AwesomeDataviz

rayshader

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

Website GitHubCRAN
GitHub stars
2.2K
CRAN downloads / week
530
Commits, last 12 months
33
Contributors
8
Last commit

Overview

rayshader is an open-source R visualization package released under the GPL-3.0 license. Its GitHub repository has 2,182 stars, 219 forks, and 8 contributors. It is actively developed with 33 commits in the last 12 months. On CRAN it is downloaded about 530 times per week.

Its GitHub description: R Package for 2D and 3D mapping and data visualization

Install

CRAN
install.packages("rayshader")
v0.41.2

Development activity

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

01020 Oct 2025 Nov Dec Jan 2026 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
01020 Oct 2025 Jan 2026 Apr Jul
33 commits from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026.
Show data as a table
MonthCommits
Oct 20253
Nov 202518
Dec 20250
Jan 20261
Feb 20264
Mar 20264
Apr 20260
May 20260
Jun 20260
Jul 20263
Aug 20260
Sep 20260

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 rayshader 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 rayshader

  • ggplot2

    A plotting system based on the grammar of graphics.

    7K starsRMIT

  • Shiny

    Framework for creating interactive applications/visualisations

    5.7K starsRMIT

  • plotly (R)

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

    2.7K starsRMIT

  • patchwork

    Composes multiple ggplot2 plots into a single figure.

    2.6K starsRMIT

  • ggstatsplot

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

    2.2K starsRMIT

  • gt

    Builds publication-quality display tables in R.

    2.2K starsRMIT

rayshader FAQ

Is rayshader open source?

Yes. rayshader is released under the GPL-3.0 license, and its source code is on GitHub.

Is rayshader still maintained?

Yes. rayshader is actively developed, with 33 commits in the last 12 months and the latest commit 3 months ago.

How do I install rayshader?

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

What are the best alternatives to rayshader?

The most popular alternatives listed in R data visualization packages are ggplot2, Shiny, and plotly (R). See the full ranking.

What language is rayshader written in?

rayshader is primarily written in R, according to GitHub.

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