u/BreadfruitUsual4036

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working on a data visualization tool in WinForms (.NET Framework 4.8) that needs to plot and refresh thousands of points in real-time.

Naturally, the first recommendation is always ScottPlot, but I’ve run into two main issues:

1. Package Size: The NuGet package is clocking in at over 313 MB. I realize this is due to the cross-platform SkiaSharp dependencies, but for a simple WinForms desktop app, this feels like massive overkill.
2. Performance: Even with the high-performance claims, I’m seeing some UI stuttering when pushing higher refresh rates or zooming in/out on dense datasets.

I'm looking for something that "feels" faster and doesn't drag 300MB of dependencies into my project.

• OxyPlot: It's lightweight, but is it fast enough for high-frequency real-time updates?
• SciChart: I know it's the gold standard for performance (DirectX), but the price tag is high. Is there a "middle ground"?
• GDI+ vs SkiaSharp: For a .NET 4.8 WinForms project, should I stick to something GDI+ based to keep it native and light, or is SkiaSharp truly the only way to get modern performance?

Has anyone found a lightweight, "snappy" charting library that doesn't feel like a heavy-duty engine for a simple car?