Chart.js vs Lightweight Charts
A data-driven comparison of two JavaScript charting libraries: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
Chart.jsCharts with the canvas tag.
Lightweight ChartsPerformant HTML5 canvas financial charts, from TradingView.
Key differences
- Chart.js has 3.9× as many GitHub stars as Lightweight Charts (67.7K vs 17.5K).
- Lightweight Charts had more development activity over the last 12 months: 329 commits vs 21.
- Chart.js is downloaded 12× as often on npm (15.7M vs 1.4M per week).
- Chart.js is licensed under MIT; Lightweight Charts under Apache-2.0.
- Chart.js is written primarily in JavaScript, Lightweight Charts in TypeScript.
- Chart.js is the older project: its repository was created in 2013, Lightweight Charts's in 2019.
By the numbers
- Chart.js
- Lightweight Charts
Show data as a table
| Metric | Chart.js | Lightweight Charts |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 67,733 | 17,473 |
| npm downloads / week | 15,670,895 | 1,351,887 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 21 | 329 |
| Contributors | 426 | 58 |
| Forks | 11,947 | 2,631 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- Chart.js
- Lightweight Charts
Show data as a table
| Month | Chart.js | Lightweight Charts |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 6 | 13 |
| Nov 2025 | 3 | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | 0 | 17 |
| Jan 2026 | 0 | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | 0 | 16 |
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | 1 | 21 |
| May 2026 | 1 | 12 |
| Jun 2026 | 0 | 13 |
| Jul 2026 | 0 | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | 0 | 11 |
| Sep 2026 | 10 | 202 |
Side by side
| Attribute | Chart.js | Lightweight Charts |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Charts with the canvas tag. | Performant HTML5 canvas financial charts, from TradingView. |
| Category | JavaScript charting libraries | JavaScript charting libraries |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | v4.5.1 () | v5.2.1 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 499 | 113 |
| Install | npm install chart.js | 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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Chart.js
Charts with the canvas tag.
-
Lightweight Charts
Performant HTML5 canvas financial charts, from TradingView.