D3.js vs Highcharts

Overview

Highcharts

Stacks1.5K

Followers1.1K

Votes92

D3.js

Stacks2.0K

Followers1.7K

Votes653

GitHub Stars111.7K

Forks22.9K

D3.js vs Highcharts: What are the differences?

D3.js and Highcharts are both popular JavaScript libraries used for creating interactive visualizations on the web. Let's explore the key differences between D3.js and Highcharts:

Data Binding: D3.js provides a powerful data-binding mechanism where data elements are bound directly to individual DOM elements. This allows for a high level of flexibility and control over the visualization. On the other hand, Highcharts abstracts away this process by providing predefined options for data configuration, making it easier to get started but limiting the level of customization.
Chart Types: D3.js offers a wide range of chart types, including bar charts, line charts, pie charts, and more. It provides extensive flexibility to create custom chart types and layouts. Highcharts, on the other hand, has a smaller selection of predefined chart types but offers additional advanced chart types like heat maps and 3D charts.
Community and Documentation: D3.js has a large and active community of developers, making it easy to find support, tutorials, and examples. It also has comprehensive documentation, allowing users to quickly understand its functionalities. Highcharts also has a strong community, but its documentation is considered more extensive and beginner-friendly.
Performance and Rendering: D3.js focuses on efficiently binding data to DOM elements and updating them when changes occur. This makes it a more performant option for handling large datasets and dynamic visualizations. Highcharts, on the other hand, prioritizes smooth animations and rendering for interactive and visually appealing charts.
Dependencies: D3.js is a standalone library that does not have any external dependencies. This provides more flexibility in terms of integration with other libraries or frameworks. Highcharts, on the other hand, requires the inclusion of its core library as well as jQuery for full functionality, making it slightly more dependent on external resources.
License and Pricing: D3.js is an open-source library released under the BSD license, allowing for its free usage and modification. Highcharts, on the other hand, offers both a free version for non-commercial use and a paid license for commercial projects. This difference in licensing models may influence the choice between the two libraries, depending on the project's requirements and budget.

In summary, D3.js provides greater flexibility and customization options, particularly in terms of data binding and chart types. It has a strong community and comprehensive documentation. On the other hand, Highcharts offers a more user-friendly approach with predefined chart types and smooth rendering.

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Advice on Highcharts, D3.js

Shaik

Feb 18, 2020

Needs advice

I have used highcharts and it is pretty awesome for my previous project. now as I am about to start my new project I want to use other charting libraries such as recharts, chart js, Nivo, d3 js.... my upcoming project might use react js as front end and laravel as a backend technology. the project would be of hotel management type. please suggest me the best charts to use

246k views246k

Comments

Ayaskant

SSE-II at Akamai

Oct 25, 2019

Needs advice

I want to get suggestions on these 2 open source js libraries (D3.js & echarts) that help in creating charts or graphs on the UI. Which one will be better for bar graphs. Which is easy to learn and start with? Which provides better features and community support?

My requirements are 1 - Plot data in X-Y axis graph where x-axis will present time till seconds level and Y-Axis will present the data corresponding to that time.

2 - Zoom-in and zoom out feature.

56k views56k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Highcharts	D3.js
Highcharts currently supports line, spline, area, areaspline, column, bar, pie, scatter, angular gauges, arearange, areasplinerange, columnrange, bubble, box plot, error bars, funnel, waterfall and polar chart types.	It is a JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data. Emphasises on web standards gives you the full capabilities of modern browsers without tying yourself to a proprietary framework.
It works in all modern mobile and desktop browsers including the iPhone/iPad and Internet Explorer from version 6;Free for non-commercial;One of the key features of Highcharts is that under any of the licenses, free or not, you are allowed to download the source code and make your own edits;Pure Javascript - Highcharts is solely based on native browser technologies and doesn't require client side plugins like Flash or Java.	Declarative Approach for Individual Nodes Manipulation; Functions Factory; Web Standards; Built-in ELement Inspector to Debug; Uses SVG, Canvas, and HTML; Data-driven approach to DOM Manipulation; Voronoi Diagrams; Maps and topo.
Statistics
GitHub Stars -	GitHub Stars 111.7K
GitHub Forks -	GitHub Forks 22.9K
Stacks 1.5K	Stacks 2.0K
Followers 1.1K	Followers 1.7K
Votes 92	Votes 653
Pros & Cons
Pros 34 Low learning curve and powerful 17 Multiple chart types such as pie, bar, line and others 13 Responsive charts 9 Handles everything you throw at it 8 Extremely easy-to-parse documentation Cons 9 Expensive	Pros 195 Beautiful visualizations 103 Svg 92 Data-driven 81 Large set of examples 61 Data-driven documents Cons 11 Beginners cant understand at all 6 Complex syntax
Integrations
No integrations available	JavaScript React Native AngularJS React Bootstrap

What are some alternatives to Highcharts, D3.js?

Plotly.js

It is a standalone Javascript data visualization library, and it also powers the Python and R modules named plotly in those respective ecosystems (referred to as Plotly.py and Plotly.R). It can be used to produce dozens of chart types and visualizations, including statistical charts, 3D graphs, scientific charts, SVG and tile maps, financial charts and more.

Chart.js

Visualize your data in 6 different ways. Each of them animated, with a load of customisation options and interactivity extensions.

Recharts

Quickly build your charts with decoupled, reusable React components. Built on top of SVG elements with a lightweight dependency on D3 submodules.

ECharts

It is an open source visualization library implemented in JavaScript, runs smoothly on PCs and mobile devices, and is compatible with most current browsers.

ZingChart

The most feature-rich, fully customizable JavaScript charting library available used by start-ups and the Fortune 100 alike.

amCharts

amCharts is an advanced charting library that will suit any data visualization need. Our charting solution include Column, Bar, Line, Area, Step, Step without risers, Smoothed line, Candlestick, OHLC, Pie/Donut, Radar/ Polar, XY/Scatter/Bubble, Bullet, Funnel/Pyramid charts as well as Gauges.

CanvasJS

Lightweight, Beautiful & Responsive Charts that make your dashboards fly even with millions of data points! Self-Hosted, Secure & Scalable charts that render across devices.

AnyChart

AnyChart is a flexible JavaScript (HTML5) based solution that allows you to create interactive and great looking charts. It is a cross-browser and cross-platform charting solution intended for everybody who deals with creation of dashboard, reporting, analytics, statistical, financial or any other data visualization solutions.

ApexCharts

A modern JavaScript charting library to build interactive charts and visualizations with simple API.

Bokeh

Bokeh is an interactive visualization library for modern web browsers. It provides elegant, concise construction of versatile graphics, and affords high-performance interactivity over large or streaming datasets.

Related Comparisons

D3.js vs Highcharts: What are the differences?

D3.js and Highcharts are both popular JavaScript libraries used for creating interactive visualizations on the web. Let's explore the key differences between D3.js and Highcharts:

Data Binding: D3.js provides a powerful data-binding mechanism where data elements are bound directly to individual DOM elements. This allows for a high level of flexibility and control over the visualization. On the other hand, Highcharts abstracts away this process by providing predefined options for data configuration, making it easier to get started but limiting the level of customization.
Chart Types: D3.js offers a wide range of chart types, including bar charts, line charts, pie charts, and more. It provides extensive flexibility to create custom chart types and layouts. Highcharts, on the other hand, has a smaller selection of predefined chart types but offers additional advanced chart types like heat maps and 3D charts.
Community and Documentation: D3.js has a large and active community of developers, making it easy to find support, tutorials, and examples. It also has comprehensive documentation, allowing users to quickly understand its functionalities. Highcharts also has a strong community, but its documentation is considered more extensive and beginner-friendly.
Performance and Rendering: D3.js focuses on efficiently binding data to DOM elements and updating them when changes occur. This makes it a more performant option for handling large datasets and dynamic visualizations. Highcharts, on the other hand, prioritizes smooth animations and rendering for interactive and visually appealing charts.
Dependencies: D3.js is a standalone library that does not have any external dependencies. This provides more flexibility in terms of integration with other libraries or frameworks. Highcharts, on the other hand, requires the inclusion of its core library as well as jQuery for full functionality, making it slightly more dependent on external resources.
License and Pricing: D3.js is an open-source library released under the BSD license, allowing for its free usage and modification. Highcharts, on the other hand, offers both a free version for non-commercial use and a paid license for commercial projects. This difference in licensing models may influence the choice between the two libraries, depending on the project's requirements and budget.

D3.js vs Highcharts

Overview