Financial applications rely heavily on interactive charts and graphs to visualize market data and spot trends for analysis. Rather than building complex financial charts from scratch, developers can tap into specialized charting libraries that provide pre-packaged components for rendering responsive charts and graphs.
In this comprehensive guide, we will cover the most popular JavaScript and HTML5 financial charting libraries to accelerate development of your next trading, investing or financial application.
What Are Financial Charting Libraries
Financial charting libraries provide reusable UI components, like bar charts, candlestick charts, technical indicators and line graphs tailored specifically for finance and trading use cases.
They enable developers to quickly render real-time and historical financial data as intuitive charts and graphs, without needing to code the underlying mathematical and statistical logic.
Key benefits of using financial charting libraries include:
- Faster time-to-market: Avoid building graphs and indicators from scratch
- Responsive and interactive charts: Support touch, zoom, swipe, annotations
- Real-time and streaming data: Feed live market data for low latency
- Custom indicators and algorithms: Extend with your own logic
- Themes and customization: Tailor chart appearance as per your brand
Next, we examine some of the most essential features to look for when evaluating financial charting libraries.
Must-Have Features of Financial Charting Libraries
Wide Range of Chart Types
The library should support the most common financial chart types preferred by analysts and traders:
- Candlestick charts
- OHLC charts (Open, High, Low, Close)
- Line charts
- Bar charts
- Heatmaps
- Scatter plots
Area charts, pie charts and gauges come handy for tracking portfolio performance.
Advanced libraries have 100+ combinations of chart types for both technical and fundamental analysis.
Real-time Data Streaming
To enable live market tracking, the library should handle real-time data feeds and rapid streaming data at millisecond latencies.
This allows building low latency trading terminals and tracking fast moving markets across various assets.
Annotations and Drawing Tools
Traders rely extensively on annotations to highlight chart patterns, trends, support/resistance and target levels.
The library should provide annotations like arrows, text boxes, shapes, lines and other drawing tools for market analysis.
Technical Indicators
The charting toolkit must include commonly used technical indicators like Moving Averages, Bollinger Bands, MACD, RSI etc.
Advanced libraries allow creating custom indicators by formula or combining existing ones.
Zooming, Panning and Cursor Syncing
Libraries should enable drilling down into granular data through chart interaction capabilities like zooming, panning, crosshair cursor, synchronized charts and linked brushing.
Framework Integration
Look for extensive support of JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, Vue.js etc. on front-end and Node.js, Python, PHP, .NET on backend.
This avoids integration headaches during development with different technology stacks.
Export Charts
Allow easy exporting of charts and dashboards to images, PDF reports or embedding as web widgets/iframes for sharing insights.
With those requirements established, let’s explore the top financial charting libraries available.
Top Financial Charting Libraries for Developers
Here are the 10 most popular and feature-rich JavaScript charting libraries tailored specifically for finance and trading applications.
1. TradingView
TradingView has emerged as the world’s most popular platform for financial charts, with 30+ million monthly users.
The HTML5 charting library covers an exhaustive range of chart types for stocks, forex and crypto technical analysis using flexible APIs.
Key Features
- Interactive charts with zooming, panning and 100+ indicators
- Annotations for highlighting trends and patterns
- Chart Pine scripting language to build custom indicators
- Supports real-time and historical market data
- Client-side library or cloud-hosted charts
Use Cases
Fits any web or mobile apps for trading, investing and market analysis like brokers, social trading platforms, financial news sites and fintech apps.
2. ChartIQ
ChartIQ provides feature-packed HTML5 charting components tailored for financial visualization.
It powers many leading trading platforms due to lightning fast performance, and support for live-streaming data.
Key Features
- Candlestick, OHLC and 100+ chart types
- Annotations, technical indicators and drawing tools
- Handle fast market data at millisecond latency
- Customize chart appearance via themes and styling
- Supports React, Angular and leading frameworks
Use Cases
Suitable for building high performance trading terminals, charting solutions, algo trading platforms and investment apps.
3. AnyChart Stock Charts
AnyChart provides a code-based JavaScript charting library renowned for performance combined with a rich set of financial visualizations.
Key Features
- Interactive HTML5 and JavaScript charts
- Financial data mapping with Box Plot and Waterfall charts
- Real-time chart updating within milliseconds
- API to bind chart data to CSV, SQL, NoSQL databases
- Framework integration with React, Angular, Vue.js
Use Cases
AnyChart excels at real-time dashboards for trading, in addition to general financial data visualization use cases.
4. Highcharts Stock
As part of the Highcharts suite, Highcharts Stock specializes in charts tailored for financial markets.
Key Features
- Candlestick, OHLC, line charts with technical indicators
- Annotations like flags, signs, buttons, image markers
- Advanced date handling for financial time series
- Supports dynamic or static chart data loading
- Integrates with React, Angular, ASP.NET and other platforms
Use Cases
Highly customizable library makes Highcharts suitable for trading apps, market data analysis, investment platforms and business intelligence dashboards.
5. CanvasJS
CanvasJS is among the fastest JavaScript charting libraries, capable of rendering millions of real-time data points quickly.
Key Features
- Optimized performance for real-time financial charts
- Candlestick, ohlc & technical indicators
- Dynamic chart data from CSV, JSON or webpage
- Excel style column sorting & context menu
- Supports key frameworks like React and Angular
Use Cases
CanvasJS suits high performance financial dashboards with dynamic real-time market data visualizations.
6. DX Charts
DX Charts provides feature-rich HTML5 charts combined with integrated market data capabilities.
Key Features
- 40+ financial chart types
- Embedded scripting language to code custom indicators
- Integrated market data connector dxFeed
- Annotations, alerting and technical indicators
- Frameworks integration with React, Angular and Vue.js
Use Cases
DX Charts accelerate building trading apps, financial visualizations and BI analytics by unifying charts and market data connectors.
7. FusionCharts Suite
FusionCharts Suite offers FlexCharts for specialized financial data visualization across browser and devices.
Key Features
- Interactive JavaScript charts with APIs
- Real-time dashboards from dynamic data sources
- Annotations and trend-lines for analysis
- Chart linking for synchronized drill-downs
- Framework integration with React, Angular, Vue and ASP.NET
Use Cases
FusionCharts FlexChart empowers responsive financial dashboards, trading apps, investment platforms and other fintech solutions.
8. Barchart OnDemand
Barchart OnDemand provides robust market data APIs combined with flexible JavaScript charting libraries tailored for financial apps.
Key Features
- Interactive JavaScript charting components
- APIs for global market data access
- Technical indicators and drawing tools
- Chart linking and crosshair synchronization
- Integrates with leading web frameworks
Use Cases
Barchart OnDemand accelerates building trading apps, investment platforms, robo-advisors, quantitative analysis and other fintech solutions requiring dynamic financial charts combined with market data access.
9. LightningChart
LightningChart utilizes the power of GPU acceleration allowing swift visualization of millions of data points.
Key Features
- Leverage GPU acceleration via WebGL
- Real-time performance for big financial data
- Interactive JavaScript charts
- 3D visualizations and Surface Mesh charts
- Integrates with React, Angular and Vue.js
Use Cases
LightningChart is apt for building responsive dashboards to visualize streaming market data across assets like equities, forex and cryptocurrencies.
10.ijo jsCharts
ijo jsCharting provides lightweight JavaScript charting optimized for financial data backed by strong documentation and support.
Key Features
- Specialized financial charts like candlestick, OHLC
- Annotations and technical indicators
- Drill down chart linking and overview navigation
- Touch based interaction for mobile devices
- Easy integration with web frameworks
Use Cases
jsCharting components help accelerate building trading apps, market analysis, investment management and fintech solutions focused on financial data visualization.
And there are many more financial charting libraries like TickrsJS, ApexCharts, ZingChart etc. catering to developers with specific feature requirements.
How to Choose the Right Financial Chart Library
With an abundance of JavaScript charting libraries available, how do you pick the right one for your app?
Here are key factors to consider when evaluating options:
Consider Your Data Source
If starting from scratch, choose a library that easily imports market data from files or external sources via API.
TradingView and DX Charts have in-built market data connectivity. While libraries like ChartIQ and Anycharts cleanly integrate external API data.
Prioritize Must-Have Features
Not all charting libraries are equal. Create a checklist of essential features like chart types, technical indicators, annotation tools, streaming data handling etc. based on your app goals.
Shortlist libraries fulfilling your feature priorities.
Evaluate Licensing and Pricing
While many libraries offer free usage for non-commercial use, most charge commercial fees tied to volume of use, support levels and additional features.
Factor in costs of potential licensing, data fees and additional charges over long term.
Assess Documentation and Support
Look for comprehensive documentation, demos, tutorials and community forums to ease onboarding and accelerate development.
Review Github activity to gauge ongoing maintenance and support levels.
Once you’ve evaluated the options, the next step is integrating the shortlisted library within your application.
Integrating Financial Charting Libraries
Financial charting libraries provide JavaScript charting components you can embed within web or mobile apps built using frameworks like React, Angular and Vue.js.
Here we walk through key steps to integrate these libraries.
1. Choose Embedding Method
First decision point is whether your developers will handle integration on frontend or backend codebase. This sets stage for library API usage patterns.
- Client-side – Import library bundle directly in frontend code to render charts. Gives more UI control to devs.
- Server-side – Generate charts on the backend, usually via API call. Better for apps not exposing source code.
2. Install Library and Dependencies
Next install the JavaScript library within your codebase using NPM/Yarn or by directly importing library bundle via CDNs.
Set up any complementary dependencies, like denominator indicators that build on top of a base charting library.
3. Initialize Library and Render Charts
Per library instructions, initialize it by setting up required configs, themes and importing any stylistic assets.
Use library APIs to render the charts by passing options like chart types, data source, indicators etc.
4. Feed Data to Charts
Now to bring the charts to life, feed in financial time-series data from sources like files or external APIs.
Set up data loaders and transformers to wrangle data into formats the charting library can ingest.
5. Handling Interactivity
Allow user interaction with charts using library APIs for zooming, panning, crosshairs, annotation drawings etc.
Sync behaviors across multiple coordinated charts on dashboards.
And voila! With those steps, you’ll have financial charts integrated within your web or mobile application leveraging the power of JavaScript libraries.
While that covers fundamentals, be sure to check library specific documentation for exact syntax, customization options and how to address any roadblocks.
Building Custom Financial Charts and Indicators
Financial app developers often require specialized charts, technical indicators or modifications beyond what libraries provide out-of-box.
Here are two common approaches to meet those custom financial charting needs:
1. Using Charting Library Extensions
Most JavaScript charting libraries provide extension capabilities to create custom financial charts and indicators without having to build from scratch.
For example:
- TradingView Pine script to code indicators and strategies
- Highcharts API to programmatically construct custom indicators
- ChartIQ Studies API to develop indicators using JavaScript
- FusionCharts add-ons for specialized charts beyond core packs
Leverage documentation and samples provided to extend functionality beyond the box.
2. Building Custom Visualizations
For advanced customizations, directly build on underlying D3.js or Canvas charting packages that power many JavaScript libraries.
Or take advantage of visualization frameworks like Sigma.js that accelerate crafting interactive, web-based network and graph charts.
These lower-level options provide finer control over chart behavior and appearance, at expense of more coding effort.
In summary, while financial charting libraries lift most of the heavy lifting in visualizing market data, don’t hesitate to customize or extend them to address special requirements using options like extensions or building on base libraries.
Conclusion
This guide provided a comprehensive overview of the top JavaScript and HTML5 charting libraries purpose-built to address financial markets use cases.
As we’ve explored, financial charting libraries accelerate building trading platforms, market data analysis, investment apps and business intelligence dashboards by providing readymade, responsive charting components.
However, they are not one-size-fits all. Perform due-diligence by prioritizing the features and integration capabilities matching your application goals.
Finally, leverage options to customize with specific financial chart types or indicators not available out-of-the-box via library extensibility options or augmenting capabilities.
Financial application development continues moving toward real-time, interactive experiences fueled by streaming data.
Expect financial charting libraries to continue advancing capabilities on metrics like web performance through better JavaScript engines, expanding GPU and WebGL usage, and integrating predictive analytics for giving traders an information edge.
