G2 vs visx
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 building charts from data using a declarative, layered grammar.
Open source · MIT
A set of reusable React building blocks for drawing custom charts, built on d3 math.
The short answer
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
Choose visx if you need…
- React developers who want full control over how a chart looks and behaves
- Teams building their own reusable chart library on top of shared components
- Developers who already know d3 and want its math without its DOM update style
- Projects that want to keep bundle size small by importing only needed packages
Side-by-side
| G2 | visx | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12.7k | 21.1k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last code update | 9 days ago | 5 months ago |
What each one is
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.
visx
visx is a collection of low-level visualization components for React. It uses d3 for the calculations and math, while React handles updating the page, so developers can build charts without writing d3 selection code by hand. You install only the small packages you need, such as shapes or scales, and combine them into your own charts.
Best for
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
visx
- React developers who want full control over how a chart looks and behaves
- Teams building their own reusable chart library on top of shared components
- Developers who already know d3 and want its math without its DOM update style
- Projects that want to keep bundle size small by importing only needed packages
Strengths
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
visx
- Components are low-level and unopinionated, so you control the final look
- Lets you use d3 math without managing d3 selections or enter/exit/update logic
- Modular packages mean you only include what you use
Not ideal for
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
visx
- People who want ready-made charts with no coding, since visx provides building blocks rather than finished charts
- Projects that need built-in animation, because the README says visx deliberately does not include animation and suggests using existing React animation libraries instead
- Projects not using React, since the components are built for React 18 or 19
Trade-offs
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
visx
- Because it is low-level, you write more code than with a turnkey charting library
- No built-in animation; you must add a React animation library yourself if you want it
- Requires React 18 or 19 for the current v4 release, so older React projects need migration (see the migration guide)
Getting started
G2
Install with npm
npm install @antv/g2Install with Yarn
yarn add @antv/g2visx
Install the packages used in the README example
npm install --save @visx/mock-data @visx/group @visx/shape @visx/scaleFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between G2 and visx?
G2: A JavaScript library for building charts from data using a declarative, layered grammar. visx: A set of reusable React building blocks for drawing custom charts, built on d3 math. G2 suits front-end developers adding charts to a web dashboard, while visx suits react developers who want full control over how a chart looks and behaves.
Are G2 and visx free?
G2: Free and open source. visx: Free and open source.
Is G2 or visx more popular?
visx has more GitHub stars (21.1k) than G2 (12.7k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to G2 and visx?
Other options people compare them with include Chart.js, Rough.js, three.js, mo · js, Anime.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.