Best Data Visualization Tools: A Complete Overview

Handling extensive datasets is not always straightforward. At times, datasets are so vast that deriving meaningful insights becomes almost impossible. This is where data visualizations play a pivotal role.

Creating data visualizations, however, is not always a simple task. Designers cannot just take thousands of data entries and magically produce visualizations. While it’s technically possible, the time and effort required to manually map thousands of data points are impractical. This is why data visualization tools are essential.

What Are Data Visualization Tools?

Data visualization tools make it easy to create visualizations out of big data. These partially or fully automate the visualization process, saving designers from a lot of time and effort that are usually used when working on datasets with hundreds of thousands or even millions of data points.

Such visualizations serve diverse purposes, including dashboards, annual reports, sales materials, investor slide decks, and other mediums where quick data interpretation is critical.

What Do the Best Data Visualization Tools Have in Common?

The most effective data visualization tools share several key attributes:

Ease of Use: While some tools are highly complex, the best ones feature intuitive interfaces, robust documentation, and tutorials that enhance usability.

Capability to Handle Large Datasets: Leading tools can process and visualize massive datasets, and some even support multiple datasets within a single visualization.

Versatility in Output Options: From interactive graphs to static images, the best tools can generate a wide range of visual outputs. Some tools excel in producing specific chart types, which also earns them a place among the top-tier options.

Value for Money: A higher price is acceptable if it comes with superior features, better support, or enhanced overall value.

Data Visualization Tools Comparison

The market is flooded with applications and tools for data visualization. While many offer basic, overlapping features, a few stand out due to their unique capabilities or ease of use.

Tableau (and Tableau Public)

Tableau offers a range of options, including a desktop application, server-hosted versions, and a free public edition. Its hundreds of data import options from CSV files to Google Analytics and Salesforce data make it highly versatile.

With Tableau, you can generate various chart types as well as maps, enabling the creation of visually compelling, geography-focused data representations. Tableau Public, the free version, is accessible to anyone and comes with an extensive gallery of user-created visualizations to inspire newcomers.

Pros:

• Numerous data import options
• Advanced mapping capabilities
• Free public version
• Comprehensive video tutorials

Cons:

• Paid versions are costly (starting at $70/month per user for Tableau Creator)
• Public version lacks data privacy

Bottom Line:

Tableau is ideal for creating maps alongside other visualization types. Tableau Public is particularly suited for users interested in creating open-access visualizations.

Infogram

Infogram is a user-friendly drag-and-drop tool tailored for both designers and non-designers. It’s suitable for creating visualizations for marketing materials, infographics, social media, dashboards, and more.

The tool supports exporting visualizations in various formats, including .PNG, .JPG, .GIF, .PDF, and .HTML. It also facilitates interactive visualizations, which are perfect for embedding into websites or apps. For WordPress users, Infogram offers a plugin to simplify embedding.

Pros:

• Flexible pricing tiers, including a free plan with basic features
• Over 35 chart types and 550+ map types
• Drag-and-drop interface
• API support for additional data imports

Cons:

• Limited built-in data sources compared to competitors

Bottom Line:

Infogram is an excellent choice for non-designers and designers alike. Its drag-and-drop editor allows users to create polished, professional visualizations without extensive design expertise.

ChartBlocks

ChartBlocks offers a flexible approach to importing data from “anywhere” via its API, including live feeds. While they claim the process takes “just a few clicks,” it may require more effort compared to tools with automated modules or extensions tailored for specific data sources.

The app allows for significant customization of visualizations, and its chart-building wizard helps users select the right data before importing it. Designers can create a wide variety of charts, and the responsive outputs are ideal for embedding charts on websites accessed across multiple devices.

Pros:

• Free and affordable paid plans
• Easy-to-use wizard for data importing

Cons:

• Uncertainty about the API’s robustness
• No mapping capabilities

Bottom Line:

ChartBlocks offers an excellent free plan and a simple interface for creating basic charts and graphs, making it a strong choice for users with straightforward visualization needs.

Datawrapper

Datawrapper is tailored specifically for adding charts and maps to news stories. Its interactive visualizations are optimized for embedding on news websites. However, its data sourcing is limited, with most data imported via copy-pasting.

Charts can be created with a single click, and visualization types include column, line, bar charts, election donuts, scatter plots, and choropleth maps, among others. The tool’s finished visuals resemble those used by publications like The New York Times and Mother Jones. While the free plan suits smaller sites, paid plans start at $39/month.

Pros:

• Designed for newsroom visualizations
• Free plan ideal for smaller sites
• Built-in color blindness checker

Cons:

• Limited data import options
• Paid plans are pricey

Bottom Line:

Datawrapper is a great tool for creating news-specific visualizations. Despite its high price, the tool’s tailored features make it a worthy choice for professional use.

D3.js

D3.js is a JavaScript library for manipulating documents with data. While it requires JavaScript knowledge, third-party apps like NVD3, Plotly’s Chart Studio, and Ember Charts make it accessible for non-programmers.

D3.js emphasizes customization and web standards, offering extensive charting options. It’s free and open source, making it a favorite among developers for highly tailored projects.

Pros:

• Highly powerful and customizable
• Supports a wide variety of chart types
• Free and open source
• Accessible tools for non-programmers

Cons:

• Requires programming knowledge for standalone use
• Limited support compared to commercial tools

Bottom Line:

D3.js is best suited for users with programming expertise or access to technical support. Its flexibility and open-source nature make it ideal for advanced, custom visualizations.

Google Charts

Google Charts is a robust, free tool for creating interactive visualizations for online use. It supports dynamic data and outputs charts using HTML5 and SVG, ensuring cross-browser compatibility without additional plugins. Supported data sources include Google Spreadsheets, Fusion Tables, Salesforce, and SQL databases.

The tool offers numerous chart types, such as scatter charts, bar charts, pie charts, and treemaps. Customizations are possible through simple CSS adjustments.

Pros:

• Free to use
• Wide range of chart options
• Cross-browser compatibility
• Supports dynamic data

Cons:

• Limited support beyond tutorials and forums

Bottom Line:

Google Charts is a great choice for designers comfortable with basic coding. Its support for SQL databases and dynamic data makes it a powerful option for large-scale datasets.

FusionCharts

FusionCharts is a JavaScript-based tool designed for creating web and mobile dashboards. It features over 150 chart types and 1,000 map types, with integration capabilities for popular frameworks like React, Angular, and server-side languages like PHP and Java.

FusionCharts provides ready-to-use code for embedding visualizations, making it accessible even to those with limited programming knowledge. While it’s one of the most expensive tools, its dashboard-focused functionality makes it exceptionally powerful.

Pros:

• Extensive chart and map options
• Rich feature set for dashboards
• Integrates with multiple frameworks and languages

Cons:

• High cost (starting at $500 for a developer license)
• Overkill for simple visualizations

Bottom Line:

FusionCharts is unmatched for dashboard creation. Its expansive features and integration capabilities justify its cost for complex, professional projects.

Chart.js

Chart.js is an open-source JavaScript library offering a straightforward way to create interactive charts. It supports eight chart types and outputs visuals using HTML5 Canvas, ensuring compatibility with modern browsers. Charts are responsive, making it a great option for mobile-friendly visualizations.

Pros:

• Free and open source
• Responsive and cross-browser compatible

Cons:

• Limited chart types compared to other tools
• Limited support outside of documentation

Bottom Line:

Chart.js is an excellent choice for designers seeking a simple, interactive, and customizable visualization solution. Its open-source nature and responsive output make it a standout option for smaller projects.

Grafana

Grafana is an open-source visualization tool designed for creating dynamic dashboards and other visualizations. With support for mixed data sources, annotations, and customizable alert functions, Grafana is one of the most versatile tools available. It can be extended further through hundreds of plugins, allowing users to tailor the software to their specific needs.

Export options enable users to share snapshots of dashboards or invite collaborators. Grafana supports over 50 data sources through plugins and offers both a free downloadable version and a cloud-hosted version starting at $49/month. Additionally, the downloadable version comes with optional support plans, which is rare for open-source tools.

Pros:

• Open-source, with free and paid options
• Extensive data source support
• Wide variety of chart types
• Simplifies the creation of dynamic dashboards
• Compatible with mixed data feeds

Cons:

• Overkill for simple visualizations
• Limited visual customization compared to other tools
• Not ideal for static visualization images
• Embedding dashboards in websites isn’t fully supported (only individual panels can be embedded)

Bottom Line:

Grafana is an excellent choice for internal dashboard creation, especially when dealing with large or mixed data sources.

Chartist.js

Chartist.js is a lightweight, free, open-source JavaScript library for creating simple, responsive, and customizable charts. At just 10KB when GZIPped, it’s perfect for projects requiring fast-loading visuals. Chartist.js also supports animation and can be extended through plugins, making it a flexible option.

Pros:

• Free and open source
• Minimal file size
• Supports chart animations

Cons:

• Limited chart types
• No mapping capabilities
• Limited support outside the developer community

Bottom Line:

Chartist.js is a great option for designers who need small, embeddable, responsive charts without the complexity of heavier libraries.

Sigmajs

Sigmajs is a specialized tool designed for creating network graphs. It is highly customizable, but requires basic JavaScript knowledge for implementation and modification. The graphs produced by Sigmajs are interactive, embeddable, and responsive, making it ideal for web applications.

Pros:

• Highly customizable and extensible
• Free and open source
• Interactive and easy to embed

Cons:

• Only supports network graph visualizations
• Requires JavaScript knowledge to customize

Bottom Line:

Sigmajs is the go-to choice for network graph visualizations, provided the designer is comfortable with basic JavaScript coding.

Polymaps

Polymaps is a JavaScript library focused exclusively on mapping visualizations. It outputs dynamic, responsive maps in various styles, such as image overlays, symbol maps, and density maps. Using SVG, Polymaps allows designers to customize visuals through CSS for maximum flexibility.

Pros:

• Free and open source
• Tailored specifically for mapping
• Maps are easy to embed in websites and applications

Cons:

• Limited to mapping visualizations
• Requires some coding knowledge to customize

Bottom Line:

Polymaps is an excellent choice for designers focusing solely on maps, as long as they are comfortable with basic coding.

Conclusion

The sheer variety of data visualization tools available can make choosing the right one challenging. Designers must balance ease of use with feature requirements to ensure the chosen tool fits their needs. Opting for the most powerful tool isn’t always ideal, as steep learning curves may increase resource demands, whereas simpler tools can often achieve the desired results more efficiently.

Remember, the tool itself is just one aspect of creating effective visualizations. Designers also need to consider the broader elements of great visualization design. Most tools offer free trials or versions, so exploring a few options before committing to one is highly recommended.