head to head · open source
diagram-design vs semiotic
diagram-design has 64,318 GitHub stars, 4,247 forks, 42 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. semiotic has 2,717 stars, 144 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped yesterday. diagram-design leads on adoption by 2,267% (64,318 vs 2,717 stars). diagram-design is written in HTML under MIT; semiotic is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. diagram-design has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, semiotic 5%. semiotic 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 | semiotic | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 64K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | HTML | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.2K | ⑂ 144 |
| 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 semiotic if
- You want the semiotic feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and semiotic 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 semiotic
A React data visualization library designed for AI assisted development. Start with a small chart component. Add network graphs, streaming data and coordinated views when the task needs them. Structured schemas, diagnostics and rendering evidence help coding assistants implement, check and repair chart configurations. Work through a complete task: check category totals, maintain a live chart, or correct a published chart. The source task packets identify their build and evidence scope; source availability does not establish installed or deployed parity. What's New in 3.10.1 3.10.1 adds Network Atlas recipes and…
read the full semiotic overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is diagram-design or semiotic more popular?
diagram-design has 64,318 GitHub stars and semiotic has 2,717. diagram-design has the larger community by that measure.
Are diagram-design and semiotic free?
Both are open source. diagram-design is licensed under MIT and semiotic under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between diagram-design and semiotic?
diagram-design is written in HTML and semiotic 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 semiotic?
Choose diagram-design if you want the larger community (64,318 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose semiotic if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.