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amCharts VS D3.js

Compare amCharts VS D3.js and see what are their differences

amCharts logo amCharts

Advanced javascript charting library that will suit any data visualization need

D3.js logo 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.
  • amCharts Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-09
  • D3.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-11

D3 allows you to bind arbitrary data to a Document Object Model (DOM), and then apply data-driven transformations to the document. For example, you can use D3 to generate an HTML table from an array of numbers. Or, use the same data to create an interactive SVG bar chart with smooth transitions and interaction.

D3 is not a monolithic framework that seeks to provide every conceivable feature. Instead, D3 solves the crux of the problem: efficient manipulation of documents based on data. This avoids proprietary representation and affords extraordinary flexibility, exposing the full capabilities of web standards such as HTML, SVG, and CSS. With minimal overhead, D3 is extremely fast, supporting large datasets and dynamic behaviors for interaction and animation. D3’s functional style allows code reuse through a diverse collection of official and community-developed modules.

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.

D3.js features and specs

  • Powerful Visualization
    D3.js allows for the creation of highly customized and interactive data visualizations, harnessing the full power of web standards like SVG, Canvas, and HTML.
  • Data Binding
    It offers robust support for data-driven transformations and binding, enabling intuitive connections between data sets and DOM elements.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    A large and active community contributes to tutorials, plugins, and tools, which can significantly simplify the development process.
  • Flexibility
    D3.js is highly flexible, providing low-level manipulation capabilities without being tied to any specific chart types or patterns.
  • Performance
    It is highly optimized for performance, allowing for efficient rendering of complex visualizations even with large data sets.

Possible disadvantages of D3.js

  • Steep Learning Curve
    D3.js has a steep learning curve due to its low-level nature and requires a solid understanding of JavaScript, DOM manipulation, and data concepts.
  • Complexity
    Creating complex visualizations can be time-consuming and require a significant amount of custom code, making it less approachable for quick, simple tasks.
  • Browser Compatibility
    Although widely supported, some D3.js features may have inconsistent behavior across different browsers, requiring additional testing and debugging.
  • Documentation
    While extensive, D3.js documentation can be challenging for beginners to navigate and understand, causing misunderstandings and slower development times.
  • Dependency Management
    The library itself is modular, but managing dependencies and integrating D3.js with other JavaScript frameworks or libraries can sometimes be problematic.

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 D3.js

Overall verdict

  • Yes, D3.js is a highly regarded library for data visualization in the web development community.

Why this product is good

  • Flexibility: D3.js provides incredible flexibility in creating complex and interactive visualizations with web standards (SVG, HTML, and CSS).
  • Customization: It allows for high levels of customization, which lets developers create unique and detailed visualizations tailored to their specific needs.
  • Community and Ecosystem: D3.js has a large, active community and a rich ecosystem of plugins and extensions conducive to learning and integration.
  • Data Binding: Offers powerful ways to manipulate documents based on data; the data-driven approach simplifies dynamic interaction creation.
  • Performance: Efficiently manipulates DOM elements and performs well with large datasets if used correctly.

Recommended for

  • Data Scientists and Analysts looking to create custom, interactive visualizations.
  • Web Developers who need to incorporate complex data visualizations into applications.
  • Educators and Researchers presenting data in an engaging way.
  • Anyone needing to build bespoke visualizations that are not possible with off-the-shelf solutions.

amCharts videos

Amcharts 4 Line Chart in ASP.NET MVC

D3.js videos

Data Visualization with D3.js - Full Tutorial Course

More videos:

  • Review - Let's learn D3.js - D3 for data visualization (full course)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to amCharts and D3.js)
Data Visualization
16 16%
84% 84
Charting Libraries
14 14%
86% 86
Data Dashboard
16 16%
84% 84
Javascript UI Libraries
0 0%
100% 100

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 D3.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

D3.js Reviews

6 JavaScript Charting Libraries for Powerful Data Visualizations in 2023
Depending on your requirements, the best JavaScript library is D3.js, as it’s by far the most customizable. However, it’s also really complex and difficult to master. Plus, it’s not as compatible with TypeScript as it is with JavaScript, which can be off-putting for some developers. If you’d prefer a less complex library that you can use with TypeScript, ECharts, and...
Source: embeddable.com
15 JavaScript Libraries for Creating Beautiful Charts
When we think of charting today, D3.js is the first name that comes up. Being an open source project, D3.js definitely brings many powerful features that were missing in most of the existing libraries. Features like dynamic properties, Enter and Exit, powerful transitions, and syntax familiarity with jQuery make it one the best JavaScript libraries for charting. Charts in...
Top 20 Javascript Libraries
D3 stands for Data-Driven Documents. With D3, you can apply data-driven transformations to DOM objects. The keyword with D3 is ‘data-driven,’ which means documents are manipulated depending on the data received. Data can be received in any format and bound with DOM objects. D3 is very fast and supports dynamic behavior for animation and interactions. There are plenty of...
Source: hackr.io
20+ JavaScript libraries to draw your own diagrams (2022 edition)
D3.js is a JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data. Right now, I would say is the most popular library of its kind.
15 data science tools to consider using in 2021
Another open source tool, D3.js is a JavaScript library for creating custom data visualizations in a web browser. Commonly known as D3, which stands for Data-Driven Documents, it uses web standards, such as HTML, Scalable Vector Graphics and CSS, instead of its own graphical vocabulary. D3's developers describe it as a dynamic and flexible tool that requires a minimum amount...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, D3.js seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 167 times 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.

D3.js mentions (167)

  • IO Devices and Latency
    Do you mean something for data visualization, or tricks condensing large data sets with cursors? https://d3js.org/ Best of luck =3. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • 2024 Nuxt3 Annual Ecosystem Summary🚀
    Document address: D3.js Official Document. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • 100+ Must-Have Web Development Resources
    D3.js: One of the most popular JavaScript visualization libraries. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • What are npm Peer Dependencies and how to use them?
    A Dependency is an npm package that our code depends on in order to be able to run. Some popular packages that can be added as dependencies are lodash, D3, and chartjs. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Introducing RacingBars 📊
    RacingBars is an open-source, light-weight (~45kb gzipped), easy-to-use, and feature-rich javascript library for bar chart race, based on D3.js. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing amCharts and D3.js, you can also consider the following products

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

Chart.js - Easy, object oriented client side graphs for designers and developers.

Plotly - Low-Code Data Apps

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.

RAWGraphs - RAWGraphs is an open source app built with the goal of making the visualization of complex data...