CanvasJS vs FusionCharts: What are the differences?

CanvasJS vs FusionCharts

CanvasJS and FusionCharts are both popular JavaScript charting libraries that provide a wide range of features and options for creating interactive and visually appealing charts for websites. However, there are several key differences between the two:

1. Rendering: CanvasJS uses HTML5 canvas to render charts, while FusionCharts uses JavaScript and SVG. CanvasJS renders charts directly on the HTML5 canvas element, which provides better performance and allows for more customizable visual effects. FusionCharts, on the other hand, uses SVG for rendering charts, which provides better compatibility with older browsers but may not perform as well for large datasets or complex visualizations.

2. Chart Types: Both CanvasJS and FusionCharts offer a wide variety of chart types, including line, bar, pie, area, column, and more. However, CanvasJS offers a larger selection of specialized chart types such as waterfall, step line, and stacked spline area charts, which may be useful for specific data visualization needs. FusionCharts, on the other hand, offers some unique chart types such as Gauges and Funnel charts.

3. Ease of Use: CanvasJS is generally considered to have a simpler and more intuitive API, making it easier for developers to quickly create and customize charts. FusionCharts, on the other hand, has a more extensive API and documentation, which may be beneficial for developers who require more advanced charting capabilities or customization options.

4. Animations: Both CanvasJS and FusionCharts support animations for chart transitions and updates. However, CanvasJS provides more control over animations, allowing developers to customize the duration, easing, and other parameters of the animation. FusionCharts, on the other hand, provides a set of predefined animations that can be easily applied to charts without much configuration.

5. Data Manipulation: CanvasJS provides built-in support for data manipulation and aggregation, allowing developers to easily perform calculations and transformations on the data before rendering the chart. FusionCharts, on the other hand, requires developers to preprocess and format the data before passing it to the chart API.

6. Pricing: CanvasJS offers both free and commercial licenses, with the free version limited to non-commercial use. FusionCharts, on the other hand, offers a variety of licenses ranging from free for personal projects to commercial licenses for enterprise use. The pricing structure of FusionCharts may be more appealing for organizations with specific needs or larger-scale deployments.

In summary, CanvasJS and FusionCharts offer similar functionality for creating interactive and visually appealing charts, but differ in terms of rendering technology, available chart types, ease of use, animations, data manipulation capabilities, and pricing options. Developers should consider their specific requirements and preferences when choosing between the two.