Plotext vs termgraph
A data-driven comparison of two Terminal plotting libraries for Python: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
Key differences
- termgraph has 1.5× as many GitHub stars as Plotext (3.3K vs 2.2K).
- Plotext had more development activity over the last 12 months: 25 commits vs 7.
- Plotext is downloaded 179× as often on PyPI (541.5K vs 3K per week).
- Both are released under the MIT license.
- termgraph is the older project: its repository was created in 2012, Plotext's in 2019.
By the numbers
- Plotext
- termgraph
Show data as a table
| Metric | Plotext | termgraph |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 2,211 | 3,302 |
| PyPI downloads / week | 541,453 | 3,025 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 25 | 7 |
| Contributors | 7 | 28 |
| Forks | 91 | 171 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- Plotext
- termgraph
Show data as a table
| Month | Plotext | termgraph |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | 6 | 0 |
| Dec 2025 | 0 | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | 1 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 3 | 0 |
| Jun 2026 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2026 | 12 | 0 |
| Sep 2026 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct 2026 | 0 | 3 |
Side by side
| Attribute | Plotext | termgraph |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Plots data directly in the terminal with a matplotlib-like syntax. | Draws bar charts, histograms and other basic graphs in the terminal, as a CLI or Python library. |
| Category | Terminal plotting libraries for Python | Terminal plotting libraries for Python |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Latest release | 6.1.0 () | v0.8.0 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 3 | 23 |
| Install | pip install plotext | pip install termgraph |
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.