GraphiQL vs Hot Chocolate
GraphiQL
graphiql.dev
Hot Chocolate
chillicream.comSide by side
| Figure | GraphiQL | Hot Chocolate |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · GraphQL Tools | 8.4 (#3) | 8.1 (#6) |
| License | The GraphiQL repository describes the code as open source under the MIT license. | The product page says Hot Chocolate is MIT licensed and may be used, modified, and distributed in commercial or private projects. |
| Purpose | GraphiQL is an interactive, in-browser IDE for GraphQL. | Hot Chocolate is an open-source GraphQL server for .NET that runs on ASP.NET Core. |
| Security | The project warns that GraphiQL versions below 1.4.7 are vulnerable to an XSS attack when connected to an untrusted GraphQL server. | Hot Chocolate integrates with ASP.NET Core authentication and supports JWT, cookies, and other authentication schemes. |
| Support | The project directs users to GitHub for issues and discussions and to the GraphQL Discord server for community discussion. | ChilliCream lists community support as free and paid support plans starting at $450 per month for Startup, with two critical incidents included. |
Plans
In their own words
GraphiQL
GraphiQL is a free, interactive, in-browser IDE for GraphQL. Its editor supports the latest GraphQL specification, with syntax highlighting, type-aware suggestions, query and variable completion, and real-time error highlighting. A searchable documentation explorer can display Markdown, and the built-in query history and documentation explorer are available as plugins. GraphiQL can preserve state in browser localStorage and provides a plugin API for extending its interface. It is also a React package for embedding the IDE in an application; a component needs a fetcher function that sends requests to a GraphQL API. The toolkit fetcher supports HTTP, multipart incremental delivery, and subscriptions through graphql-ws or the legacy WebSocket protocol. Developers can customize the interface with React props and children, while CSS variables are the supported way to change its appearance. GraphiQL is open source under the MIT license. Its project offers a progressive web app demo and examples for CDN, Webpack, Create React App, and Parcel.
Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate is an open-source GraphQL server for.NET that runs on ASP.NET Core and builds a GraphQL schema from C# types and resolvers. Developers can define typed schemas through implementation-first or code-first methods. It supports GraphQL over HTTP and WebSocket, plus Server-Sent Events for streaming responses. Documentation describes schema downloads, a Nitro GraphQL IDE endpoint, and a command-line interface for schema export. Data integrations include Entity Framework, MongoDB, and Marten; DataLoaders and batch resolvers help batch and cache related requests. OpenTelemetry instrumentation covers server, execution, and DataLoader activity. Security guidance recommends query cost analysis, pagination and execution-depth limits, and timeouts for public APIs; trusted documents can restrict private APIs to registered operations. Servers can act as Fusion subgraphs. Hot Chocolate implements the GraphQL 2025 specification and GraphQL over HTTP, and supports spec-compliant clients including Strawberry Shake, Relay, and Apollo Client. It is MIT licensed for commercial or private use. Community support is free; paid Startup support starts at $450 per month and includes two critical incidents.