Mermaid vs Graphviz

Struggling to choose between Mermaid and Graphviz? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Mermaid is a Development solution with tags like diagrams, visualizations, markdown.

It boasts features such as Diagram creation using text syntax, Support for flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, pie charts, etc, Integration with documentation sites and wikis, Ability to generate SVG, PNG and PDF images, Customizable themes, JavaScript library that runs in the browser and pros including Simple and intuitive syntax, Good documentation and examples, Active development community, Themes allow extensive customization, Diagrams are portable and easy to embed, Lightweight and easy to integrate.

On the other hand, Graphviz is a Development product tagged with graphing, visualization, diagrams, graphs, networks.

Its standout features include Automatic graph layout and visualization, Support for directed graphs, undirected graphs, mixed graphs, subgraphs, clustered graphs and more, Variety of output formats including PNG, PDF, SVG, PostScript, Command line interface and APIs for multiple programming languages, Graph animations, Customizable node and edge shapes, colors, labels, styles, Hierarchical graph layouts, Clustering support, Edge bundling, Interactive graph exploration, and it shines with pros like Open source and free, Powerful automatic graph layout algorithms, Support for large and complex graph datasets, High quality graph visualizations, Extensive customization options, Integration with many programming languages and environments.

Feature	Mermaid	Graphviz
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

Mermaid

Description: Mermaid is an open-source tool that allows you to create diagrams and visualizations using text and code. It is designed to integrate with documentation sites and wikis to add charts and graphs through a simple markdown-inspired script language. The key benefit is the ability to generate complex diagrams that are portable, themeable, and easy to edit programmatically.

Graphviz

Description: Graphviz is an open source graph visualization software used for representing structural information as diagrams of abstract graphs and networks. It provides useful features for creating a variety of graph types like directed graphs, undirected graphs, hierarchies, and more.

Key Features Comparison

Mermaid Features

• Diagram creation using text syntax
• Support for flowcharts, sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, pie charts, etc
• Integration with documentation sites and wikis
• Ability to generate SVG, PNG and PDF images
• Customizable themes
• JavaScript library that runs in the browser

Graphviz Features

• Automatic graph layout and visualization
• Support for directed graphs, undirected graphs, mixed graphs, subgraphs, clustered graphs and more
• Variety of output formats including PNG, PDF, SVG, PostScript
• Command line interface and APIs for multiple programming languages
• Graph animations
• Customizable node and edge shapes, colors, labels, styles
• Hierarchical graph layouts
• Clustering support
• Edge bundling
• Interactive graph exploration

Pros & Cons Analysis

Mermaid

Pros

• Simple and intuitive syntax
• Good documentation and examples
• Active development community
• Themes allow extensive customization
• Diagrams are portable and easy to embed
• Lightweight and easy to integrate

Cons

• Limited features compared to desktop diagramming tools
• Browser support can be inconsistent
• Complex diagrams can require more intricate syntax
• Only creates static images, not interactive diagrams

Graphviz

Pros

• Open source and free
• Powerful automatic graph layout algorithms
• Support for large and complex graph datasets
• High quality graph visualizations
• Extensive customization options
• Integration with many programming languages and environments

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Cryptic command line interface
• Limited interactive features compared to some commercial tools
• Difficult to style graphs consistently across outputs
• No native support for dynamic or interactive graphs

Pricing Comparison

Mermaid

• Open Source

Graphviz

• Open Source