head to head · open source
Mermaid vs jfreechart
Mermaid has 90,299 GitHub stars, 9,266 forks, 1,781 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. jfreechart has 1,392 stars, 672 forks, 162 open issues and last shipped 10 months ago. Mermaid leads on adoption by 6,387% (90,299 vs 1,392 stars). Mermaid is written in TypeScript under MIT; jfreechart is written in Java under LGPL-2.1. Mermaid has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, jfreechart 48%. 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 | jfreechart | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 1.4K |
| License | MIT | LGPL-2.1 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2025-11-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.3K | ⑂ 672 |
| 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 jfreechart if
- You want the jfreechart feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-2.1 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and jfreechart 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 jfreechart
JFreeChart is a free, open source 2D chart library for the Java platform that works in JavaFX and Swing clients or on the server side, and it is built for Java developers who need to render and export charts without depending on a commercial charting product.
read the full jfreechart overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Mermaid or jfreechart more popular?
Mermaid has 90,299 GitHub stars and jfreechart has 1,392. Mermaid has the larger community by that measure.
Are Mermaid and jfreechart free?
Both are open source. Mermaid is licensed under MIT and jfreechart under LGPL-2.1. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Mermaid and jfreechart?
Mermaid is written in TypeScript and jfreechart 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 jfreechart?
Choose Mermaid if you want the larger community (90,299 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose jfreechart if its feature set, stack or LGPL-2.1 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.