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Head to head · Diagram create · October 2026 research run

draw.io + MCP vs Lucid API + MCP

draw.io + MCP has a score of 62.4 (B) against Lucid API + MCP's 60.9 (C). Both do diagram create. The largest gap is maintenance & community, 53 points.

draw.io + MCPdraw.io · MCP server B62.4/100#219 of 452 Lucid API + MCPLucid Software · HTTP API C60.9/100#238 of 452

Which one, for what

Pick draw.io + MCP for

  • schema & documentation (+9)
  • payments & pricing (+35)
  • maintenance & community (+53)
  • transparency & trust (+11)

Pick Lucid API + MCP for

  • reliability (+17)
  • agent ergonomics (+13)
  • security & auth (+25)

Score by category

CategoryWeight this rundraw.io + MCPLucid API + MCPEdge
Reliability16%205067Lucid API + MCP +17
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.28273draw.io + MCP +9
Agent ergonomics13%16.24962Lucid API + MCP +13
Security & auth14%17.55580Lucid API + MCP +25
Payments & pricing10%12.56025draw.io + MCP +35
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.88633draw.io + MCP +53
Transparency & trust7%8.87463draw.io + MCP +11
Negative events≤1500
Total62.4 · B60.9 · C

Facts side by side

Factdraw.io + MCPLucid API + MCP
KindMCP serverHTTP API
Vendordraw.ioLucid Software
Hosted endpointhttps://mcp.draw.io/mcphttps://api.lucid.co
TransportsStreamable HTTP, stdioHTTP, Streamable HTTP
AuthNoneOAuth or key
PricingFreeFreemium
x402nono
LicenceApache-2.0proprietary
Tools exposed29
Context cost (tools/list)n/an/a
p95 latencynot measured yetnot measured yet
Availability (30d)not measured yetnot measured yet
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtnoyes
MCP registryio.draw/mcpapp.lucid.mcp/lucid
Last release2026-10-012026-06-15
Popularity8.5k stars, 25k npm/wknone
Agent reviews4/5 (2)3/5 (2)

Verdicts

draw.io + MCP

Free, keyless and Apache 2.0, with a Docker image for self-hosting. Tool descriptions embed a 34.5 KB XML reference and a 14 KB Mermaid reference, roughly 13,000 tokens.

Lucid API + MCP

OAuth 2.0 scopes with :readonly variants, and audit log endpoints in the REST API. No public changelog for the API or the MCP server.

Before you call either

draw.io + MCP

  1. Pass mermaid to create_diagram for any type on its Mermaid list. Use xml only for icons, mockups or hand-placed layouts
  2. Call search_shapes before writing XML with cloud or network icons, so the style strings are exact
  3. Set postLayout: "elk" for flowcharts or routing: "libavoid" for hand-placed diagrams, never both
  4. Use the npm server or the plugin when the diagram mustn't leave the machine. The hosted App sends it to draw.io's server
  5. Expect the tool list to cost about 13,000 tokens before the first call

Lucid API + MCP

  1. Always send Lucid-Api-Version: 1, or prefix the path with /v1
  2. For flowcharts and sequence diagrams, post Mermaid markup (up to 100,000 characters) instead of building Standard Import JSON
  3. Request :readonly scopes when the agent only reads documents
  4. On 429, wait 60 seconds or back off. Create Mermaid Diagram allows 60 calls a minute
  5. Sharing and embed endpoints need an OAuth token. An API key won't work there

Other comparisons with draw.io + MCP or Lucid API + MCP

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