head to head · open source
draw.io vs Grida
draw.io has 9,138 GitHub stars, 1,361 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Grida has 2,695 stars, 151 forks, 125 open issues and last shipped 15 days ago. draw.io leads on adoption by 239% (9,138 vs 2,695 stars). draw.io is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; Grida is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. draw.io has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, Grida 6%. draw.io was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| draw.io | Grida | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 9.1K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-30 | 2026-10-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.4K | ⑂ 151 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick draw.io if
- You weight community size — 9.1K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Grida if
- You want the Grida 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 Grida fits your workflow better
About draw.io
draw.io About draw.io is a configurable diagramming and whiteboarding application, jointly owned and developed by draw.io Ltd (previously named JGraph) and draw.io AG. We also run a production deployment at License The source code in this repository is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. The icon sets, stencil libraries, and diagram templates are provided under the following terms: The icon sets and stencil libraries included in this software, and any derivatives thereof (including conversions to other formats, traced reproductions, substantially similar visual representations, or AI generated images created…
read the full draw.io overview →
About Grida
Grida Grida is an open source canvas editor — powered by the nothing graphics engine (Rust + Skia + WASM) — plus an SVG editor, Database/CMS and Forms. Canvas demo • SVG editor • Refig • Downloads • Website • Docs • Contributing • Slack Community Why Grida Grida is an open source canvas editor built for performance and interoperability — with a stable on disk document format. The 2D graphics engine that powers it lives in gridaco/nothing; this repo consumes it as the published @grida/canvas wasm artifact. Renderer backends : a DOM renderer for HTML/CSS workflows and a Skia renderer via WASM (WebGL2 + raster)…
read the full Grida overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is draw.io or Grida more popular?
draw.io has 9,138 GitHub stars and Grida has 2,695. draw.io has the larger community by that measure.
Are draw.io and Grida free?
Both are open source. draw.io is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Grida under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between draw.io and Grida?
draw.io is written in JavaScript and Grida 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, draw.io or Grida?
Choose draw.io if you want the larger community (9,138 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Grida if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.