amCharts vs Chart.js - Visuals

I was just going through chartjs.org(Open source HTML5 charts using canvas tag) and found it very useful. Its good for small/medium chart usage(supports only 6 chart types as of now). But, being a fan of amCharts, I started comparing some of the visuals as below -

Radar chart

Column chart

Pie chart

Hope this will give you some insights of amCharts and Chatrjs and you will be able to compare at a glance. For other javascript charting comparisons click here.

Speed comparison of JavaScript charting libraries

Choosing a charting component for any organization is a complex task because the selection will have to be made considering both the present and future needs of the organization. It requires a careful evaluation of requirements.

In this section, I have compared some of the popular charting components suitable for hybrid app development –

S No	Description	Charts	Advantage	Remark/Comment
1	Using <div> tag as placeholder for charts helps developer to adjust height/width eaisly into the HTML page	amCharts	✓	Uses <div> tag
		Highcharts	✓	Uses <div> tag
		RGraph		Uses <canvas> tag
		Flot	✓	Uses <div> tag
		ZingCharts		Uses <canvas> tag
2	<div> tag is supported by all browsers whaeras <canvas> is a new HTML standard.	amCharts	✓	All browser support
		Highcharts	✓	All browser support
		RGraph		Only supported by HTML5 compliance browsers
		Flot	✓	All browser support
		ZingCharts		Only supported by HTML5 compliance browsers
3	SVG scene graph is a old and stable way to represent graph/chart. SVG is like a "draw" program whereas HTML5 is a "paint" program and is a new concept.	amCharts	✓	Uses SVG scene graph
		Highcharts	✓	Uses SVG scene graph
		RGraph		Uses HTML5 Canvas
		Flot		Unknown
		ZingCharts		Uses HTML5 Canvas
4	Can eaisly change according to the landscape/potrait orientation of the device.	amCharts	✓
		Highcharts	✓
		RGraph		Difficult to achieve this functionality in RGraph
		Flot
		ZingCharts
5	Enables event handlers to be associated with objects	amCharts	✓
		Highcharts	✓
		RGraph		Not possible
		Flot		Unknown
		ZingCharts		Unknown
6	Includes meter charts	amCharts		Meter charts not supported
		Highcharts	✓
		RGraph	✓
		Flot		Meter charts not supported
		ZingCharts		Unknown
7	High quality.Nice visually.	amCharts	✓
		Highcharts
		RGraph
		Flot
		ZingCharts	✓
8	3D Charts	amCharts	✓
		Highcharts
		RGraph
		Flot
		ZingCharts	✓
9	Good Documentation and Online Support	amCharts	✓
		Highcharts	✓
		RGraph	✓
		Flot		Limited Support & documentation
		ZingCharts	✓
10	Build chart online with the help of Chart builder	amCharts
		Highcharts
		RGraph
		Flot
		ZingCharts	✓	http://www.zingchart.com/builder/

From the above comparisons it is quite obvious that each charting tool has its pros and cons. But, as per my view there is a competition between Highcharts and amCharts.

When I started with charting I found amCharts to be more documented and user friendly than Highchart, but if you check on the net, there is huge fan base for Highchart!

Think twice if you want meter charts, amCharts do not support meter charts and is a big disadvantage in this area. If you are looking for visuals, amCharts are smooth and nice with 3D chart support.

Reference links -
https://developers.google.com/chart/interactive/docs/gallery/controls#programmatic_change
http://bimeanalytics.com/blog/which-chart/