react-native-chart-kit vs react-native-gifted-charts vs react-native-svg-charts
Data Visualization in React Native Applications
react-native-chart-kitreact-native-gifted-chartsreact-native-svg-chartsSimilar Packages:

Data Visualization in React Native Applications

react-native-chart-kit, react-native-gifted-charts, and react-native-svg-charts are libraries used to render data visualizations like line graphs, bar charts, and pie charts in React Native. All three rely on react-native-svg to draw vector graphics, but they differ significantly in API design, ease of customization, and maintenance status. react-native-chart-kit is a mature solution with a config-heavy approach. react-native-gifted-charts focuses on developer experience with simpler props. react-native-svg-charts offers low-level control using D3 scales but suffers from lack of active maintenance.

Npm Package Weekly Downloads Trend

3 Years

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Stat Detail

Package
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react-native-chart-kit03,097411 kB421a month agoMIT
react-native-gifted-charts01,331399 kB997 days agoMIT
react-native-svg-charts02,400-2196 years agoMIT

React Native Charting Libraries: Architecture and DX Compared

All three libraries β€” react-native-chart-kit, react-native-gifted-charts, and react-native-svg-charts β€” enable developers to display data visualizations in mobile apps using SVG. They solve the same problem but take different paths regarding API design, dependency management, and maintenance. Let's compare how they handle common engineering tasks.

πŸ› οΈ Setup and Dependencies

react-native-chart-kit requires linking native modules for some features and depends heavily on react-native-svg. It often needs additional setup for fonts or custom paths.

// react-native-chart-kit: Installation requires SVG
import { LineChart } from 'react-native-chart-kit';
import { Dimensions } from 'react-native';

const chartWidth = Dimensions.get('window').width;

react-native-gifted-charts is designed to be zero-config for basic usage. It still needs react-native-svg but abstracts most native interactions away.

// react-native-gifted-charts: Simple import
import { LineChart } from 'react-native-gifted-charts';

// No complex dimension setup required for basic render

react-native-svg-charts requires react-native-svg and often d3-scale or d3-shape for full functionality. It demands more manual wiring of scales.

// react-native-svg-charts: Requires D3 scales
import { LineChart } from 'react-native-svg-charts';
import * as scale from 'd3-scale';

const scaleX = scale.scaleLinear;

πŸ“₯ Defining Chart Data

react-native-chart-kit uses a specific object structure with labels and datasets. You must wrap data in arrays even for single lines.

// react-native-chart-kit: Structured dataset
const data = {
  labels: ['Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar'],
  datasets: [{ data: [20, 45, 28] }]
};

<LineChart data={data} ... />

react-native-gifted-charts accepts a flat array of objects. This is closer to standard JSON API responses and requires less transformation.

// react-native-gifted-charts: Flat array
const data = [
  { value: 20, label: 'Jan' },
  { value: 45, label: 'Feb' },
  { value: 28, label: 'Mar' }
];

<LineChart data={data} ... />

react-native-svg-charts expects a simple array of numbers or objects but relies on you to define how that data maps to coordinates using scales.

// react-native-svg-charts: Raw data array
const data = [20, 45, 28];

<LineChart data={data} svg={{ stroke: 'blue' }} ... />

🎨 Styling and Configuration

react-native-chart-kit uses a chartConfig object to control colors, fonts, and grid lines. This centralizes style but can become verbose.

// react-native-chart-kit: Config object
const chartConfig = {
  backgroundGradientFrom: '#fff',
  color: (opacity = 1) => `rgba(0, 0, 255, ${opacity})`,
  labelColor: (opacity = 1) => `rgba(0, 0, 0, ${opacity})`
};

<LineChart chartConfig={chartConfig} ... />

react-native-gifted-charts passes styles directly as props like color, thickness, or noOfSections. It feels more like standard React styling.

// react-native-gifted-charts: Direct props
<LineChart 
  color="#0000ff" 
  thickness={3} 
  noOfSections={5} 
  ... 
/>

react-native-svg-charts uses an svg prop for line styles and requires separate components for axes and grids, giving granular control but more code.

// react-native-svg-charts: SVG props
<LineChart 
  svg={{ stroke: 'blue', strokeWidth: 3 }} 
  contentInset={{ top: 20, bottom: 20 }}
  ... 
/>

πŸ“‰ Maintenance and Long-Term Support

react-native-chart-kit has a long history of updates and is widely adopted in production. It handles breaking changes in React Native reasonably well.

// react-native-chart-kit: Stable API
// Consistent major version releases over years

react-native-gifted-charts is actively maintained with frequent updates addressing bugs and adding new chart types. It is the modern choice for new projects.

// react-native-gifted-charts: Active development
// Regular commits and issue resolution

react-native-svg-charts shows signs of stagnation with infrequent updates and many open issues. Using it introduces risk for future OS upgrades.

// react-native-svg-charts: Maintenance risk
// Few recent commits; community recommends alternatives

🀝 Similarities: Shared Ground Between Libraries

While the implementation details differ, all three libraries share core characteristics as React Native SVG wrappers.

1. πŸ–ŒοΈ SVG Based Rendering

  • All three use react-native-svg under the hood.
  • This ensures charts scale without losing quality on different screen densities.
// All packages rely on this dependency
// npm install react-native-svg

2. πŸ“± Responsive Containers

  • Each library requires you to define width and height explicitly or via container.
  • None automatically fill parent containers without dimension input.
// Common pattern for all three
<View style={{ width: '100%', height: 200 }}>
  <ChartComponent ... />
</View>

3. πŸ“Š Basic Chart Types

  • All support Line, Bar, and Pie charts out of the box.
  • Advanced types like Area or Stacked Bar vary in ease of implementation.
// All provide these core components
// LineChart, BarChart, PieChart

4. 🧩 Component Based Architecture

  • Charts are implemented as React components.
  • They accept props for data and configuration, fitting standard React patterns.
// Standard React usage
<MyChart data={data} config={config} />

5. πŸ”Œ Native Dependencies

  • All require native code linking for react-native-svg.
  • This means running pod install on iOS and rebuilding the app.
// iOS setup required for all
cd ios && pod install

πŸ“Š Summary: Key Similarities

FeatureShared by All Three
Rendering EngineπŸ–ŒοΈ react-native-svg
Platform SupportπŸ“± iOS and Android
Core TypesπŸ“Š Line, Bar, Pie
SetupπŸ”Œ Native linking required
React Pattern🧩 Props based configuration

πŸ†š Summary: Key Differences

Featurereact-native-chart-kitreact-native-gifted-chartsreact-native-svg-charts
Data FormatπŸ—‚οΈ Nested datasets objectπŸ“„ Flat array of objectsπŸ“ Raw array + D3 scales
Stylingβš™οΈ Centralized config object🎨 Direct component propsπŸ–ŒοΈ SVG attribute props
Maintenanceβœ… Stable and matureβœ… Active and modern⚠️ Unmaintained / Legacy
Learning CurveπŸ“ˆ MediumπŸ“‰ LowπŸ“ˆ High (D3 knowledge needed)
CustomizationπŸ”§ Config limitedπŸ”§ Easy via propsπŸ”§ High but complex

πŸ’‘ The Big Picture

react-native-chart-kit is like a reliable work truck 🚚 β€” it gets the job done with proven tools and handles heavy loads well. Best for teams that value stability over cutting-edge features and don't mind verbose configuration.

react-native-gifted-charts is like a modern electric car ⚑ β€” smooth, efficient, and easy to drive. Perfect for new projects where speed of development and clean code matter most.

react-native-svg-charts is like an older manual transmission car πŸ•°οΈ β€” powerful in the right hands but requires more skill and parts are harder to find. Only use if you are maintaining an existing system that already depends on it.

Final Thought: For most new React Native applications, react-native-gifted-charts offers the best balance of ease and capability. If you need extreme stability and have legacy code, react-native-chart-kit remains a safe bet. Avoid react-native-svg-charts unless you have a specific need for its D3 integration and can accept the maintenance risk.

How to Choose: react-native-chart-kit vs react-native-gifted-charts vs react-native-svg-charts

  • react-native-chart-kit:

    Choose react-native-chart-kit if you need a stable, battle-tested library for standard chart types and prefer configuring charts via a centralized chartConfig object. It is suitable for enterprise apps where long-term stability is more important than having the latest features or the simplest API.

  • react-native-gifted-charts:

    Choose react-native-gifted-charts if you prioritize developer experience and need to implement charts quickly with minimal boilerplate. It is ideal for startups or projects where customization is needed but deep D3 knowledge is not available within the team.

  • react-native-svg-charts:

    Avoid react-native-svg-charts for new projects due to its unmaintained status and lack of recent updates. Only consider it if you are maintaining a legacy codebase that already depends on its specific D3-scale integration and you cannot migrate to a newer library without significant refactoring.

README for react-native-chart-kit

If you're looking to build a website or a cross-platform mobile app – we will be happy to help you! Send a note to clients@ui1.io and we will be in touch with you shortly.

Chart Kit

πŸ“²See example app

To try the examples in Expo, please change main to ./node_modules/expo/AppEntry.js in package.json before starting things with expo run. You'll need to have expo-cli installed via npm install -g expo-cli.

React Native Chart Kit Documentation

Import components

  1. yarn add react-native-chart-kit
  2. yarn add react-native-svg install peer dependencies
  3. Use with ES6 syntax to import components
import {
  LineChart,
  BarChart,
  PieChart,
  ProgressChart,
  ContributionGraph,
  StackedBarChart
} from "react-native-chart-kit";

Quick Example

<View>
  <Text>Bezier Line Chart</Text>
  <LineChart
    data={{
      labels: ["January", "February", "March", "April", "May", "June"],
      datasets: [
        {
          data: [
            Math.random() * 100,
            Math.random() * 100,
            Math.random() * 100,
            Math.random() * 100,
            Math.random() * 100,
            Math.random() * 100
          ]
        }
      ]
    }}
    width={Dimensions.get("window").width} // from react-native
    height={220}
    yAxisLabel="$"
    yAxisSuffix="k"
    yAxisInterval={1} // optional, defaults to 1
    chartConfig={{
      backgroundColor: "#e26a00",
      backgroundGradientFrom: "#fb8c00",
      backgroundGradientTo: "#ffa726",
      decimalPlaces: 2, // optional, defaults to 2dp
      color: (opacity = 1) => `rgba(255, 255, 255, ${opacity})`,
      labelColor: (opacity = 1) => `rgba(255, 255, 255, ${opacity})`,
      style: {
        borderRadius: 16
      },
      propsForDots: {
        r: "6",
        strokeWidth: "2",
        stroke: "#ffa726"
      }
    }}
    bezier
    style={{
      marginVertical: 8,
      borderRadius: 16
    }}
  />
</View>

Chart style object

Define a chart style object with following properies as such:

const chartConfig = {
  backgroundGradientFrom: "#1E2923",
  backgroundGradientFromOpacity: 0,
  backgroundGradientTo: "#08130D",
  backgroundGradientToOpacity: 0.5,
  color: (opacity = 1) => `rgba(26, 255, 146, ${opacity})`,
  strokeWidth: 2, // optional, default 3
  barPercentage: 0.5,
  useShadowColorFromDataset: false // optional
};
PropertyTypeDescription
backgroundGradientFromstringDefines the first color in the linear gradient of a chart's background
backgroundGradientFromOpacityNumberDefines the first color opacity in the linear gradient of a chart's background
backgroundGradientTostringDefines the second color in the linear gradient of a chart's background
backgroundGradientToOpacityNumberDefines the second color opacity in the linear gradient of a chart's background
fillShadowGradientFromstringDefines the first color in the linear gradient of the area under data (can also be specified as fillShadowGradient)
fillShadowGradientFromOpacityNumberDefines the first color opacity in the linear gradient of the area under data (can also be specified as fillShadowGradientOpacity)
fillShadowGradientFromOffsetNumberDefines the first color offset (0-1) in the linear gradient of the area under data
fillShadowGradientTostringDefines the second color in the linear gradient of the area under data
fillShadowGradientToOpacityNumberDefines the second color opacity in the linear gradient of the area under data
fillShadowGradientToOffsetNumberDefines the second color offset (0-1) in the linear gradient of the area under data
useShadowColorFromDatasetBooleanDefines the option to use color from dataset to each chart data. Default is false
colorfunction => stringDefines the base color function that is used to calculate colors of labels and sectors used in a chart
strokeWidthNumberDefines the base stroke width in a chart
barPercentageNumberDefines the percent (0-1) of the available width each bar width in a chart
barRadiusNumberDefines the radius of each bar
propsForBackgroundLinespropsOverride styles of the background lines, refer to react-native-svg's Line documentation
propsForLabelspropsOverride styles of the labels, refer to react-native-svg's Text documentation
propsForVerticalLabelspropsOverride styles of vertical labels, refer to react-native-svg's Text documentation
propsForHorizontalLabelspropsOverride styles of horizontal labels, refer to react-native-svg's Text documentation

Responsive charts

To render a responsive chart, use Dimensions react-native library to get the width of the screen of your device like such

import { Dimensions } from "react-native";
const screenWidth = Dimensions.get("window").width;

Line Chart

Line Chart

const data = {
  labels: ["January", "February", "March", "April", "May", "June"],
  datasets: [
    {
      data: [20, 45, 28, 80, 99, 43],
      color: (opacity = 1) => `rgba(134, 65, 244, ${opacity})`, // optional
      strokeWidth: 2 // optional
    }
  ],
  legend: ["Rainy Days"] // optional
};
<LineChart
  data={data}
  width={screenWidth}
  height={220}
  chartConfig={chartConfig}
/>
PropertyTypeDescription
dataObjectData for the chart - see example above
widthNumberWidth of the chart, use 'Dimensions' library to get the width of your screen for responsive
heightNumberHeight of the chart
withDotsbooleanShow dots on the line - default: True
withShadowbooleanShow shadow for line - default: True
withInnerLinesbooleanShow inner dashed lines - default: True
withOuterLinesbooleanShow outer dashed lines - default: True
withVerticalLinesbooleanShow vertical lines - default: True
withHorizontalLinesbooleanShow horizontal lines - default: True
withVerticalLabelsbooleanShow vertical labels - default: True
withHorizontalLabelsbooleanShow horizontal labels - default: True
fromZerobooleanRender charts from 0 not from the minimum value. - default: False
yAxisLabelstringPrepend text to horizontal labels -- default: ''
yAxisSuffixstringAppend text to horizontal labels -- default: ''
xAxisLabelstringPrepend text to vertical labels -- default: ''
yAxisIntervalstringDisplay y axis line every {x} input. -- default: 1
chartConfigObjectConfiguration object for the chart, see example config object above
decoratorFunctionThis function takes a whole bunch of stuff and can render extra elements, such as data point info or additional markup.
onDataPointClickFunctionCallback that takes {value, dataset, getColor}
horizontalLabelRotationnumber (degree)Rotation angle of the horizontal labels - default 0
verticalLabelRotationnumber (degree)Rotation angle of the vertical labels - default 0
getDotColorfunction => stringDefines the dot color function that is used to calculate colors of dots in a line chart and takes (dataPoint, dataPointIndex)
renderDotContentFunctionRender additional content for the dot. Takes ({x, y, index, indexData}) as arguments.
yLabelsOffsetnumberOffset for Y axis labels
xLabelsOffsetnumberOffset for X axis labels
hidePointsAtIndexnumber[]Indices of the data points you don't want to display
formatYLabelFunctionThis function change the format of the display value of the Y label. Takes the Y value as argument and should return the desirable string.
formatXLabelFunctionThis function change the format of the display value of the X label. Takes the X value as argument and should return the desirable string.
getDotProps(value, index) => propsThis is an alternative to chartConfig's propsForDots
segmentsnumberThe amount of horizontal lines - default 4

Bezier Line Chart

Line Chart

<LineChart
  data={data}
  width={screenWidth}
  height={256}
  verticalLabelRotation={30}
  chartConfig={chartConfig}
  bezier
/>
PropertyTypeDescription
bezierbooleanAdd this prop to make the line chart smooth and curvy

Progress Ring

Progress Chart

// each value represents a goal ring in Progress chart
const data = {
  labels: ["Swim", "Bike", "Run"], // optional
  data: [0.4, 0.6, 0.8]
};
<ProgressChart
  data={data}
  width={screenWidth}
  height={220}
  strokeWidth={16}
  radius={32}
  chartConfig={chartConfig}
  hideLegend={false}
/>
PropertyTypeDescription
dataObjectData for the chart - see example above
widthNumberWidth of the chart, use 'Dimensions' library to get the width of your screen for responsive
heightNumberHeight of the chart
strokeWidthNumberWidth of the stroke of the chart - default: 16
radiusNumberInner radius of the chart - default: 32
chartConfigObjectConfiguration object for the chart, see example config in the beginning of this file
hideLegendBooleanSwitch to hide chart legend (defaults to false)

Bar chart

Bat Chart

const data = {
  labels: ["January", "February", "March", "April", "May", "June"],
  datasets: [
    {
      data: [20, 45, 28, 80, 99, 43]
    }
  ]
};
<BarChart
  style={graphStyle}
  data={data}
  width={screenWidth}
  height={220}
  yAxisLabel="$"
  chartConfig={chartConfig}
  verticalLabelRotation={30}
/>
PropertyTypeDescription
dataObjectData for the chart - see example above
widthNumberWidth of the chart, use 'Dimensions' library to get the width of your screen for responsive
heightNumberHeight of the chart
withVerticalLabelsbooleanShow vertical labels - default: True
withHorizontalLabelsbooleanShow horizontal labels - default: True
fromZerobooleanRender charts from 0 not from the minimum value. - default: False
withInnerLinesbooleanShow inner dashed lines - default: True
yAxisLabelstringPrepend text to horizontal labels -- default: ''
yAxisSuffixstringAppend text to horizontal labels -- default: ''
chartConfigObjectConfiguration object for the chart, see example config in the beginning of this file
horizontalLabelRotationnumber (degree)Rotation angle of the horizontal labels - default 0
verticalLabelRotationnumber (degree)Rotation angle of the vertical labels - default 0
showBarTopsbooleanShow bar tops
showValuesOnTopOfBarsbooleanShow value above bars

StackedBar chart

StackedBar_Chart

const data = {
  labels: ["Test1", "Test2"],
  legend: ["L1", "L2", "L3"],
  data: [
    [60, 60, 60],
    [30, 30, 60]
  ],
  barColors: ["#dfe4ea", "#ced6e0", "#a4b0be"]
};
<StackedBarChart
  style={graphStyle}
  data={data}
  width={screenWidth}
  height={220}
  chartConfig={chartConfig}
/>
PropertyTypeDescription
dataObjectData for the chart - see example above
widthNumberWidth of the chart, use 'Dimensions' library to get the width of your screen for responsive
heightNumberHeight of the chart
withVerticalLabelsbooleanShow vertical labels - default: True
withHorizontalLabelsbooleanShow horizontal labels - default: True
chartConfigObjectConfiguration object for the chart, see example config in the beginning of this file
barPercentageNumberDefines the percent (0-1) of the available width each bar width in a chart
showLegendbooleanShow legend - default: True

Pie chart

Pie Chart

Modified Pie Chart Screenshot

Pie Chart_modified

const data = [
  {
    name: "Seoul",
    population: 21500000,
    color: "rgba(131, 167, 234, 1)",
    legendFontColor: "#7F7F7F",
    legendFontSize: 15
  },
  {
    name: "Toronto",
    population: 2800000,
    color: "#F00",
    legendFontColor: "#7F7F7F",
    legendFontSize: 15
  },
  {
    name: "Beijing",
    population: 527612,
    color: "red",
    legendFontColor: "#7F7F7F",
    legendFontSize: 15
  },
  {
    name: "New York",
    population: 8538000,
    color: "#ffffff",
    legendFontColor: "#7F7F7F",
    legendFontSize: 15
  },
  {
    name: "Moscow",
    population: 11920000,
    color: "rgb(0, 0, 255)",
    legendFontColor: "#7F7F7F",
    legendFontSize: 15
  }
];
<PieChart
  data={data}
  width={screenWidth}
  height={220}
  chartConfig={chartConfig}
  accessor={"population"}
  backgroundColor={"transparent"}
  paddingLeft={"15"}
  center={[10, 50]}
  absolute
/>
PropertyTypeDescription
dataObjectData for the chart - see example above
widthNumberWidth of the chart, use 'Dimensions' library to get the width of your screen for responsive
heightNumberHeight of the chart
chartConfigObjectConfiguration object for the chart, see example config in the beginning of this file
accessorstringProperty in the data object from which the number values are taken
bgColorstringbackground color - if you want to set transparent, input transparent or none.
paddingLeftstringleft padding of the pie chart
centerarrayoffset x and y coordinates to position the chart
absolutebooleanshows the values as absolute numbers
hasLegendbooleanDefaults to true, set it to false to remove the legend
avoidFalseZerobooleanDefaults to false, set it to true to display a "<1%" instead of a rounded value equal to "0%"

Contribution graph (heatmap)

Contribution Graph

This type of graph is often use to display a developer contribution activity. However, there many other use cases this graph is used when you need to visualize a frequency of a certain event over time.

const commitsData = [
  { date: "2017-01-02", count: 1 },
  { date: "2017-01-03", count: 2 },
  { date: "2017-01-04", count: 3 },
  { date: "2017-01-05", count: 4 },
  { date: "2017-01-06", count: 5 },
  { date: "2017-01-30", count: 2 },
  { date: "2017-01-31", count: 3 },
  { date: "2017-03-01", count: 2 },
  { date: "2017-04-02", count: 4 },
  { date: "2017-03-05", count: 2 },
  { date: "2017-02-30", count: 4 }
];
<ContributionGraph
  values={commitsData}
  endDate={new Date("2017-04-01")}
  numDays={105}
  width={screenWidth}
  height={220}
  chartConfig={chartConfig}
/>
PropertyTypeDescription
dataObjectData for the chart - see example above
widthNumberWidth of the chart, use 'Dimensions' library to get the width of your screen for responsive
heightNumberHeight of the chart
gutterSizeNumberSize of the gutters between the squares in the chart
squareSizeNumberSize of the squares in the chart
horizontalbooleanShould graph be laid out horizontally? Defaults to true
showMonthLabelsbooleanShould graph include labels for the months? Defaults to true
showOutOfRangeDaysbooleanShould graph be filled with squares, including days outside the range? Defaults to false
chartConfigObjectConfiguration object for the chart, see example config in the beginning of this file
accessorstringProperty in the data object from which the number values are taken; defaults to count
getMonthLabelfunctionFunction which returns the label for each month, taking month index (0 - 11) as argument
onDayPressfunctionCallback invoked when the user clicks a day square on the chart; takes a value-item object

More styling

Every charts also accepts style props, which will be applied to parent svg or View component of each chart.

Abstract Chart

src/abstract-chart.js is an extendable class which can be used to create your own charts!

The following methods are available:

renderHorizontalLines(config)

Renders background horizontal lines like in the Line Chart and Bar Chart. Takes a config object with following properties:

{
  // width of your chart
  width: Number,
  // height of your chart
  height: Number,
  // how many lines to render
  count: Number,
  // top padding from the chart top edge
  paddingTop: Number
}

renderVerticalLabels(config)

Render background vertical lines. Takes a config object with following properties:

{
  // data needed to calculate the number of lines to render
  data: Array,
  // width of your chart
  width: Number,
  // height of your chart
  height: Number,
  paddingTop: Number,
  paddingRight: Number
}

renderDefs(config)

Render definitions of background and shadow gradients

{
  // width of your chart
  width: Number,
  // height of your chart
  height: Number,
  // first color of background gradient
  backgroundGradientFrom: String,
  // first color opacity of background gradient (0 - 1.0)
  backgroundGradientFromOpacity: Number,
  // second color of background gradient
  backgroundGradientTo: String,
  // second color opacity of background gradient (0 - 1.0)
  backgroundGradientToOpacity: Number,
}

Compilation

For production use, the package is automatically compiled after installation, so that you can just install it with npm and use it out-of-the-box.

To transpile TypeScript into JavaScript for development purposes, you can use either run npm run build to compile once, or npm run dev to start compilation in watch mode, which will recompile the files on change.

More information

This library is built on top of the following open-source projects:

Contribute

See the contribution guide and join the contributors!