Markmap vs Mermaid
A data-driven comparison of two Diagrams as code: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
MarkmapBuilds interactive mind maps from Markdown.
MermaidGenerate diagrams and flowcharts from markdown-like text definitions, with a live editor.
Key differences
- Mermaid has 6.9× as many GitHub stars as Markmap (90.5K vs 13.1K).
- Mermaid had more development activity over the last 12 months: 2,472 commits vs 4.
- Mermaid is downloaded 132× as often on npm (20M vs 152.1K per week).
- Both are released under the MIT license.
- Mermaid is the older project: its repository was created in 2014, Markmap's in 2020.
By the numbers
- Markmap
- Mermaid
Show data as a table
| Metric | Markmap | Mermaid |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 13,147 | 90,531 |
| npm downloads / week | 152,063 | 20,041,109 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 4 | 2,472 |
| Contributors | 12 | 365 |
| Forks | 1,012 | 9,322 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- Markmap
- Mermaid
Show data as a table
| Month | Markmap | Mermaid |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 0 | 63 |
| Nov 2025 | 0 | 143 |
| Dec 2025 | 0 | 61 |
| Jan 2026 | 0 | 89 |
| Feb 2026 | 0 | 186 |
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 230 |
| Apr 2026 | 0 | 277 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 435 |
| Jun 2026 | 2 | 327 |
| Jul 2026 | 0 | 75 |
| Aug 2026 | 0 | 331 |
| Sep 2026 | 2 | 255 |
Side by side
| Attribute | Markmap | Mermaid |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Builds interactive mind maps from Markdown. | Generate diagrams and flowcharts from markdown-like text definitions, with a live editor. |
| Category | Diagrams as code | Diagrams as code |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | v0.18.0 () | @mermaid-js/tiny@12.1.0 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 57 | 1,482 |
| Install | npm install markmap-lib | 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.
-
Markmap
Builds interactive mind maps from Markdown.
-
Mermaid
Generate diagrams and flowcharts from markdown-like text definitions, with a live editor.