head to head · open source
Mermaid vs semiotic
Mermaid has 90,299 GitHub stars, 9,266 forks, 1,781 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. semiotic has 2,707 stars, 139 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Mermaid leads on adoption by 3,236% (90,299 vs 2,707 stars). Mermaid is written in TypeScript under MIT; semiotic is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Mermaid has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, semiotic 5%. semiotic 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 | semiotic | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.3K | ⑂ 139 |
| 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 semiotic if
- You want the semiotic feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and semiotic 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 semiotic
Semiotic is an Apache 2.0 TypeScript data visualization library for React, maintained by the nteract project, that pairs broad chart coverage — network graphs, streaming data, statistical distributions, and coordinated views — with schemas, diagnostics, and rendering evidence intended for AI assisted development.
read the full semiotic overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Mermaid or semiotic more popular?
Mermaid has 90,299 GitHub stars and semiotic has 2,707. Mermaid has the larger community by that measure.
Are Mermaid and semiotic free?
Both are open source. Mermaid is licensed under MIT and semiotic under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Mermaid and semiotic?
Mermaid is written in TypeScript and semiotic in TypeScript. 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 semiotic?
Choose Mermaid if you want the larger community (90,299 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose semiotic if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.