head to head · open source
Apache Superset vs plot
Apache Superset has 74,821 GitHub stars, 18,339 forks, 588 open issues and last shipped today. plot has 5,384 stars, 243 forks, 349 open issues and last shipped 17 days ago. Apache Superset leads on adoption by 1,290% (74,821 vs 5,384 stars). Apache Superset is written in Python under Apache-2.0; plot is written in HTML under ISC. Apache Superset has attracted 25% as many forks as stars, plot 5%. 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 | plot | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 75K | ★ 5.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | ISC |
| Written in | Python | HTML |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 18K | ⑂ 243 |
| 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 plot if
- You want the plot feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the ISC license terms
- Your stack matches HTML
- You evaluated both and plot 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 plot
Observable Plot is a free, open source JavaScript library for visualizing tabular data, aimed at analysts and developers who need a concise, expressive API to accelerate exploratory data analysis.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Superset or plot more popular?
Apache Superset has 74,821 GitHub stars and plot has 5,384. Apache Superset has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache Superset and plot free?
Both are open source. Apache Superset is licensed under Apache-2.0 and plot under ISC. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache Superset and plot?
Apache Superset is written in Python and plot in HTML. 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 plot?
Choose Apache Superset if you want the larger community (74,821 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose plot if its feature set, stack or ISC licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.