head to head · open source
Tldraw vs Graphite
Tldraw has 50,422 GitHub stars, 3,517 forks, 649 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Graphite has 27,269 stars, 1,259 forks, 562 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Tldraw leads on adoption by 85% (50,422 vs 27,269 stars). Tldraw is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Graphite is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. Tldraw has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Graphite 5%. Graphite was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (design), 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 | Graphite | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 50K | ★ 27K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.5K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Tldraw if
- You weight community size — 50K 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 Graphite if
- You want the Graphite feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Graphite fits your workflow better
About Tldraw
Tldraw is a free, open source TypeScript and React SDK for building infinite canvas applications — the engine behind tldraw.com — aimed at developers who need whiteboarding, diagramming, or real time canvas collaboration embedded inside their own product rather than hosted as a separate destination site.
read the full Tldraw overview →
About Graphite
Graphite is a browser based, open source procedural vector editor and 2D content creation application built with Rust. It operates entirely client side with no signup required and runs directly at editor.graphite.art. As an alpha stage project, it combines layer based compositing with a node based procedural graphics engine, evolving beyond traditional vector editing into a generalized graphics toolbox.
read the full Graphite overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Tldraw or Graphite more popular?
Tldraw has 50,422 GitHub stars and Graphite has 27,269. Tldraw has the larger community by that measure.
Are Tldraw and Graphite free?
Both are open source. Tldraw has no licence declared in this registry, and Graphite is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Tldraw and Graphite?
Tldraw is written in TypeScript and Graphite in Rust. 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 Graphite?
Choose Tldraw if you want the larger community (50,422 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Graphite if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.