WPF Chart Library Platform Support Comparison

Most charting libraries support one framework. Some add a second. None of the four competitors covers C++ MFC, Delphi VCL, or ActiveX. ProEssentials is a native C++ engine with three access layers: a .NET property interface for WinUI, WPF and WinForms; a C/C++ DLL API for MFC, Delphi, ActiveX and any language with foreign function interface capability; and a JavaScript property API for the browser, running the same engine compiled to WebAssembly. All three reach the same rendering engine and the same 1,200+ properties.

Organizations run more than one framework. ProEssentials covers all of them from one license, one set of documentation, and one support team. This page compares platform coverage, deployment, and the five chart objects.

Platform Support Matrix

Framework support across the five libraries. SciChart supports WPF. LightningChart supports WPF and WinForms. Syncfusion and DevExpress support WPF, WinForms and WinUI, with DevExpress additionally offering Delphi VCL and ActiveX in separate product lines. All five ship a JavaScript product; in every case except ProEssentials it is a separate codebase with its own API.

ProEssentials covers 10 of 10 platform targets. DevExpress covers 7 across separate product lines. Syncfusion covers 5. LightningChart covers 4. SciChart covers 3. ProEssentials is the only one where the browser runs the same engine and the same property names as the desktop.

Three API Layers, One Engine

ProEssentials exposes its feature set through three interchangeable API layers over one native engine. The .NET property interface provides hierarchical property objects (Pesgo1.PeData.Subsets = 5). The C/C++ DLL API provides PEnset/PEvset function calls (PEnset(hObject, PEP_nSUBSETS, 5)). The JavaScript API provides the same property names as .NET (chart.PeData.Subsets = 5) against the engine compiled to WebAssembly. No performance difference between the .NET and C++ layers, no feature gap, no behavioral divergence.

This dual-layer design means a .NET developer can access the native DLL handle via PeSpecial.HObject for advanced scenarios, and a C++ developer can create chart windows using standard Win32 PEcreate() calls. A C++/CLI mixed-mode application can use either API, or both, in the same project. The rendering engine, GPU compute shaders, export functions, printing, and all 1,200+ chart properties are identical regardless of which API layer is used.

Every property, every enum value, every chart type works identically across both APIs. The .NET enum ManualScaleControl.MinMax maps to the C++ constant PEMSC_MINMAX. The .NET event PeDataHotSpot maps to the Win32 message CYCHART_DATAHOTSPOT. Documentation covers both, the C++ DLL constant names are listed alongside every .NET property path.

Platform Deep Dives

ProEssentials provides dedicated controls for each platform. Not wrappers, not interop shims. Each uses the platform's own control hosting model.

WinUI 3 (.NET 10)

ProEssentials v11 adds dedicated WinUI 3 controls (PegoWinUI, PesgoWinUI, Pe3doWinUI, PepsoWinUI, PepcoWinUI), the first premium WinUI charting library built on a native Direct3D and Direct2D C++ engine rather than managed XAML. The controls render through composition swap chains hosted directly in the XAML visual tree, target .NET 10, and ship as native x64 and ARM64 builds with full GPU compute shader support.

The WinUI controls share the identical PExxx property, method, and event API with the WPF and WinForms controls, so example code ports between interfaces almost unchanged. Syncfusion and DevExpress also offer WinUI charts, but as managed XAML controls, ProEssentials is the only WinUI charting library rendered by a native C++ engine.

WPF (.NET 4.8 / 8 / 10)

ProEssentials provides dedicated WPF controls (PegoWpf, PesgoWpf, Pe3doWpf, PepsoWpf, PepcoWpf) that integrate directly into XAML layouts. These are not WinForms-in-WPF interop wrappers, they are proper WPF FrameworkElements that support WPF layout, data binding, and the WPF rendering pipeline. The controls use Direct2D and Direct3D rendering engines natively, with full GPU compute shader support for large datasets. The WPF controls target .NET Framework 4.8, .NET 8, and .NET 10, and the engine binds the architecture-matched native build at load time (PEGRPARM64I.DLL on ARM64), so ProEssentials renders native ARM64 in every case except when the application EXE itself is built as x64.

All five chart objects are available as WPF controls. NuGet installation adds the controls to the Visual Studio toolbox. The hierarchical .NET property interface provides full IntelliSense. Over 40 included WPF example projects demonstrate every chart type, real-time streaming, annotations, contour charts, 3-D surfaces, and interactive dashboards.

WinForms (.NET 4.8 / 8 / 10)

ProEssentials WinForms controls (PegoWin, PesgoWin, Pe3doWin, PepsoWin, PepcoWin) are standard System.Windows.Forms.Control descendants that drop into any WinForms designer layout. They use the same native DLL and the same .NET property interface as the WPF controls, same code patterns, same property names, same rendering engine. Like the WPF controls, they target .NET Framework 4.8, .NET 8, and .NET 10 with native x64 and ARM64 builds.

SciChart does not offer WinForms controls. LightningChart provides WinForms controls. Syncfusion and DevExpress both offer WinForms charting. However, none of the competitors share a single native engine across WPF and WinForms the way ProEssentials does, with competitors, WPF and WinForms chart controls are separate codebases with different APIs and sometimes different capabilities.

C++ MFC / Win32

ProEssentials provides a native C/C++ DLL API (Pegrpapi.h) with over 100 functions for chart creation, property access, data loading, export, and printing. Chart windows are created with PEcreate() and configured with PEnset()/PEvset() function calls using PEP_ property constants. This is not COM interop or .NET hosting, it is a standard Win32 DLL that links directly into any C/C++ application.

The DLL API covers the complete ProEssentials feature set: all five chart objects, GPU compute shaders via Direct3D, real-time streaming, annotations, export to PNG/JPEG/SVG/EMF, printing, and interactive zoom/pan. MFC integration is straightforward, create the chart as a child window of any CWnd/CDialog, configure properties via PEnset/PEvset calls, and handle Win32 messages for events.

No other charting library in this comparison offers a native C/C++ DLL API. SciChart, LightningChart, Syncfusion, and DevExpress are .NET-only, C++ applications would need to host the CLR, create a managed wrapper, or use COM interop. ProEssentials is the only option for pure native C++ charting on Windows.

Delphi VCL and ActiveX / COM

Delphi developers access ProEssentials through the same native DLL API used by C++ MFC. The Pegrpapi.h header translates directly to Delphi unit imports. Chart windows are created with PEcreate() and configured with the same PEnset/PEvset pattern. All five chart objects, GPU rendering, and the complete property set are available.

ActiveX/COM access is provided through registered OCX controls. VB6, Classic ASP, and any COM-capable environment can host ProEssentials charts. The OCX controls expose the same property set as the DLL API and .NET interfaces, same rendering engine, same behavior, same output.

DevExpress offers a separate Delphi VCL product line and ActiveX controls, but these are different products from their .NET charting with different APIs and different capabilities. ProEssentials uses the same engine across all platforms, what works in WPF works identically in Delphi, MFC, and ActiveX.

Legacy Migration and Long-Term Investment Protection

ProEssentials has been in continuous development since 1993, over 30 years of backward compatibility. Applications written for ProEssentials v4 (MFC, circa 2000) can be recompiled against v11 with minimal code changes. The property constant names (PEP_nSUBSETS, PEP_faYDATA, etc.) have remained stable across every major version. New features are added as new properties, existing properties are never removed or renamed.

Property constant names have been stable across every major version. C++ DLL code from the MFC era still compiles. WPF code from 2015 still runs. The same property names now work in JavaScript.

Competitors that launched in 2012-2015 (SciChart, LightningChart) have no equivalent track record. Syncfusion and DevExpress have long histories but their charting components have been rewritten multiple times across different platform generations, often with breaking API changes between major versions.

The Bottom Line on Platform Coverage

ProEssentials is the only charting library that covers JavaScript, WinUI, WPF, WinForms, C++ MFC, Delphi VCL, and ActiveX from a single native engine. The API layers access the same rendering engine, the same GPU compute shaders, and the same 1,200+ properties. Desktop deployment is 5-8 MB with no online activation, no account, and no external runtimes.

SciChart supports WPF. LightningChart supports WPF and WinForms but requires online activation. Syncfusion and DevExpress support WPF, WinForms and WinUI with different codebases per platform. DevExpress additionally offers Delphi and ActiveX as separate products with different APIs. All five ship a JavaScript library, each a separate codebase with its own API. ProEssentials covers every target from one product, one license, and one support relationship.

Performance & Architecture

How GPU compute shaders and on-demand rendering deliver speed without continuous power draw.

Pricing & Support

Perpetual licensing, free unlimited support, and 5-year TCO compared across all five libraries.

3-D Scientific Charts

Surface, contour, waterfall, 4-D, Delaunay, GPU compute shader rendering with production code walkthrough.