Third-party charting libraries on Kite
Zerodha Kite does not implement its charting engine in-house. Instead, it embeds two commercial third-party libraries: TradingView Charting Library and ChartIQ. Both are commercial-grade products licensed by Zerodha for use on Kite web and Kite app.
This article explains the third-party library model, the rationale for not building in-house, and the implications for users.
What are the third-party libraries
TradingView Charting Library
A standalone, embeddable version of the same charting engine that powers TradingView.com (the popular web platform). Brokers, fintechs, and trading platforms worldwide license this library and embed it in their products.
The embedded library differs from TradingView.com in that it does not include the social, community, screener, or Pine Script alerting features. It is purely the charting engine.
ChartIQ
A separate commercial product, also widely licensed by brokers and trading platforms. Used at Bloomberg, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, several Indian and US brokers.
Both are mature, well-supported products.
Why Zerodha doesn’t build in-house
Building a charting library that matches TradingView or ChartIQ in feature breadth, drawing tools, indicator library, and performance is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar engineering project. Zerodha’s product philosophy has been to integrate best-in-class third-party libraries where the engineering ROI of in-house build is unclear.
This pattern applies to several Kite features:
- Charting (TradingView + ChartIQ).
- Some option-strategy visualisation (Sensibull).
- Smallcase integration for thematic baskets.
Building world-class charting is not core to Zerodha’s identity; building world-class brokerage operations is.
Licensing model
Zerodha pays both library vendors. Users pay nothing extra; the cost is absorbed in the broader Zerodha pricing.
What the user experience reflects
The user-facing Kite charts inherit the strengths and limitations of the underlying libraries:
- TradingView’s polished drawings, rich indicator library, modern UX.
- ChartIQ’s stability, lighter footprint, customisable.
Bug fixes and feature additions in the underlying libraries take time to surface in Kite, since Zerodha must upgrade the embedded version on its schedule.
Embedded version vs standalone
A common confusion: features visible on TradingView.com (alerts, screener, Pine Script, social) are not in the embedded TradingView library on Kite.
Standalone TradingView.com is a subscription-based platform with its own data, alerts, and community. The embedded library is a charting engine integrated into Kite using Zerodha’s market data feed.
Future considerations
As Zerodha’s user base grows and charting needs evolve, the broker periodically updates which library versions are embedded. Major version updates (e.g., ChartIQ 8) bring new chart types and features. TradingView library updates similarly bring new tools.
The choice between libraries (TradingView vs ChartIQ) is preserved as a user toggle. Some users prefer one over the other; Zerodha supports both.
Related platforms
Other Indian brokers also embed third-party libraries:
- Upstox: TradingView.
- Groww: TradingView.
- Angel One: ChartIQ + custom.
The pattern of embedding commercial libraries is industry-standard.
See also
- Kite chart types explained
- Kite TradingView vs ChartIQ engine
- Kite drawing tools
- ChartIQ 8 features overview
- TradingView features missing on Kite
- How to add indicators on Kite charts
- How to save chart layouts on Kite
- How to save TradingView drawings on Kite app
- How to trade from charts on TradingView
- How to trade from charts on ChartIQ
- Charts differ across Kite platforms
- Two charts same timeframe look different
- TradingView (third-party chart library)
- ChartIQ
- Kite (Zerodha)
- Zerodha
- Sensibull
- Smallcase
- Upstox
- Groww
- Angel One
External references
References
- Zerodha public statements on Kite architecture.
- TradingView Charting Library product page.
- ChartIQ product documentation.