head to head · open source
Tldraw vs draw.io
Tldraw has 51,207 GitHub stars, 3,597 forks, 649 open issues and last shipped yesterday. draw.io has 9,138 stars, 1,361 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Tldraw leads on adoption by 460% (51,207 vs 9,138 stars). Tldraw is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; draw.io is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. Tldraw has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, draw.io 15%. Tldraw was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (diagram, whiteboard), 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
| Tldraw | draw.io | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 51K | ★ 9.1K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.6K | ⑂ 1.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Tldraw if
- You weight community size — 51K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other 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 Tldraw
Build infinite canvas apps in React with the tldraw SDK. Docs · Examples · Starter kits Feature highlights tldraw provides a feature complete infinite canvas engine designed to be the foundation for any canvas app. Create custom shapes, tools, bindings and UI components for a custom experience. Use the default whiteboarding tool set or use the library's primitives to build entirely new shapes and interactions. Multiplayer — self hostable real time collaboration with @tldraw/sync Drawing and diagramming — pressure sensitive drawing, geometric shapes, rich text, arrows, snapping to shapes, edge scrolling, image…
read the full Tldraw 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 Tldraw or draw.io more popular?
Tldraw has 51,207 GitHub stars and draw.io has 9,138. Tldraw has the larger community by that measure.
Are Tldraw and draw.io free?
Both are open source. Tldraw has no licence declared in this registry, and draw.io is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Tldraw and draw.io?
Tldraw 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, Tldraw or draw.io?
Choose Tldraw if you want the larger community (51,207 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose draw.io if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.