You need to create a chart. Fast.
You Google "free chart maker" and get 10 million results. Every tool claims to be "the best." Which one do you actually choose?
Some are truly free. Others bait-and-switch you with paywalls. Some are powerful but complicated. Others are simple but limited.
You just want an honest answer: Which free chart maker should I use?
In this guide, we've tested 7 popular free chart makers and ranked them based on ease of use, features, output quality, and actual limitations.
How We Tested
We tested each tool with the same task:
Test Task: Create a professional bar chart from a CSV file with 50 rows
What we measured:
- Time to first chart (from signup to download)
- Ease of use (how intuitive?)
- Design quality (how professional does it look?)
- Free tier limitations (what's actually free?)
- Export options (PNG, SVG, PDF?)
Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Best For | Ease of Use | Free Limits | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CleanChart | Beginners | 5/5 | Generous | 5/5 |
| Google Sheets | All-around | 4/5 | None | 4.5/5 |
| Datawrapper | Professionals | 3/5 | Good | 4.5/5 |
| Canva | Infographics | 4/5 | Some limits | 4/5 |
| Plotly | Interactive | 3/5 | Watermark | 4/5 |
| RAWGraphs | Unique designs | 3/5 | Fully free | 3.5/5 |
| ChartBlocks | Simple needs | 4/5 | 50 charts | 3.5/5 |
#1: CleanChart — Best for Beginners
Overall Rating: 5/5
What Makes It #1
Speed: We created a publication-quality chart in 90 seconds. Fastest of all tools tested.
Ease: Upload CSV → Choose chart → Export. Three clicks. No learning curve.
Quality: Charts look professional by default. No manual formatting needed.
Pros
- Automatic data cleaning - Detects duplicates, missing values, formatting issues
- Professional defaults - Colorblind-friendly palettes, clean modern design
- Truly free - No watermarks, high-resolution exports, all chart types
- Beginner-friendly - No learning curve, smart recommendations
Cons
- Limited to charting (not a full spreadsheet)
- 100K row limit (fine for 99% of users)
- Newer tool (less community/tutorials)
Best For
Students, researchers, business analysts, and anyone who wants a chart in under 2 minutes.
#2: Google Sheets — Best All-Around
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
What Makes It #2
Versatility: Spreadsheet + charting in one. Edit data and create charts in the same place.
Collaboration: Real-time collaboration with team members.
Pros
- Free forever - No limits on charts, 15GB free storage
- Real-time collaboration - Multiple people edit at once
- Full spreadsheet power - Formulas, pivot tables, data validation
Cons
- Manual formatting required - Default charts look dated
- Learning curve - So many features = overwhelming
- Limited chart types - No box plots, advanced charts
Best For
Teams needing collaboration, people who need spreadsheet + charts, Google ecosystem users.
#3: Datawrapper — Best for Professionals
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
What Makes It #3
Professional quality: Used by NYT, Washington Post, BBC, Scientific American.
Beautiful defaults: Charts look publication-ready immediately.
Pros
- Journalism-grade quality - Beautiful, professional designs
- Responsive charts - Automatically adapts to screen size
- Maps and locator maps - Best tool for geographic data
Cons
- Steeper learning curve
- Free tier has Datawrapper link on charts
- Slower for quick tasks
Best For
Journalists, data storytellers, researchers publishing online, map visualizations.
#4: Canva — Best for Infographics
Overall Rating: 4/5
What Makes It #4
Templates: Hundreds of beautiful infographic templates.
Design tools: Combines charts with graphics, text, images.
Pros
- Beautiful templates - 1000+ infographic designs
- All-in-one design - Charts + text + images + shapes
- Canva for Education - Free Pro features for students/teachers
Cons
- Not optimized for data charts
- Free tier limitations (many templates require Pro)
- Overwhelming for simple chart needs
Best For
Social media creators, marketing teams, students creating poster presentations.
#5: Plotly Chart Studio — Best for Interactive Charts
Overall Rating: 4/5
What Makes It #5
Interactivity: Zoom, pan, hover tooltips—charts feel alive.
3D charts: Actually good 3D visualizations (rare!).
Pros
- Interactive features - Hover for exact values, zoom and pan
- Wide chart variety - Statistical charts, 3D scatter/surface plots
- Python/R integration - Reproducible analysis
Cons
- Learning curve - Complex interface
- Free tier has limits - Charts are public, watermark
Best For
Data scientists, dashboards with interactive data, 3D visualization needs.
#6: RAWGraphs — Best for Unique Chart Types
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
What Makes It #6
Unique charts: Alluvial diagrams, sunbursts, circular dendrograms.
Open source: Completely free, no account needed.
Pros
- Unique visualizations - Charts you won't find elsewhere
- 100% free - No limits, no watermarks, no account needed
- Privacy-focused - Data processed in browser only
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Limited to unique charts (use CleanChart for common charts)
- Design is basic
Best For
Researchers needing specialized visualizations, privacy-conscious users.
#7: ChartBlocks — Simple and Limited
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
What Makes It #7
Simplicity: Very basic, easy interface with step-by-step wizard.
Pros
- Simple wizard guides you step-by-step
- Multiple import methods (CSV, Excel, Google Sheets)
- Cheap Pro plan ($20/month)
Cons
- Free tier very limited (only 50 charts, watermark)
- Dated interface
- Outclassed by competitors
Which Tool Should You Choose?
Based on Your Goal
"I need a chart for my paper/report by tomorrow" → CleanChart (fastest, easiest)
"I need to edit data AND make charts" → Google Sheets (all-in-one)
"I'm creating content for publication" → Datawrapper (professional quality)
"I need an infographic or social media post" → Canva (design-focused)
"I need interactive charts for my website" → Plotly (interactivity)
"I need a weird/unique chart type" → RAWGraphs (specialized charts)
Based on Skill Level
Beginner: CleanChart, ChartBlocks, Google Sheets
Intermediate: Google Sheets, Datawrapper, Canva
Advanced: Plotly, RAWGraphs, Tableau Public
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a 100% free tool with no watermarks?
Yes: CleanChart (no watermark), Google Sheets (100% free), RAWGraphs (open source)
Which tool is best for students?
CleanChart (fastest for papers) or Google Sheets (can manage data + create charts)
Which exports the highest quality images?
Best quality: CleanChart (300 DPI), Datawrapper, Canva. All support SVG for infinite scaling.
Which is best for collaboration?
Google Sheets wins with real-time multi-user editing, comments, and version history.
Conclusion
Our top picks for 2026:
Best Overall: CleanChart - Fast, easy, professional quality, perfect free tier.
Best Free Spreadsheet: Google Sheets - Free + familiar + collaborative.
Best for Professionals: Datawrapper - Publication-quality charts worth the learning curve.
Quick decision:
- Need it fast? → CleanChart
- Need to edit data too? → Google Sheets
- Publishing professionally? → Datawrapper
- Making infographics? → Canva
- Need interactivity? → Plotly