head to head · open source
Apache Superset vs c3
Apache Superset has 74,821 GitHub stars, 18,339 forks, 588 open issues and last shipped today. c3 has 9,350 stars, 1,360 forks, 771 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Apache Superset leads on adoption by 700% (74,821 vs 9,350 stars). Apache Superset is written in Python under Apache-2.0; c3 is written in JavaScript under MIT. Apache Superset has attracted 25% as many forks as stars, c3 15%. Apache Superset was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (data-visualization), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Apache Superset | c3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 75K | ★ 9.3K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 18K | ⑂ 1.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Apache Superset if
- You weight community size — 75K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick c3 if
- You want the c3 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and c3 fits your workflow better
About Apache Superset
Apache Superset is an open source business intelligence platform that enables self serve data exploration and dashboard creation. It runs as a web application and provides tools for analysts and business users to visualize and analyze data without writing complex code, while also offering advanced capabilities for data engineers and developers. Superset lives in the Apache Software Foundation ecosystem and is licensed under Apache 2.0.
read the full Apache Superset overview →
About c3
c3 is a D3 based reusable chart library that lets developers embed configurable, interactive SVG charts into web applications by describing each chart as a configuration object instead of writing D3 code directly.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Superset or c3 more popular?
Apache Superset has 74,821 GitHub stars and c3 has 9,350. Apache Superset has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache Superset and c3 free?
Both are open source. Apache Superset is licensed under Apache-2.0 and c3 under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache Superset and c3?
Apache Superset is written in Python and c3 in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Apache Superset or c3?
Choose Apache Superset if you want the larger community (74,821 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose c3 if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.