Chart.js vs G2
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A JavaScript library for drawing simple, customizable charts on web pages using canvas.
Open source · MIT
A JavaScript library for building charts from data using a declarative, layered grammar.
The short answer
Choose Chart.js if you need…
- Web developers adding standard charts such as line or bar charts to a site
- Designers who want chart styling they can configure in code
- Teams building dashboards in the browser who want an MIT-licensed library
Choose G2 if you need…
- Front-end developers adding charts to a web dashboard
- Data analysts comfortable writing a little JavaScript
- Teams that want to customize chart behavior beyond preset chart types
- Projects that need interactive or animated charts
Side-by-side
| Chart.js | G2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 67.8k | 12.7k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | See the README | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 14 days ago | 8 days ago |
What each one is
Chart.js
Chart.js is a JavaScript library for adding charts to web pages. It draws charts on the HTML canvas element, so you pass it data and options and it renders the graphic in the browser. People use it to show data visually on websites and dashboards without building chart rendering from scratch.
G2
G2 is a TypeScript library for drawing charts and other data visualizations in web pages. You describe the data and how its fields map to visual properties like position and color, and G2 works out the rest. It can render with Canvas, SVG or WebGL, and supports animation and interaction. It is aimed at dashboards, data exploration and storytelling.
Best for
Chart.js
- Web developers adding standard charts such as line or bar charts to a site
- Designers who want chart styling they can configure in code
- Teams building dashboards in the browser who want an MIT-licensed library
G2
- Front-end developers adding charts to a web dashboard
- Data analysts comfortable writing a little JavaScript
- Teams that want to customize chart behavior beyond preset chart types
- Projects that need interactive or animated charts
Strengths
Chart.js
- MIT licensed, so it can be used in commercial and open-source projects
- Large community with a documentation site, samples, and a Discord server linked from the README
- Actively maintained, with a recent release (v4.6.1) and a recent last push
G2
- The README shows a short example that produces a working bar chart
- Supports Canvas, SVG and WebGL rendering
- Released under the MIT license with official documentation, examples and tutorials
Not ideal for
Chart.js
- People who need a finished chart tool with no coding, since this is a library that requires writing JavaScript
- Projects needing chart types or features the README does not describe, since the README here gives little detail on specific chart types
- Users who need charts rendered on a server, since the README describes browser canvas usage
G2
- People who want a chart with no coding, since G2 is a code library and needs a web page to run in
- Users who only need a few standard charts and prefer a ready-made tool, because the setup is more involved than a template
- Projects that cannot use JavaScript or TypeScript
Trade-offs
Chart.js
- Requires JavaScript and web page knowledge to use, so it is not beginner-friendly for non-coders
- The README is short and points to external docs for details, so getting started depends on those docs
- Documentation links in the README point to version 4; older versions need separate docs URLs
G2
- Its grammar-based API has a learning curve compared with simple chart presets
- The README does not detail every browser or version requirement
- Larger ecosystem extensions such as 3D are separate projects
Getting started
Chart.js
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/chartjs/Chart.jsG2
Install with npm
npm install @antv/g2Install with Yarn
yarn add @antv/g2Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Chart.js and G2?
Chart.js: A JavaScript library for drawing simple, customizable charts on web pages using canvas. G2: A JavaScript library for building charts from data using a declarative, layered grammar. Chart.js suits web developers adding standard charts such as line or bar charts to a site, while G2 suits front-end developers adding charts to a web dashboard.
Are Chart.js and G2 free?
Chart.js: Free and open source. G2: Free and open source.
Is Chart.js or G2 more popular?
Chart.js has more GitHub stars (67.8k) than G2 (12.7k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Chart.js and G2?
Other options people compare them with include Plotly.js, Frappe Charts, three.js, visx, Rough.js.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.