2020 layout, check the arithmetic with the worked examples, and cite the PRISMA 2020 statement.
Quick answers
Is there an AI PRISMA flow diagram generator?
This one isn't AI-based. It draws the official PRISMA 2020 layout from the numbers you type, so nothing is invented.
Can I use the diagram my screening tool exports?
Yes, if it uses the PRISMA 2020 layout and its counts match your records. Check that duplicates removed before import and records found outside the tool are included.
Do journals prefer one tool over another?
Journals care that the figure follows PRISMA 2020, is legible and matches the text, not which tool drew it. Check the author guidelines for file format and resolution.
Source of the flow diagram wording: Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ 2021;372:n71. doi:10.1136/bmj.n71. Licensed CC BY 4.0. This site is independent and not affiliated with the PRISMA or EQUATOR Network groups.