Software Alternatives & Startups

Apache Superset VS Plotly

Compare Apache Superset VS Plotly and see what are their differences

Apache Superset

modern, enterprise-ready business intelligence web application

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Plotly

Low-Code Data Apps

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Apache Superset should be more popular than Plotly. It has been mentioned 62 times since March 2021.

social mentions
62 vs 34
Business Intelligence popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
183 vs 240+

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Apache Superset
Plotly
Website superset.apache.org plotly.com
Pricing
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Apache Superset 6 features
Plotly 6 features
  • Open Source
    Apache Superset is fully open source, allowing users to modify and extend it as needed without any licensing fees.
  • Rich Visualization Options
    Superset offers a wide range of pre-built visualization types, including pie charts, line charts, and maps, allowing for versatile data representation.
  • SQL Lab
    The SQL Lab feature makes it easy to explore and query data in a natural SQL interface, which is highly valuable for analysts and data scientists.
  • Lightweight
    Superset is designed to be a lightweight platform, making it relatively easy to set up and manage compared to more cumbersome BI tools.
  • Extensibility
    With its plugin architecture, Superset can be extended to support additional visualizations and data sources, which makes it highly customizable.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    As part of the Apache Software Foundation, Superset benefits from a robust community and a broad ecosystem of tools and integrations.

Possible disadvantages

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users may find it difficult to get started with Superset due to its wide array of features and technical jargon.
  • Limited Documentation
    While there is community-driven documentation, it may not be as comprehensive or up-to-date as needed, posing challenges during troubleshooting.
  • Resource Intensive
    Superset can be resource-intensive and may require significant optimization to run efficiently, especially with large datasets or numerous concurrent users.
  • Basic User Management
    User management features are somewhat basic compared to other BI tools, lacking advanced role-based access control and detailed audit logs.
  • Less Polished UI
    The user interface, while functional, may not be as polished or intuitive as some of the commercial alternatives, impacting the user experience.
  • Scaling Issues
    Superset can face scalability challenges when dealing with massive datasets or a high number of concurrent users, though ongoing improvements are being made.
  • Interactivity
    Plotly offers highly interactive plots that allow users to pan, zoom, and hover over data points for more information. This enhances the user experience and provides deeper insights.
  • High-quality visualizations
    It provides aesthetically pleasing and highly customizable charts, making it suitable for publication-quality visuals.
  • Versatility
    Plotly supports multiple chart types including line charts, scatter plots, bar charts, and 3D plots, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.
  • Python integration
    Plotly is well-integrated with Python and works seamlessly with other popular data science libraries like Pandas, NumPy, and Scikit-learn.
  • Web-based
    The plots can be easily embedded in web applications or dashboards, making it ideal for sharing insights over the internet.
  • Open-source
    Plotly offers an open-source version, which allows users to create and share visualizations without any cost.

Possible disadvantages

  • Performance
    Rendering very large datasets can sometimes be slow, which may not be suitable for real-time data visualization requirements.
  • Learning curve
    Even though the library is well-documented, the extensive range of features can have a steep learning curve for beginners.
  • Cost for advanced features
    While the basic functionality is free, more advanced features, such as export to certain formats and additional customizable options, require a paid subscription.
  • Dependency management
    Plotly has a number of dependencies that need to be managed properly, which can sometimes complicate the setup process.
  • Complexity
    For simple visualizations, Plotly might be overkill and simpler libraries like Matplotlib or Seaborn could be more appropriate.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Apache Superset
Plotly

Overall verdict

  • Apache Superset is a good choice for teams and organizations looking for a flexible, scalable, and user-friendly data visualization tool. It offers a balance between simplicity for non-technical users and depth for advanced users who want to perform complex data analyses. However, it might require some initial setup and configuration, especially for those not familiar with managing web applications or working with databases.

Why this product is good

  • Apache Superset is a powerful, open-source business intelligence tool that provides a wide range of data visualization and exploration capabilities. It is designed to handle large volumes of data, offers an intuitive user interface, and supports a variety of data sources through SQLAlchemy. Its main strengths lie in its ability to create complex dashboards with minimal effort, and its extensibility through a plugin framework. Superset also benefits from a vibrant open-source community, which contributes to its continuous improvement and feature expansion.

Recommended for

  • Organizations with medium to large datasets that need efficient data exploration and visualization.
  • Data analysts and scientists who require a tool that provides powerful SQL capabilities and extensive chart options.
  • Teams looking for an open-source, cost-effective alternative to proprietary business intelligence solutions.
  • Developers who are interested in customizing or extending the platform to fit specific needs via a robust API and plugin system.

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Plotly is a strong choice for those looking to create dynamic and interactive data visualizations, thanks to its range of features and ease of integration with web technologies.

Why this product is good

  • Plotly is considered good because it offers a comprehensive suite of tools for creating interactive visualizations that can be used in web applications, reports, and dashboards. It supports many different types of plots, is easy to use for both beginners and experienced developers, and integrates well with popular programming languages like Python, R, and JavaScript.

Recommended for

    Plotly is recommended for data scientists, analysts, and developers who need to create interactive and visually appealing data visualizations. It's particularly useful for those who work with Python or R and want the ability to embed their visualizations in web applications or dashboards.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Apache Superset 3 videos + Add
Plotly 5 videos + Add

Observing Intraday Indicators Using Real-Time Tick Data on Apache Superset and Druid

More videos

  • - Apache Superset-Building Dashboard-Filter or Slicer
  • - Installing Apache Superset

Create Real-time Chart with Javascript | Plotly.js Tutorial

More videos

  • - Introducing plotly.py 3.0
  • - Is Plotly The Better Matplotlib?
  • - Plotly Tutorial 2021
  • - Data Visualization as The First and Last Mile of Data Science Plotly Express and Dash | SciPy 2021

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Apache Superset
Plotly
100% 100%
0% 0%
40% 40%
60% 60%
50% 50%
50% 50%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Apache Superset no reviews yet
Plotly no reviews yet

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Apache Superset 62 mentions
Plotly 34 mentions

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Alternatives to Apache Superset and Plotly

When comparing Apache Superset and Plotly, you can also consider the following products.