JavaScript charting libraries are essential tools for visualizing data in web applications. They provide developers with the ability to create interactive and dynamic charts that can enhance user experience and make data interpretation easier. These libraries offer various chart types, customization options, and integration capabilities, allowing developers to present complex data in a more understandable format. The choice of a charting library can significantly impact the performance, aesthetics, and functionality of data visualizations in web applications.
NPM Package Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
Issues
Publish
License
chart.js
3,691,094
64,747
4.94 MB
439
13 days ago
MIT
highcharts
1,183,421
222
48.3 MB
4
2 months ago
https://www.highcharts.com/license
plotly.js
197,521
17,065
98.5 MB
607
2 months ago
MIT
Feature Comparison: chart.js vs highcharts vs plotly.js
Chart Types
chart.js: Chart.js supports a variety of basic chart types including line, bar, radar, doughnut, polar area, bubble, and scatter charts. It is designed for simplicity and ease of use, making it suitable for straightforward data representation.
highcharts: Highcharts offers a comprehensive range of chart types, including advanced options like heatmaps, treemaps, and 3D charts. It is highly customizable, allowing for detailed and complex visualizations tailored to specific needs.
plotly.js: Plotly.js excels in providing a wide array of chart types, including scientific charts like contour plots, 3D surface plots, and statistical charts. It is particularly strong in interactive visualizations and data analysis.
Interactivity
chart.js: Chart.js provides basic interactivity features such as tooltips and hover effects. However, it is less focused on advanced interactivity compared to other libraries, making it suitable for simpler applications.
highcharts: Highcharts is known for its rich interactivity options, including zooming, panning, and dynamic updates. It allows users to interact with charts in various ways, enhancing the overall user experience.
plotly.js: Plotly.js offers extensive interactivity features, including zooming, hovering, and clickable legends. It is designed for data exploration, allowing users to manipulate and analyze data directly through the visualizations.
Customization
chart.js: Chart.js provides a straightforward API for customization, allowing developers to easily modify colors, fonts, and styles. However, it may have limitations for highly detailed customizations compared to more complex libraries.
highcharts: Highcharts offers extensive customization options, allowing developers to change almost every aspect of the chart, from colors and fonts to complex animations. This makes it suitable for applications requiring a unique look and feel.
plotly.js: Plotly.js allows for deep customization of charts, including layout, style, and interactivity. It is particularly useful for creating tailored visualizations that meet specific analytical needs.
Performance
chart.js: Chart.js is lightweight and performs well for small to medium datasets. However, performance may degrade with very large datasets due to rendering limitations.
highcharts: Highcharts is optimized for performance and can handle large datasets efficiently. It includes features like lazy loading and data grouping to enhance performance with extensive data.
plotly.js: Plotly.js can handle large datasets but may require optimization techniques for very complex visualizations. It is designed for interactive data analysis, which can impact performance depending on the complexity of the charts.
Licensing
chart.js: Chart.js is open-source and free to use under the MIT license, making it a cost-effective choice for developers and startups.
highcharts: Highcharts is free for non-commercial use but requires a license for commercial applications. This can be a consideration for businesses planning to use it in a commercial product.
plotly.js: Plotly.js is open-source and free under the MIT license, but additional features and support may require a subscription to Plotly's commercial offerings.
How to Choose: chart.js vs highcharts vs plotly.js
chart.js: Choose Chart.js if you need a simple, lightweight library that is easy to integrate and provides a variety of basic chart types. It is ideal for projects that require quick implementation without extensive customization.
highcharts: Choose Highcharts if you require advanced charting features, extensive customization options, and support for a wide range of chart types. Highcharts is suitable for enterprise-level applications where performance and detailed data visualization are critical.
plotly.js: Choose Plotly.js if you need to create complex, interactive visualizations with support for scientific and statistical charts. It is best for applications that require high-level interactivity and detailed data analysis.
Similar Npm Packages to chart.js
chart.js is a popular open-source JavaScript library that allows developers to create interactive and visually appealing charts and graphs for web applications. It provides a simple API for rendering various types of charts, such as line, bar, radar, doughnut, and more. With its responsive design and ease of use, chart.js is a great choice for developers looking to integrate data visualization into their projects without a steep learning curve. However, there are several alternatives that offer different features and capabilities. Here are a few notable ones:
d3 (Data-Driven Documents) is a powerful JavaScript library for producing dynamic, interactive data visualizations in web browsers. Unlike chart.js, which provides pre-built chart types, d3 offers a more low-level approach, allowing developers to create custom visualizations tailored to their specific needs. With its extensive capabilities for manipulating documents based on data, d3 is ideal for complex visualizations and data-driven applications. However, it has a steeper learning curve compared to chart.js, making it more suitable for developers with experience in data visualization.
plotly.js is another robust library for creating interactive charts and visualizations. It supports a wide range of chart types and is particularly known for its ability to handle large datasets and complex visualizations. plotly.js is built on top of D3.js and stack.gl, providing a high-level API that makes it easier to create sophisticated visualizations without getting into the nitty-gritty details of the underlying libraries. It is a great choice for applications that require advanced features like 3D charts, statistical charts, and real-time data updates.
react-chartjs-2 is a React wrapper for chart.js, making it easier to integrate chart.js into React applications. It allows developers to leverage the power of chart.js while using React's component-based architecture. With react-chartjs-2, you can create responsive and interactive charts that seamlessly fit into your React app. This library is perfect for developers who are already familiar with chart.js and want to use it within a React environment.
highcharts is a popular JavaScript charting library that allows developers to create interactive and visually appealing charts for web applications. It supports a wide variety of chart types, including line, bar, pie, and more, making it a versatile choice for data visualization. Highcharts is known for its ease of use, extensive documentation, and robust features, which enable developers to create complex visualizations with minimal effort. However, there are several alternatives available that cater to different needs and preferences. Here are a few notable options:
chart.js is a simple yet flexible JavaScript charting library that provides a wide range of chart types. It is lightweight and easy to use, making it an excellent choice for developers who need to create basic charts quickly. Chart.js leverages the HTML5 canvas element for rendering, which allows for smooth animations and responsive designs. If you’re looking for a straightforward solution for simple data visualizations, Chart.js is a great option.
d3 (Data-Driven Documents) is a powerful JavaScript library for producing dynamic, interactive data visualizations in web browsers. Unlike Highcharts and Chart.js, D3 is more of a low-level library that provides a comprehensive set of tools for manipulating documents based on data. It allows for greater customization and flexibility, enabling developers to create complex visualizations tailored to specific needs. However, this flexibility comes with a steeper learning curve. If you require highly customized and intricate visualizations, D3 is an excellent choice.
plotly.js is a high-level charting library that is built on top of D3.js and stack.gl. It provides a wide range of chart types and is particularly well-suited for scientific and analytical applications. Plotly.js offers interactive features such as zooming, panning, and hover effects, making it ideal for data exploration. If your project requires advanced visualizations with interactivity and a focus on data analysis, Plotly.js is a strong contender.
plotly.js is a powerful JavaScript library for creating interactive and visually appealing charts and graphs. It is built on top of D3.js and stack.gl, allowing users to create a wide variety of visualizations, including 2D and 3D plots, statistical charts, and geographic maps. Plotly.js is particularly well-suited for data analysis and scientific visualization, offering extensive customization options and support for large datasets. Its interactivity features, such as zooming, panning, and hover effects, make it a popular choice among data scientists and analysts.
While Plotly.js is a robust option for data visualization, there are several alternatives available that cater to different needs and preferences. Here are a couple of notable alternatives:
chart.js is a simple yet flexible JavaScript charting library that provides a wide range of chart types, including bar, line, pie, and radar charts. It is known for its ease of use and lightweight nature, making it an excellent choice for developers looking to quickly implement charts without a steep learning curve. Chart.js is particularly suitable for projects that require basic charting capabilities and straightforward integration into web applications. Its responsive design ensures that charts look great on various devices, and its customization options allow for a degree of flexibility in styling.
highcharts is another popular charting library that offers a comprehensive suite of chart types and features. It is known for its high-quality visualizations and extensive documentation, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced developers. Highcharts provides advanced features such as real-time data updates, exporting options, and accessibility support. It is particularly well-suited for enterprise applications that require sophisticated data visualization capabilities and robust performance. However, it is important to note that Highcharts is free for non-commercial use, but a license is required for commercial applications.
In case you are looking for an older version of the docs, you will have to specify the specific version in the url like this: https://www.chartjs.org/docs/2.9.4/
Contributing
Instructions on building and testing Chart.js can be found in the documentation. Before submitting an issue or a pull request, please take a moment to look over the contributing guidelines first. For support, please post questions on Stack Overflow with the chart.js tag.
