# ggplot2 vs Shiny

## Key differences

- ggplot2 has 1.2× as many GitHub stars as Shiny (7K vs 5.7K).
- ggplot2 had more development activity over the last 12 months: 86 commits vs 63.
- ggplot2 is downloaded 2.4× as often on CRAN (471.1K vs 192.4K per week).
- Both are released under the MIT license.
- ggplot2 is the older project: its repository was created in 2008, Shiny's in 2012.

| | ggplot2 | Shiny |
|---|---|---|
| Description | A plotting system based on the grammar of graphics. | Framework for creating interactive applications/visualisations |
| GitHub stars | 7,005 | 5,694 |
| Commits (12 months) | 86 | 63 |
| Contributors | 354 | 92 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | R | R |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Install | `install.packages("ggplot2")` | `install.packages("shiny")`, `npm install @posit/shiny` |

Source: https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/ggplot2-vs-shiny/ · Data updated 2026-10-04 · Content: CC BY 4.0, Awesome Dataviz (https://awesomedataviz.com).