AwesomeDataviz

ggplot2

A plotting system based on the grammar of graphics.

Website GitHubCRAN
GitHub stars
7K#91 in the directory
CRAN downloads / week
471.1K
Commits, last 12 months
86
Contributors
354
Last commit
Latest release
v4.0.3Apr 22, 2026

Overview

ggplot2 is an open-source R visualization package released under the MIT license. Its GitHub repository has 7,005 stars, 2,125 forks, and 354 contributors. It is actively developed with 86 commits in the last 12 months. The latest release, v4.0.3, was published on Apr 22, 2026. On CRAN it is downloaded about 471.1K times per week.

Its GitHub description: An implementation of the Grammar of Graphics in R

GitHub topics: rvisualisationdata-visualisation

Install

CRAN
install.packages("ggplot2")
v4.0.3

Development activity

Commits per month to the default branch over the last 12 complete months.

0102030 Oct 2025 Nov Dec Jan 2026 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
0102030 Oct 2025 Jan 2026 Apr Jul
86 commits from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026.
Show data as a table
MonthCommits
Oct 202529
Nov 202512
Dec 202520
Jan 20261
Feb 20264
Mar 20262
Apr 20264
May 20260
Jun 20260
Jul 20260
Aug 20260
Sep 202614

Popularity among R data visualization packages

ggplot2 7K Shiny 5.7K plotly (R) 2.7K patchwork 2.6K ggstatsplot 2.2K rayshader 2.2K gt 2.2K
ggplot2 7K Shiny 5.7K plotly (R) 2.7K patchwork 2.6K ggstatsplot 2.2K rayshader 2.2K gt 2.2K
GitHub stars for ggplot2 and the most-starred alternatives.
Show data as a table
ToolStars
ggplot27,005
Shiny5,694
plotly (R)2,682
patchwork2,615
ggstatsplot2,207
rayshader2,182
gt2,161

Alternatives to ggplot2

  • Shiny

    Framework for creating interactive applications/visualisations

    5.7K starsRMITggplot2 vs Shiny

  • plotly (R)

    Interactive charts (including adding interactivity to ggplot2 output), cartograms and simple network diagrams

    2.7K starsRMITggplot2 vs plotly (R)

  • patchwork

    Composes multiple ggplot2 plots into a single figure.

    2.6K starsRMITggplot2 vs patchwork

  • ggstatsplot

    Ggplot2-based plots with statistical test details included in the graphic.

    2.2K starsRMITggplot2 vs ggstatsplot

  • rayshader

    2D and 3D mapping and data visualization in R, including 3D renders of ggplot2 plots.

    2.2K starsRGPL-3.0

  • gt

    Builds publication-quality display tables in R.

    2.2K starsRMIT

More comparisons: ggplot2 vs Shiny · ggplot2 vs plotly (R) · ggplot2 vs patchwork · ggplot2 vs ggstatsplot · ggplot2 vs Matplotlib · ggplot2 vs plotnine

ggplot2 FAQ

Is ggplot2 open source?

Yes. ggplot2 is released under the MIT license, and its source code is on GitHub.

Is ggplot2 still maintained?

Yes. ggplot2 is actively developed, with 86 commits in the last 12 months and the latest commit 2 days ago.

How do I install ggplot2?

From CRAN: install.packages("ggplot2").

What are the best alternatives to ggplot2?

The most popular alternatives listed in R data visualization packages are Shiny, plotly (R), and patchwork. See the full ranking.

What language is ggplot2 written in?

ggplot2 is primarily written in R, according to GitHub.

Data: GitHub API, CRAN. Updated Oct 4, 2026.