ggplot2 vs plotly (R)
A data-driven comparison of two R data visualization packages: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
ggplot2A plotting system based on the grammar of graphics.
plotly (R)Interactive charts (including adding interactivity to ggplot2 output), cartograms and simple network diagrams
Key differences
- ggplot2 has 2.6× as many GitHub stars as plotly (R) (7K vs 2.7K).
- ggplot2 had more development activity over the last 12 months: 86 commits vs 19.
- ggplot2 is downloaded 7.9× as often on CRAN (471.1K vs 59.9K per week).
- Both are released under the MIT license.
- ggplot2 is the older project: its repository was created in 2008, plotly (R)'s in 2013.
By the numbers
- ggplot2
- plotly (R)
Show data as a table
| Metric | ggplot2 | plotly (R) |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 7,005 | 2,682 |
| CRAN downloads / week | 471,051 | 59,895 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 86 | 19 |
| Contributors | 354 | 57 |
| Forks | 2,125 | 640 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- ggplot2
- plotly (R)
Show data as a table
| Month | ggplot2 | plotly (R) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 29 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 12 | 0 |
| Dec 2025 | 20 | 0 |
| Jan 2026 | 1 | 13 |
| Feb 2026 | 4 | 0 |
| Mar 2026 | 2 | 0 |
| Apr 2026 | 4 | 3 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2026 | 0 | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2026 | 14 | 0 |
Side by side
| Attribute | ggplot2 | plotly (R) |
|---|---|---|
| Description | A plotting system based on the grammar of graphics. | Interactive charts (including adding interactivity to ggplot2 output), cartograms and simple network diagrams |
| Category | R data visualization packages | R data visualization packages |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | R | R |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | v4.0.3 () | v4.12.1 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 76 | 715 |
| Install | install.packages("ggplot2") | install.packages("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.
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ggplot2
A plotting system based on the grammar of graphics.
-
plotly (R)
Interactive charts (including adding interactivity to ggplot2 output), cartograms and simple network diagrams