Best Mermaid Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from diagramming software ranked against Mermaid on the same published basis.
- 1Mermaid vs draw.io
- 2Mermaid vs EdrawMax
- 3Mermaid vs Creately
- 4Mermaid vs Ilograph
- 5Mermaid vs Structurizr
- 6Mermaid vs UMLet
- 7Mermaid vs Camunda
- 8Mermaid vs Lucidchart
- 9Mermaid vs Microsoft Visio
- 10Mermaid vs PlantUML
- 11Mermaid vs Preceden
- 12Mermaid vs Software Ideas Modeler
- 13Mermaid vs yEd Graph Editor
- 14Mermaid vs Arcentry
- 15Mermaid vs Bizagi Modeler
- 16Mermaid vs Cacoo
- 17Mermaid vs CloudSkew
- 18Mermaid vs Gliffy
- 19Mermaid vs Pencil Project
- 20Mermaid vs Visual Paradigm
Mermaid alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | draw.io | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 2 | EdrawMax | 6.7 | Free plan | $5.90/mo | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Creately | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Ilograph | 6.6 | Free plan | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 5 | Structurizr | 6.6 | Free plan | £25/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 6 | UMLet | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Browser, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Camunda | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 8 | Lucidchart | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Web, iOS, Android |
| 9 | Microsoft Visio | 6.5 | No | $5/mo | Mac, Web, Windows |
| 10 | PlantUML | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | API, Browser, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 11 | Preceden | 6.5 | Free plan | $10/mo | Android, iOS, Web |
| 12 | Software Ideas Modeler | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 13 | yEd Graph Editor | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | Arcentry | 6.4 | Free plan | $9.90/mo | API, self-hosted, Web |
| 15 | Bizagi Modeler | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows |
| 16 | Cacoo | 6.4 | Free plan | $6/mo | API, self-hosted, Web |
| 17 | CloudSkew | 6.4 | Free plan | — | Web |
| 18 | Gliffy | 6.4 | Free plan | $2.80/mo | Web |
| 19 | Pencil Project | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 20 | Visual Paradigm | 6.4 | Free plan | $4/mo | Web |
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Questions about Mermaid alternatives
What is the best alternative to Mermaid?
draw.io, number 1 in diagramming software with a score of 8.1 out of 10. The others here: EdrawMax, Creately, Ilograph and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Mermaid?
draw.io is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 19 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Is there an open-source alternative to Mermaid?
Yes: draw.io.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.