5 self-hosted options
Self-hosted alternatives to Lucidchart
The best open-source alternative to Lucidchart is Excalidraw (MIT, 134,563 GitHub stars, Docker image). penpot stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (5,288), and draw.io stands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license.
tldraw is also listed but is source-available, so it comes after the open-source picks.
About Lucidchart: A web-based diagramming and flowchart tool.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Excalidraw
excalidraw/excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
UtilitiesTypeScriptDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars.
- Rank 2:
penpot
penpot/penpot
Web-based design and prototyping platform meant for cross-domain teams.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
UtilitiesClojureDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (5,288).
- Rank 3:
draw.io
jgraph/drawio
Diagram software for making flowcharts, process diagrams, org charts, UML, ER and network diagrams.
Active · last commit Oct 23, 2026
Note-taking & EditorsJavaScriptDockerStands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license.
At a glance
Lucidchart alternatives compared
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excalidraw | the most GitHub stars | MIT | 134,563 | 280 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes |
| penpot | the most commits in the last 12 months (5,288) | MPL-2.0 | 61,677 | 5,288 | Oct 26, 2026 | Yes |
| draw.io | a permissive Apache-2.0 license | Apache-2.0 | 8,993 | 73 | Oct 23, 2026 | Yes |
| TeamMapper | a permissive MIT license | MIT | 515 | 228 | Oct 25, 2026 | Yes |
| tldraw | – | source-available, tldraw license | 51,090 | 1,925 | Oct 25, 2026 | No |
Full list
All 5 Lucidchart alternatives
Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.
- 1
Excalidraw
Virtual hand-drawn style whiteboard for diagrams and sketches.
UtilitiesDockerStands out for the most GitHub stars. Excalidraw has 134,563 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 280 commits in the last year.
- 2
penpot
Web-based design and prototyping platform meant for cross-domain teams.
UtilitiesDockerStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (5,288). penpot has 61,677 GitHub stars, uses the MPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 5,288 commits in the last year.
- 3
draw.io
Diagram software for making flowcharts, process diagrams, org charts, UML, ER and network diagrams.
Note-taking & EditorsDockerStands out for a permissive Apache-2.0 license. draw.io has 8,993 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 73 commits in the last year.
- 4
TeamMapper
Host and create your own mindmaps. Share your mindmap sessions with your team and collaborate live on mindmaps.
Wikis & Knowledge BasesDockerStands out for a permissive MIT license. TeamMapper has 515 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 228 commits in the last year.
- 5
tldraw
Infinite canvas whiteboard and SDK for drawing and diagramming.
Source-availableUtilitiestldraw has 51,090 GitHub stars, is source-available under the tldraw license (not an open-source license) and had 1,925 commits in the last year.
Is there a free alternative to Lucidchart?
Yes. 4 of the 5 apps on this page are open source; 1 is source-available. The open-source ones are free to self-host without per-user fees; source-available licenses add conditions such as user caps or limits on hosted use, so read them before you commit.
Can I self-host an alternative to Lucidchart with Docker?
Yes. 4 of the 5 apps here publish a Docker image, including Excalidraw, penpot and draw.io, so you can run them on a home server or VPS with Docker Compose.
Which Lucidchart alternative is the most actively developed?
penpot (MPL-2.0), with 5,288 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.