This is an independent community resource about Dia. We are not affiliated with the GNOME Dia project. The timeline below is compiled from public sources (GNOME wiki, dia-installer.de, Wikipedia).

Is Dia Still Maintained in 2026?

Short answer: Dia is in maintenance mode, not dead. The last official releases were v0.97.2 (2011, Windows) and v0.97.3 (2014, Linux/source). There is no active feature development, but Linux distributions still package it (most ship 0.97.3 or newer builds), the code remains available, and the software works fine on modern systems. Think “old but working” — not “abandoned and broken”.

The Honest Timeline

1998 — Alexander Larsson starts Dia as a GTK+ Visio alternative for the GNOME desktop.
2009 — v0.97 adds the integrated UI, Cairo rendering, find & replace.
2011–2012 — v0.97.2: the last widely-distributed Windows installer. This is the version most Windows users still run.
2014 — v0.97.3 released for Linux/source builds. No new Windows installer followed.
2015–2026 — Maintenance mode. Distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora) keep packaging Dia from source; community members maintain the Windows installer downloads and shape repositories. No new features, but the existing ones keep working.

What “Maintenance Mode” Means for You

  • It will not suddenly stop working. Dia is a local desktop app with no servers to shut down and no license checks to expire. Your diagrams are safe.
  • Don’t expect new features. No dark mode overhaul, no real-time collaboration, no .vsdx import is coming. Judge Dia on what it does today.
  • Security risk is minimal. It is an offline drawing tool that never touches the network. The attack surface is about as small as software gets.
  • Community resources persist: the shape repository, installer downloads and documentation remain online.
Why this page exists: “Is this project dead?” is the most common pre-download question for any decade-old open-source tool — and the reason many visitors hesitate. We would rather answer it straight than let you guess.

Should You Still Use Dia in 2026?

Yes, if: you need a free, offline, lightweight diagram tool for UML, flowcharts, network maps or schematics — the things Dia has always done well. Look elsewhere if: you need real-time collaboration, cloud sync, or modern UI polish — see our free Visio alternatives roundup for honest options. Neither answer is a tragedy; it is just matching the tool to the job.

Old, Working, Free

Download v0.97.2 from the official upstream release channels.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the latest version of Dia?

v0.97.2 (Windows installer, 2011) and v0.97.3 (Linux/source, 2014). Linux distributions typically ship 0.97.3 or later builds from source.

Is Dia safe to use if it’s not updated?

For its threat model, yes — it is an offline desktop app with no network functionality. Standard antivirus scanning of the installer applies as with any download.

Who maintains Dia now?

The GNOME project hosts the code; Linux distributions package it; community members (notably via dia-installer.de) maintain the Windows installer downloads and shape repositories. There is no single full-time maintainer.

Will there be a Dia 1.0?

There is no public roadmap for one. Treat the current version as the final feature set.

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