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Chart.ts vs Highcharts
Highcharts is a commercial charting library with a long history. It is powerful and feature-rich, but costs $590 per developer per year and uses a legacy API design.
| Feature | Chart.ts | Highcharts |
|---|---|---|
| Bundle size | <15kb min+gzip (entire library) | ~80kb min+gzip |
| Tree-shaking | Full (import only what you use) | Limited (monolithic core) |
| TypeScript | Built-in, strict mode, full inference | Built-in types |
| SSR | Native SSR, works with any framework | Server-side rendering available |
| Accessibility | WCAG AA, keyboard nav, screen readers, pattern fills | Accessibility module (enterprise only) |
| Tailwind CSS | Native className on every element, dark: variants | Not supported (imperative config) |
| Chart types | 65+ built-in (52 core + 13 WebGL/3D) | ~25 built-in |
| Frameworks | React, Vue, Svelte, Solid, Angular, Vanilla JS | Wrappers for React, Angular, Vue |
| License | MIT | Commercial ($590/dev/yr) |
| Rendering | Triple engine: SVG + Canvas + WebGL (auto-switching at 10k/100k points) | SVG + Canvas fallback |
| Real-Time | Built-in streaming, WebSocket, SSE, HTTP polling via @chartts/websocket | Dynamic update API |
| GPU / 3D | WebGL renderer + @chartts/gl with 13 3D chart types (Scatter3D, Surface3D, Globe3D, etc.) | No WebGL (Highcharts 3D is CSS transform) |
| Financial | @chartts/finance: SMA, EMA, RSI, MACD, Bollinger Bands, ATR, VWAP, Sharpe ratio | Highstock (separate product, paid) |
| Plugins | defineChartType() with render context, hit testing, custom scales | Extension API |
| Interactions | Zoom, pan, brush selection, crosshair, linked charts | Zoom, pan, crosshair |
| Advanced Charts | Sankey, treemap, sunburst, chord, geo maps, network graphs, 3D globe | 30+ types (with paid modules) |
| Theme Presets | 34 presets (Nord, Dracula, Catppuccin, Tokyo Night, Material, etc.) | ~10 presets |
Why switch from Highcharts?
Chart.ts advantages
- MIT free vs $590/developer/year
- Same feature breadth, all included
- Native Tailwind CSS integration
- Better TypeScript DX (strict, full inference)
- WebGL included (not a paid add-on)
Highcharts limitations
- $590 per developer per year licensing cost
- jQuery-era imperative API design
- Accessibility locked behind enterprise tier
- Not Tailwind-native, uses imperative config objects
- Large monolithic bundle, limited tree-shaking
Ready to switch?
Get started with Chart.ts in 30 seconds.
$
npm install @chartts/core