Chart Splat vs Image-Charts
Image-Charts is a Google Image Charts replacement driven by URL parameters. Chart Splat is a Chart.js API. Here is how the two line up.
Image-Charts facts checked on 2026-10-17. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Which should I use, Chart Splat or Image-Charts?
If the watermark is why you are looking, Chart Splat is the cheaper route: no watermark on any plan, from 100 free charts a month to $20 for 10,000, against Image-Charts' $99 a month Business plan. You write a Chart.js config instead of Google Image Charts URL parameters. Image-Charts is the better pick if you have legacy Google Image Charts URLs to keep alive, want a plain <img src> with no server code, or need animated GIF charts.
- No watermark on any plan, including the free one
- $5 a month for 1,000 charts, $20 for 10,000
- Chart.js 4 JSON config, the same one your frontend uses
- SDK, CLI, MCP server and x402 pay-per-chart
- Free plan with an image-charts.com watermark
- $99 a month removes the watermark, $249 for Enterprise
- Google Image Charts compatible URL API, GET only
- Unlimited calls on every plan, WebP and animated GIF
How do Chart Splat and Image-Charts compare?
| Feature | Chart Splat | Image-Charts |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan without a watermark | $0 (Free, 100 charts a month) | $99 a month (Business) |
| Price for 10,000 charts a month | $20 (Pro) | $99 (Business, unlimited) |
| Free plan | 100 charts a month, no watermark | Unlimited, watermarked, community support |
| Chart syntax | Chart.js JSON: type, data, options | Google Image Charts URL parameters: cht, chd, chs and friends |
| Request | POST JSON with an API key | GET URL |
| Response | JSON with a PNG data URI | Image bytes: PNG, WebP or animated GIF |
| Pay per chart without an account | About $0.005 USDC via x402 | |
| Chart types | line, bar, pie, doughnut, radar, polar area, candlestick, OHLC | Google Image Charts types, plus animated GIF charts |
| Default image size | 800×600, up to 4000px | Set per request with the chs parameter |
| First-party SDK, CLI and MCP server | ||
| No-code integrations | Zapier and Make on Business and up | |
| Self-hosting | On-premise from 350 € a month |
When is Image-Charts the better choice?
We would rather you pick the right tool than pick us for the wrong job.
You have Google Image Charts URLs in production
Image-Charts exists to be a drop-in replacement for the retired Google Image Charts API. If your code already builds those URLs, swapping the host is the whole migration.
You want a chart with zero server code
An Image-Charts URL in an <img src> is a finished chart. Chart Splat returns JSON, so you need a few lines of code to embed or save the PNG.
You need animated GIF charts
Image-Charts renders animated GIFs. Chart Splat renders static PNGs.
Volume is huge and a watermark is fine
Image-Charts' free plan has no stated call limit. Chart Splat's free plan is 100 charts a month.
Why switch from Image-Charts to Chart Splat?
$0 or $5 instead of $99 to lose the watermark
Every Chart Splat plan is watermark free. Image-Charts charges $99 a month ($89 billed yearly) before the watermark goes away.
Chart.js, which your frontend already speaks
Send the same type, data and options you would hand to Chart.js in the browser. No learning a URL parameter language from 2012.
Made for scripts and agents
An npm SDK, a CLI, an MCP server for Claude and other agents, an OpenAPI 3.1 spec, and x402 so an agent can pay about $0.005 USDC per chart with no account.
Financial charts included
Candlestick and OHLC charts ship on every plan, next to line, bar, pie, doughnut, radar and polar area.
How do I move an Image-Charts URL to Chart Splat?
Translate the URL parameters into a Chart.js config: cht becomes type, chd becomes datasets, chxl becomes labels, chs becomes options.width and options.height. Then POST it with an API key.
https://image-charts.com/chart
?cht=bvg
&chd=t:50,75,60,90
&chxt=x,y
&chxl=0:|Q1|Q2|Q3|Q4
&chs=800x600curl -X POST https://api.chartsplat.com/chart \
-H "X-Api-Key: $CHARTSPLAT_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"type": "bar",
"data": {
"labels": ["Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"],
"datasets": [{ "label": "Revenue", "data": [50, 75, 60, 90] }]
},
"options": { "width": 800, "height": 600 }
}'
# → { "image": "data:image/png;base64,..." }Image-Charts' animated GIF output and its no-code Zapier and Make integrations have no Chart Splat equivalent.
Chart Splat vs Image-Charts: questions
Is Chart Splat a free alternative to Image-Charts without the watermark?
Yes. Chart Splat's free plan renders 100 charts a month with no watermark. Image-Charts' free plan adds an image-charts.com watermark, and the first plan without it is Business at $99 a month.
Does Chart Splat support the Google Image Charts URL format?
No. Chart Splat takes a Chart.js JSON config over POST. If you need to keep existing Google Image Charts URLs working unchanged, Image-Charts is built for that. For new code, the Chart.js config is the same one your frontend already uses.
Can I embed a Chart Splat chart with an <img> tag?
Yes, with one step in between. The API returns a data URI, which works directly as an <img src> value or can be saved as a PNG file. There is no public GET URL per chart.
Does Chart Splat make animated charts?
No. Chart Splat renders static PNG images. Image-Charts renders animated GIFs.
How much does Chart Splat cost at Image-Charts' volume?
Image-Charts sells unlimited calls for $99 a month. Chart Splat sells 10,000 charts for $20 a month and offers custom Enterprise pricing above that, or about $0.005 USDC per chart with no plan at all.
Try it on your own config
100 charts a month free with an API key, or pay about $0.005 USDC per chart on Base, no account or API key.
Other comparisons
Sources
Checked on 2026-10-17. If Image-Charts changes its prices or limits, tell us and we will update this page.