VTK
The facts below are what the maker publishes about VTK, checked and dated. Our editors have not written about it yet.
Plans and prices
From VTK's own pricing page, checked 12 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| VTK | Free | Free open-source software · BSD 3-clause license |
The facts
Each one read from VTK's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Charts
- VTK supports 2D plots and charts for tabular data, with picking and selection for interactive queries.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Data pipelines
- VTK filters transform data through configurable pipelines and dataflow networks.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Data sources
- Supported reader/writer file formats include DICOM,BMP,FLUENT,CGNS,and LIDAR formats (among others).checked 23 Sep 2026
- Downloads
- The download page offers source releases and Python wheels for Windows, macOS, and Linux; wheels are listed for Python 3.8–3.13.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- VTK interoperates with Python and Matplotlib, and its documentation covers use with Jupyter, C++, CMake, JavaScript, and WebAssembly.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The project describes VTK as used in academic and commercial settings and by government institutions.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Interaction
- VTK includes 3D widgets, interactors, and interfaces to 2D widget libraries such as Qt.checked 12 Oct 2026
- License
- VTK is distributed under the OSI-approved BSD 3-clause License, and the project says it is free to use for any purpose.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Limit
- VTK states that it is not FDA approved and that users are responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable rules and regulations.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Parallel processing
- VTK supports distributed-memory processing under MPI and parallelism through vtkSMP and Viskores on many-core and GPU architectures.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- VTK is open-source software for 3D computer graphics, modeling, image processing, volume rendering, scientific visualization, and 2D plotting.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Rendering
- VTK provides a rendering abstraction layer over graphics libraries, primarily OpenGL.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to its Discourse forum and public issue tracker, and lists Kitware consulting for commercial or confidential assistance.checked 12 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 1993checked 19 Oct 2026
- Maker
- VTK’s history page says Kitware, Inc. was founded in 1998 by Ken Martin, Will Schroeder, Lisa Avila, Charles Law, and Bill Hoffman.checked 12 Oct 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 23 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Platform
- web_and_desktopchecked 23 Sep 2026
- Platforms
- VTK is described as platform agnostic and able to run on Linux, Windows, Mac, the web, and mobile devices.checked 12 Oct 2026
Alternatives to VTK
- 1
AnyChart
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.7From $499 a year - 2
Highcharts Maps
AndroidiOSWebAPI7.1 - 3
amCharts
Free planWebAPISelf-hosted7.0Free plan - 4
ApexCharts
Free planWebSelf-hosted7.0From $199 a year - 5
Plotly
Free planSelf-hosted7.0From $290 a year - 6
Google Charts
Free planAndroidiOSWeb6.9Free plan