Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Monodraw VS ASCII Draw

Compare Monodraw VS ASCII Draw and see what are their differences

Monodraw logo Monodraw

Monodraw allows you to easily create text-based art (like diagrams, layouts, flow charts) and...

ASCII Draw logo ASCII Draw

This app lets you draw diagrams, tables, tree view, art and more using only characters. There are many stiles to choose from and multiple tools available to use such as:
  • Monodraw Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-24
  • ASCII Draw Landing page
    Landing page //
    2025-05-14

Monodraw features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Monodraw offers an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that allows users to create ASCII art and diagrams without a steep learning curve.
  • Rich Toolset
    The software comes with a wide array of tools and features specifically designed for ASCII art and text-based diagram creation, providing flexibility and precision.
  • Export Options
    Monodraw supports various export formats, making it easy to integrate ASCII diagrams into other applications or share them without losing quality.
  • Customizable Grid
    The customizable grid feature helps in aligning and organizing ASCII elements precisely, allowing for detailed and accurate designs.
  • Mac-Exclusive Optimization
    Being a macOS-exclusive application, Monodraw is optimized for performance and integration within the Apple ecosystem.

Possible disadvantages of Monodraw

  • Platform Limitation
    Monodraw is only available for macOS, limiting its accessibility to users on other operating systems like Windows or Linux.
  • Pricing
    The software is not free, and some users might find the cost a bit high compared to other free tools available for creating ASCII art.
  • Niche Application
    Monodraw is a specialized tool focused primarily on ASCII art, which may not appeal to users who need broader graphic design features.
  • Learning Curve for Precision Work
    While basic usage is straightforward, creating highly detailed and complex ASCII diagrams might require some time for users to master.
  • Limited Collaboration Features
    Monodraw does not offer extensive real-time collaboration features, which might be a downside for teams looking to work on projects simultaneously.

ASCII Draw features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Monodraw and ASCII Draw)
Diagrams
93 93%
7% 7
Wireframing
0 0%
100% 100
Flowcharts
92 92%
8% 8
Flow Charts And Diagrams
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Monodraw and ASCII Draw. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Monodraw seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 26 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Monodraw mentions (26)

  • Show HN: Cascii – A portable ASCII diagram builder written in vanilla JavaScript
    Looks super cool, congrats! Monodraw[1] is a similar product delivered as a standalone macOS app. It’s a classic pay once-type license and very polished software. Cannot recommend enough! I’ve always wanted something as good on Linux though, will definitely give this a go! [1] https://monodraw.helftone.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Ask HN: What do you use to create diagrams?
    99% sure this is not what you're asking for, but I think it's worth mentioning monodraw: https://monodraw.helftone.com It's really useful for embedding diagrams in your code. Not so much for uses outside of code though. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Mermaid ASCII Diagrams
    I have been using Monodraw for a long time: https://monodraw.helftone.com/ It's a macOS app and I've found it great. However if given an ASCII diagram, you cannot edit it with the same ease as creating a new one (e.g. Reflowing text or resizing boxes). I really like the idea of having the mermaid source and the ASCII diagram together, so you could use the source to change the diagram if needed. But I feel that... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Architecture diagrams enable better conversations
    And then you can perform further edits using something like https://asciiflow.com/ (web, free) or https://ivanceras.github.io/bob-editor/ (web, free) or https://monodraw.helftone.com/ (Mac only, proprietary) as mentioned in other comments from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37040883. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Typograms: A definition and renderer for ASCII diagrams
    Typograms could be great with the monodraw app on macOS. I'm a very happy customer of monodraw-- not affiliated in any way. https://monodraw.helftone.com/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
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ASCII Draw mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ASCII Draw yet. Tracking of ASCII Draw recommendations started around May 2025.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Monodraw and ASCII Draw, you can also consider the following products

draw.io - Online diagramming application

Playscii - Full-featured ASCII art and graphic editor and game creation tool

asciiflow - Infinite ASCII diagrams, save to Google Drive, resize, freeform draw, and export straight to text/html.

PabloDraw - PabloDraw is an Ansi/Ascii text and RIPscrip vector graphic art editor/viewer with multi-user capabilities.

LucidChart - LucidChart is the missing link in online productivity suites. LucidChart allows users to create, collaborate on, and publish attractive flowcharts and other diagrams from a web browser.

Letterpress ASCII - Letterpress converts your images into a picture made up of ASCII characters. You can save the output to a file, copy it, and even change its resolution! High-res output can still be viewed comfortably by lowering the zoom factor.