Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

ChartURL VS GnuPlot

Compare ChartURL VS GnuPlot and see what are their differences

ChartURL logo ChartURL

Add rich, data-driven charts to web & mobile apps, Slack bots, and emails. Send us data, and we return an image that renders perfectly on all platforms.

GnuPlot logo GnuPlot

Gnuplot is a portable command-line driven interactive data and function plotting utility.
  • ChartURL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-18
  • GnuPlot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-13

ChartURL features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    ChartURL allows users to easily generate charts by passing parameters via URL, which makes it accessible for those who may not have advanced programming skills.
  • Wide Range of Chart Types
    It supports a variety of chart types, including bar, line, pie, and more specialized options, providing flexibility for different data visualization needs.
  • Integration with Web Applications
    ChartURL can be easily integrated into web applications, allowing dynamic chart generation on the fly, which is beneficial for web developers.
  • No Need for Local Hosting
    Charts are generated on the server side, removing the need for users to host any charting libraries locally.

Possible disadvantages of ChartURL

  • Limited Customization
    While ChartURL offers a number of options, it might not provide the same level of customization as more advanced charting libraries like D3.js or Chart.js.
  • Dependency on Internet Connectivity
    As a web-based service, it requires a stable internet connection for chart rendering, which might not be ideal for offline applications.
  • Potential URL Length Limitations
    Since the chart is generated via URL parameters, there might be limitations on data size due to URL length restrictions.
  • Scalability Concerns
    For applications requiring extensive charting or high traffic, relying on a third-party service could pose scalability and performance issues.

GnuPlot features and specs

  • Highly Customizable
    GnuPlot offers extensive customization options for creating plots, allowing users to tweak almost every aspect of the graph, including colors, labels, line styles, and more.
  • Scriptable
    GnuPlot can be driven by scripts, making it convenient for automating complex plots and integrating with other software workflows.
  • Wide Range of Output Formats
    It supports many output formats such as PNG, PDF, SVG, and EPS, making it easy to generate graphics for different purposes like presentations, publications, and web content.
  • Cross-Platform
    GnuPlot runs on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring that it can be used in diverse computing environments.
  • Complex Plotting Capabilities
    GnuPlot supports a wide variety of plots, including 2D and 3D plots, histograms, heatmaps, and more, which caters to the needs of advanced visualization requirements.
  • Performance
    GnuPlot is efficient and can handle large datasets with ease, offering fast rendering times which is crucial when dealing with complex visualizations.
  • Free and Open Source
    Being free and open-source software, GnuPlot is accessible to everyone, and users can modify the source code to suit their needs.

Possible disadvantages of GnuPlot

  • Steep Learning Curve
    GnuPlot has a complex syntax and a steep learning curve, especially for beginners who may find it difficult to get started without substantial effort.
  • Limited GUI
    GnuPlot lacks a full-featured graphical user interface (GUI), making it less user-friendly for those who prefer point-and-click interactions over scripting.
  • Documentation
    While comprehensive, the documentation can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate for new users trying to find specific information quickly.
  • Date Handling
    Handling and formatting dates can be cumbersome in GnuPlot, requiring more manual setup compared to other dedicated plotting tools.
  • Interactive Features
    GnuPlot's interactive plotting capabilities are limited compared to other modern plotting tools that offer more dynamic and real-time interactivity.
  • Integration
    Integration with some modern programming environments and languages may not be as seamless as with other plotting libraries specifically designed for those ecosystems (e.g., Matplotlib in Python).

Analysis of ChartURL

Overall verdict

  • ChartURL is a reliable tool for those needing a simple yet powerful chart rendering solution with minimal setup.

Why this product is good

  • ChartURL (charturl.com) is considered a good service because it provides API-based chart generation that is efficient for developers looking to integrate dynamic data visualization into applications. It is appreciated for its ease of use, flexibility, and support for a variety of chart types.

Recommended for

  • developers
  • data analysts
  • business intelligence professionals
  • educators

Analysis of GnuPlot

Overall verdict

  • Gnuplot is generally considered to be a good choice for those looking for a reliable and flexible plotting tool, especially if the users need robust scriptability or work across different operating systems.

Why this product is good

  • Gnuplot is a powerful, portable, and multi-platform tool capable of producing high-quality 2D and 3D plots. It supports numerous output formats and can be used interactively or in scripts. Additionally, it has a large support community and extensive documentation, making it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.

Recommended for

  • Scientists and engineers who need to visualize data across diverse platforms.
  • Users comfortable working with command-line interfaces.
  • Individuals or teams needing to generate plots through automated scripts.
  • Those looking for a free and open-source alternative to other graphing tools.

ChartURL videos

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GnuPlot videos

Gnuplot Introduction

More videos:

  • Review - DTrace Latency Visualization in gnuplot
  • Review - Basics of Gnuplot - Make your plot look Good

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ChartURL and GnuPlot)
Data Dashboard
100 100%
0% 0
Technical Computing
0 0%
100% 100
Data Visualization
48 48%
52% 52
Numerical Computation
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GnuPlot seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 5 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.

ChartURL mentions (0)

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

GnuPlot mentions (5)

  • Question about Project Management
    To some extent it extends the concept of tasks which only can be reasonably executed after the completion of other ones (though results of branches eventually may join each other) and offers an additional assisting birds' eye visual of projects. So far, I'm aware about the documentation on worg interfacing org-taskjuggler and taskjuggler, as well as a video tutorial interfacing gnuplot instead. Source: about 3 years ago
  • How do I make a transparent background on .ps or .eps file imported to groff
    Gnuplot is a program to plot diagrams. The Commands issued to use it don't change regardless if it is used in Linux/Windows/MacOS and it comes with less dependencies than a Spread sheet, or a statistics program. This is why I started to Become comfortable with it, and venture out some of its features. Here, "conditional plot" referred to "the diagram only displays a Thing/uses a pixel if the value in the table... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Drawing graphs and diagrams
    Or, does drawing diagrams refers to plotting data, but neither using matplotlib, nor gnuplot (export to .svg, .pdf, .png; pstricks, tikz to mention a few options)? Source: over 3 years ago
  • Are specific softwares avialable that are suitable for converting different diagrams, graphs and mindmaps to latex codes?
    There may the occasion you actually need the data from a publication, and want to plot them altogether with data newly collected data in one diagram in common. An overlay, though possible, can become tricky (scaling, centering, alignment, etc.) and plotting all data in a diagram generated from scratch (gnuplot/octave, matplotlib, Origin, ...) exported as an illustration in the usual formats (.pdf/.png), or... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Introducing Graphs
    Have you looked at the graphing capabilities of Octave or Gnuplot? Gnuplot in particular has a lot of options, and a GUI for those who want it. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing ChartURL and GnuPlot, you can also consider the following products

Google Charts - Interactive charts for browsers and mobile devices.

Matplotlib - matplotlib is a python 2D plotting library which produces publication quality figures in a variety...

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

GeoGebra CAS Calculator - Free online algebra calculator from GeoGebra: solve equations, expand and factor expressions, find derivatives and integrals

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.

GeoGebra - GeoGebra is free and multi-platform dynamic mathematics software for learning and teaching.