head to head · open source
Mermaid vs F2
Mermaid has 90,299 GitHub stars, 9,266 forks, 1,781 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. F2 has 7,997 stars, 636 forks, 303 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. Mermaid leads on adoption by 1,029% (90,299 vs 7,997 stars). Mermaid is written in TypeScript under MIT; F2 is written in JavaScript under MIT. Mermaid has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, F2 8%. Mermaid 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Mermaid | F2 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 8.0K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-05-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.3K | ⑂ 636 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Mermaid if
- You weight community size — 90K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick F2 if
- You want the F2 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and F2 fits your workflow better
About Mermaid
Mermaid is a JavaScript based diagramming tool that renders diagrams from Markdown like text definitions. It lives in the JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystem and operates both in the browser and in Node.js environments. The project’s core purpose is to eliminate the gap between software development and documentation by letting developers write diagrams alongside code, avoiding the rot and overhead of manual diagram maintenance.
read the full Mermaid overview →
About F2
F2 is a mobile first JavaScript charting library from Ant Group's AntV family, built for developers who need elegant, interactive data visualisation across H5, mini program, Node.js, React Native, and Weex from a single codebase.
More in Data & Analytics
Related comparisons
More Business Intelligence & Reporting projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Business Intelligence & Reporting field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mermaid or F2 more popular?
Mermaid has 90,299 GitHub stars and F2 has 7,997. Mermaid has the larger community by that measure.
Are Mermaid and F2 free?
Both are open source. Mermaid is licensed under MIT and F2 under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Mermaid and F2?
Mermaid is written in TypeScript and F2 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, Mermaid or F2?
Choose Mermaid if you want the larger community (90,299 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose F2 if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.