head to head · open source
Mermaid vs faction
Mermaid has 90,293 GitHub stars, 9,266 forks, 1,781 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. faction has 604 stars, 65 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. Mermaid leads on adoption by 14,849% (90,293 vs 604 stars). Mermaid is written in TypeScript under MIT; faction is written in Java under GPL-2.0. Mermaid has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, faction 11%. 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.
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Side by side
| Mermaid | faction | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 604 |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-09-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.3K | ⑂ 65 |
| 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 faction if
- You want the faction feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and faction 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 faction
FACTION is an open source penetration testing report generation and assessment collaboration framework from OWASP, built for security consultancies, red teams, and internal assessment groups that need to turn raw findings into tracked, peer reviewed client deliverables.
read the full faction overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Mermaid or faction more popular?
Mermaid has 90,293 GitHub stars and faction has 604. Mermaid has the larger community by that measure.
Are Mermaid and faction free?
Both are open source. Mermaid is licensed under MIT and faction under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Mermaid and faction?
Mermaid is written in TypeScript and faction in Java. 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 faction?
Choose Mermaid if you want the larger community (90,293 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose faction if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.