head to head · open source
G6 vs sigma.js
G6 has 12,376 GitHub stars, 1,651 forks, 333 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. sigma.js has 12,218 stars, 1,619 forks, 12 open issues and last shipped 9 days ago. G6 leads on adoption by 1% (12,376 vs 12,218 stars). G6 is written in TypeScript under MIT; sigma.js is written in TypeScript under MIT. G6 has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, sigma.js 13%. sigma.js was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (data-visualization, graph, graph-drawing), 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
| G6 | sigma.js | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 12K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-27 | 2026-10-27 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 1.6K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick G6 if
- You weight community size — 12K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick sigma.js if
- You want the sigma.js feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and sigma.js fits your workflow better
About G6
English 简体中文 G6: A Graph Visualization Framework in TypeScript Introduction • Examples • Quick Start • API G6 is a graph visualization engine. It provides basic capabilities for graph visualization and analysis such as drawing, layout, analysis, interaction, animation, themes, and plugins. With G6, users can quickly build their own graph visualization and analysis applications, making relational data simple, transparent, and meaningful. ✨ Features G6, as a professional graph visualization engine, boasts the following features: Rich Elements : It comes with a variety of built in node, edge, and Combo UI elements…
About sigma.js
Website Documentation Storybook Mastodon [!NOTE] Sigma v4 is now available as an alpha release. See v4.sigmajs.org for the website, or the v4 branch for the source code. Sigma.js is an open source JavaScript library aimed at visualizing graphs of thousands of nodes and edges using WebGL, mainly developed by @jacomyal and @Yomguithereal, and built on top of graphology. How to use in your project To integrate sigma into your project, follow these simple steps: 1. Installation: Add sigma and graphology to your project by running the following command: 2. Usage: Import sigma into your JavaScript or TypeScript file…
read the full sigma.js overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is G6 or sigma.js more popular?
G6 has 12,376 GitHub stars and sigma.js has 12,218. G6 has the larger community by that measure.
Are G6 and sigma.js free?
Both are open source. G6 is licensed under MIT and sigma.js under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between G6 and sigma.js?
G6 is written in TypeScript and sigma.js in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, G6 or sigma.js?
Choose G6 if you want the larger community (12,376 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose sigma.js if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.