PNG, SVG or Mermaid: which flowchart format to export

PNG: the universal picture

PNG is a raster image: a grid of pixels.

• Use it for slides, emails, chat messages, tickets and any tool that only accepts images.
• Strengths: opens everywhere, looks the same everywhere.
• Limits: becomes blurry if enlarged beyond its resolution; text is not selectable; editing means redrawing.

Export at a high resolution if the chart will be projected or printed.

SVG: sharp at any size

SVG is a vector format: shapes and text described mathematically.

• Use it for web pages, documentation sites, large prints and charts you may restyle in a design tool such as Figma, Illustrator or Inkscape.
• Strengths: perfectly sharp at any zoom, usually small files, text remains text.
• Limits: some office tools and email clients handle SVG poorly; fonts may differ if they are not available.

Mermaid: the diagram as text

Mermaid code describes the structure, and the platform draws it.

• Use it for READMEs, wikis, pull requests and any documentation that changes; see Mermaid on GitHub and GitLab and in Notion and Obsidian.
• Strengths: versionable, editable in seconds, no file to re-export.
• Limits: layout is decided by the renderer, and the look varies between platforms.

Quick decision guide

• Presentation or email: PNG.
• Website, print or design work: SVG.
• Wiki, README or code review: Mermaid.
• Not sure, or several destinations: export SVG and Mermaid and keep both.

What Flowchartio exports

PNG and SVG are produced in your browser from the current version of the chart. The Mermaid export is a .mmd file in flowchart TD syntax, with one subgraph per owner and the chart's shapes mapped to their Mermaid equivalents, as described in subgraphs and styling. Because all three come from the same model, they always match.

Need a chart to export first? Generate one from a description, or read how text-to-flowchart AI works.