# Diagrams vs PlantUML

## Key differences

- Diagrams has 3.2× as many GitHub stars as PlantUML (42.7K vs 13.4K).
- PlantUML had more development activity over the last 12 months: 846 commits vs 48.
- Diagrams is licensed under MIT; PlantUML under LGPL-3.0.
- Diagrams is written primarily in Python, PlantUML in Java.
- PlantUML is the older project: its repository was created in 2010, Diagrams's in 2020.

| | Diagrams | PlantUML |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Diagram as code in Python for prototyping cloud system architectures. | Generates UML, Gantt, mind map and other diagrams from plain text. |
| GitHub stars | 42,673 | 13,352 |
| Commits (12 months) | 48 | 846 |
| Contributors | 178 | 131 |
| License | MIT | LGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Java |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Install | `pip install diagrams` | `implementation("net.sourceforge.plantuml:plantuml:1.2025.4")` |

Source: https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/diagrams-vs-plantuml/ · Data updated 2026-10-04 · Content: CC BY 4.0, Awesome Dataviz (https://awesomedataviz.com).