head to head · open source
motion vs draw.io
motion has 34,813 GitHub stars, 1,497 forks, 112 open issues and last shipped yesterday. draw.io has 9,138 stars, 1,361 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. motion leads on adoption by 281% (34,813 vs 9,138 stars). motion is written in TypeScript under MIT; draw.io is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. motion has attracted 4% as many forks as stars, draw.io 15%. motion 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
| motion | draw.io | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 35K | ★ 9.1K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 1.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick motion if
- You weight community size — 35K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick draw.io if
- You want the draw.io feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and draw.io fits your workflow better
About motion
Motion An open source animation library for JavaScript, React and Vue Table of Contents 1. Why Motion? 2. 🍦 Platforms 3. 🎓 Examples 4. ⚡️ Motion+ 5. 👩🏻⚖️ License 6. 💎 Contribute 7. ✨ Sponsors Why Motion? Simple API: First class React, JavaScript, and Vue packages. Hybrid engine: Power of JavaScript combined with native browser APIs for 120fps, GPU accelerated animations. Production ready: TypeScript, extensive test suite, tree shakable, tiny footprint. Batteries included: Gestures, springs, layout transitions, scroll linked effects, timelines. 🍦 Platforms Motion is available for React, JavaScript and Vue…
read the full motion overview →
About draw.io
draw.io About draw.io is a configurable diagramming and whiteboarding application, jointly owned and developed by draw.io Ltd (previously named JGraph) and draw.io AG. We also run a production deployment at License The source code in this repository is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. The icon sets, stencil libraries, and diagram templates are provided under the following terms: The icon sets and stencil libraries included in this software, and any derivatives thereof (including conversions to other formats, traced reproductions, substantially similar visual representations, or AI generated images created…
read the full draw.io overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is motion or draw.io more popular?
motion has 34,813 GitHub stars and draw.io has 9,138. motion has the larger community by that measure.
Are motion and draw.io free?
Both are open source. motion is licensed under MIT and draw.io under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between motion and draw.io?
motion is written in TypeScript and draw.io in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, motion or draw.io?
Choose motion if you want the larger community (34,813 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose draw.io if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.