drawDB vs draw.io
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
drawDB
Browser-based database schema design and ER diagram tool
VS
draw.io
Self-hostable diagramming application
| Feature | drawDB | draw.io |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 38,454 | ★ 7,378 |
| First released | 2024 | 2012 |
| Replaces | dbdiagram.io, Lucidchart | Lucidchart, Visio |
Why pick each one
Choose drawDB if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 38.5k GitHub stars
Choose draw.io if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7.4k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is drawDB or draw.io better?
Neither is universally better. drawDB has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are drawDB and draw.io free and open-source?
Yes. drawDB is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and draw.io under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run drawDB and draw.io with Docker?
drawDB: yes. draw.io: yes.