Best Chart Libraries for Svelte Projects in 2026
Last week at Weavelinx, we were planning our next SaaS product. We were deep in the weeds considering which chart libraries to use alongside our design system to improve the user experience.
Honestly, selecting the right one was a headache.
There are so many new, modern libraries popping up, and on the other hand, you have the old, reliable options that have been around forever. We read a dozen blogs trying to find the optimal, free, modern, and reliable option, but most of them just listed the same tools we already knew or pushed expensive paid licenses.
So, we did our own thorough research. We found some gems that actually fit the modern web stack of 2026, and we thought we should share them with you.
In this article, we’ve categorized these libraries by “niche” and focused mainly on open-source (free) tools. Svelte is explicitly designed for performance and small bundle sizes, so we have prioritized libraries that align with that philosophy.
Let’s just start.
The Modern & Trending (Top Recommendations)
Use these for new projects in 2026 where you want the latest tech and modular architecture.
1. Unovis (via @unovis/svelte)
Best For: Minimalist, highly modular dashboards.
We love Unovis because it solves the “bloat” problem. It’s a modular visualization framework that separates data logic from visual logic. It’s lightweight, works beautifully with TypeScript, and because it relies on CSS variables for styling, it handles “Dark Mode” switching instantly without re-rendering the whole chart.
Why Use It: Framework-agnostic with a fantastic, first-class Svelte wrapper. It feels very “Svelte-like” in its composition.
Verdict: Use this for a clean, professional SaaS UI.
React Alternative: Visx (by Airbnb).
Example Usage: Unovis is modular, so you import only what you need.
<script lang="ts">
import { VisXYContainer, VisLine, VisAxis } from '@unovis/svelte';
export let data = [
{ x: 0, y: 10 },
{ x: 1, y: 25 },
{ x: 2, y: 40 },
{ x: 3, y: 35 },
{ x: 4, y: 60 }
];
// Optional: Accessors if data structure is complex
const x = d => d.x;
const y = d => d.y;
</script>
<div style="height: 400px; width: 100%;">
<h3>Unovis Modular Chart</h3>
<VisXYContainer {data} height={400}>
<VisLine {x} {y} color="#4F46E5" />
<VisAxis type="x" label="Days" />
<VisAxis type="y" label="Revenue" />
</VisXYContainer>
</div>2. Lightweight Charts (by TradingView)
Best For: Crypto, Stock Market, and Real-Time data apps.
If performance is your #1 metric, this is the winner. It renders via HTML5 Canvas and stays buttery smooth (60fps) even when you are streaming live data to it on a mobile device. Because it relies on Canvas rather than the DOM, it’s incredibly battery-efficient—Svelte’s lack of a virtual DOM overhead combined with this library is a match made in heaven.
Why Use It: Unbeatable performance for time-series data.
Why Avoid It: Limited chart types (Candlestick, Line, Area). No Pie or Radar charts here.
Verdict: Use this ONLY for time-series financial data.
Quick Demo: In Svelte, we use onMount to initialize libraries that need a direct DOM reference.
<script>
import { onMount } from 'svelte';
import { createChart } from 'lightweight-charts';
let chartContainer;
onMount(() => {
const chart = createChart(chartContainer, {
width: chartContainer.clientWidth,
height: 400,
layout: { backgroundColor: '#ffffff', textColor: '#333' },
grid: { vertLines: { color: '#f0f3fa' }, horzLines: { color: '#f0f3fa' } }
});
const areaSeries = chart.addAreaSeries({
topColor: 'rgba(33, 150, 243, 0.56)',
bottomColor: 'rgba(33, 150, 243, 0.04)',
lineColor: 'rgba(33, 150, 243, 1)',
lineWidth: 2,
});
areaSeries.setData([
{ time: '2025-10-10', value: 20.01 },
{ time: '2025-10-11', value: 24.32 },
{ time: '2025-10-12', value: 22.05 },
{ time: '2025-10-13', value: 28.91 },
{ time: '2025-10-14', value: 30.12 },
]);
chart.timeScale().fitContent();
// Cleanup on component destroy
return () => chart.remove();
});
</script>
<div bind:this={chartContainer} style="position: relative; width: 100%; height: 400px;"></div>3. Carbon Charts
Best For: Enterprise, Government, and Accessibility (a11y).
This comes from IBM’s massive Carbon Design System. It stands out because of its commitment to accessibility—screen reader support and keyboard navigation are built-in. It looks very “corporate” out of the box.
Why Use It: Top-tier accessibility and a cohesive design system feel.
Verdict: Use this for corporate/B2B dashboards where compliance matters.
Example Usage: Carbon provides a dedicated Svelte package.
<script>
import { BarChartSimple } from '@carbon/charts-svelte';
import '@carbon/charts/styles.css';
const data = [
{ group: 'Qty', value: 65000 },
{ group: 'More', value: 29123 },
{ group: 'Sold', value: 35213 },
{ group: 'Restocking', value: 51213 },
{ group: 'Misc', value: 16932 }
];
const options = {
title: 'Simple Bar (Discrete)',
axes: {
left: { mapsTo: 'value' },
bottom: { mapsTo: 'group', scaleType: 'labels' }
},
height: '400px'
};
</script>
<div class="chart-container">
<h3>Carbon Charts (Svelte Native)</h3>
<BarChartSimple {data} {options} />
</div>
<style>
.chart-container {
padding: 2rem;
background: #fff;
}
</style>4. Observable Plot
Best For: Data Science, Analytics, and “Journalism” style charts.
This is the “shorthand” for D3, created by the same author (Mike Bostock). It allows you to create complex statistical visuals—like dot plots or box plots—with incredibly short code.
Why Use It: You can write complex visualizations in very few lines of code.
Why Avoid It: No native Svelte wrapper, but Svelte’s actions (
use:action) oronMountmake it easy to integrate.Verdict: Use this for internal analytics tools or data-heavy reports.
<script>
import { onMount } from 'svelte';
import * as Plot from "@observablehq/plot";
let plotContainer;
const data = [
{ horsepower: 130, weight: 3500, cylinders: 8 },
{ horsepower: 165, weight: 4300, cylinders: 8 },
{ horsepower: 90, weight: 2200, cylinders: 4 },
{ horsepower: 100, weight: 2500, cylinders: 6 },
{ horsepower: 80, weight: 2100, cylinders: 4 }
];
onMount(() => {
const chart = Plot.plot({
grid: true,
marks: [
Plot.dot(data, { x: "horsepower", y: "weight", stroke: "cylinders", fill: "currentColor" })
]
});
plotContainer.append(chart);
});
</script>
<div bind:this={plotContainer}></div>The Reliable Standards (Safe Bets)
These are battle-tested and used by thousands of companies. You won’t get fired for choosing these.
5. Apache ECharts
Best For: “I need to chart EVERYTHING.”
ECharts is the kitchen sink of visualization. It uses a dual rendering engine (Canvas or SVG) and supports specialized visuals like 3D globes and heatmaps.
Why Use It: It handles virtually any chart type you can imagine.
Why Avoid It: It is massive. You must use the tree-shaking syntax to keep your bundle size manageable, which is crucial in Svelte apps.
Verdict: Use this if you need complex features (Heatmaps, 3D) for free.
<script>
import { onMount } from 'svelte';
import * as echarts from 'echarts';
let chartDom;
onMount(() => {
const myChart = echarts.init(chartDom);
const option = {
title: { text: 'ECharts Example' },
tooltip: {},
xAxis: { data: ['Shirts', 'Cardigans', 'Chiffons', 'Pants', 'Heels', 'Socks'] },
yAxis: {},
series: [{
name: 'Sales',
type: 'bar',
data: [5, 20, 36, 10, 10, 20]
}]
};
myChart.setOption(option);
// Responsive resize
const resizeObserver = new ResizeObserver(() => myChart.resize());
resizeObserver.observe(chartDom);
return () => {
resizeObserver.disconnect();
myChart.dispose();
};
});
</script>
<div bind:this={chartDom} style="width: 100%; height: 400px;"></div>6. Billboard.js (The Modern C3)
Best For: Developers who want D3 power without D3 difficulty.
Billboard.js is a modern D3 v4+ wrapper that preserves the classic, simple interface of C3.js. It allows you to spin up standard charts in seconds without learning D3’s complex math.
Why Use It: It bridges the gap between simplicity and power.
Verdict: Use this for a simple, standard “Line/Bar/Pie” library.
<script>
import { onMount } from 'svelte';
import bb from "billboard.js";
import "billboard.js/dist/billboard.css";
let chartNode;
onMount(() => {
const chart = bb.generate({
bindto: chartNode,
data: {
columns: [
["data1", 30, 200, 100, 400, 150, 250],
["data2", 50, 20, 10, 40, 15, 25]
],
type: "spline"
}
});
});
</script>
<div bind:this={chartNode}></div>7. LayerCake (The Svelte Native)
Best For: Svelte Purists and Custom Design Systems.
LayerCake is to Svelte what NGX-Charts is to Angular, but arguably more flexible. It isn’t a “charting library” in the traditional sense; it’s a layout framework that handles the scales (d3-scale) and resizing for you. You then draw the actual chart components using standard Svelte HTML, SVG, or Canvas elements.
Why Use It: It feels 100% native. Because you write the SVG shapes yourself (or use their pre-made components), you have absolute control over styling and animation. It works perfectly with Svelte transitions.
Why Avoid It: It requires a bit more code than a “drop-in” library like Chart.js because you are composing the chart.
Verdict: The best choice for building a custom, high-performance chart library for your company.
<script>
import { LayerCake, Svg, Html } from 'layercake';
import AxisX from './components/AxisX.svelte';
import AxisY from './components/AxisY.svelte';
import Line from './components/Line.svelte';
const data = [
{ x: 1990, y: 10 },
{ x: 1995, y: 25 },
{ x: 2000, y: 45 },
{ x: 2010, y: 30 }
];
</script>
<div class="chart-container">
<LayerCake
x="x"
y="y"
{data}
>
<Svg>
<AxisX />
<AxisY />
<Line color="#ff3e00"/>
</Svg>
</LayerCake>
</div>
<style>
.chart-container {
height: 400px;
width: 100%;
}
</style>8. Chart.js
Best For: Simple, generic websites.
The “old reliable” has reinvented itself. With Version 4, Chart.js became fully tree-shakable. It has a massive ecosystem of plugins.
Verdict: Use this for a quick prototype or basic dashboard where you need a “safe” choice.
<script>
import { onMount } from 'svelte';
import Chart from 'chart.js/auto';
let canvasRef;
let chart;
onMount(() => {
chart = new Chart(canvasRef, {
type: 'bar',
data: {
labels: ['Red', 'Blue', 'Yellow', 'Green', 'Purple', 'Orange'],
datasets: [{
label: '# of Votes',
data: [12, 19, 3, 5, 2, 3],
backgroundColor: 'rgba(54, 162, 235, 0.5)'
}]
},
options: {
scales: { y: { beginAtZero: true } }
}
});
return () => chart.destroy();
});
</script>
<div style="max-width: 600px;">
<canvas bind:this={canvasRef}></canvas>
</div>9. Cytoscape.js
Best For: Network graphs & Relationships (Nodes & Edges).
This is the industry standard for graph theory. If you need to visualize how users are connected in a social network or map out an IT infrastructure topology, this is it.
Verdict: Use this ONLY for network data.
The "Avoid" List (Paid or Dead)
Save yourself the technical debt. Don’t use these.
10. AnyChart / CanvasJS / Flot
AnyChart / CanvasJS: They often confuse developers because the source code is visible, but they are NOT free. They require commercial licenses. There is zero technical justification to pay for these in 2026 when libraries like Apache ECharts and Chart.js offer superior performance and features for free (Apache 2.0 / MIT licenses).
Flot: It is dead technology. It hasn’t been updated meaningfully in years and relies on jQuery, which has no place in a modern Angular 19+ application.
Recommendation: Use Apache ECharts or Billboard.js instead.
The "Hard" Mode (Last Resort)
11. D3.js
Best For: Visualizations that defy standard categories.
Svelte and D3 actually have a very interesting relationship. Unlike Angular or React, Svelte doesn’t fight the DOM as aggressively, but D3 still wants to control the DOM elements that Svelte thinks it owns.
The Better Way: Instead of using raw D3 to manipulate the DOM, use D3 only for the math (scales, shapes, paths) and let Svelte handle the rendering. This is exactly what LayerCake (mentioned above) does for you.
Recommendation: Use LayerCake or Unovis to get the benefits of D3 logic without the implementation pain.
Final Thoughts from Weavelinx
Choosing a library in 2026 isn’t just about looks; it’s about architecture and specific use cases.
Building a crypto or financial tool? Go Lightweight Charts.
Need a robust, maintainable SaaS dashboard? Go Unovis.
Need strict accessibility compliance? Go Carbon.
Just want a quick, standard chart? Chart.js or Billboard.js.
We hope this deep dive saves you the weeks of research we spent!
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