Datashader vs VisPy
A data-driven comparison of two High-performance & GPU plotting libraries for Python: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
DatashaderRenders very large datasets into accurate images by rasterizing them.
VisPyHigh-performance scientific visualization based on OpenGL.
Key differences
- VisPy and Datashader have a similar number of GitHub stars (3.6K vs 3.6K).
- Datashader had more development activity over the last 12 months: 74 commits vs 63.
- VisPy is downloaded 1.4× as often on PyPI (151.7K vs 105.9K per week).
- Both are released under the BSD-3-Clause license.
- VisPy is the older project: its repository was created in 2013, Datashader's in 2015.
By the numbers
- Datashader
- VisPy
Show data as a table
| Metric | Datashader | VisPy |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 3,570 | 3,608 |
| PyPI downloads / week | 105,858 | 151,730 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 74 | 63 |
| Contributors | 63 | 174 |
| Forks | 378 | 641 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- Datashader
- VisPy
Show data as a table
| Month | Datashader | VisPy |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | 0 | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | 8 | 11 |
| Jan 2026 | 4 | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | 5 | 0 |
| Mar 2026 | 12 | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | 1 | 7 |
| May 2026 | 8 | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | 3 | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | 1 | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | 2 | 9 |
| Sep 2026 | 3 | 6 |
| Oct 2026 | 27 | 3 |
Side by side
| Attribute | Datashader | VisPy |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Renders very large datasets into accurate images by rasterizing them. | High-performance scientific visualization based on OpenGL. |
| Category | High-performance & GPU plotting libraries for Python | High-performance & GPU plotting libraries for Python |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | v0.19.1 () | v0.17.0 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 133 | 351 |
| Install | pip install datashader | pip install vispy |
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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Datashader
Renders very large datasets into accurate images by rasterizing them.
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VisPy
High-performance scientific visualization based on OpenGL.