recharts vs chart.js vs d3 vs highcharts vs echarts vs plotly.js vs vega-lite vs vega vs c3
JavaScript Charting Libraries Comparison
1 Year
rechartschart.jsd3highchartsechartsplotly.jsvega-litevegac3Similar Packages:
What's JavaScript Charting Libraries?

JavaScript charting libraries are tools that enable developers to create interactive and visually appealing charts and graphs for web applications. These libraries simplify the process of data visualization by providing pre-built components and functionalities, allowing developers to represent complex data in a clear and understandable manner. They cater to various needs, from simple line charts to complex visualizations, and often include features for customization, responsiveness, and interactivity, making it easier to convey insights from data to users.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
Issues
Publish
License
recharts6,398,13725,2594.64 MB455a month agoMIT
chart.js4,411,49865,9834.96 MB4842 months agoMIT
d33,796,893110,747871 kB21a year agoISC
highcharts1,292,05623561.2 MB32 months agohttps://www.highcharts.com/license
echarts1,111,26363,65253.2 MB2,0635 months agoApache-2.0
plotly.js213,97817,60297.2 MB7113 months agoMIT
vega-lite186,8104,8785.76 MB7762 months agoBSD-3-Clause
vega162,75211,5139.21 MB4782 months agoBSD-3-Clause
c367,9089,357-7805 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: recharts vs chart.js vs d3 vs highcharts vs echarts vs plotly.js vs vega-lite vs vega vs c3

Ease of Use

  • recharts:

    Recharts is built specifically for React, making it easy to integrate into React applications. Its component-based structure simplifies the development process for React developers.

  • chart.js:

    Chart.js is known for its straightforward API and easy configuration. Developers can quickly create responsive charts with just a few lines of code, making it ideal for rapid development.

  • d3:

    D3.js has a steep learning curve due to its powerful features and flexibility. It requires a good understanding of JavaScript and SVG, making it less beginner-friendly but highly customizable.

  • highcharts:

    Highcharts provides an intuitive API and excellent documentation, making it easy for developers to get started. Its built-in features simplify the process of creating interactive charts.

  • echarts:

    ECharts offers a user-friendly interface with a rich set of features. Its documentation is comprehensive, making it easier for developers to implement complex charts without extensive coding.

  • plotly.js:

    Plotly.js is relatively easy to use, especially for those familiar with JSON. It allows for quick creation of complex visualizations without deep coding knowledge.

  • vega-lite:

    Vega-Lite simplifies the process of creating visualizations with a high-level syntax, making it accessible for users who want to quickly generate charts without extensive coding.

  • vega:

    Vega's declarative syntax allows users to define visualizations in JSON, making it easier for those who prefer a structured approach to chart creation.

  • c3:

    C3 is designed to be user-friendly, allowing developers to create charts with minimal setup. It abstracts much of the complexity of D3.js, making it accessible for beginners.

Customization

  • recharts:

    Recharts offers customization through props, allowing developers to easily modify chart components and styles while maintaining a React-friendly approach.

  • chart.js:

    Chart.js offers a range of customization options for chart appearance and behavior, allowing developers to tailor charts to fit their application's style.

  • d3:

    D3.js excels in customization, enabling developers to create highly tailored visualizations. It provides complete control over every aspect of the chart, from data binding to styling.

  • highcharts:

    Highcharts provides a wide array of customization options, including built-in themes and the ability to modify almost every aspect of the chart, making it highly flexible for various use cases.

  • echarts:

    ECharts supports extensive customization options, including themes and styles, allowing developers to create visually appealing and interactive charts that fit their branding.

  • plotly.js:

    Plotly.js allows for significant customization of charts, including annotations, hover effects, and layout adjustments, making it suitable for detailed visualizations.

  • vega-lite:

    Vega-Lite allows for customization while keeping the syntax simple, making it easy to adjust visual properties without overwhelming complexity.

  • vega:

    Vega provides a high level of customization through its JSON syntax, enabling users to define visual properties and interactions in detail.

  • c3:

    C3 allows for basic customization of charts, including colors and labels, but may not support advanced features as deeply as D3.js.

Performance

  • recharts:

    Recharts is performant for most use cases, especially with smaller datasets, but may experience performance issues with very large datasets due to its React-based architecture.

  • chart.js:

    Chart.js is optimized for performance and can handle a decent amount of data efficiently, making it suitable for most applications.

  • d3:

    D3.js is highly performant for complex visualizations and large datasets, but performance can vary based on how well the code is optimized by the developer.

  • highcharts:

    Highcharts is optimized for performance and can handle large datasets efficiently, making it suitable for enterprise-level applications.

  • echarts:

    ECharts is designed for high performance, especially with large datasets, providing smooth interactions and rendering even with complex charts.

  • plotly.js:

    Plotly.js is capable of handling large datasets and complex visualizations, but performance may vary depending on the complexity of the charts and the data size.

  • vega-lite:

    Vega-Lite is optimized for performance with a focus on simplicity, making it suitable for quick visualizations without sacrificing speed.

  • vega:

    Vega performs well with medium-sized datasets, but complex visualizations may require optimization for better performance.

  • c3:

    C3 performs well for small to medium datasets but may struggle with very large datasets due to its reliance on D3.js for rendering.

Interactivity

  • recharts:

    Recharts supports interactivity through hover effects and tooltips, making it easy to create engaging charts in React applications.

  • chart.js:

    Chart.js includes built-in interactivity features like tooltips and animations, making charts engaging for users.

  • d3:

    D3.js allows for extensive interactivity, enabling developers to create custom interactions and animations tailored to their specific needs.

  • highcharts:

    Highcharts provides a rich set of interactive features, including tooltips, zooming, and exporting options, enhancing user experience.

  • echarts:

    ECharts excels in interactivity, offering features like zooming, panning, and dynamic data updates, making it suitable for applications requiring user engagement.

  • plotly.js:

    Plotly.js is known for its advanced interactivity, allowing users to interact with charts through zooming, hovering, and real-time updates, making it ideal for data exploration.

  • vega-lite:

    Vega-Lite offers basic interactivity features, making it easy to create responsive visualizations that engage users without complex coding.

  • vega:

    Vega supports interactivity through its declarative syntax, allowing users to define interactions and behaviors directly in the visualization specification.

  • c3:

    C3 supports basic interactivity features such as tooltips and hover effects, but may not provide advanced interactive capabilities.

How to Choose: recharts vs chart.js vs d3 vs highcharts vs echarts vs plotly.js vs vega-lite vs vega vs c3
  • recharts:

    Choose Recharts if you are using React and want a library that integrates seamlessly with it. It is built on React components and is great for creating responsive charts with a declarative approach.

  • chart.js:

    Select Chart.js for a lightweight library that offers a good balance between simplicity and functionality. It is great for responsive charts and supports various chart types with straightforward configuration.

  • d3:

    Opt for D3.js if you require complete control over your visualizations and want to create complex, custom charts. It is powerful but has a steeper learning curve and requires more coding effort.

  • highcharts:

    Select Highcharts if you need a commercial-grade library with extensive chart types and features. It is user-friendly and offers great support for accessibility and responsiveness.

  • echarts:

    Choose ECharts for its rich features and high performance, especially for large datasets. It is suitable for applications that require interactive charts with extensive customization options.

  • plotly.js:

    Opt for Plotly.js if you need advanced charting capabilities and interactivity, especially for scientific and statistical data. It excels in creating complex visualizations with minimal effort.

  • vega-lite:

    Choose Vega-Lite for a simpler, high-level version of Vega. It is ideal for quick visualizations with less complexity while still offering powerful capabilities.

  • vega:

    Select Vega for a declarative approach to visualizations. It is suitable for users who want to define visualizations in JSON format and need a high level of customization and interactivity.

  • c3:

    Choose C3 if you need a simple and easy-to-use library that builds on D3.js. It is ideal for quick implementations and basic charting needs without deep customization requirements.

README for recharts

Recharts

storybook Build Status Coverage Status npm version npm downloads MIT License

Introduction

Recharts is a Redefined chart library built with React and D3.

The main purpose of this library is to help you to write charts in React applications without any pain. Main principles of Recharts are:

  1. Simply deploy with React components.
  2. Native SVG support, lightweight depending only on some D3 submodules.
  3. Declarative components, components of charts are purely presentational.

Documentation at recharts.org and our storybook (WIP)

Please see the wiki for FAQ.

All development is done on the master branch. The current latest release and storybook documentation reflects what is on the release branch.

Examples

<LineChart width={400} height={400} data={data} margin={{ top: 5, right: 20, left: 10, bottom: 5 }}>
  <XAxis dataKey="name" />
  <Tooltip />
  <CartesianGrid stroke="#f5f5f5" />
  <Line type="monotone" dataKey="uv" stroke="#ff7300" yAxisId={0} />
  <Line type="monotone" dataKey="pv" stroke="#387908" yAxisId={1} />
</LineChart>

All the components of Recharts are clearly separated. The lineChart is composed of x axis, tooltip, grid, and line items, and each of them is an independent React Component. The clear separation and composition of components is one of the principle Recharts follows.

Installation

npm

NPM is the easiest and fastest way to get started using Recharts. It is also the recommended installation method when building single-page applications (SPAs). It pairs nicely with a CommonJS module bundler such as Webpack.

# latest stable
$ npm install recharts

umd

The UMD build is also available on unpkg.com:

<script src="https://unpkg.com/react/umd/react.production.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/react-dom/umd/react-dom.production.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://unpkg.com/recharts/umd/Recharts.min.js"></script>

Then you can find the library on window.Recharts.

dev build

$ git clone https://github.com/recharts/recharts.git
$ cd recharts
$ npm install
$ npm run build

Demo

To examine the demos in your local build, execute:

$ npm run[-script] demo

and then browse to http://localhost:3000.

Storybook

We are in the process of unifying documentation and examples in storybook. To run it locally, execute

$ npm run[-script] storybook

and then browse to http://localhost:6006.

Releases

Releases are automated via GH Actions - when a new release is created in GH, CI will trigger that:

  1. Runs a build
  2. Runs tests
  3. Runs npm publish

Version increments and tagging are not automated at this time.

Release testing

Until we can automate more, it should be preferred to test as close to the results of npm publish as we possibly can. This ensures we don't publish unintended breaking changes. One way to do that is using yalc - npm i -g yalc.

  1. Make your changes in recharts
  2. yalc publish in recharts
  3. yalc add recharts in your test package (ex: in a vite or webpack reach app with recharts installed, imported, and your recent changes used)
  4. npm install
  5. Test a local run, a build, etc.

Module Formats

  • babel-plugin-recharts A simple transform to cherry-pick Recharts modules so you don’t have to. Note: this plugin is out of date and may not work with 2.x

Thanks

Chromatic

Thanks to Chromatic for providing the visual testing platform that helps us review UI changes and catch visual regressions.

License

MIT

Copyright (c) 2015-2023 Recharts Group.