# Chart.js vs Plotly.js

## Key differences

- Chart.js has 3.7× as many GitHub stars as Plotly.js (67.7K vs 18.4K).
- Plotly.js had more development activity over the last 12 months: 1,549 commits vs 21.
- Chart.js is downloaded 18× as often on npm (15.7M vs 873K per week).
- Both are released under the MIT license.
- Chart.js is the older project: its repository was created in 2013, Plotly.js's in 2015.

| | Chart.js | Plotly.js |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Charts with the canvas tag. | Powerful declarative library with support for 20 chart types. |
| GitHub stars | 67,733 | 18,355 |
| Commits (12 months) | 21 | 1,549 |
| Contributors | 426 | 263 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Install | `npm install chart.js` | `npm install plotly.js` |

Source: https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/chart-js-vs-plotly-js/ · Data updated 2026-10-04 · Content: CC BY 4.0, Awesome Dataviz (https://awesomedataviz.com).