Highcharts vs Recharts: What are the differences?

Highcharts and Recharts are two popular JavaScript libraries used for data visualization on websites. While they both serve the same purpose, there are several key differences between them that can impact developers' choices when it comes to selecting the appropriate library for their projects.

1. Supported Chart Types: Highcharts offers a wide range of chart types, including line, area, column, bar, pie, scatter, and more. On the other hand, Recharts provides a more limited selection of chart types, focusing primarily on line, area, bar, and scatter charts. This difference in supported chart types may influence the choice between the two libraries based on specific project requirements.

2. Customizability: Highcharts provides extensive customization options, allowing developers to modify various aspects of the charts, such as colors, labels, legends, tooltips, and more. Recharts, while still customizable, offers a more limited set of customization options compared to Highcharts. If a high level of customization is crucial for a project, Highcharts might be the better choice.

3. Documentation and Community Support: Highcharts has been around for a longer time and has a larger user base, resulting in a more extensive documentation and community support. Recharts, being relatively newer, may have a smaller community and documentation in comparison. The availability of comprehensive documentation and a strong community can greatly aid developers in troubleshooting issues and learning the libraries effectively.

4. Rendering Performance: Highcharts utilizes SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) for rendering the charts, which provides better scalability and responsiveness. Recharts, on the other hand, uses React components and leverages SVG under the hood, making it suitable for projects already utilizing React. The choice of library may depend on the specific performance requirements and existing technology stack of the project.

5. Animations: Highcharts includes built-in animation capabilities, allowing developers to create visually appealing and interactive charts. Recharts also supports animation but has a more limited range of animated effects compared to Highcharts. If creating dynamic and visually engaging charts with advanced animations is a priority, Highcharts may be the preferred option.

6. License: Highcharts is available under both commercial and free licenses, with certain limitations and restrictions for the latter. Recharts, on the other hand, is released under the MIT license, making it ideal for open-source and non-commercial projects. The choice of license may influence the decision between the two libraries based on project requirements and licensing preferences.

In summary, Highcharts offers a wider range of supported chart types, extensive customization options, and better documentation and community support, while Recharts leverages React components and has a simpler license. The choice between the two libraries ultimately depends on specific project requirements and trade-offs in terms of chart types, customization, performance, animation, and licensing preferences.