Compare
Chart.js vs D3.js
Low-level visualization toolkit vs higher-level chart library
Chart.jsSimple, flexible JavaScript charting library
D3.jsJavaScript library for bespoke data visualizationWhich to pick
Pick Chart.js if you want…
- Simple, flexible charting on HTML5 Canvas
- Quick, out-of-the-box charts
- Integrations with HTML5 Canvas or All modern browsers (IE11+) (on Chart.js' list, not D3.js')
Pick D3.js if you want…
- Low-level, programmable visualizations
- Bespoke data visualizations
- Integrations with JavaScript or Observable (on D3.js' list, not Chart.js')
Chart.js: Simpler API for common chart types, less low-level control
Side by side
- What it is
- Chart.js:Chart.js is an open-source JavaScript library for creating responsive, animated charts on the modern web.
- D3.js:D3.js is a JavaScript library for creating custom, dynamic data visualizations.
- Best for
- Chart.js:Simple, flexible charting on HTML5 Canvas
- D3.js:Low-level, programmable visualizations
- Who it’s for
- Chart.js:Web developers who need lightweight, customizable charts in their applications
- D3.js:Web developers and data analysts building interactive visualizations.
- Pricing
- Chart.js:Open source
- D3.js:Open source
- Open source
- Chart.js:Yes, 67,729 GitHub stars
- D3.js:Yes, 113,789 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Chart.js:HTML5 Canvas, All modern browsers (IE11+)
- D3.js:JavaScript, Observable
Chart.js features
- 8 Built-in chart types. Bar, line, pie, radar, doughnut, polar area, bubble and scatter charts, all animated and customizable.
- Responsive rendering. Charts automatically redraw on window resize for perfect scaling.
- Advanced animations. Configure transitions for every property and element individually.
- Tree-shaking support. Register only needed components to reduce bundle size by dozens of kilobytes.
- Plugins ecosystem. Built-in plugins for colors, subtitles, line-segment styling and more.
- Mixed chart types. Combine different chart types (e.g., bar and line) in a single visualization.
D3.js features
- Selections & Transitions. Create, update, and animate DOM elements based on data without a virtual DOM.
- Scales & Axes. Map data values to visual properties like position, size, and color, with built-in axis generators.
- Shapes & Layouts. Render arcs, lines, pies, treemaps, force-directed graphs and other geometric primitives.
- Interactions. Add panning, zooming, brushing, dragging and other reusable interactive behaviors.
- Geographic Maps. Support many map projections, adaptive sampling and clipping for spatial visualizations.
- Data Utilities. Parse CSV, format dates, work with color spaces, calendars and basic statistics.
- Observable Integration. Runs fully on Observable, enabling collaborative editing, versioning and live data connections.
Chart.js vs D3.js FAQ
Is Chart.js or D3.js free?+
Yes, both are free and open source.
Is Chart.js or D3.js open source?+
Yes, both are open source: Chart.js (chartjs/Chart.js on GitHub, MIT license) and D3.js (d3/d3 on GitHub, ISC license).
Do Chart.js and D3.js integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Chart.js lists HTML5 Canvas and All modern browsers (IE11+); D3.js lists JavaScript and Observable.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.