head to head · open source
plotly.js vs kepler.gl
plotly.js has 18,376 GitHub stars, 2,073 forks, 769 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. kepler.gl has 12,078 stars, 1,963 forks, 452 open issues and last shipped yesterday. plotly.js leads on adoption by 52% (18,376 vs 12,078 stars). plotly.js is written in JavaScript under MIT; kepler.gl is written in TypeScript under MIT. plotly.js has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, kepler.gl 16%. kepler.gl was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (data-visualization, 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| plotly.js | kepler.gl | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 12K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-10-29 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 2.0K |
| 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 kepler.gl if
- You want the kepler.gl feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and kepler.gl fits your workflow better
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 →
About kepler.gl
kepler.gl Website Demo App Docs [Kepler.gl][web] is a data agnostic, high performance web based application for visual exploration of large scale geolocation data sets. Built on top of MapLibre GL and deck.gl, kepler.gl can render millions of points representing thousands of trips and perform spatial aggregations on the fly. Kepler.gl is also a React component that uses Redux to manage its state and data flow. It can be embedded into other React Redux applications and is highly customizable. For information on how to embed kepler.gl in your app take a look at the documentation. Links [Website][web] [Demo][demo…
read the full kepler.gl overview →
More in Data & Analytics
Related comparisons
More Business Intelligence & Reporting projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Business Intelligence & Reporting field.
Frequently asked questions
Is plotly.js or kepler.gl more popular?
plotly.js has 18,376 GitHub stars and kepler.gl has 12,078. plotly.js has the larger community by that measure.
Are plotly.js and kepler.gl free?
Both are open source. plotly.js is licensed under MIT and kepler.gl under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between plotly.js and kepler.gl?
plotly.js is written in JavaScript and kepler.gl 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, plotly.js or kepler.gl?
Choose plotly.js if you want the larger community (18,376 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose kepler.gl if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.