Integrating seamlessly into your web applications, JavaScript reporting tools provide an easy way to extract and present data. With pre-made design templates, data visualization tools, and customization options to generate user-centric reports, you can quickly gather insights for better decision-making.
While many options are available, certain products may best serve your business depending on their features, ease of use, and affordability. That said, we've reviewed some of the top JavaScript reporting tools.
Essential Attributes of JavaScript Reporting Tools
Are you trying to boost sales, develop products, better manage inventory, or improve any other parts of the business? It starts with your data. You need fast, digestible insights that provide a snapshot and tell you how to enhance performance. That's precisely what JavaScript reporting tools offer — a quick way to build custom reports within your web applications.
For our evaluation, we looked at how each of these products could best support your reporting and overall business goals. Below are some of the key attributes we evaluated:
- Compatibility with Popular Developer Frameworks: Determines how well the reporting tools work within different JavaScript frameworks, including Angular, React, Vue.js, etc., through APIs, software components, and plugins to support a wide range of web apps.
- Ease of Use: Evaluates the intuitiveness of integrating and connecting data sources, filtering and sorting data, and designing and generating reports.
- Customization: Considers the number of templates, customizable layouts, branding options, and embeddable components you can use in your reports, plus data filtering and sorting options to help developers create user-centric reports for any need.
- Data Visualization Capabilities: Evaluates dynamic reporting options, including interactive charts to help users convert complex information into digestible insights and drill-down features to dig deeper into their data.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Examines whether the reporting tools can adapt to other platforms such as tablets, smartphones, or other mobile devices.
Stimulsoft Report.JS
Notable Features:
- Mobile-friendly report generation for smartphones and tablets
- Report generation and exportation via Node.js commands in web apps
- All-in-one data engine, designer, and viewer features
- Custom report viewing options like data grouping and drill-down features
Pros:
- Offers lots of data source connectivity, including Excel, databases, JSON, XML, and many others
- Many data export options, like PDF, Word, Excel, HTML, and SVG, plus export-to-print controls
- Includes many data visualization options with multiple charts, including gauges, maps, pivot tables, expressions, barcodes, and visual programming, plus built-in analytics
Cons:
- Relatively expensive compared to other JavaScript reporting tools
- Decent learning curve for new users, specifically when pulling and filtering data
- Rich feature set that's great for large data sets but may not be ideal for simple reporting
Summary
Stimulsoft Reports.JS offers robust report design features and a wide range of documentation formats. It offers extensive data support and visualization capabilities. While it can be costly to smaller teams and require a decent learning curve, the product offers comprehensive features beneficial for large data sets.
ActiveReportsJS
Notable Features:
- Custom reporting on mobile and web applications with flexible report layouts and rich component selection
- JavaScript reporting engine to load and generate reports on any device
- Interactive reports, including drill-down, drill-through, and runtime sorting
- Standalone report designer, which can build reports on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms
Pros:
- No server dependencies while reporting on the client
- Seamlessly integrates reporting on all commonly used JavaScript frameworks using Angular, React, Vue, and many others
- Rich data visualization with tons of report customization and analytical and interactive data capabilities
- User-friendly interface, easy to operate while connecting data sources, building reports, and exporting them to files
- Versatile features: great for handling both large, complex data sets and generating simple reports
Cons:
- The initial price is more of an investment
Summary
ActiveReportsJS offers the best value. Other JavaScript reporting tools on this list can provide user-friendly reporting features, robust report customization, mobile reporting capabilities, or advanced data visualization tools, but ActiveReportsJS offers all of these vital attributes in one product at a reasonable price.
jsreport
Notable Features:
- PDF and Excel dashboarding capabilities with no limitations on chart types you can use
- Data output formats like PDF, Excel, Docx, HTML, and CSV
- REST API, CLI, and SDK support to create reports from any web app
- Report extension tools like scheduling, template versioning, import-export and backup, sub-reporting, user management
Pros:
- Cost-friendly option plus a freemium plan for up to five report templates
- Unlimited reporting options through JavaScript templating engines
- No installation is required as it is a reporting as a service (RaaS) product; you can start creating reports in seconds
Cons:
- Limited resource library and product documentation available
- Entirely reliant on manual coding for report generation, which can slow down the design process
- Not ideal for handling large amounts of data and creating complex reports
Summary
A great low-cost option, jsreport provides developers with nearly unlimited capabilities when pulling data, creating and designing reports, and converting reports into files. The catch: It relies fully on code and doesn't offer much online documentation, so your team needs to be highly skilled in JavaScript for the best results.
jsreports
Notable Features:
- Design tools for creating document templates in a web browser
- Users can display and view reports in a web browser, render documents live, and embed them into an application
- Client-side document generation, download, and printing for data reports via PDF
Pros:
- Provider offers solid documentation and examples both for JavaScript developers and report designers
- Developers can add design templates on the fly and create reports via drag-and-drop
- Unlimited users can be on the Unlimited Developers License plan, which is great for large teams or scaling businesses
Cons:
- Expensive and only offers two plan options
- You can only export data reports to PDF formats
- Limited data connectivity to just JSON or CSV sources
- Doesn't offer dynamic data visualization tools to drill down or interact with charts
Summary
If you can overcome the expense, jsreports comes with the fundamental JavaScript reporting tools you need for top-notch insights. It's handy for larger companies using JSON or CSV for data storage and needing fast PDF report generation from their web apps.
Bold Reports
Notable Features:
- 360-degree data visualization to report on tables, lists, charts, bars, maps, and many other widget types
- Custom data sources where you can build your own data source connector
- Interactive reporting with drill-down, drill-through, and parameter-based reporting
- Deep and iframe embedding options plus customization to blend report appearance with a web application
- Collaboration tools like interactive comments, notifications, and the option to share reports as URLs
Pros:
- Renowned for its intuitive interface design and user-friendly reporting features
- Users can connect to any data source, including SQL and NoSQL databases, data files, and custom data sources
- White-label options available
- Comes with robust security controls plus user and group permission settings
Cons:
- Initial pricing gets expensive
- Some performance issues when handling large data sets
Summary
Bold Reports offers all JavaScript reporting essentials plus unique capabilities like collaborative reports, custom embedding, and interactive report options. It's well known for its ease of use and wide feature set, assuming you can withstand the steep cost.
Telerik Reports
Notable Features:
- Report embedding in responsive HTML5, Angular, React, Vue, and many other web apps
- Custom interactivity actions on reports for users to drill-through, drill-down, bookmark, sort, and filter reports
- Flexible data binding that can bring in data from SQL, OLAP, business objects, files, and other data sources
- Design and preview capabilities for complex reports; lets developers integrate into WinForms, WPF, or ASP.NET applications and use a preview feature for immediate feedback.
Pros:
- Provider offers extensive documentation to learn about operating the features
- Broad report customization options
- Equipped with end-to-end insights-gathering features for designing, generating, embedding, and consuming reports
Cons:
- Licensing plans get expensive
- You need solid JavaScript programming skills to get comfortable with the tools
- Advanced features don't make it ideal for handling simple reporting needs
Summary
Telerik Reports is a great reporting tool for getting vital business insights if you have the budget and a team of experienced JavaScript developers. It is especially useful for sorting and visualizing large, complex data sets thanks to its complete data sourcing capabilities and broad report customization.
DevExpress Reports
Notable Features:
- Data reporting for web and mobile applications
- Report customization features including custom report control support, expression functions, toolbar buttons, dock panels, parameter types, panel layouts, and report and data source wizards
- PDF and Docx merge to embed reports into apps
- Data shaping and analytics tools like interactive sorting, data grouping, filtering, drill-down, and calculated fields
Pros:
- Tons of export options to format reports for PDF, Excel, Word, and many others
- Solid app performance as users can connect data sources, filter data, and generate reports with minimal lag time or bugs
- Comes with native Angular, React, and Blazor report viewer, which makes it easy to integrate into supported web applications
Cons:
- High cost of a license
- A steep learning curve is required for the report generation and design features
Summary
DevExpress is a reliable JavaScript reporting tool in terms of performance and capabilities. Developers can quickly integrate it into their tech stacks to connect sources and pull data, then generate, customize, and shape their reports to any need, though at a higher cost than some other options.
Conclusion
If you want to convert raw data into actionable insights, you need a reliable JavaScript reporting tool - one that can connect to various data sources, provide extensive report customization, enable data interactivity, and let you easily embed or export reports without a steep learning curve or breaking the bank.
While certain products can accommodate some of these needs, ActiveReportsJS stands out with its complete feature set and ease of use, all at an affordable price.