drawDB vs Textarea
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?
| Feature | drawDB | Textarea |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0-only |
| Language | JavaScript | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 38,454 | ★ 2,515 |
| 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 Textarea if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-only license
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in HTML
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is drawDB or Textarea better?
drawDB is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Textarea if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are drawDB and Textarea free and open-source?
Yes. drawDB is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Textarea under AGPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run drawDB and Textarea with Docker?
drawDB: yes. Textarea: check the project docs for container support.