head to head · open source
pixijs vs c3
pixijs has 48,618 GitHub stars, 5,135 forks, 344 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. c3 has 9,352 stars, 1,357 forks, 771 open issues and last shipped 14 days ago. pixijs leads on adoption by 420% (48,618 vs 9,352 stars). pixijs is written in TypeScript under MIT; c3 is written in JavaScript under MIT. pixijs has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, c3 15%. pixijs 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
| pixijs | c3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 49K | ★ 9.4K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-30 | 2026-10-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 1.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick pixijs if
- You weight community size — 49K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- 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 pixijs
Guides Tutorials Examples API Docs Discord Bluesky 𝕏 PixiJS ⚡️ Next Generation, Fastest HTML5 Creation Engine for the Web 🚀 WebGL & WebGPU Renderers ⚡️ Unmatched Performance & Speed 🎨 Easy to use, yet powerful API 📦 Asset Loader ✋ Full Mouse & Multi touch Support ✍️ Flexible Text Rendering 📐 Versatile Primitive and SVG Drawing 🖼️ Dynamic Textures 🎭 Masking 🪄 Powerful Filters 🌈 Advanced Blend Modes PixiJS is the fastest, most lightweight 2D library available for the web, working across all devices and allowing you to create rich, interactive graphics and cross platform applications using WebGL and…
read the full pixijs overview →
About c3
c3 c3 is a D3 based reusable chart library that enables deeper integration of charts into web applications. Follow the link for more information: Documentation + Getting Started + Examples + Full API Reference Additional samples can be found in this repository: + You can run these samples as: Google Group For general C3.js related discussion, please visit our Google Group at Gitter Using the issue queue The issue queue is to be used for reporting defects and problems with C3.js, in addition to feature requests and ideas. It is not a catch all support forum. For general support enquiries, please use the Google…
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Frequently asked questions
Is pixijs or c3 more popular?
pixijs has 48,618 GitHub stars and c3 has 9,352. pixijs has the larger community by that measure.
Are pixijs and c3 free?
Both are open source. pixijs is licensed under MIT and c3 under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between pixijs and c3?
pixijs is written in TypeScript 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, pixijs or c3?
Choose pixijs if you want the larger community (48,618 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose c3 if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.