Graphviz vs Mermaid
A data-driven comparison of two data visualization tools: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
Open source graph visualization command line tool and library. From input text to SVG,PDF,interactive web graph browser.
MermaidGenerate diagrams and flowcharts from markdown-like text definitions, with a live editor.
Key differences
- Mermaid has 61× as many GitHub stars as Graphviz (90.5K vs 1.5K).
- Graphviz is licensed under EPL-2.0; Mermaid under MIT.
- Mermaid is the older project: its repository was created in 2014, Graphviz's in 2017.
By the numbers
- Graphviz
- Mermaid
Show data as a table
| Metric | Graphviz | Mermaid |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 1,473 | 90,531 |
| Commits, last 12 months | – | 2,472 |
| Contributors | – | 365 |
| Forks | 406 | 9,322 |
Side by side
| Attribute | Graphviz | Mermaid |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Open source graph visualization command line tool and library. From input text to SVG,PDF,interactive web graph browser. | Generate diagrams and flowcharts from markdown-like text definitions, with a live editor. |
| Category | Data visualization apps & tools | Diagrams as code |
| License | EPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | – | TypeScript |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | – | @mermaid-js/tiny@12.1.0 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | – | 1,482 |
| Install | – | npm install mermaid |
Which should you choose?
Popularity and activity are only part of the story. Consider which ecosystem you work in, the chart types and interactions you need, how much data you render, and whether the license fits your project. Both tool pages list alternatives if neither is quite right.
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Graphviz
Open source graph visualization command line tool and library. From input text to SVG,PDF,interactive web graph browser.
-
Mermaid
Generate diagrams and flowcharts from markdown-like text definitions, with a live editor.