Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

amCharts VS Chart.js

Compare amCharts VS Chart.js and see what are their differences

amCharts logo amCharts

Advanced javascript charting library that will suit any data visualization need

Chart.js logo Chart.js

Easy, object oriented client side graphs for designers and developers.
  • amCharts Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-09
  • Chart.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-13

amCharts features and specs

  • Comprehensive Feature Set
    amCharts offers a wide range of chart types and features, including line charts, bar charts, area charts, and advanced ones like geographical maps and time-series charts.
  • Ease of Use
    The library provides a user-friendly API, making it easier for developers to create and customize charts without extensive coding.
  • Customizability
    amCharts allows a high degree of customization, letting developers tweak almost every aspect of the charts, including colors, labels, and interactivity options.
  • Responsive Design
    Charts created with amCharts are responsive, automatically adjusting to different screen sizes and resolutions.
  • Interactive Elements
    amCharts supports interactive elements like tooltips, drill-downs, and animations which enhance user engagement and data exploration.
  • Extensive Documentation
    The library comes with detailed documentation and a variety of tutorials and samples, making it easier for new users to get started quickly.
  • Community and Support
    There is an active community and official support available, providing assistance through forums and direct support channels.
  • Export Capability
    amCharts provides exporting options, allowing users to export charts as images, PDFs, or data files.

Possible disadvantages of amCharts

  • Cost
    While amCharts offers a free version, the more advanced features and commercial usage require a paid license, which may not be suitable for all budgets.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite an intuitive API, the vast array of customization options can present a steep learning curve for new users.
  • Performance
    For extremely large datasets, the performance might lag compared to some other specialized charting libraries, which could be critical in data-intensive applications.
  • File Size
    Due to its extensive feature set, the library's file size can be relatively large, which might impact the load time of webpages.
  • Dependency on External Libraries
    Certain functionalities in amCharts may depend on additional external libraries, which could complicate the setup process.
  • Browser Compatibility
    While generally good, there may be occasional compatibility issues with older or less common browsers.
  • Complexity for Simple Charts
    For developers needing only simple charts, amCharts might be overkill and thus add unnecessary complexity.

Chart.js features and specs

  • Open Source
    Chart.js is open source and free to use, which makes it accessible for both personal and commercial projects without any licensing costs.
  • Ease of Use
    Chart.js is known for its simple and easy-to-use API. Developers can quickly create charts by just including the library and writing minimal JavaScript.
  • Lightweight
    The library is relatively lightweight compared to other charting libraries, which helps in maintaining the performance of web applications.
  • Responsive Design
    Charts created with Chart.js are responsive by default, ensuring that they look good on all devices, including desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.
  • Variety of Chart Types
    Chart.js supports a variety of chart types including line, bar, radar, pie, doughnut, and polar area charts, providing flexibility for different data visualization needs.
  • Customization
    Developers can customize the appearance of charts extensively through Chart.js options such as colors, labels, and tooltips.
  • Active Community
    Chart.js has an active community and a strong support base, which means that developers can easily find help, tutorials, and plugins to enhance functionality.

Possible disadvantages of Chart.js

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While Chart.js is good for basic and intermediate charting needs, it may lack some advanced features and customizations offered by more complex charting libraries like D3.js.
  • Performance Issues with Large Datasets
    Chart.js can struggle with performance when dealing with very large datasets or complex visualizations, which can result in slower rendering times.
  • Learning Curve for Customization
    Although the basic usage is straightforward, achieving deeper customizations can involve a steeper learning curve as it requires understanding the underlying JavaScript and options.
  • Limited Interactivity
    Interactivity options with Chart.js are somewhat limited compared to other libraries that offer more advanced interactive features.
  • Dependency on Canvas
    Charts are rendered using the HTML5 canvas element, which may not be as flexible as SVG-based rendering used by some other libraries.

Analysis of amCharts

Overall verdict

  • Yes, amCharts is generally considered a good option for data visualization, particularly due to its ease of use, customization capabilities, and extensive support resources. Many users appreciate its intuitive API and the ability to create visually appealing and interactive charts and dashboards without much hassle.

Why this product is good

  • amCharts is a popular choice for creating interactive charts and maps. It offers a wide range of chart types, from simple ones like line and bar charts to more complex types such as spatial maps and gauges. The library is highly customizable and provides extensive documentation along with examples, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers. Additionally, amCharts supports real-time data updates and is compatible with various frameworks and platforms, enhancing its versatility.

Recommended for

    amCharts is recommended for web developers and data analysts who need to present data in a visually compelling way on web applications. It is particularly useful for businesses and organizations requiring interactive and dynamic charting capabilities, such as those in financial analysis, marketing analytics, and scientific research.

Analysis of Chart.js

Overall verdict

  • Chart.js is a good choice for developers looking for a straightforward solution to incorporate charts into their web projects. Its ease of use, comprehensive documentation, and active community support make it an excellent option for both beginners and experienced developers.

Why this product is good

  • Chart.js is a popular open-source library for creating charts and graphs in web applications. It is valued for its simplicity, ease of use, and ability to create responsive, interactive charts with minimal effort. The library supports a wide range of chart types, including line, bar, radar, doughnut, pie, polar area, bubble, and scatter charts. Chart.js also provides customization options, allowing developers to tailor the look and behavior of their charts to fit their specific needs.

Recommended for

  • Web developers who need to quickly implement charts in their applications.
  • Teams looking for a lightweight and performant charting library.
  • Projects where customization and responsiveness of charts are important.
  • Beginner developers who want to learn and implement basic data visualization techniques.

amCharts videos

Amcharts 4 Line Chart in ASP.NET MVC

Chart.js videos

1.3: Graphing with Chart.js - Working With Data & APIs in JavaScript

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to Build Ionic 4 Apps with Chart.js

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to amCharts and Chart.js)
Data Visualization
19 19%
81% 81
Data Dashboard
18 18%
82% 82
Charting Libraries
18 18%
82% 82
Javascript UI Libraries
16 16%
84% 84

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare amCharts and Chart.js

amCharts Reviews

Top 10 JavaScript Charting Libraries for Every Data Visualization Need
amCharts is one of the JavaScript charting libraries that are helpful when you need a simple, and at the same time, flexible data visualization solution.
Source: hackernoon.com

Chart.js Reviews

6 JavaScript Charting Libraries for Powerful Data Visualizations in 2023
Of the free libraries on this list, ECharts has the widest range of chart types available, second only to D3. Unlike D3, ECharts also ranks highly on the user-friendliness scale, although some users find ApexCharts and Chart.js even easier to use. You can check out some examples of basic charts on ECharts.
Source: embeddable.com
5 top picks for JavaScript chart libraries
Chart.js is a chart library that is available as a client-side JavaScript package. There are also derivatives for other frontend frameworks, like React, Vue, and Angular. It displays the chart on an HTML canvas element.
Top 10 JavaScript Charting Libraries for Every Data Visualization Need
Chart.js is a simple yet quite flexible JavaScript library for data viz, popular among web designers and developers. Itโ€™s a great basic solution for those who donโ€™t need lots of chart types and customization features but want their charts to look neat, clear and informative at a glance.
Source: hackernoon.com
A Complete Overview of the Best Data Visualization Tools
Chart.js uses HTML5 Canvas for output, so it renders charts well across all modern browsers. Charts created are also responsive, so itรขย€ย™s great for creating visualizations that are mobile-friendly.
Source: www.toptal.com
The Best Data Visualization Tools - Top 30 BI Software
Chart.js is better for smaller chart projects. Itโ€™s open source and small in size, supporting six different types of charts: bar, line, pie, radar, doughnut, and polar. You can also add or remove any of these 6 types to reduce your footprint. Chart.js uses HTML5 Canvas and ships with polyfills for IE6/7 support. Chart.js offers the ability to create simple charts quickly.
Source: improvado.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Chart.js seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 1 time 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.

amCharts mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of amCharts yet. Tracking of amCharts recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Chart.js mentions (1)

  • Chart library for Svelte?
    Https://chartjs.org works well, but you have to call the update function yourself if you want to do some reactive updates. Source: over 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing amCharts and Chart.js, you can also consider the following products

D3.js - D3.js is a JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data. D3 helps you bring data to life using HTML, SVG, and CSS.

Highcharts - A charting library written in pure JavaScript, offering an easy way of adding interactive charts to your web site or web application

Google Charts - Interactive charts for browsers and mobile devices.

AnyChart - Award-winning JavaScript charting library & Qlik Sense extensions from a global leader in data visualization! Loved by thousands of happy customers, including over 75% of Fortune 500 companies & over half of the top 1000 software vendors worldwide.

Plotly - Low-Code Data Apps

ZingChart - ZingChart is a fast, modern, powerful JavaScript charting library for building animated, interactive charts and graphs. Bring on the big data!