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.

Data Visualization Librarieschartsgraphsdata-visualizationjavascriptinteractive-graphics

Detailed Comparison

Technical Analysis

featureComparison

Both libraries support various chart types, including line, bar, pie, and scatter charts. However, echarts has more advanced features like 3D charts, heatmaps, and treemaps. Chart.js has better support for animations and transitions.

typescriptSupport

Both libraries have TypeScript definitions and are compatible with TypeScript projects.

browserCompatibility

Both libraries support modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. Chart.js also supports older browsers like IE11.

dependencies

Chart.js has no dependencies, while echarts depends on zrender, a graphics rendering library.

performance

Chart.js is generally faster and more lightweight, making it suitable for large datasets. Echarts is more feature-rich but can be slower for complex charts.

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 issues closed on GitHub. Echarts has a larger community in terms of stars and forks.

documentationQuality

Both libraries have good documentation, but chart.js has more detailed and up-to-date documentation.

maintenanceStatus

Both libraries are actively maintained, with regular updates and bug fixes.

Performance Comparison

bundleSizeAnalysis

Chart.js has a smaller bundle size, making it more suitable for production environments.

runtimePerformance

Chart.js is generally faster, especially for large datasets.

loadingTime

Chart.js has a faster loading time due to its smaller bundle size.

memoryUsage

Chart.js uses less memory, making it suitable for applications with limited resources.

Code Examples

Simple Line Chart with Chart.js

1const ctx = document.getElementById('chart').getContext('2d');
2new Chart(ctx, {
3  type: 'line',
4  data: {
5    labels: ['Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar'],
6    datasets: [{
7      label: 'Sales',
8      data: [100, 200, 300],
9      backgroundColor: 'rgba(255, 99, 132, 0.2)'
10    }]
11  }
12});

This code creates a simple line chart with Chart.js, displaying sales data for January, February, and March.

Simple Bar Chart with ECharts

1const chartDom = document.getElementById('chart');
2const myChart = echarts.init(chartDom);
3const option = {
4  xAxis: {
5    type: 'category',
6    data: ['Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar']
7  },
8  yAxis: {},
9  series: [{
10    data: [100, 200, 300],
11    type: 'bar'
12  }]
13};
14myChart.setOption(option);

This code creates a simple bar chart with ECharts, displaying sales data for January, February, and March.

Recommendation

Summary

Both libraries are suitable for creating charts, but Chart.js is a better choice for simple, lightweight charts, while ECharts is better for complex, feature-rich charts.

Details

  • Chart.js is more lightweight and faster, making it suitable for large datasets.
  • ECharts has more advanced features, making it suitable for complex, interactive charts.

Similar Packages

Plotly.js

90%

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 Library

ApexCharts

90%

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 Library

D3.js

80%

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 Library

Highcharts

80%

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 Library

Victory

70%

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 Library
<p align="center"> <a href="https://www.chartjs.org/" target="_blank"> <img src="https://www.chartjs.org/media/logo-title.svg" alt="https://www.chartjs.org/"><br/> </a> Simple yet flexible JavaScript charting for designers & developers </p> <p align="center"> <a href="https://www.chartjs.org/docs/latest/getting-started/installation.html"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/release/chartjs/Chart.js.svg?style=flat-square&maxAge=600" alt="Downloads"></a> <a href="https://github.com/chartjs/Chart.js/actions?query=workflow%3ACI+branch%3Amaster"><img alt="GitHub Workflow Status" src="https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/chartjs/Chart.js/ci.yml?branch=master&style=flat-square"></a> <a href="https://coveralls.io/github/chartjs/Chart.js?branch=master"><img src="https://img.shields.io/coveralls/chartjs/Chart.js.svg?style=flat-square&maxAge=600" alt="Coverage"></a> <a href="https://github.com/chartjs/awesome"><img src="https://awesome.re/badge-flat2.svg" alt="Awesome"></a> <a href="https://discord.gg/HxEguTK6av"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/discord-chartjs-blue?style=flat-square&maxAge=3600" alt="Discord"></a> </p>

Documentation

All the links point to the new version 4 of the lib.

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.