I had recently been evaluating JavaScript charting packages, and ended up moving forward developing with HighCharts, just a couple days ago. The demos for Echarts are impressive, so when I saw this today I spent a little time trying it out.<p>If you want to use the standalone single JavaScript file, their complete "all" build is 910k. That seems a little large, but their full package includes map data and lots of chart types you probably won't use.<p>They do have a tool for making a custom build, but I just got errors when using it. Google translate helped with their documentation, but even when I followed their exact steps it didn't work. This isn't a big deal though, as a Makefile can be thrown together quickly.<p>I have been working on a site that is heavy on charts, and I decided to switch my pie chart generators to Echarts as a test. I can't pinpoint all the reasons, but I felt like it was a little awkward to use, though it didn't take long to get through that. The documentation was helpful, but not great, and certain parts of it were not available in English.<p>There were some oddities that confused me at first, though in some ways they make sense. For example, the DOM element that contains the chart must have a CSS height defined, or you get an error. And, the legend seems to require you to provide a redundant array of all the labels that appear in the series. Nothing too bad.<p>I don't know if it is just my chart, but the default colors came out awful. I'm sure that can be changed, so it isn't too concerning. I noticed a few other rough edges, for example the save image control saves the exact view into the image file, with the controls included as well.<p>Mobile worked decently in my test, though charts with the legend enabled often resulted in bad overlaps between the legend and the chart.<p>I tried messing with maps a little, and that was my favorite part. It was very smooth and easy to get going with. I have been looking for a good JavaScript map package, and this seems to have some potential. (Anyone have recommendations on choropleth maps in JS?)<p>Overall, I'm a little scared to move forward with Echarts. Searching online makes it seem difficult to find answers to many problems in English. Also, difficulty in modifying code quickly when the comments are not in a language I understand is also worrisome. Still, I'd definitely keep my eye on this. Without too much trouble I was able to convert charts to generate with this instead of HighCharts. It is unquestionably the best JavaScript charting library I have seen with this type of license, and I'm sure it will get even better.<p>I feel like if I moved forward I'd be spending too much time figuring things out, and so despite really liking the idea of open source charts with no licensing fees, I'm going to play it safe an stick with HighCharts. I'd rather pay the fee for a quality product than spend time trying to get all the features I need working. At the same time, I imagine many others out there with different needs may find that Echarts is a very decent option.