Need a line chart but don’t want to install Excel or pay for software? I spent the last two weeks testing every free online line chart maker I could find. Some were great. Others wasted my time with signup walls and export limits.
Here are the 8 tools that actually work, with honest notes on what each one does well and where it falls short.
Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Best For | Max Data Points (Free) | Export Formats | Signup Required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets | Everyday charts from spreadsheet data | Unlimited | PNG, SVG, PDF (via print) | Yes (Google account) |
| Datawrapper | Publication-quality charts | 10,000 rows | PNG (free), SVG/PDF (paid) | Yes (free) |
| RAWGraphs | Complex/unusual visualizations | Unlimited | SVG, PNG, JSON | No |
| Flourish | Animated, interactive charts | Unlimited (public) | PNG, embed, HTML | Yes (free) |
| ChartGo | Quick one-off charts | ~500 | PNG, JPG | No |
| Meta-Chart | Simple charts with zero friction | ~200 | PNG, JPG, SVG | No |
| Canva | Branded/stylish charts for presentations | Unlimited | PNG, JPG, PDF | Yes (free) |
| Plotly Chart Studio | Technical/scientific data | Unlimited (community) | PNG, SVG, HTML, embed | Yes (free) |
1. Google Sheets – The Default Choice for a Reason
If you already have a Google account (and who doesn’t), this is the fastest way to make a line chart. Open a sheet, type your data, select it, click Insert > Chart, pick “Line chart.” Done in under 60 seconds.
I use Google Sheets for probably 80% of my charts. The customization is solid – you can change colors, add axis labels, toggle gridlines, add trendlines, and switch between smooth and straight lines. It handles multiple data series without any issues, and you can have up to 10+ lines on one chart before things get visually messy.
The chart updates automatically when your data changes, which is a big deal if you’re tracking something over time. I had a side project where I logged daily website traffic for 6 months – the chart just kept extending itself as I added rows.
What’s good
- Zero learning curve if you’ve used any spreadsheet
- Real-time collaboration (share the sheet, everyone sees the chart)
- Charts update live as data changes
- Embeddable in Google Docs, Slides, and websites
What’s not
- Export quality is decent but not print-ready (PNG only through download)
- Custom fonts aren’t supported in charts
- No animation or interactivity in exported images
For related spreadsheet tools that also handle charts, check out our list of best Excel alternatives.
2. Datawrapper – When Your Chart Needs to Look Professional
Datawrapper is what newsrooms use. The Washington Post, Reuters, The Guardian – they all use it for their data visualizations. The free tier gives you everything you need for line charts, and honestly the results look better than what most paid tools produce.
The workflow is straightforward: paste your data (or upload CSV), pick a chart type, customize it, publish. What separates Datawrapper from the others is the attention to detail. It automatically picks good color schemes, adds proper spacing, formats numbers correctly, and produces responsive charts that look sharp on phones.
I tested it with a dataset of 8,000 rows (monthly temperature readings from 1950 to 2024) and it handled everything smoothly. The chart loaded fast and the tooltip showed exact values on hover.
What’s good
- Output looks polished with minimal effort
- Handles large datasets (up to 10K rows free)
- Responsive by default – works on mobile
- Annotations and highlights built in
What’s not
- SVG and PDF export require a paid plan ($599/year for Teams)
- Free charts show a small “Made with Datawrapper” watermark
- Can’t do real-time data updates on free tier
3. RAWGraphs – Open Source and No Signup
RAWGraphs runs entirely in your browser. No account needed. No data gets sent to a server. You paste or upload data, pick a chart, tweak settings, export. That’s it.
The tool started as a research project at the Density Design Lab in Milan, and you can tell it was built by people who think about data visualization differently. Beyond standard line charts, it offers bump charts, slope charts, and other specialized types you won’t find anywhere else for free.
For a basic line chart, it works well but the UI takes a minute to figure out. You need to drag fields into the correct “mapping” slots (X axis, Y axis, series), which is less intuitive than just clicking a button in Google Sheets. Once you get the hang of it, though, the control you have over the output is impressive.
What’s good
- Completely free and open source
- No signup, no data uploaded to any server
- SVG export (vector, infinitely scalable)
- Works offline if you clone the repo
- Unusual chart types you won’t find elsewhere
What’s not
- Steeper learning curve than spreadsheet-based tools
- No interactivity in exported charts
- Limited color palette options in the UI
4. Flourish – Best for Interactive and Animated Charts
If you want a line chart that people can hover over, click on, and interact with, Flourish is probably your best free option. The “line chart race” template alone has been used in thousands of viral data stories.
Flourish’s free tier is generous but comes with a catch: all your projects are public. Anyone can see them. If you’re charting sensitive data, this is a dealbreaker. For blog posts, presentations, or school projects, it’s fine.
I made a chart showing smartphone market share from 2010 to 2025 with five different brands. The animated version – where lines grow from left to right as a “play” button advances through the years – took maybe 15 minutes to set up. That same animation would take hours in D3.js or Plotly.
What’s good
- Interactive charts with tooltips, zoom, and animation
- Templates for line chart races, small multiples, and projections
- Easy embedding with responsive iframe
- Storytelling features (annotations that appear as you scroll)
What’s not
- All free projects are public (no private charts)
- Can’t export as static SVG on free plan
- Some templates feel over-designed for simple data
5. ChartGo – Fast and No-Nonsense
ChartGo is the tool I recommend when someone just wants a line chart in under 2 minutes. No signup. No complex interface. You land on the page, enter your data points, pick colors, click “Create Chart.” The result downloads as a PNG or JPG.
The interface looks like it was built in 2008 (because it probably was), but it does the job. You type labels and values directly into form fields, which is actually faster than setting up a spreadsheet for small datasets. If you have 5-20 data points and just need a clean chart for an email or a report, this is the fastest path.
Where it falls apart: anything complex. Multi-series charts are possible but awkward. The customization is limited to basic colors, line thickness, and fonts. No axis formatting, no gridline control, no trendlines.
What’s good
- Fastest way to create a simple line chart
- No signup required
- Clean, distraction-free output
What’s not
- Very limited customization
- No SVG export
- Multi-series support is clunky
- Data input doesn’t scale past ~50 points comfortably
6. Meta-Chart – Simple Charts with Good Customization
Meta-Chart sits between ChartGo’s simplicity and Google Sheets’ power. You enter data directly into a web form, but the customization goes deeper – you can set min/max axis values, change fonts, add a title, toggle legends, and adjust chart dimensions in pixels.
I particularly like the SVG export option. Most free chart makers only give you PNG, which looks blurry when you scale it up. SVG stays sharp at any size, which matters for print materials and presentations displayed on large screens.
The tool handles bar charts and pie charts too, so if you need multiple chart types for the same project you can stay in one place. Check our guide on creating bar charts online if you need those alongside your line charts.
What’s good
- SVG export for free
- Decent customization without complexity
- No account needed
- Supports multiple chart types
What’s not
- Data input gets tedious past ~100 points
- No CSV import
- Charts aren’t interactive
7. Canva – When the Chart Needs to Match Your Brand
Canva added charts in 2023, and they’ve gotten better since then. You won’t get advanced statistical features, but if you need a line chart that matches your brand colors and fits into a presentation slide or social media post, Canva makes it easy.
The process: open Canva, start a new design (or use a template), click Elements > Charts > Line, then enter your data. The chart inherits your design’s color scheme automatically. You can then add it to a slide deck, infographic, or Instagram story without leaving the app.
For standalone data analysis, Canva is overkill. For making data look good inside a larger design? It’s hard to beat on the free plan. Just know that some chart styles and the transparent background export are locked behind Canva Pro ($13/month).
What’s good
- Charts integrate with Canva’s full design toolkit
- Brand kit support (colors, fonts)
- Multiple export formats including PDF
- Works on mobile too
What’s not
- Limited chart customization compared to dedicated tools
- No CSV import for chart data
- Some styles require Canva Pro
If you also need to create presentation slides alongside your charts, here’s our roundup of the best free presentation software.
8. Plotly Chart Studio – For Technical Users
Plotly Chart Studio is the free web version of the Plotly graphing library that powers dashboards at companies like Volkswagen and Shell. The community edition lets you create, style, and share interactive charts without writing code.
Here’s the thing about Plotly: the charts it produces are genuinely better than most paid alternatives. Hover tooltips show exact values. Zoom works. You can toggle data series on and off. The output is a proper web visualization, not just a static image.
The downside is the learning curve. The interface has tabs for Data, Style, and Annotations, each with dozens of settings. I spent about 30 minutes on my first chart, compared to 2 minutes in Google Sheets. But once you figure out the workflow, the second chart takes 5 minutes.
Same trade-off as Flourish: free charts are public. Your data is visible to anyone with the link.
What’s good
- Publication-quality interactive charts
- Deep customization (axes, annotations, error bars, fills)
- HTML embed that works everywhere
- Built on an industry-standard library
What’s not
- All free charts are public
- Interface is overwhelming for beginners
- Account required
- Community plan limits API calls (relevant if you automate)
How to Create a Line Chart in Google Sheets (Step by Step)
Since Google Sheets is the tool most people will use, here’s a quick walkthrough:
Step 1: Open sheets.google.com and create a new spreadsheet.
Step 2: Enter your data. Column A should have your X-axis labels (dates, categories, time periods). Columns B, C, D etc. hold your Y-axis values. Put headers in row 1.
Example layout:
| Month | Revenue ($) | Expenses ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4200 | 3800 |
| Feb | 4500 | 3900 |
| Mar | 5100 | 4200 |
| Apr | 4800 | 4100 |
| May | 5600 | 4300 |
Step 3: Select all your data (including headers). Click Insert > Chart.
Step 4: Google Sheets usually picks line chart automatically. If it doesn’t, go to Chart type in the editor panel and select “Line chart.”
Step 5: Customize in the “Customize” tab. Change colors, add a title, format axes, toggle gridlines. The “Smooth” option makes curves instead of straight lines between points.
Step 6: Download by clicking the three dots on the chart > Download > PNG image (or copy to Google Docs/Slides directly).
Which Tool Should You Pick?
Honestly, for 90% of use cases: Google Sheets. It’s free, you probably already have an account, and it handles everything from simple 5-point charts to complex multi-series datasets.
If you need interactive charts for a website or blog: Datawrapper or Flourish. Datawrapper if you want clean and professional. Flourish if you want animated.
If you need a quick chart in under 2 minutes with no signup: ChartGo or Meta-Chart.
If you need the chart inside a design project: Canva.
If you’re doing technical/scientific visualization: Plotly Chart Studio.
And if privacy matters and you don’t want data leaving your browser: RAWGraphs.
Also check out our guides on creating pie charts and Gantt charts online for free if you need other chart types.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create a line chart online without signing up for anything?
Yes. ChartGo, Meta-Chart, and RAWGraphs all let you create and download line charts without creating an account. RAWGraphs is the most capable of the three – it’s open source, handles large datasets, and exports in SVG format.
What is the best free tool to make a line chart?
Google Sheets is the best overall option for most people. It’s completely free, handles unlimited data points, updates charts automatically when data changes, and lets you collaborate with others in real time. For more advanced interactive charts, Datawrapper and Flourish are better choices.
Can I make a line chart on my phone?
Google Sheets and Canva both have mobile apps that support chart creation. Google Sheets works better for data-heavy charts since the spreadsheet interface is more functional on small screens. Canva is better if you’re creating a chart as part of a larger design.
How do I add multiple lines to one chart?
In Google Sheets, just add more columns of data. Each column becomes a separate line automatically. In Datawrapper, paste your data with multiple value columns. In Plotly, use the “+ Trace” button to add additional data series. Most tools handle multi-line charts without special setup.
Is Google Sheets line chart good enough for business presentations?
For internal meetings and team presentations, absolutely. For client-facing or published reports where visual quality matters more, Datawrapper or Flourish produce cleaner, more professional results with better typography and spacing.