Software Alternatives & Startups

Plotly.js VS Chart.js

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

Plotly.js

Open-source JavaScript charting library behind Plotly and Dash - plotly/plotly.js

Rating
0 reviews
Chart.js

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

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Plotly.js should be more popular than Chart.js. It has been mentioned 4 times since March 2021.

social mentions
4 vs 1
Charting Libraries popularity
9% vs 91%
alternatives listed
22 vs 240+

Base details

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

Plotly.js
Chart.js
Website github.com chartjs.org
Pricing —
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Plotly.js 5 features
Chart.js 7 features
  • Interactive Visualizations
    Plotly.js provides highly interactive charting capabilities, allowing users to hover, zoom, and pan easily within charts, enhancing the user experience.
  • Wide Range of Chart Types
    The library supports a comprehensive variety of chart types, from simple line and bar charts to more complex types like histograms, scatter plots, and even 3D and geographic plots.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Plotly.js works seamlessly across different platforms and browsers, ensuring consistent chart rendering and functionality whether used on desktops or mobile devices.
  • Customizable
    Users have a high degree of control over the appearance and behavior of plots, with numerous options to customize colors, legends, tooltips, and more.
  • Integration with Dash
    Plotly.js integrates well with the Dash framework, enabling the creation of interactive web applications that are highly visual and data-driven.

Possible disadvantages

  • Performance Concerns
    Rendering very large datasets can be slow, potentially impacting the performance of the application, particularly in resource-constrained environments.
  • Complexity
    For users new to the library, the learning curve can be steep due to the extensive options and configurations available.
  • Size of Library
    Plotly.js has a relatively large file size, which can be a concern for web applications where minimizing load times and data transfer is critical.
  • Limited Free Features
    Certain advanced features and functionalities may require a paid subscription to Plotly's services, which may not be ideal for all users or projects.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies and ensuring compatibility with other JavaScript libraries can sometimes pose challenges, especially in complex applications.
  • 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

  • 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

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

Plotly.js
Chart.js

No analysis of Plotly.js yet.

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.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Plotly.js 2 videos + Add
Chart.js 2 videos + Add

[Beginner] Simple Bar Chart | React Plotly.js

More videos

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

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

More videos

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

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
Plotly.js
Chart.js
9% 9%
91% 91%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%

User comments

Share your experience with using Plotly.js and Chart.js. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

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

Plotly.js no reviews yet
Chart.js no reviews yet

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Social recommendations and mentions

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

Plotly.js 4 mentions
Chart.js 1 mention

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  • 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 5 years ago

Alternatives to Plotly.js and Chart.js

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