Bokeh vs Dash
A data-driven comparison of two Python data visualization libraries: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
Key differences
- Dash has 1.2× as many GitHub stars as Bokeh (24.4K vs 20.5K).
- Dash had more development activity over the last 12 months: 1,348 commits vs 344.
- Dash is downloaded 1.3× as often on PyPI (1.7M vs 1.3M per week).
- Bokeh is licensed under BSD-3-Clause; Dash under MIT.
- Bokeh is written primarily in TypeScript, Dash in Python.
- Bokeh is the older project: its repository was created in 2012, Dash's in 2015.
By the numbers
- Bokeh
- Dash
Show data as a table
| Metric | Bokeh | Dash |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 20,455 | 24,441 |
| PyPI downloads / week | 1,301,211 | 1,718,077 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 344 | 1,348 |
| Contributors | 389 | 196 |
| Forks | 4,265 | 2,328 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- Bokeh
- Dash
Show data as a table
| Month | Bokeh | Dash |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 13 | 102 |
| Nov 2025 | 20 | 120 |
| Dec 2025 | 9 | 95 |
| Jan 2026 | 38 | 91 |
| Feb 2026 | 20 | 84 |
| Mar 2026 | 38 | 93 |
| Apr 2026 | 21 | 157 |
| May 2026 | 13 | 169 |
| Jun 2026 | 23 | 98 |
| Jul 2026 | 59 | 71 |
| Aug 2026 | 45 | 143 |
| Sep 2026 | 45 | 125 |
Side by side
| Attribute | Bokeh | Dash |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Interactive Web Plotting for Python. | Framework for building data apps and dashboards in Python, built on Plotly.js and React. |
| Category | Python data visualization libraries | Python data visualization libraries |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | – | v4.4.1 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 791 | 394 |
| Install | pip install bokeh | pip install dash |
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.