head to head · open source
OpenPencil vs draw.io
OpenPencil has 8,357 GitHub stars, 815 forks, 46 open issues and last shipped yesterday. draw.io has 8,183 stars, 1,241 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. OpenPencil leads on adoption by 2% (8,357 vs 8,183 stars). OpenPencil is written in TypeScript under MIT; draw.io is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. OpenPencil has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, draw.io 15%. OpenPencil 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
| OpenPencil | draw.io | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 8.4K | ★ 8.2K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 815 | ⑂ 1.2K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenPencil if
- You weight community size — 8.4K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick draw.io if
- You want the draw.io feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and draw.io fits your workflow better
About OpenPencil
OpenPencil is an open source, AI native design editor that opens and writes native Figma .fig and Pencil .pen files, runs as a roughly 7 MB desktop app or in the browser, and is aimed at designers and developers who want a local, fully programmable alternative to Figma.
read the full OpenPencil overview →
About draw.io
draw.io is a configurable, client side JavaScript diagramming and whiteboarding application, jointly owned and developed by draw.io Ltd (previously JGraph) and draw.io AG, intended for anyone who needs to draw diagrams and whiteboards in a browser or on the desktop without a login.
read the full draw.io overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenPencil or draw.io more popular?
OpenPencil has 8,357 GitHub stars and draw.io has 8,183. OpenPencil has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenPencil and draw.io free?
Both are open source. OpenPencil is licensed under MIT and draw.io under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenPencil and draw.io?
OpenPencil is written in TypeScript and draw.io in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenPencil or draw.io?
Choose OpenPencil if you want the larger community (8,357 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose draw.io if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.