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C3.js VS Microsoft Power BI

Compare C3.js VS Microsoft Power BI and see what are their differences

C3.js logo C3.js

D3-based reusable chart library that enables deeper integration of charts into web applications

Microsoft Power BI logo Microsoft Power BI

BI visualization and reporting for desktop, web or mobile
  • C3.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-01-08
  • Microsoft Power BI Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-14

C3.js features and specs

  • Easy to Use
    C3.js provides a simple and convenient way to create charts. Its API is designed to be easy to understand, making it accessible for both novice and experienced developers.
  • Customization
    The library offers a high degree of customization options, allowing developers to tweak the appearance and behavior of charts to meet specific requirements.
  • Integration with D3.js
    C3.js is built on top of D3.js, enabling it to leverage the extensive capabilities of D3.js while providing a more user-friendly API.
  • Responsiveness
    C3.js charts are responsive by default, meaning they automatically adjust to different screen sizes, which is essential for modern web applications.
  • Documentation
    Comprehensive documentation and a variety of examples make it easier for developers to get started and effectively use the library.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, C3.js is freely available, and the community can contribute to its development, ensuring continuous improvements and updates.

Possible disadvantages of C3.js

  • Performance
    For complex visualizations and large datasets, C3.js may not perform as fast as other specialized charting libraries.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    While offering a good range of basic chart types, C3.js lacks some of the advanced features and chart types found in more comprehensive charting libraries.
  • Dependency on D3.js
    As C3.js is built on top of D3.js, it inherits some of D3.js's complexity. Developers sometimes need to understand D3.js to fully utilize C3.js's capabilities.
  • Maintenance and Updates
    The pace of updates and new releases is slower compared to some other libraries, which can be an issue for projects requiring the latest features and bug fixes.
  • Size
    C3.js, along with its dependency D3.js, can add significant size to the project, which may impact the performance of web applications, especially on slower networks.

Microsoft Power BI features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Power BI has an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for users to create reports and dashboards without extensive technical knowledge.
  • Integration with Microsoft Products
    Seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft products like Excel, Azure, and Office 365, enhancing productivity and data accessibility.
  • Real-Time Data
    Supports real-time data streaming, which allows users to get up-to-date insights and make informed decisions quickly.
  • Custom Visualizations
    Offers a wide range of built-in visualizations, as well as the ability to create custom visuals, helping users present data in a meaningful way.
  • Robust Security
    Provides strong security features including role-based access, data encryption, and compliance with global regulatory standards.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft Power BI

  • Complex Licensing
    The licensing model can be confusing and expensive, especially for small businesses or individual users.
  • Performance Issues with Large Data Sets
    Performance can be impacted when handling very large data sets, making it less suitable for extremely data-intensive applications.
  • Limited Customization
    While offering many built-in features, deep customization options may require advanced knowledge of DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) and Power Query.
  • Learning Curve
    Users new to business intelligence tools may find there is a significant learning curve to fully utilize all of Power BI's features.
  • Dependency on Internet Connection
    Many features, especially those involving cloud services, require a stable internet connection, which may be a limitation for some users.

Analysis of C3.js

Overall verdict

  • Yes, C3.js is a good choice for creating charts and graphs for most web applications. It offers a combination of ease of use and flexibility, which is appealing to both novice and experienced developers.

Why this product is good

  • C3.js is a D3-based chart library that simplifies the process of creating dynamic, reusable charts. It provides a variety of chart types with minimal configuration required, and its API is designed to be intuitive and easy to use. This makes it a good choice for developers who want to leverage the power of D3.js without dealing with its complexity.

Recommended for

    Developers looking for a straightforward way to create dynamic charts with customizable options, businesses needing reliable charting for data visualization, and projects where a quick setup with a steep learning curve is crucial.

Analysis of Microsoft Power BI

Overall verdict

  • Power BI is a highly recommended tool for business intelligence and data visualization, particularly within organizations that are already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. Its integration capabilities, ease of use, and robust feature set make it an excellent choice for turning data into actionable insights.

Why this product is good

  • Microsoft Power BI provides a robust data visualization and business intelligence tool, allowing users to transform raw data into informative insights through interactive dashboards and reports.
  • The platform integrates seamlessly with a wide range of Microsoft services, such as Azure, Excel, and SQL Server, and offers connectivity with numerous third-party data sources, enhancing its versatility.
  • Power BI is known for its user-friendly interface, which makes it accessible to both technical and non-technical users. The drag-and-drop functionality makes creating visualizations straightforward.
  • It offers strong data security features, including authentication and data encryption, which are essential for maintaining data integrity and confidentiality.
  • Power BI is cost-effective, providing a competitive pricing model that scales from individual users to large organizations, ensuring value for businesses of all sizes.

Recommended for

  • Businesses that already use Microsoft products and services, as they can fully leverage the integrations Power BI offers.
  • Data analysts and business professionals who need to create visual reports and dashboards without extensive technical knowledge.
  • Organizations looking for a scalable and affordable BI solution to facilitate data-driven decision-making.
  • Teams or companies that need to collaborate on reports and share insights easily within a secure and controlled environment.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to C3.js and Microsoft Power BI)
Charting Libraries
100 100%
0% 0
Data Dashboard
2 2%
98% 98
Data Visualization
2 2%
98% 98
Business Intelligence
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 C3.js and Microsoft Power BI

C3.js Reviews

5 top picks for JavaScript chart libraries
C3.js is another easy-to-use JavaScript library for creating charts. It uses the D3 graphics library, so to create a chart with it, we’ll need both D3 and the C3 library itself.

Microsoft Power BI Reviews

Explore 7 Tableau Alternatives for Data Visualization and Analysis
Microsoft Power BI is a robust data visualization and business intelligence tool that enables users to create interactive, real-time dashboards and reports with minimal coding. It supports over 100 data connectors, integrates seamlessly with the Azure SQL Database, and features advanced data modeling with the DAX language. Power BI's intuitive interface, frequent AI-driven...
Source: www.draxlr.com
Explore 6 Metabase Alternatives for Data Visualization and Analysis
It offers multiple pricing options, including a free version for individual users and paid plans like Power BI Pro and Power BI Premium. Pricing is based on user and capacity needs.
Source: www.draxlr.com
5 best Looker alternatives
Power BI: Microsoft Power BI is a legacy BI tool that is known for its seamless integration to Microsoft ecosystem, which is one of its strongest advantages. However, this tight integration can also be a drawback, as it tends to have limited compatibility with other ecosystems and often relies on Microsoft tools for optimal functionality.
Source: www.draxlr.com
10 Best Alternatives to Looker in 2024
Power BI: Microsoft's Power BI stands out for its seamless integration with other Microsoft products, making it a top choice for organizations deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. Its powerful data visualization tools and extensive community support make it a strong contender in the BI landscape.
Top 10 AI Data Analysis Tools in 2024
Microsoft Power BI is a versatile business intelligence platform that enables users to sort through their data and visualize it for actionable insights. One of its key strengths lies in its ability to import data from nearly any source, allowing users to build reports and dashboards effortlessly. Additionally, Power BI empowers users to build machine learning models and...
Source: powerdrill.ai

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Microsoft Power BI should be more popular than C3.js. It has been mentiond 17 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.

C3.js mentions (11)

  • Tracking Real-time GitHub Dashboard Commits
    The dashboard is a mashup of GitHub, the PubNub Data Stream Network, and D3 chart visualizations powered by C3.js. When a commit is pushed to GitHub, the commit metadata is posted to a small Heroku instance which publishes it to the PubNub network. We’re hosting on dashboard page on GitHub pages. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Graph libraries
    I've been using https://c3js.org/ forever with vue. Works with v3 just fine. However, I'm very interested to see what others are using. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Teclis – Non-commercial web search
    Yes! I found https://c3js.org/ which is exactly what I want for my personal project. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • [OC] I spent the last 18 months of lockdown pouring my soul into a website that allows you to visualize virtually every U.S. company's international supply chain. E.g. What products, how much, which factories and where does Walmart import from? (Just type a company in the search box)
    C3.js is actually something that I like to use on top of D3, specifically for POC's and things like that. It wraps the D3 code in something a little more semantic, provides an API for updating the chart/data, and makes the UI easier to style after the chart is generated. Purely a preference thing, but might be useful in some cases. Source: over 3 years ago
  • [C3.js][TypeScript] Draw line charts 1
    C3.js | D3-based reusable chart library. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
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Microsoft Power BI mentions (17)

  • Unified Analytics Platform: Microsoft Fabric
    Microsoft Fabric is currently in preview and provides data integration, engineering, data warehousing, data science, real-time analytics, applied observability, and business intelligence under a single architecture by integrating services such as Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Data Activator, and Power BI. In addition, it comes with a SaaS, multi-cloud data lake called "OneLake" that is built-in and... Source: about 2 years ago
  • NSS Data Analytics Program Question
    I'd suggest spending some time learning the material before you invest thousands in tuition only to find that you don't like it or aren't good at it. Download Tableau Public or Power BI and force yourself to use them for a few months. That's how I taught myself R. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Why Is Data Analytics Important?
    Discover why business analytics is crucial for your business and how to utilise data analytics and PowerBI to make informed and data-backed decisions! Source: about 2 years ago
  • Cloud dB reporting tool?
    Power BI is popular... But for table reports with Excel/PDF export you can use Pebble Reports. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Asking for guidance on migrating to a database from Excel
    Yes, MySQL can do the job. You can use Airforms to do data entry. No need to learn MySQL syntax. You will also need a reporting tool, such as Power BI. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing C3.js and Microsoft Power BI, you can also consider the following products

UMLGraph - UMLGraph is a professional automated drawing tool that allows the designers the declarative specification and drawing of UML class and sequence diagram.

Tableau - Tableau can help anyone see and understand their data. Connect to almost any database, drag and drop to create visualizations, and share with a click.

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.

Looker - Looker makes it easy for analysts to create and curate custom data experiences—so everyone in the business can explore the data that matters to them, in the context that makes it truly meaningful.

Dia - Dia is a GTK+ based diagram creation program for GNU/Linux, MacOS X, Unix, and Windows, and is released under the GPL license.

Sisense - The BI & Dashboard Software to handle multiple, large data sets.