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The short answer
Start with Datawrapper. It is free, browser-based, requires no coding, produces clean accessible charts, and is used by the Guardian, BBC, FT, Reuters, and hundreds of UK regional newsrooms. If Datawrapper does not have the chart type you need, try Flourish. For unusual visualisations, RAWGraphs. For dashboards, Tableau Public or Power BI.
Tool comparison
Datawrapper
First choice for most newsroomsBrowser-based, no-code chart and map tool. Used by Guardian, BBC, FT, Reuters, and hundreds of UK regional titles. Supports bar, line, scatter, area charts; choropleth and point maps; tables. Excellent accessibility defaults. Responsive embeds.
- Cost
- Free (with watermark); from ~€149/month for newsroom plans
- Use when
- Almost always — it is the industry standard for good reason.
Flourish
Animated and story-driven visualisationsLarge library of chart and story templates including animated bar chart races, scrollytelling, network diagrams, and sports visualisations. More template variety than Datawrapper. Free tier requires public charts.
- Cost
- Free (public charts); from £55/month for private/team use
- Use when
- When you want animated charts, scrollytelling, or visual types Datawrapper does not offer.
RAWGraphs
Unusual chart typesBrowser-based tool for less common chart types: alluvial diagrams, bump charts, beeswarms, treemaps, circular dendrograms. Runs entirely in your browser — data never leaves your machine. Outputs SVG for further editing in Illustrator or Inkscape.
- Cost
- Free and open source
- Use when
- When you need a visual type that Datawrapper and Flourish do not support.
Tableau Public
Interactive dashboardsPowerful drag-and-drop analytics and visualisation platform. Best for complex, interactive dashboards with multiple linked charts. Steep learning curve vs Datawrapper. All work is public on Tableau Public.
- Cost
- Free (public dashboards only)
- Use when
- When you need a multi-chart interactive dashboard and have time to learn the tool.
Power BI
Internal reporting and dashboardsMicrosoft's analytics platform. Excellent for connecting to live data sources and building internal newsroom dashboards. Embedding public Power BI reports requires a Pro licence or embedding API.
- Cost
- Free (Desktop, local only); Pro: £7.50/user/month
- Use when
- Internal newsroom dashboards connected to live data; less suitable for one-off published charts.
Choosing the right chart type
| What you want to show | Chart type |
|---|---|
| Change over time | Line chart |
| Compare categories at one point in time | Bar chart (horizontal for long labels) |
| Part of a whole (3 categories max) | Pie or donut chart |
| Distribution of values | Histogram or box plot |
| Relationship between two variables | Scatter plot |
| Geographic data | Choropleth map or dot map |
| Ranking changes over time | Bump chart or animated bar race |
Red flags in data visualisation
- A Y-axis that does not start at zero on a bar chart — this exaggerates differences.
- A truncated Y-axis on a line chart without a clear label — acceptable for line charts, but make it obvious.
- Too many categories on a pie chart — impossible to read; use a bar chart instead.
- 3D charts — they distort values; never use them.
- Choosing a colour scheme that is not accessible to colour-blind readers — use Datawrapper's built-in accessible palettes.
- Publishing a chart without a source line — always credit the data source.
Visualisation checklist
- I have chosen the chart type that best fits what I want to show.
- My Y-axis starts at zero (for bar charts) or is clearly labelled if truncated.
- I have included a source line with the dataset name and date.
- I have added a headline that explains the finding, not just labels the chart.
- I have checked the chart in mobile view.
- I have used an accessible colour scheme.
- I have added alt text or a text description for screen reader accessibility.
Get the data for your chart
If the data you need is not yet published, our FOI Request Builder will draft a request to the relevant UK public authority.
Common mistakes
- Using the default colour scheme without checking it is accessible to colour-blind readers.
- Writing a chart title that just describes the data ("NHS waiting times by trust") rather than the finding ("Half of NHS trusts have waits over 18 weeks").
- Choosing a tool because it looks impressive rather than because it communicates the data clearly.
- Not checking the embed works on mobile before publishing.
- Forgetting to add a source line.
Related guides
Primary sources
Frequently asked questions
Is Datawrapper really free for journalists?
What is the best chart type for showing change over time?
Can I embed a Datawrapper chart into a CMS like WordPress?
Related guides
Primary sources
- Datawrapper Academy — tutorials and best practice— Datawrapper
- Flourish — templates and examples— Flourish
- RAWGraphs — free open-source visualisation tool— RAWGraphs
- FT Visual Vocabulary — chart type guide— Financial Times
- ONS data visualisations and interactive charts— ONS
- data.gov.uk — source data for visualisations— UK Government