ApexCharts vs Lightweight Charts
A data-driven comparison of two JavaScript charting libraries: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
ApexChartsModern & Interactive SVG Charts.
Lightweight ChartsPerformant HTML5 canvas financial charts, from TradingView.
Key differences
- Lightweight Charts has 1.2× as many GitHub stars as ApexCharts (17.5K vs 15.2K).
- ApexCharts had more development activity over the last 12 months: 832 commits vs 329.
- ApexCharts is downloaded 1.8× as often on npm (2.5M vs 1.4M per week).
- ApexCharts is licensed under Other; Lightweight Charts under Apache-2.0.
- ApexCharts is written primarily in JavaScript, Lightweight Charts in TypeScript.
By the numbers
- ApexCharts
- Lightweight Charts
Show data as a table
| Metric | ApexCharts | Lightweight Charts |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 15,169 | 17,473 |
| npm downloads / week | 2,490,837 | 1,351,887 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 832 | 329 |
| Contributors | 236 | 58 |
| Forks | 1,379 | 2,631 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- ApexCharts
- Lightweight Charts
Show data as a table
| Month | ApexCharts | Lightweight Charts |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 4 | 13 |
| Nov 2025 | 6 | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | 13 | 17 |
| Jan 2026 | 5 | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | 70 | 16 |
| Mar 2026 | 53 | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | 31 | 21 |
| May 2026 | 61 | 12 |
| Jun 2026 | 54 | 13 |
| Jul 2026 | 197 | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | 201 | 11 |
| Sep 2026 | 137 | 202 |
Side by side
| Attribute | ApexCharts | Lightweight Charts |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Modern & Interactive SVG Charts. | Performant HTML5 canvas financial charts, from TradingView. |
| Category | JavaScript charting libraries | JavaScript charting libraries |
| License | Other | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | v7.8.0 () | v5.2.1 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 288 | 113 |
| Install | npm install apexcharts | npm install lightweight-charts |
Which should you choose?
Popularity and activity are only part of the story. Consider which ecosystem you work in, the chart types and interactions you need, how much data you render, and whether the license fits your project. Both tool pages list alternatives if neither is quite right.
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ApexCharts
Modern & Interactive SVG Charts.
-
Lightweight Charts
Performant HTML5 canvas financial charts, from TradingView.