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wtf is webplotdigitizer?

baikemark/webplotdigitizer — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2025-09-04

Audience · researcherComplexity · 1/5QuietLicenseSetup · easy

TL;DR

A web tool that extracts the underlying numerical data from a chart image, turning graphs from papers or reports into spreadsheet-ready numbers.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Upload chart image
      Detect axes
      Extract data points
    Tech stack
      Web based
      Computer vision
    Use cases
      Literature review data
      Digitize old charts
      Competitor pricing
    Audience
      Researchers
      Analysts
    Notes
      Frontend open source
      Cloud AI features hosted

Code map

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Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Extract numerical data from a chart in a research paper for a literature review.

REASON 2

Digitize an old historical graph that was never stored digitally.

REASON 3

Pull competitor pricing numbers from a chart shown in a slide deck.

REASON 4

Convert a scatter plot image into a spreadsheet-ready dataset.

What's in the stack?

JavaScriptComputer Vision

How it stacks up

baikemark/webplotdigitizer0verflowme/alarm-clock0verflowme/seclists
Language—CSS—
Last pushed2025-09-042022-10-032020-05-03
MaintenanceQuietDormantDormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity1/52/51/5
Audienceresearchervibe coderops devops

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

No install needed for the web app, but advanced AI-assisted extraction runs on the company's hosted service.

Frontend code is open source and freely viewable/modifiable, AI cloud features are run by the company separately.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to use WebPlotDigitizer to extract data points from a line graph image.
Prompt 2
Walk me through calibrating the axes in WebPlotDigitizer before extracting chart data.
Prompt 3
Explain how to export digitized chart data from WebPlotDigitizer into Excel.
Prompt 4
What chart types can WebPlotDigitizer handle, and how do I set it up for a scatter plot?

Frequently asked questions

wtf is webplotdigitizer?

A web tool that extracts the underlying numerical data from a chart image, turning graphs from papers or reports into spreadsheet-ready numbers.

Is webplotdigitizer actively maintained?

Quiet — no commits in 6-12 months (last push 2025-09-04).

What license does webplotdigitizer use?

Frontend code is open source and freely viewable/modifiable, AI cloud features are run by the company separately.

How hard is webplotdigitizer to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is webplotdigitizer for?

Mainly researcher.

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