Core Plot vs PNChart
A data-driven comparison of two iOS & Swift chart libraries: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
Key differences
- PNChart has 3.5× as many GitHub stars as Core Plot (9.6K vs 2.8K).
- Core Plot is licensed under BSD-3-Clause; PNChart under MIT.
- Core Plot has had no commits since Nov 22, 2023.
- PNChart has had no commits since Mar 7, 2018.
By the numbers
- Core Plot
- PNChart
Show data as a table
| Metric | Core Plot | PNChart |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 2,758 | 9,634 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 0 | 0 |
| Contributors | 33 | 63 |
| Forks | 594 | 1,735 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- Core Plot
- PNChart
Show data as a table
| Month | Core Plot | PNChart |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2026 | 0 | 0 |
Side by side
| Attribute | Core Plot | PNChart |
|---|---|---|
| Description | 2D plotting framework for macOS, iOS and tvOS. | A simple and beautiful chart lib used in Piner and CoinsMan. |
| Category | iOS & Swift chart libraries | iOS & Swift chart libraries |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Objective-C | Objective-C |
| Status | Inactive | Inactive |
| Latest release | release_2.3 () | 0.5 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 46 | 168 |
| Install | – | – |
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.