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Mermaid Chart vs SciFig

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Entry price
Mermaid Chart from $80/yr, SciFig from $8.33/mo — different billing units, so no direct winner
Free plan
Both have one
Public API
SciFig has one; not confirmed by us for Mermaid Chart
Higher Trust score
Mermaid Chart — 92 vs 64 for SciFig
Best fit
Mermaid Chart: developers already writing Mermaid syntax who want a hosted editor · SciFig: Researchers who need a journal-style diagram without illustration skills

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

Mermaid ChartTurns text, code, or prompts into flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and Gantt charts, from the Mermaid.js team.SciFigTurns a plain-language description into a publication-ready scientific diagram in a chosen journal style.

Side by side

FactMermaid ChartSciFig
CategoryDiagramming & WhiteboardsDiagramming & Whiteboards
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$80/yr$8.33/mo
Public APINot confirmedYes
Trust score92 / 10064 / 100
PlatformsWeb, VS Code extensionWeb, API
CompanyMermaid Chart—
Launched2022—
Last verifiedOct 15, 2026Oct 15, 2026

What our research says

Mermaid Chart

Being built by the Mermaid.js maintainers themselves is the real edge here: diagrams-as-code that developers already write in markdown get a proper collaborative editor and AI-assisted generation on top, instead of a third party reverse-engineering the syntax. The free tier's five-diagram cap is tight, and the vendor's recent rebrand from mermaidchart.com to mermaid.ai makes some third-party pricing pages describing it look slightly out of date.

Pros

  • built and maintained by the original Mermaid.js open-source team
  • generates diagrams from plain text or AI prompts, or direct syntax editing
  • real-time multi-user collaboration
  • integrations with VS Code, Confluence, and similar developer tools

Cons

  • free plan is capped at five diagrams
  • recent domain move from mermaidchart.com to mermaid.ai has left some third-party listings referencing the old pricing page
  • per-user annual billing can add up for larger teams versus flat team pricing

SciFig

Handy for researchers who need a clean mechanism or pathway diagram fast and would otherwise fight with a general vector editor. The credit system rewards light, occasional use; anyone producing figures constantly for a lab will burn through the free tier quickly and need to budget for a subscription.

Pros

  • Six input modes and six publication styles to match journal conventions
  • Every element stays editable after generation, not a flat image
  • Exports to PPTX, layered SVG, and 8K PNG/JPG
  • Public API and MCP server for generating figures from code or an AI assistant

Cons

  • Credit-based pricing makes heavy use expensive to predict
  • Company behind the product is not disclosed on the site
  • Best experience requires a desktop browser, not mobile

Which one fits

Choose Mermaid Chart if you need

  • developers already writing Mermaid syntax who want a hosted editor
  • teams wanting diagrams generated from text or code with light AI assistance

Choose SciFig if you need

  • Researchers who need a journal-style diagram without illustration skills
  • Turning a described process into an editable figure for a slide deck or paper

Mermaid Chart vs SciFig: the questions people ask

Is Mermaid Chart cheaper than SciFig?

They charge in different units, so there is no like-for-like answer: Mermaid Chart starts at $80/yr, SciFig at $8.33/mo. Entry price is the lowest paid plan as we last verified it.

Does Mermaid Chart or SciFig have a free tier?

Both: Mermaid Chart has a free tier, and SciFig has a free tier.

Which has a public API, Mermaid Chart or SciFig?

SciFig ships a public API, as of our last verification. A public API for Mermaid Chart is not confirmed by us — check its developer docs before you plan an integration.

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