Head-to-Head: Highcharts vs Plotly.js Analysis

highcharts

v11.4.5(3 months ago)

This package is actively maintained.Types definitions are bundled with the npm packageNumber of direct dependencies: 0Monthly npm downloads

Highcharts is a powerful JavaScript charting library that enables developers to create interactive and visually appealing charts for web applications. It offers a wide range of chart types, including line, bar, pie, and more, with extensive customization options for colors, labels, tooltips, and animations. Highcharts provides support for real-time data updates, exporting charts to various formats, and responsive design for seamless integration across devices.

Tags: javascriptchartingvisualizationinteractivedata

plotly.js

v2.33.0(4 months ago)

This package is actively maintained.Types definitions are provided via a separate npm package: @types/plotly.jsNumber of direct dependencies: 49Monthly npm downloads

Plotly.js is a high-level, declarative charting library that enables users to create interactive and visually appealing data visualizations in JavaScript. It offers a wide range of chart types, including scatter plots, bar charts, line charts, and more, with support for customization and interactivity. Plotly.js is known for its ease of use and flexibility, allowing developers to create complex plots with minimal code.

Tags: javascriptchartingdata-visualizationinteractive-chartsdeclarative

Fight!

Popularity

Both Highcharts and Plotly.js are popular charting libraries in the JavaScript ecosystem. Highcharts has been around for longer and has a strong user base, especially in enterprise applications. Plotly.js, on the other hand, has gained popularity for its interactive and dynamic data visualization capabilities.

Features

Highcharts offers a wide range of chart types and customization options out of the box. It provides a comprehensive set of features for creating static and interactive charts. Plotly.js, on the other hand, is known for its powerful interactive capabilities, including zooming, panning, and hover interactions, making it ideal for data exploration and analysis.

Integration

Highcharts is easy to integrate with various frontend frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue. It also has a robust API for customization. Plotly.js is designed to work well with libraries like D3.js and React, and it provides seamless integration with these tools for creating complex and interactive visualizations.

Performance

In terms of performance, Highcharts is known for its speed and efficiency in rendering large datasets. It is optimized for performance and can handle a significant amount of data without compromising speed. Plotly.js, while offering interactivity, may have slightly lower performance when dealing with extremely large datasets due to its dynamic nature.

Community and Support

Both Highcharts and Plotly.js have active communities and good documentation. Highcharts has a strong support system with regular updates and bug fixes. Plotly.js also has a dedicated team behind it, providing continuous improvements and updates to the library.