# Eraser API + MCP vs PlantUML

> PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against Eraser API + MCP's 38.6 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Eraser API + MCP leads on security & auth. Both do diagram create. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-plantuml
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-plantuml.md (~2,250 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-plantuml.min.md (~730 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-plantuml.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against Eraser API + MCP's 38.6 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Eraser API + MCP leads on security & auth. Both do diagram create.

- Eraser API + MCP: grade E, 38.6/100, rank #811 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/eraser.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/eraser.json
- PlantUML: grade B, 66.9/100, rank #251 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/plantuml.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/plantuml.json

## Which one, for what

### Eraser API + MCP (E)

Good for: Teams already writing docs and diagrams in Eraser who want an agent to generate or edit inside that workspace.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 57 against 50

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install
- Runs on your own machine

Watch for: No status page, rate limits, SLA or changelog

### PlantUML (B)

Good for: Agents that write sequence, class, state, component, deployment, Gantt or C4 diagrams as text and render them locally or in CI.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 83 against 15
- Schema & documentation, 65 against 52
- Agent ergonomics, 78 against 34
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 35
- Maintenance & community, 73 against 33
- Transparency & trust, 73 against 50

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- Open source

Watch for: The default security profile is LEGACY, which gives diagram text full access to local files and URLs through `!include`. The docs say it will be removed, with no date


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Eraser API + MCP | PlantUML | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 15 | 83 | PlantUML +68 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 52 | 65 | PlantUML +13 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 34 | 78 | PlantUML +44 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 57 | 50 | Eraser API + MCP +7 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 35 | 60 | PlantUML +25 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 33 | 73 | PlantUML +40 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 50 | 73 | PlantUML +23 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -2 | |
| **Total** | | **38.6 · E** | **66.9 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Eraser API + MCP | PlantUML |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | SDK + MCP |
| Vendor | Eraser | PlantUML project (Arnaud Roques) |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://app.eraser.io/api` | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio |  |
| Auth | OAuth or key | None |
| Pricing | Freemium | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | none | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Tools exposed | 42 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| MCP registry | `io.eraser/eraser` | not listed |
| Last release | 2026-05-22 | 2026-09-05 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text |  |
| Popularity | 76 npm/wk | 13k stars, 207 npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**Eraser API + MCP.** Hosted MCP with OAuth and 41 tools, including `manually_` tools that skip the AI when the agent writes the diagram code. No status page, rate limits, SLA or changelog.

**PlantUML.** One Java command reads diagram text from stdin and writes PNG, SVG, PDF or ASCII with no account, and CI passed on the last eight pushes. The default security profile lets diagram text read any local file and fetch any URL, and the documentation still lists chronology diagrams that release 1.2026.2 switched off.

## Before you call either

### Eraser API + MCP

1. Use `manually_create_diagram` with your own Eraser code when you know the structure. It skips the AI and its credits
2. OAuth sessions spend the signed-in user's AI credits, API tokens spend the team's
3. Call /render/elements ($0.20) when you already have diagram code; /render/prompt costs $0.80
4. Set a spend limit before running in CI. At 100 per cent the API stops until the next calendar month

### PlantUML

1. Set `PLANTUML_SECURITY_PROFILE` to `SANDBOX` or `ALLOWLIST` before rendering text from an untrusted source. The default profile lets `!include` read local files and fetch URLs
2. Run `java -jar plantuml.jar --check-syntax` with `-stdrpt` first and read the exit status. Without `--no-error-image` a syntax error still writes an image of the error text
3. Pass `-pipe` with `--svg`, `--txt` or `--utxt` to work without files. `--txt` output suits a text-only model
4. Start the local server as `-picoweb:8080:127.0.0.1`. Without the bind address it listens on every interface
5. Use `npx -y @plantuml/mcp-js` when no Java runtime is present. It renders SVG only, so use the jar for PNG or PDF

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Eraser API + MCP or PlantUML?

PlantUML scores 66.9 (B) on agent readiness against Eraser API + MCP's 38.6 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Eraser API + MCP leads on security & auth.

### Can an agent call Eraser API + MCP and PlantUML without installing anything?

Eraser API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://app.eraser.io/api. No hosted endpoint is listed for PlantUML.

### Are Eraser API + MCP and PlantUML open source?

No open-source release is listed for Eraser API + MCP. PlantUML is open source (GPL-3.0-or-later).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-plantuml.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/eraser-vs-plantuml.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "eraser", "b": "plantuml"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare eraser plantuml`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/eraser.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/plantuml.json

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