Lightweight Charts vs React Financial Charts
A data-driven comparison of two JavaScript financial charting libraries: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
Lightweight ChartsPerformant HTML5 canvas financial charts, from TradingView.
React Financial ChartsReact components for financial charts: candlesticks, technical indicators, overlays and drawing tools.
Key differences
- Lightweight Charts has 12× as many GitHub stars as React Financial Charts (17.5K vs 1.4K).
- Lightweight Charts had more development activity over the last 12 months: 331 commits vs 0.
- Lightweight Charts is downloaded 563× as often on npm (1.4M vs 2.4K per week).
- Lightweight Charts is licensed under Apache-2.0; React Financial Charts under MIT.
- React Financial Charts has had no commits since May 13, 2023.
By the numbers
- Lightweight Charts
- React Financial Charts
Show data as a table
| Metric | Lightweight Charts | React Financial Charts |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 17,476 | 1,418 |
| npm downloads / week | 1,368,014 | 2,432 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 331 | 0 |
| Contributors | 58 | 14 |
| Forks | 2,632 | 259 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- Lightweight Charts
- React Financial Charts
Show data as a table
| Month | Lightweight Charts | React Financial Charts |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 13 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 8 | 0 |
| Dec 2025 | 17 | 0 |
| Jan 2026 | 8 | 0 |
| Feb 2026 | 16 | 0 |
| Mar 2026 | 2 | 0 |
| Apr 2026 | 21 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 12 | 0 |
| Jun 2026 | 13 | 0 |
| Jul 2026 | 6 | 0 |
| Aug 2026 | 11 | 0 |
| Sep 2026 | 204 | 0 |
Side by side
| Attribute | Lightweight Charts | React Financial Charts |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Performant HTML5 canvas financial charts, from TradingView. | React components for financial charts: candlesticks, technical indicators, overlays and drawing tools. |
| Category | JavaScript financial charting libraries | JavaScript financial charting libraries |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Status | Active | Inactive |
| Latest release | v5.2.1 () | v2.0.1 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 112 | 51 |
| Install | npm install lightweight-charts | npm install react-financial-charts |
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.
-
Lightweight Charts
Performant HTML5 canvas financial charts, from TradingView.
-
React Financial Charts
React components for financial charts: candlesticks, technical indicators, overlays and drawing tools.
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