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Comparison · Analytics
Datawrapper vs OpenPanel
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Datawrapper and OpenPanel — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Datawrapper vs OpenPanel: at a glance
What is Datawrapper?
Datawrapper ships frequent targeted fixes with pattern fills added to range highlights as the only new capability in recent weeks.
Datawrapper's changelog reflects a maintenance-heavy cadence: most recent releases are single-line bug fixes addressing rendering issues in SVG export, map projections, and the PowerPoint add-in. The August 12 addition of pattern support for range highlights is the only new capability in the visible window.
What is OpenPanel?
OpenPanel ships 3.1.0 and 3.1.1 within a day of 3.0, all supporter-first builds with no notes.
OpenPanel's self-hosted line went from 3.0.0 to 3.1.1 in under a day on October 16-17. Each is a build of main delivered to supporters through openpanel upgrade --supporter, with public releases following from the self-hosting tag. None of the three builds carries release notes. Before them came the supporter preview of the rewritten v2 self-hosting CLI and a fix keeping saved reports' filters and cohort ids.
Datawrapper vs OpenPanel: editorial side-by-side
Datawrapper
5.0ANALYTICS
Datawrapper ships frequent targeted fixes with pattern fills added to range highlights as the only new capability in recent weeks.
◆ Current state
Datawrapper's changelog reflects a maintenance-heavy cadence: most recent releases are single-line bug fixes addressing rendering issues in SVG export, map projections, and the PowerPoint add-in. The August 12 addition of pattern support for range highlights is the only new capability in the visible window.
◆ Where it's heading
The fix-heavy cadence suggests the team is stabilizing existing chart types rather than adding new ones. The PowerPoint add-in and SVG export are receiving polish, indicating enterprise distribution workflows are a current focus. Pattern fills for range highlights are a subtle signal toward richer chart annotation tooling.
◆ Prediction
Datawrapper will continue incremental fixes across its chart library with occasional feature additions; the pattern support for range highlights suggests annotation and visual emphasis tooling is the current design priority, likely extending to other chart types.
OpenPanel
5.0ANALYTICS
OpenPanel ships 3.1.0 and 3.1.1 within a day of 3.0, all supporter-first builds with no notes.
◆ Current state
OpenPanel's self-hosted line went from 3.0.0 to 3.1.1 in under a day on October 16-17. Each is a build of main delivered to supporters through openpanel upgrade --supporter, with public releases following from the self-hosting tag. None of the three builds carries release notes. Before them came the supporter preview of the rewritten v2 self-hosting CLI and a fix keeping saved reports' filters and cohort ids.
◆ Where it's heading
The visible pattern is a fast post-3.0 release train on the self-hosted path, with the new CLI's upgrade command as the delivery channel and paying supporters as the early ring. Two minor bumps right after a major suggest follow-up fixes or small additions on top of 3.0. What 3.x changes for analytics users is still not documented in the entries.
◆ Prediction
Expect more 3.1.x builds and a public 3.x release through the self-hosting tag. Without release notes, it's unclear whether the 3.x line adds analytics features or mainly reworks self-hosting infrastructure.
Alternatives to Datawrapper and OpenPanel
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Datawrapper or OpenPanel.
Basedash
Basedash adds view-only seats so whole departments can read dashboards without editing.
OpenReplay
OpenReplay adds offline license tokens so air-gapped installs can run licensed.
Tinybird
Tinybird switches off Classic for Free and Developer plans, leaving Forward as the only path.
OpenCTI
OpenCTI's weekly train now merges entities in the knowledge view and reads defanged IOCs.
Fulcrum
Fulcrum gives admins one FastFill Settings panel while Photo FastFill stays in Alpha.
See all Datawrapper alternatives → · See all OpenPanel alternatives →
Recent activity from Datawrapper and OpenPanel
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 9h agoOpenPanelOpenPanel 3.1.1 patch build ships to supporters
- 14h agoOpenPanelOpenPanel 3.1.0 build follows 3.0 within hours
- 1d agoOpenPanelOpenPanel 3.0.0 build ships to supporters first
- 5d agoOpenPanelSelf-hosting CLI v2 rewrite enters supporter-only preview
- 19d agoOpenPanelSaved reports keep their filter type and cohort ids
- 1mo agoDatawrapperPowerPoint add-in: settings input display fix
- 1mo agoDatawrapperSVG export: remove duplicate text layer behind stroked labels
- 1mo agoDatawrapperLocator maps: fix duplicate area marker geometry in globe projection
- 1mo agoOpenPanelv2.3.0: CI moves to Node 22.20.0
- 2mo agoDatawrapperRange highlights now support fill patterns
- 2mo agoDatawrapperLine chart color picker fix for single-line custom colors
- 2mo agoDatawrapperMap data table: region picker fills cell on selection
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Datawrapper and OpenPanel?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Datawrapper and OpenPanel are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Datawrapper better than OpenPanel?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Datawrapper and OpenPanel are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Datawrapper?
Top Datawrapper alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Datawrapper alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/datawrapper for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to OpenPanel?
Top OpenPanel alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "OpenPanel alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/openpanel for the full list with editorial commentary on each.