Pele compared
Pick Pele when you already write Mermaid and want it drawn fast, themed by CSS and readable on phones. Pick something else when you need a different language, hand-placed shapes or Mermaid's exact look. The pages below go through each honestly.
Pele vs Mermaid.js
Pele vs Mermaid.js compared honestly: same syntax, render speed, bundle size, theming, phone layouts, safety, and the features only Mermaid.js has.
Pele vs D2
Pele vs D2 (Terrastruct): Mermaid syntax vs the D2 language, JavaScript vs Go or WebAssembly, speed, theming, and which suits apps, docs and architecture.
Pele vs Excalidraw
Pele vs Excalidraw: a text-to-diagram renderer vs a hand-drawn whiteboard. When each fits, how they differ for docs, diffs, AI and theming.
At a glance
| Question | Pele | Mermaid.js | D2 | Excalidraw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You write | Mermaid text | Mermaid text | D2 text | Nothing: you draw |
| Runs | In JS, sync, browser or Node | In the browser, async | Go program or WebAssembly | In the browser, as an editor |
| Look | Clean, CSS-themed | Mermaid themes | Several themes, sketch mode | Hand-drawn |
| Best at | Fast, live, themed diagrams | Widest Mermaid support and plugins | Big architecture diagrams, fine layout control | Whiteboarding |