head to head · open source
pixijs vs plotly.js
pixijs has 48,618 GitHub stars, 5,135 forks, 344 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. plotly.js has 18,378 stars, 2,074 forks, 769 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. pixijs leads on adoption by 165% (48,618 vs 18,378 stars). pixijs is written in TypeScript under MIT; plotly.js is written in JavaScript under MIT. pixijs has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, plotly.js 11%. 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 | plotly.js | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 49K | ★ 18K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-30 | 2026-10-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 2.1K |
| 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 plotly.js if
- You want the plotly.js feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and plotly.js 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 plotly.js
Plotly.js is a standalone JavaScript data visualization library, and it also powers the Python and R modules named plotly in those respective ecosystems (referred to as Plotly.py and Plotly.R). Plotly.js can be used to produce dozens of chart types and visualizations, including statistical charts, 3D graphs, scientific charts, SVG and tile maps, financial charts and more. Contact us for Plotly.js consulting, dashboard development, application integration, and feature additions. Table of contents Load as a node module Load via script tag Bundles Alternative ways to load and build plotly.js Documentation Bugs and…
read the full plotly.js overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is pixijs or plotly.js more popular?
pixijs has 48,618 GitHub stars and plotly.js has 18,378. pixijs has the larger community by that measure.
Are pixijs and plotly.js free?
Both are open source. pixijs is licensed under MIT and plotly.js under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between pixijs and plotly.js?
pixijs is written in TypeScript and plotly.js 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 plotly.js?
Choose pixijs if you want the larger community (48,618 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose plotly.js if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.