compare
D2 vs Excalidraw
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | D2 | Excalidraw |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Licence | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Stars | 26k | 134k |
| Latest | v0.9.0 | v0.18.1 |
| Last push | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-06 |
| Release cadence | about 98 days between releases | about 241 days between releases |
| Active contributors | 3 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 20 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | none |
How they relate
Both replace Lucidchart. Alternatives to Lucidchart →
PartialD2Architecture and flow diagrams from a declarative text language, with several layout engines and themes.
PartialExcalidrawSketched diagrams rather than precise ones.
D2
- v0.9.02026-09-07TALA is now open source and bundled with D2, including the JavaScript/WASM package. Select it with d2 --layout=tala, D2…
- v0.8.22026-08-28exports: gif exports work with animate: true keyword #2663
- v0.7.12025-08-19ASCII renders. Output txt for d2 to render diagrams as ASCII art #2572
- v0.7.02025-05-02Icons:
- v0.6.92025-02-05Animations: style.animated: true is supported on shapes #2250
D2
✓ signed The latest release, v0.9.0, carries a signature GitHub verified.
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Excalidraw
unsigned The latest release, v0.18.1, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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