I think one of the major advantages of ggplot2 is the ecosystem - often somebody has already implemented the figure type I'm looking for as a ggplot2 extension.

I think one of the major advantages of ggplot2 is the ecosystem - often somebody has already implemented the figure type I'm looking for as a ggplot2 extension. This is not to say that ggplot2 or R are capable of plots that can't be achieved in python or matplotlib. Unfortunately for the type of plots I'm usually trying to make, it's more clearly laid out in R rather than python. Python tends to offer me far more friction. For example, I'm unaware of any python package that simplifies creating annotated heatmaps - like pheatmap or complexheatmap can produce. I'm sure matplotlib can make them with enough skill, but it's not my forte. I find it easier to drop down into R and just call pheatmap.