mpld3 vs SciencePlots
A data-driven comparison of two Matplotlib extensions: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
mpld3Renders matplotlib figures as interactive D3.js graphics in the browser.
SciencePlotsMatplotlib styles for scientific figures and journal publications.
Key differences
- SciencePlots has 3.9× as many GitHub stars as mpld3 (9.4K vs 2.4K).
- SciencePlots had more development activity over the last 12 months: 10 commits vs 9.
- mpld3 is downloaded 2.1× as often on PyPI (94.4K vs 44.7K per week).
- mpld3 is licensed under BSD-3-Clause; SciencePlots under MIT.
- mpld3 is written primarily in Jupyter Notebook, SciencePlots in Python.
- mpld3 is the older project: its repository was created in 2013, SciencePlots's in 2018.
By the numbers
- mpld3
- SciencePlots
Show data as a table
| Metric | mpld3 | SciencePlots |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 2,412 | 9,355 |
| PyPI downloads / week | 94,425 | 44,735 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 9 | 10 |
| Contributors | 48 | 13 |
| Forks | 365 | 823 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- mpld3
- SciencePlots
Show data as a table
| Month | mpld3 | SciencePlots |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | 5 | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | 1 | 0 |
| Jan 2026 | 2 | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | 0 | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2026 | 0 | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 2026 | 1 | 0 |
Side by side
| Attribute | mpld3 | SciencePlots |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Renders matplotlib figures as interactive D3.js graphics in the browser. | Matplotlib styles for scientific figures and journal publications. |
| Category | Matplotlib extensions | Matplotlib extensions |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Jupyter Notebook | Python |
| Status | Active | Maintained |
| Latest release | – | 2.2.2 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 213 | 7 |
| Install | pip install mpld3 | pip install SciencePlots |
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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mpld3
Renders matplotlib figures as interactive D3.js graphics in the browser.
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SciencePlots
Matplotlib styles for scientific figures and journal publications.