10 Free Tools to Create Charts Online
Posted on July 7, 2026 • 4 min read • 802 wordsNo need to be a designer or a developer: an overview of 10 free sites to create clean charts in a few clicks, from the simplest to the most powerful — with their strengths and their limits.
You know which chart you want — now you just have to produce it. Good news: there’s a wealth of free sites to create a clean visualization without installing anything, and without writing a line of code. Here’s a selection of 10 tools, ordered from simplest to most advanced, with what each does best and the limits worth knowing.
I. Before choosing a tool: choose the chart
An essential reminder: the tool doesn’t make the right chart, you do. Before opening any of these sites, identify your need first — compare, show change over time, a breakdown, a correlation? If it’s not clear, start with our guide “Which chart to choose for your data.” Once the type is decided, the tools below are just a matter of execution.
II. No-code tools to get started
Perfect if you want a decent result in two minutes, starting from a table.
1. Google Sheets
The most accessible: your data and the chart in the same place. Select your cells, insert a chart, done. Ideal for a quick internal need.
- For whom: everyone, for a common, quick need.
- Limit: basic rendering, not very customizable for a polished publication.
2. Canva
A mainstream design tool that embeds simple charts into visuals (posts, presentations, reports). Handy when the chart has to fit into a layout.
- For whom: communication, social media, slides.
- Limit: aesthetics-oriented more than rigor; poorly suited to complex data.
III. The data viz specialists
Built for visualization: professional, readable, and often interactive rendering.
3. Datawrapper
The reference on the journalism side. Charts, maps, and tables of great cleanliness, no code, responsive and ready to publish.
- For whom: demanding articles, reports, websites.
- Free: generous free plan; advanced options (heavy customization, teams) are paid.
4. Flourish
The specialist in interactive and animated work: story-driven charts (scrollytelling), animated bar chart races, maps.
- For whom: data storytelling, engaging content.
- Free: free plan, but the visualizations are public.
5. RAWGraphs
Open source and ideal for less common charts (Sankey, treemap, beeswarm…) that classic tools don’t offer. Your data stays in the browser.
- For whom: exploration, original formats.
- Free: entirely free and open source.
IV. Infographics and reports
6. Infogram
Halfway between data viz and infographics: combine charts, icons, and text into a complete visual.
- For whom: visual reports, marketing infographics.
- Free: limited “Basic” plan (a restricted number of projects, and public).
V. Dashboards
For tracking indicators over time rather than producing a single, standalone chart.
7. Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio)
Builds free dashboards connected to your sources (Sheets, databases, Google Analytics…), with automatic updates.
- For whom: recurring reporting, KPI tracking.
- Free: yes, for most use cases.
8. Tableau Public
The free version of Tableau, very powerful for analysis and interactive dashboards.
- For whom: in-depth analyses, data portfolios.
- Limit: everything you publish is public — avoid for sensitive data.
VI. Toward the custom-made
When off-the-shelf tools are no longer enough.
9. Plotly Chart Studio
An online chart builder from the Plotly ecosystem: a visual interface, export, and a natural bridge to Python/JavaScript code afterward.
- For whom: technical profiles, need for clean export.
- Free: free plan (public charts, limited quotas).
10. Observable
Web “notebooks” to build custom visualizations (notably with D3.js). You leave no-code behind, but the freedom is total.
- For whom: developers, unique and interactive visualizations.
- Free: free plan for public notebooks.
VII. Comparison table
| Tool | Type | No-code | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets | Spreadsheet | ✅ | Speed, accessibility |
| Canva | Design | ✅ | Fits into a visual |
| Datawrapper | Data viz | ✅ | Pro rendering, ready to publish |
| Flourish | Interactive data viz | ✅ | Animation, storytelling |
| RAWGraphs | Data viz | ✅ | Less common charts |
| Infogram | Infographics | ✅ | Mixes charts + text |
| Looker Studio | Dashboard | ✅ | Connected sources, real time |
| Tableau Public | Dashboard / analysis | ✅ | Analytical power |
| Plotly Chart Studio | Data viz / code | ⚠️ | Bridge to code |
| Observable | Code (D3) | ❌ | Total freedom, custom-made |
VIII. How to choose among these tools
A few markers to decide quickly:
- One-off, internal need → Google Sheets.
- To publish cleanly (article, website) → Datawrapper.
- Interactive or animated → Flourish.
- An original format (Sankey, treemap) → RAWGraphs.
- Tracking indicators over time → Looker Studio.
- A fully custom visualization → Observable.
And above all, check two things before you dive in: privacy (several free plans make your data public) and the export terms (some limit downloads or require attribution).
Conclusion
It has never been easier to create a quality chart: from the familiar spreadsheet to the custom-made visualization, these 10 tools cover every need, for free. The only real prerequisite is found in none of them — it’s having chosen the right chart type by starting from your question. The tool merely executes that choice.