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Head to head · Diagram create · October 2026 research run

draw.io + MCP vs Structurizr + MCP

draw.io + MCP has a score of 62.4 (B) against Structurizr + MCP's 60.2 (C). Both do diagram create. The largest gap is reliability, 23 points.

draw.io + MCPdraw.io · MCP server B62.4/100#219 of 452 Structurizr + MCPStructurizr · HTTP API C60.2/100#252 of 452

Which one, for what

Pick draw.io + MCP for

  • schema & documentation (+21)
  • security & auth (+12)
  • payments & pricing (+10)
  • maintenance & community (+18)

Pick Structurizr + MCP for

  • reliability (+23)
  • agent ergonomics (+6)
  • transparency & trust (+6)

Score by category

CategoryWeight this rundraw.io + MCPStructurizr + MCPEdge
Reliability16%205073Structurizr + MCP +23
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.28261draw.io + MCP +21
Agent ergonomics13%16.24955Structurizr + MCP +6
Security & auth14%17.55543draw.io + MCP +12
Payments & pricing10%12.56050draw.io + MCP +10
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.88668draw.io + MCP +18
Transparency & trust7%8.87480Structurizr + MCP +6
Negative events≤1500
Total62.4 · B60.2 · C

Facts side by side

Factdraw.io + MCPStructurizr + MCP
KindMCP serverHTTP API
Vendordraw.ioStructurizr
Hosted endpointhttps://mcp.draw.io/mcphttps://mcp.structurizr.com/mcp
TransportsStreamable HTTP, stdioHTTP, Streamable HTTP
AuthNoneOAuth or key
PricingFreeFreemium
x402nono
LicenceApache-2.0Apache-2.0
Tools exposed26
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.txtnono
MCP registryio.draw/mcpnot listed
Last release2026-10-012026-09-19
Popularity8.5k stars, 25k npm/wk419 stars
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.

Structurizr + MCP

One model can generate several C4 architecture views. The hosted cloud API has closed; storage and rendering require a customer-managed 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

Structurizr + MCP

  1. Call validate and then inspect on the DSL before pushing a workspace
  2. Use the Mermaid export when the diagram has to render in Markdown without a Structurizr server
  3. Export needs a view key. Parse the DSL first to list the views
  4. Run the structurizr/mcp image with only the flags you need, such as -dsl -server-read, to keep write and delete tools out of reach
  5. The workspace API returns JSON, never images. PNG and SVG come from the separate export command

Other comparisons with draw.io + MCP or Structurizr + MCP

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