Matplotlib vs Plotly

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.

Plotly provides tools for interactive dashboards, data applications, and charts, spanning open-source libraries, hosted services, and self-hosted platforms. Its graphing libraries support Python and JavaScript and offer more than 70 chart types. Dashboards support scheduled refresh and embedding, with connections to Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, MotherDuck, Oracle, CSV, and sources accessible through Python. Plotly Studio runs locally as a desktop app and can deploy to Plotly Cloud; Dash Enterprise can be self-hosted or run on premises. The Free plan includes one creator seat, one Dash or Plotly Studio app, three private viewers, and 10 trial credits, with no credit card required. It does not permit inviting other Creators or Viewers. Pro is $29 a month per Creator seat, with 30 monthly credits, 10 private viewers, and unlimited apps. Credit-powered features stop when credits run out, but published apps continue running. Subscriptions can be canceled without fees or penalties.