head to head · open source
Mermaid vs Redash
Mermaid has 90,293 GitHub stars, 9,266 forks, 1,781 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Redash has 28,800 stars, 4,624 forks, 805 open issues and last shipped 15 days ago. Mermaid leads on adoption by 214% (90,293 vs 28,800 stars). Mermaid is written in TypeScript under MIT; Redash is written in Python under BSD-2-Clause. Mermaid has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Redash 16%. Mermaid was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (javascript), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | Redash | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 29K |
| License | MIT | BSD-2-Clause |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-09-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.3K | ⑂ 4.6K |
| 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 Redash if
- You want the Redash feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-2-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Redash 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 Redash
Redash is an open source business intelligence and data analytics platform built with Python and JavaScript. It enables users to connect to diverse data sources, write and execute SQL/NoSQL queries, build visualizations, and share interactive dashboards—all through a browser based interface.
read the full Redash overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Mermaid or Redash more popular?
Mermaid has 90,293 GitHub stars and Redash has 28,800. Mermaid has the larger community by that measure.
Are Mermaid and Redash free?
Both are open source. Mermaid is licensed under MIT and Redash under BSD-2-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Mermaid and Redash?
Mermaid is written in TypeScript and Redash 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 Redash?
Choose Mermaid if you want the larger community (90,293 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Redash if its feature set, stack or BSD-2-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.