Chart.js vs ECharts: Popular JavaScript Charting Libraries Comparison
Both Chart.js and ECharts are JavaScript libraries that help developers create beautiful charts and graphs on websites. Chart.js is known for being simpler and easier to learn, perfect for basic charts, while ECharts offers more complex visualizations and features. These libraries are commonly used when you need to turn data into visual graphs, like pie charts, bar graphs, or line charts on dashboards.
Detailed Comparison
Technical Analysis
featureComparison
Both libraries offer a wide range of chart types, including line charts, bar charts, pie charts, and more. However, echarts has more advanced features like 3D charts, heatmaps, and treemaps. Chart.js has better support for animations and is more customizable.
typescriptSupport
Both libraries have excellent TypeScript support. Chart.js has a dedicated TypeScript definition file, and echarts has built-in TypeScript support.
browserCompatibility
Both libraries are compatible with all modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
dependencies
Chart.js has no dependencies, while echarts depends on zrender, a graphics library.
performance
Chart.js is generally faster and more lightweight than echarts, especially for large datasets.
Ecosystem Analysis
frameworkCompatibility
Both libraries are compatible with popular frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js.
communityActivity
Chart.js has a more active community, with more contributors and a higher number of open issues.
documentationQuality
Both libraries have excellent documentation, with many examples and tutorials. However, echarts has more comprehensive documentation, covering advanced topics like customization and integration.
maintenanceStatus
Both libraries are actively maintained, with regular updates and bug fixes.
Performance Comparison
bundleSizeAnalysis
runtimePerformance
loadingTime
memoryUsage
Code Examples
Simple Line Chart with Chart.js
1const ctx = document.getElementById('chart').getContext('2d);
2const chart = new Chart(ctx, {
3 type: 'line',
4 data: {
5 labels: ['Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar'],
6 datasets: [{
7 label: 'Sales',
8 data: [10, 20, 30],
9 backgroundColor: 'rgba(255, 99, 132, 0.2)',
10 borderColor: 'rgba(255, 99, 132, 1)',
11 borderWidth: 1
12 }]
13 }
14});This code creates a simple line chart with Chart.js, using a canvas element and a dataset with three data points.
Simple Bar Chart with ECharts
1const chartDom = document.getElementById('main');
2const chart = echarts.init(chartDom);
3const option = {
4 xAxis: {
5 type: 'category',
6 yAxis: {
7 type: 'value'
8 },
9 series: [{
10 data: [20, 40, 60],
11 type: 'bar'
12 }]
13};
14chart.setOption(option);This code creates a simple bar chart with echarts, using a div element and a dataset with three data points.
Recommendation
Summary
Chart.js is a better choice for most use cases, due to its smaller bundle size, faster runtime, and better performance. However, echarts is a better choice for complex, data-intensive applications that require advanced features like 3D charts and heatmaps.
Details
- Chart.js is more lightweight and customizable
- ECharts has more advanced features and better documentation
Similar Packages
Plotly.js
A comprehensive charting library that creates beautiful interactive charts. It includes scientific charts, 3D graphs, and statistical tools built-in.
Like Chart.js and ECharts, it offers ready-to-use charts but with more scientific and statistical features. It's particularly good for dashboards and data science applications.
Interactive Charting LibraryApexCharts
Modern charting library that creates interactive visualizations with smooth animations. It works well on mobile devices and offers many customization options.
Similar feature set to Chart.js but with better animations and modern design. It's particularly good for creating responsive charts for mobile-first applications.
Interactive Charting LibraryD3.js
A powerful JavaScript library for creating custom data visualizations in the browser. It gives you complete control over how your charts look and behave by manipulating web elements (SVG, Canvas, HTML).
While it has a steeper learning curve than Chart.js, D3.js offers much more flexibility and control. It's perfect when you need highly customized charts that Chart.js or ECharts can't provide out of the box.
Data Visualization LibraryHighcharts
Professional-grade charting library with extensive features and chart types. While it requires a license for commercial use, it's free for personal and non-profit projects.
More feature-rich than Chart.js and ECharts, with excellent documentation and support. It's particularly good for enterprise applications where reliability and support are crucial.
Enterprise Charting LibraryVictory
A React-specific charting library that makes it easy to add charts to React applications. It provides simple components that work well with React's component model.
Great alternative if you're working specifically with React. It follows React patterns and is easier to integrate with React applications than Chart.js or ECharts.
React Charting LibraryDocumentation
All the links point to the new version 4 of the lib.
- Introduction
- Getting Started
- General
- Configuration
- Charts
- Axes
- Developers
- Popular Extensions
- Samples
In case you are looking for an older version of the docs, you will have to specify the specific version in the url like this: https://www.chartjs.org/docs/2.9.4/
Contributing
Instructions on building and testing Chart.js can be found in the documentation. Before submitting an issue or a pull request, please take a moment to look over the contributing guidelines first. For support, please post questions on Stack Overflow with the chart.js tag.
License
Chart.js is available under the MIT license.
