drawDB vs DumbPad
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted office suites options — 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
DumbPad
Simple notepad application
| Feature | drawDB | DumbPad |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 70 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 38,454 | ★ 463 |
| First released | 2024 | 2025 |
| Replaces | dbdiagram.io, Lucidchart | — |
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 DumbPad if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 70 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is drawDB or DumbPad 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 DumbPad free and open-source?
Yes. drawDB is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and DumbPad under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run drawDB and DumbPad with Docker?
drawDB: yes. DumbPad: check the project docs for container support.