Mermaid Diagrams for Confluence — Which Text-Based Diagram App Should You Pick?
Engineering teams need diagrams in Confluence — flowcharts for runbooks, sequence diagrams for API docs, ER models for database schemas, architecture diagrams for design decisions. Writing diagrams as code (text-based syntax) is faster than drag-and-drop for developers. Mermaid is the most popular text-based diagram language.
Several marketplace apps bring Mermaid to Confluence, plus the major visual diagramming tools (draw.io, Gliffy, Lucidchart) also support it. We built Mermaid Plus for Confluence to offer 26 diagram types with live preview, one-click templates, and a built-in syntax guide. In this post we compare it against every alternative.
Text-Based vs Visual Diagramming
Text-based (Mermaid) — You write code, the app renders a diagram. Fast for developers. Version-controllable. Easy to update. Flowcharts, sequence diagrams, ER models, class diagrams, Gantt charts.
Visual (draw.io, Gliffy, Lucidchart) — You drag and drop shapes with a mouse. More flexible for complex layouts. Better for non-technical users. No syntax to learn.
Both approaches are valid. This post focuses on text-based Mermaid apps for teams that prefer writing diagrams as code. We also cover the visual alternatives for comparison.
What's Available on the Marketplace
Mermaid-Specific Apps
| App | Vendor | Installs | Rating | Last Updated | Hosting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mermaid Diagrams for Confluence | Stratus Add-ons | 5,974 | 3.2/5 (22 reviews) | Jan 2026 | DC only |
| Mermaid Charts & Diagrams | weweave | 1,794 | 3.7/5 (15 reviews) | Apr 2026 | Cloud + DC |
| Mermaid for Confluence | Tech Labs | 566 | 4.0/5 (2 reviews) | Dec 2024 | Cloud |
| Mermaid Integration for Confluence | Toshihiro Sato | 579 | 3.3/5 (7 reviews) | Sep 2025 | DC only |
| Mermaid Plus for Confluence | NGPILOT | New | — | 2026 | Cloud |
Major Visual Diagramming Apps (for reference)
| App | Vendor | Installs | Rating | Last Updated | Hosting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| draw.io Diagrams | Seibert | 66,827 | 3.9/5 (1,197 reviews) | Apr 2026 | Cloud + DC |
| Lucidchart Connector | Lucid | 27,558 | 2.8/5 (258 reviews) | Mar 2026 | Cloud + DC |
| Gliffy Diagrams | Gliffy | 17,768 | 3.6/5 (797 reviews) | Apr 2026 | Cloud + DC |
Data from Atlassian Marketplace, April 2026.
draw.io dominates the entire diagram market with 66,827 installs. It supports Mermaid alongside its visual editor, but it's primarily a drag-and-drop tool with premium pricing ($975/yr for 50 users).
Stratus Add-ons' Mermaid Diagrams (5,974 installs) leads the Mermaid-specific category but its latest version is Data Center only — no Cloud version available.
weweave's Mermaid Charts (1,794 installs) is the most established Cloud + DC option with Cloud Fortified status.
The Cloud Mermaid market is underserved — the two highest-installed Mermaid apps (Stratus and weweave) are DC-focused or dual-hosted. Teams on Confluence Cloud have limited options.
Feature Comparison: Mermaid Apps
| Feature | Mermaid Plus (NGPILOT) | Mermaid Diagrams (Stratus) | Mermaid Charts (weweave) | Mermaid for Confluence (Tech Labs) | Mermaid Integration (Toshihiro Sato) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagram types | 26 | Limited | Limited | Standard | Standard |
| Live preview | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Quick templates | 26 (one per type) | No | No | No | No |
| Built-in syntax guide | Yes (26 examples) | No | No | No | No |
| Custom colors | 5 (Node, Text, Border, Line, Bg) | No | No | No | No |
| Font selection | 5 families | No | No | No | No |
| Theme support | 4 themes (Default, Dark, Forest, Neutral) | No | No | No | No |
| Dark mode | Auto-adapts to Confluence | No | No | No | No |
| Output size control | 4 sizes | No | No | No | No |
| Cached SVG rendering | Yes (library loaded only during editing) | No | No | No | No |
| Cloud hosting | Yes | No (DC only) | Yes | Yes | No (DC only) |
| Data Center support | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Cloud Fortified | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Where Mermaid Plus Stands Out
Most diagram types — 26 Mermaid diagram types including flowchart, sequence, class, state, ER, C4 architecture, Gantt, mindmap, timeline, Git graph, pie chart, radar, Sankey, Kanban, architecture, Venn, Ishikawa, and more. More than any other Mermaid Confluence app.
Built-in syntax guide — Click the ? button to browse all 26 diagram types with descriptions and code examples. Insert any template directly into the editor. No need to leave Confluence to look up Mermaid syntax.
Live preview — See your diagram render in real-time as you type. Other Mermaid apps show the diagram only after saving.
One-click templates — 26 templates, one for each diagram type. Click a template to load starter code, then customize it.
Full customization — Five color pickers (node, text, border, line, background), five font families, four output sizes, and four Mermaid themes. No other Mermaid app offers this level of styling control.
Performance-first — Diagrams render from cached SVG on page load. The Mermaid.js library is only loaded during editing, not when viewing pages. Your Confluence stays fast.
Auto dark mode — Diagrams automatically adapt to Confluence's dark/light theme without manual configuration.
Where We Could Improve
- New app — We recently launched with no install history yet. Stratus has 5,974 installs and years of market presence.
- No Data Center support — Cloud-only for now. If you're on Confluence Data Center, Stratus or weweave are your best options.
- No Cloud Fortified status — Stratus and weweave have completed Atlassian's Cloud Fortified program. We're working toward this.
- No PDF export — Stratus offers PDF export of rendered diagrams. We focus on inline rendering.
- No version history — Stratus supports diagram version history. We store the Mermaid source in the macro for re-editing but don't track versions.
Honest Comparison: NGPILOT vs Stratus (Mermaid Market Leader)
| Mermaid Diagrams (Stratus) | Mermaid Plus (NGPILOT) | |
|---|---|---|
| Installs | 5,974 | New |
| Rating | 3.2/5 (22 reviews) | — |
| Cloud | No (DC only) | Yes |
| Diagram types | Standard set | 26 (most comprehensive) |
| Live preview | No | Yes |
| Syntax guide | No | Yes (26 examples) |
| Templates | No | 26 one-click templates |
| Custom colors | No | 5 customizable colors |
| Themes | No | 4 themes + auto dark mode |
| PDF export | Yes | No |
| Cloud Fortified | Yes | No |
| Best for | Data Center teams needing Mermaid | Cloud teams wanting full-featured Mermaid editing |
Stratus is the established choice for Data Center deployments. Our app is the better choice for Cloud teams that want a complete Mermaid editing experience with live preview, templates, and customization.
Which App Do You Need?
| You need... | Use this |
|---|---|
| Visual drag-and-drop diagramming | draw.io by Seibert (66,827 installs) |
| Mermaid on Data Center | Mermaid Diagrams by Stratus (5,974 installs) |
| Budget-friendly Cloud Mermaid | Mermaid Charts by weweave ($115/yr for 50 users) |
| The most diagram types with live preview | Mermaid Plus for Confluence |
| Built-in syntax guide and templates | Mermaid Plus for Confluence |
| Dark mode and full color customization | Mermaid Plus for Confluence |
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Get Started
- Install Mermaid Plus for Confluence from the Atlassian Marketplace
- Read the full documentation
Have questions or feedback? Reach out to us at service@ngpilot.com — we'd love to hear from you.