head to head · open source
Mermaid vs Ghostwriter
Mermaid has 90,969 GitHub stars, 9,441 forks, 1,781 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Ghostwriter has 1,953 stars, 259 forks, 38 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Mermaid leads on adoption by 4,558% (90,969 vs 1,953 stars). Mermaid is written in TypeScript under MIT; Ghostwriter is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. Mermaid has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Ghostwriter 13%. Ghostwriter 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 | Ghostwriter | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 91K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.4K | ⑂ 259 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Mermaid if
- You weight community size — 91K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Ghostwriter if
- You want the Ghostwriter feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Ghostwriter fits your workflow better
About Mermaid
Mermaid Generate diagrams from Markdown like text. Live Editor! 📖 Documentation 🚀 Getting Started 🌐 CDN 🙌 Join Us 简体中文 Try Live Editor previews of future releases: Develop Next :trophy: Mermaid was nominated and won the JS Open Source Awards (2019) in the category "The most exciting use of technology"!!! Thanks to all involved, people committing pull requests, people answering questions! 🙏 Table of content Expand contents About Examples Release Related projects Contributors Security and safe diagrams Reporting vulnerabilities Appreciation About Mermaid is a JavaScript based diagramming and charting tool…
read the full Mermaid overview →
About Ghostwriter
Ghostwriter Ghostwriter is an open source platform designed to enhance offensive security operations by simplifying report writing, asset tracking, and assessment management. It offers tools for managing clients, creating a reusable findings library, and organizing the infrastructure and domains utilized during assessments. With its powerful reporting engine, Ghostwriter includes comprehensive collaborative writing features and customizable report templates, allowing teams to produce polished deliverables with minimal manual effort. Ghostwriter comes equipped with "enterprise level" features, such as role based…
read the full Ghostwriter overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Mermaid or Ghostwriter more popular?
Mermaid has 90,969 GitHub stars and Ghostwriter has 1,953. Mermaid has the larger community by that measure.
Are Mermaid and Ghostwriter free?
Both are open source. Mermaid is licensed under MIT and Ghostwriter under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Mermaid and Ghostwriter?
Mermaid is written in TypeScript and Ghostwriter in Python. 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 Ghostwriter?
Choose Mermaid if you want the larger community (90,969 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Ghostwriter if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.