SciencePlots vs syd
A data-driven comparison of two Matplotlib extensions: popularity, development activity, licensing and installation. Updated .
SciencePlotsMatplotlib styles for scientific figures and journal publications.
sydA package for making GUIs around matplotlib figures easy, fast, and streamlined.
Key differences
- SciencePlots has 312× as many GitHub stars as syd (9.4K vs 30).
- syd had more development activity over the last 12 months: 12 commits vs 10.
- SciencePlots is downloaded 771× as often on PyPI (44.7K vs 58 per week).
- SciencePlots is licensed under MIT; syd under GPL-3.0.
- SciencePlots is the older project: its repository was created in 2018, syd's in 2025.
By the numbers
- SciencePlots
- syd
Show data as a table
| Metric | SciencePlots | syd |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 9,355 | 30 |
| PyPI downloads / week | 44,735 | 58 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 10 | 12 |
| Contributors | 13 | 1 |
| Forks | 823 | 0 |
Development activity
Commits per month to each default branch, last 12 complete months.
- SciencePlots
- syd
Show data as a table
| Month | SciencePlots | syd |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | 4 | 0 |
| Dec 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 2026 | 2 | 0 |
| Feb 2026 | 1 | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2026 | 3 | 0 |
| Jul 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2026 | 0 | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 2026 | 0 | 0 |
Side by side
| Attribute | SciencePlots | syd |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Matplotlib styles for scientific figures and journal publications. | A package for making GUIs around matplotlib figures easy, fast, and streamlined. |
| Category | Matplotlib extensions | Matplotlib extensions |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Status | Maintained | Active |
| Latest release | 2.2.2 () | v1.3.2 () |
| Last commit | ||
| Repository created | ||
| Open issues | 7 | 1 |
| Install | pip install SciencePlots | pip install syd |
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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SciencePlots
Matplotlib styles for scientific figures and journal publications.
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syd
A package for making GUIs around matplotlib figures easy, fast, and streamlined.