PlotJuggler FAQ: Free, Versions, ROS 2, Formats, macOS and Downloads

Short, factual answers to the questions readers ask most about PlotJuggler — what it costs, which version is current, how ROS 2 support works, which files it opens, what the Windows and macOS situation really is, and where downloads come from. Every answer below is grounded in the official project sources (GitHub releases, the project README and the ROS Index). For step-by-step help, see the Install hub and the Download page.

Is PlotJuggler free?

Yes. PlotJuggler is free and open source under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0). You can download, install and use it without an account, a licence server or a subscription. The source code is on GitHub under the PlotJuggler organisation, maintained by Davide Faconti. Some third-party components, including Qt, use their own licences such as the LGPL, but the PlotJuggler application itself is MPL-2.0 — not GPL or LGPL.

What is the latest version of PlotJuggler?

The latest stable version is PlotJuggler 4.0.0, released on 21 September 2026. It is a rewrite: alongside time-series and XY plots it adds video and 3D visualisation, MCAP and Parquet support, Python scripting alongside Lua, and an Extensions Marketplace. The last version on the classic line is PlotJuggler 3.17.2 (11 May 2026), which is still the version the ROS ecosystem uses. Check the version number first: 4.0.0 and the 3.999.x previews are PlotJuggler 4; 3.17.2 and earlier are PlotJuggler 3.

Does PlotJuggler work with ROS 2?

Yes. For ROS 2, install the ROS package with sudo apt install ros-$ROS_DISTRO-plotjuggler-ros and launch it with ros2 run plotjuggler plotjuggler. The ROS Index lists plotjuggler_ros 2.3.1 for humble, jazzy, kilted, lyrical and rolling. Note that the ROS packages are built on the PlotJuggler 3 line, not PlotJuggler 4, and from the v2.3 series onward the ROS plugins support ROS 2 only — ROS 1 support is frozen in older versions. PlotJuggler 4 itself also lists ROS 2 among its live-stream sources.

Which file formats can PlotJuggler open?

PlotJuggler 4 opens CSV, MCAP, Parquet, PX4 ULog, LeRobot, MP4, PCD and PLY files. The classic PlotJuggler 3 line opens CSV and PX4 ULog files directly, and rosbag files (ROS 1 and ROS 2, including rosbag2/MCAP) through the ROS plugin set, plus additional formats through plugin loaders. If your format is not listed, check the Extensions Marketplace in PlotJuggler 4 — loaders can be installed and updated there.

Does PlotJuggler run on Windows and macOS?

On Windows, yes: PlotJuggler 4.0.0 ships a Windows x64 installer that installs for the current user with no administrator rights needed, and PlotJuggler 3.17.2 also ships a Windows installer. On macOS the honest answer is different: PlotJuggler 4.0.0 ships no macOS binary, and PlotJuggler 3.17.x ships no macOS DMG either. The last releases with native macOS DMGs (Apple Silicon and Intel) were in the PlotJuggler 3.16.0 line. For a current version on macOS, building from source following the repository documentation is the documented route. Do not trust sites offering a ‘PlotJuggler 4 for Mac’ DMG — no such official file exists.

Is this website the official PlotJuggler site?

No. This site (plotjuggler.com) is an independent, unofficial resource site. It is not run by Davide Faconti or the PlotJuggler project and is not affiliated with them. The official project site is plotjuggler.io, and the official code and releases are on GitHub under the PlotJuggler organisation. We state this plainly because the project author has publicly warned about impersonation — please use the official site and GitHub if you want the project itself.

Where do the downloads on this site come from?

The primary download buttons on our Download page link directly to the official files on GitHub Releases — PlotJuggler 4.0.0 and PlotJuggler 3.17.2 — and we publish the SHA-256 checksums that GitHub provides for each file so you can verify what you downloaded. Where we also offer a site mirror, it is labelled as such in plain language (for example ‘Site mirror (Terabox) — not an official direct link’). Download links on this site are not affiliate links.

What is the difference between PlotJuggler 3 and PlotJuggler 4?

PlotJuggler 3 is the classic time-series tool: drag-and-drop plotting, CSV and ULog loaders, ROS bag support through plugins, Lua custom functions, and layouts. PlotJuggler 4 is a rewrite into a multimodal visualisation platform: it keeps time-series and XY plots and adds images and video (including H.264, H.265 and AV1), 3D pointclouds, meshes and URDF robot models, MCAP and Parquet files, Python scripting alongside Lua, an Extensions Marketplace, and a new apt repository for Debian and Ubuntu. If you work with ROS packages today, you are on the PlotJuggler 3 line; for new non-ROS work, start with PlotJuggler 4.

Should I use Lua or Python for custom transforms?

It depends on which line you use. On PlotJuggler 3, custom functions are written in Lua — the Custom Function Editor creates multi-input, single-output functions, and the official PX4 documentation, for example, uses a Lua series to convert quaternions to roll, pitch and yaw. PlotJuggler 4 adds Python as an alternative scripting language alongside Lua, so on PlotJuggler 4 you can write derived series in either. Built-in transforms — derivative, integral, moving average and scale — need no code on either line.

Can PlotJuggler plot live streaming data?

Yes. PlotJuggler 4 can stream live data from ROS 2, MQTT, ZeroMQ, UDP, WebSocket bridges, WebRTC and Lab Streaming Layer sources. The PlotJuggler 3 line streams via MQTT, WebSocket, ZeroMQ, UDP, ROS topic subscription (ROS 1 and ROS 2) and Lab Streaming Layer. Understood encodings include JSON, CBOR, BSON and MessagePack, and PlotJuggler 4 adds Protobuf and Apache Arrow, among others. Streaming is for live sources; recorded files are loaded with the file loaders instead.

How do I install PlotJuggler?

On Windows, download the installer from the official GitHub release via our Download page and run it — no administrator rights are needed. On Debian and Ubuntu, the recommended PlotJuggler 4 route is the official apt repository (package plotjuggler4), with the AppImage (glibc 2.35 or newer) and a single-release .deb as alternatives. For ROS 2, install the ros-$ROS_DISTRO-plotjuggler-ros apt package. For macOS, see the macOS question above. Step-by-step guides for each platform are on our Install hub.

Who makes PlotJuggler and how big is the project?

PlotJuggler is maintained by Davide Faconti. The GitHub repository was created in 2016 and, at the time of our last check (22 October 2026), had 6,261 stars and 832 forks, with 92 releases. Commercial support is offered by the main author, and the project accepts sponsorship via GitHub Sponsors and PayPal. The official PX4 documentation carries a dedicated PlotJuggler log-analysis guide, which gives a sense of how widely the tool is used in the drone and robotics communities.

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