Apache ECharts vs Evidence
| Tagline | Powerful, declarative charting library for embedding interactive visualizations | Code-based BI: build data reports and dashboards with SQL and Markdown |
| Category | BI & Dashboards | BI & Dashboards |
| Replaces | Tableau, Power BI | Tableau, Looker, Power BI |
| GitHub stars | 67k | 6.8k |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Self-host difficulty | 2/5 Easy | 2/5 Easy |
| Deploy options | Manual Docker | Docker Manual One-Click |
| Managed hosting | ||
| Last updated | 3 days ago | 5 months ago |
| View repo | View repo |
Where each falls short
The honest trade-offs — what you give up with each, versus the proprietary tools they replace.
Apache ECharts
- Library only; no built-in query layer or data connector UI
- Requires custom development to build a full dashboard application
- No user management or saved-dashboard persistence out of the box
Evidence
- Code-first workflow excludes non-technical, point-and-click business users
- Not designed for interactive ad-hoc exploration; reports are authored, not browsed freely
- No drag-and-drop visual builder or pivot-table exploration like Tableau/Power BI
- Limited governance, permissions, and live-querying features compared to enterprise BI
Bottom line
Both are a similar lift to self-host; choose Apache ECharts for the larger community and ecosystem. Apache ECharts has seen more recent development. Open each guide below for deploy steps and the full feature gap.
Apache ECharts
Powerful, declarative charting library for embedding interactive visualizations