Chart.js vs Matplotlib
Chart.js
chartjs.orgMatplotlib
matplotlib.orgSide by side
| Figure | Chart.js | Matplotlib |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Data Visualization Libraries Software | 8.2 (#7) | 8.2 (#8) |
| Spec score · Data Visualization Software | 8.1 (#40) | 8.7 (#17) |
| Customization | Users can combine chart types and extend the library with custom plugins, including for annotations, zoom, and drag-and-drop functionality. | Users can customize visual style and figure layout. |
| Dashboard type | both | both |
| Data sources | JavaScript arrays,tuples,objects,data APIs,and Cube | Python lists,NumPy arrays |
| Integrations | Chart.js includes TypeScript typings and works with React, Vue, Svelte, and Angular, directly or through wrapper packages. | The project lists third-party packages built on Matplotlib, including seaborn, HoloViews, plotnine, Cartopy, and WCSAxes. |
| License | Chart.js is open source under the MIT license and maintained by a community. | The project says Matplotlib uses BSD-compatible code and grants a royalty-free license subject to its license terms. |
| Platform | web | web_and_desktop |
| Purpose | Chart.js is a simple, flexible JavaScript charting library for the modern web. | Matplotlib is a Python library for creating static, animated, and interactive visualizations. |
| Security | The repository's security advisories page says there are no published security advisories. | The Matplotlib 3.11.0 release notes say parsing of the axes.prop_cycle setting was restricted to a safer set of expressions. |
| Support | The documentation directs users to Discord, GitHub Discussions, and Stack Overflow for community help. | The project directs users to community help through Discourse, GitHub issues, and Stack Overflow. |
Plans
In their own words
Matplotlib
Matplotlib is a free Python library for creating static, animated, and interactive visualizations. The project says it can make publication-quality plots, and interactive figures can support zooming, panning, and updates. Users can customize visual style and figure layout, then export figures to many file formats. Matplotlib can be embedded in JupyterLab and graphical user interfaces. Third-party packages built on it include seaborn, HoloViews, plotnine, Cartopy, and WCSAxes. Official release wheels are available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, while documented runtime dependencies require Python 3.11 or newer. Additional dependencies may be needed for other GUI frameworks, LaTeX rendering, animation saving, and more file formats. The project describes its code as BSD-compatible and grants a royalty-free license subject to its license terms. Community help is available through Discourse, GitHub issues, and Stack Overflow. The project says Matplotlib began as a tool for EEG data and is now used in many fields. Its listed plan is Matplotlib at free.