head to head · open source
diagram-design vs G6
diagram-design has 64,318 GitHub stars, 4,247 forks, 42 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. G6 has 12,371 stars, 1,652 forks, 333 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. diagram-design leads on adoption by 420% (64,318 vs 12,371 stars). diagram-design is written in HTML under MIT; G6 is written in TypeScript under MIT. diagram-design has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, G6 13%. diagram-design was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (data-visualization), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| diagram-design | G6 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 64K | ★ 12K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | HTML | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-10-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 1.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick diagram-design if
- You weight community size — 64K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches HTML
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick G6 if
- You want the G6 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and G6 fits your workflow better
About diagram-design
Diagram Design Editorial diagrams your designer won't hate. New in 2.0 — the Loop: flywheels with a shared memory hub. The dashed lines are the write backs. New in 2.3: semantic system patterns and optional accessible motion, while static output stays the default. New in 2.5.10: ten more layout grammars — Sankey, fishbone, Wardley map, kanban, user journey, deployment, dependency graph, UML class, story map, and database schema. 39 editorial diagram types for Claude Code, Codex, Factory Droid, Pi, and Agent Skills compatible hosts. Self contained HTML + SVG. No shadows. No Mermaid slop. Semantic patterns…
read the full diagram-design overview →
About G6
English 简体中文 G6: A Graph Visualization Framework in TypeScript Introduction • Examples • Quick Start • API G6 is a graph visualization engine. It provides basic capabilities for graph visualization and analysis such as drawing, layout, analysis, interaction, animation, themes, and plugins. With G6, users can quickly build their own graph visualization and analysis applications, making relational data simple, transparent, and meaningful. ✨ Features G6, as a professional graph visualization engine, boasts the following features: Rich Elements : It comes with a variety of built in node, edge, and Combo UI elements…
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Frequently asked questions
Is diagram-design or G6 more popular?
diagram-design has 64,318 GitHub stars and G6 has 12,371. diagram-design has the larger community by that measure.
Are diagram-design and G6 free?
Both are open source. diagram-design is licensed under MIT and G6 under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between diagram-design and G6?
diagram-design is written in HTML and G6 in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, diagram-design or G6?
Choose diagram-design if you want the larger community (64,318 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose G6 if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.