head to head · open source
plotly.js vs Ghostwriter
plotly.js has 18,337 GitHub stars, 2,034 forks, 769 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Ghostwriter has 1,916 stars, 257 forks, 38 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. plotly.js leads on adoption by 857% (18,337 vs 1,916 stars). plotly.js is written in JavaScript under MIT; Ghostwriter is written in Python under BSD-3-Clause. plotly.js has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Ghostwriter 13%. plotly.js was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| plotly.js | Ghostwriter | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 1.9K |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Written in | JavaScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 257 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick plotly.js if
- You weight community size — 18K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Ghostwriter if
- You want the Ghostwriter feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Ghostwriter fits your workflow better
About plotly.js
Plotly.js is an open source JavaScript charting library that renders interactive figures in the browser and also powers the Python and R packages named plotly in those ecosystems.
read the full plotly.js overview →
About Ghostwriter
Ghostwriter is open source Python project management and reporting engine for offensive security work. It lives in information security, penetration testing, red team ecosystem. Category: Data & Analytics, Business Intelligence & Reporting. Stack: Python 3.13, Django 5.2. Topics: informationsecurity, penetration testing, red team, reporting.
read the full Ghostwriter overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is plotly.js or Ghostwriter more popular?
plotly.js has 18,337 GitHub stars and Ghostwriter has 1,916. plotly.js has the larger community by that measure.
Are plotly.js and Ghostwriter free?
Both are open source. plotly.js is licensed under MIT and Ghostwriter under BSD-3-Clause. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between plotly.js and Ghostwriter?
plotly.js is written in JavaScript and Ghostwriter in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, plotly.js or Ghostwriter?
Choose plotly.js if you want the larger community (18,337 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Ghostwriter if its feature set, stack or BSD-3-Clause licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.