Mermaid isn't really a product — it's a text syntax you write inside markdown, and GitHub / Notion / Obsidian render it as a diagram. Archway is a full visual tool that can export to Mermaid. The decision is rarely either/or; most teams use both.
| Feature | Archway | Mermaid |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Hosted visual SaaS | Text syntax + renderer (OSS) |
| Price | Free forever; Pro $12/mo | Free |
| AI generation from natural language | Yes — core | No (you write the syntax by hand) |
| Cloud-specific icons (AWS / Azure / GCP) | 1,900+ with correct brand colors | Limited — generic shapes |
| Visual editor with drag-and-drop | Yes | No |
| Import / export Mermaid | Yes — export to Mermaid for docs | (Native) |
| Embed in GitHub README | Via Mermaid export | Native |
| Real-time collaboration | Yes | No (text file in source control) |
| Generate from GitHub repo / IaC | Yes — native | No |
| Best for | Architecture, presentations, living docs | Tiny diagrams inside markdown docs |
These pair well. Generate your architecture in Archway, export to Mermaid for your README. Archway does the heavy lifting — Mermaid keeps your docs text-based.