The Best Laravel Chart Libraries in 2026 (And When to Use Each)

At some point, every Laravel application needs charts. Whether you're building an admin dashboard, a SaaS analytics page, or a simple reporting feature, you'll eventually need to visualize data. The question is: which charting library should you use?

The Laravel ecosystem doesn't prescribe a single answer. Instead, you have options — each with different tradeoffs in terms of ease of use, customization, and integration complexity.

Why Charts Matter in Laravel Apps

Charts transform rows of data into understanding. A table showing 365 days of revenue is hard to parse. A line chart showing the same data reveals trends instantly. For stakeholders, charts are often the difference between confusion and clarity.

But adding charts to a Laravel app isn't just about picking a library. You need to consider:

• How will data flow from your backend to the chart?
• Do you need real-time updates or static renders?
• Will you use Livewire, Inertia, or a traditional Blade stack?
• How much customization do you actually need?

The Main Options

Here are the most popular charting libraries used in Laravel projects today:

• Chart.js: The most widely used JavaScript charting library. Lightweight, well-documented, and handles most common chart types.
• ApexCharts: A modern alternative with more built-in interactivity and a cleaner default aesthetic.
• Recharts: A React-based library, ideal if you're using Inertia with React.
• Livewire Charts: A wrapper that brings charting to Livewire with minimal JavaScript.
• Filament Widgets: If you're using Filament, its built-in chart widgets integrate seamlessly.

Comparison: Ease of Use, Customization, and Compatibility

Chart.js is the safe choice. It works everywhere, has extensive documentation, and you'll find answers to almost any question on Stack Overflow. The downside: styling requires more manual work, and the API can feel dated compared to newer options.

ApexCharts looks better out of the box and offers more interactive features — tooltips, zooming, and annotations work without extra configuration. It's slightly heavier than Chart.js, but for dashboards, the polish is often worth it.

Recharts is the natural choice for React-based Laravel apps using Inertia. It's composable, declarative, and fits well into a React component architecture. If you're not using React, skip it.

Livewire Charts is perfect if you want to stay in PHP as much as possible. You define charts in your Livewire components, and the package handles the JavaScript. The tradeoff is less customization flexibility.

The Integration Overhead Problem

Here's what the documentation for these libraries doesn't emphasize: the integration work.

To add a chart to your Laravel app, you typically need to:

• Write a query to aggregate the data
• Format the data for the chart library's expected structure
• Set up the JavaScript or component to render the chart
• Style it to match your application
• Handle loading states and errors
• Repeat for every new chart you need

This overhead adds up. A "simple" dashboard with five charts can easily take a day or more to implement properly. And when someone asks for a sixth chart, you're back to step one.

What If the Chart Picked Itself?

Imagine a different approach: you describe what you want to see, and the right chart appears. "Show me signups by week" becomes a line chart. "Revenue by country" becomes a bar chart or a table, depending on the data. No library configuration. No data formatting. No JavaScript.

That's the idea behind Lucid. It's a Laravel package that uses AI to understand your question, query your database, and pick the right visualization — all from natural language. You skip the integration overhead entirely.

Sometimes the best chart library is no chart library at all.