# bqplot vs Plotly (Python)

## Key differences

- Plotly (Python) has 5.1× as many GitHub stars as bqplot (18.9K vs 3.7K).
- Plotly (Python) had more development activity over the last 12 months: 816 commits vs 31.
- Plotly (Python) is downloaded 228× as often on PyPI (14.3M vs 62.6K per week).
- bqplot is licensed under Apache-2.0; Plotly (Python) under MIT.
- bqplot is written primarily in TypeScript, Plotly (Python) in Python.
- Plotly (Python) is the older project: its repository was created in 2013, bqplot's in 2015.

| | bqplot | Plotly (Python) |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Plotting library for IPython/Jupyter notebooks. | Interactive web based visualization built on top of plotly.js |
| GitHub stars | 3,693 | 18,868 |
| Commits (12 months) | 31 | 816 |
| Contributors | 60 | 311 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Install | `pip install bqplot` | `pip install plotly` |

Source: https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/bqplot-vs-plotly-python/ · Data updated 2026-11-01 · Content: CC BY 4.0, Awesome Dataviz (https://awesomedataviz.com).