# Mermaid vs PlantUML

## Key differences

- Mermaid has 6.8× as many GitHub stars as PlantUML (90.5K vs 13.4K).
- Mermaid had more development activity over the last 12 months: 2,472 commits vs 846.
- Mermaid is licensed under MIT; PlantUML under LGPL-3.0.
- Mermaid is written primarily in TypeScript, PlantUML in Java.
- PlantUML is the older project: its repository was created in 2010, Mermaid's in 2014.

| | Mermaid | PlantUML |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Generate diagrams and flowcharts from markdown-like text definitions, with a live editor. | Generates UML, Gantt, mind map and other diagrams from plain text. |
| GitHub stars | 90,531 | 13,352 |
| Commits (12 months) | 2,472 | 846 |
| Contributors | 365 | 131 |
| License | MIT | LGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Install | `npm install mermaid` | `implementation("net.sourceforge.plantuml:plantuml:1.2025.4")` |

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