bqplot vs Chartify
A data-driven comparison of two Python interactive web charting libraries: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
Key differences
- bqplot and Chartify have a similar number of GitHub stars (3.7K vs 3.7K).
- bqplot had more development activity over the last 12 months: 31 commits vs 0.
- bqplot is downloaded 107× as often on PyPI (62.6K vs 588 per week).
- Both are released under the Apache-2.0 license.
- bqplot is written primarily in TypeScript, Chartify in Python.
- bqplot is the older project: its repository was created in 2015, Chartify's in 2018.
- Chartify has had no commits since Oct 16, 2024.
By the numbers
- bqplot
- Chartify
Show data as a table
| Metric | bqplot | Chartify |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 3,693 | 3,656 |
| PyPI downloads / week | 62,645 | 588 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 31 | 0 |
| Contributors | 60 | 19 |
| Forks | 476 | 337 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- bqplot
- Chartify
Show data as a table
| Month | bqplot | Chartify |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 2025 | 11 | 0 |
| Jan 2026 | 2 | 0 |
| Feb 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2026 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr 2026 | 5 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 3 | 0 |
| Jun 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 2026 | 9 | 0 |
Side by side
| Attribute | bqplot | Chartify |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Plotting library for IPython/Jupyter notebooks. | Bokeh wrapper that makes it easy for data scientists to create charts. |
| Category | Python interactive web charting libraries | Python interactive web charting libraries |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Status | Active | Inactive |
| Latest release | 0.13.1 () | 5.0.1 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 232 | 44 |
| Install | pip install bqplot | pip install chartify |
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.