bqplot vs Plotly (Python)
A data-driven comparison of two Python interactive web charting libraries: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
bqplotPlotting library for IPython/Jupyter notebooks.
Plotly (Python)Interactive web based visualization built on top of plotly.js
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.
By the numbers
- bqplot
- Plotly (Python)
Show data as a table
| Metric | bqplot | Plotly (Python) |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 3,693 | 18,868 |
| PyPI downloads / week | 62,645 | 14,264,549 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 31 | 816 |
| Contributors | 60 | 311 |
| Forks | 476 | 2,884 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- bqplot
- Plotly (Python)
Show data as a table
| Month | bqplot | Plotly (Python) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | 0 | 51 |
| Dec 2025 | 11 | 33 |
| Jan 2026 | 2 | 25 |
| Feb 2026 | 0 | 44 |
| Mar 2026 | 1 | 94 |
| Apr 2026 | 5 | 67 |
| May 2026 | 3 | 49 |
| Jun 2026 | 0 | 36 |
| Jul 2026 | 0 | 98 |
| Aug 2026 | 0 | 80 |
| Sep 2026 | 0 | 98 |
| Oct 2026 | 9 | 141 |
Side by side
| Attribute | bqplot | Plotly (Python) |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Plotting library for IPython/Jupyter notebooks. | Interactive web based visualization built on top of plotly.js |
| Category | Python interactive web charting libraries | Python interactive web charting libraries |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | 0.13.1 () | v7.1.0 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 232 | 647 |
| Install | pip install bqplot | pip install plotly |
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.
-
bqplot
Plotting library for IPython/Jupyter notebooks.
-
Plotly (Python)
Interactive web based visualization built on top of plotly.js