Excel has been the default charting tool for decades, but let's be honest: Excel charts look dated, customization is painful, and the output rarely impresses stakeholders. If you've ever spent 30 minutes trying to make an Excel chart look "professional" only to give up in frustration, this guide is for you.
We compared 10 alternatives to Excel for creating charts, evaluating each on design quality, ease of use, chart variety, and cost. Whether you need free tools for quick visualizations or professional solutions for client presentations, there's a better option than Excel.
Why Look Beyond Excel?
- Design limitations: Excel's default charts look generic and unprofessional
- Time-consuming customization: Making charts look good requires extensive formatting
- Limited chart types: No treemaps, sankey diagrams, or modern visualization options
- Poor export quality: Charts often look pixelated when copied to presentations
- No interactivity: Can't create animated or interactive charts for web
Quick Comparison: Excel vs Alternatives
| Tool | Price | Design Quality | Ease of Use | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5of10.com | Free | Excellent | Very Easy | Quick professional charts |
| Datawrapper | Free / $599/yr | Excellent | Easy | Publication-quality |
| Google Sheets | Free | Good | Very Easy | Collaboration |
| Flourish | Free / $59/mo | Excellent | Medium | Interactive & animated |
| Tableau Public | Free | Excellent | Hard | Complex analysis |
| Power BI | Free / $10/mo | Good | Medium | Microsoft ecosystem |
| Canva | Free / $15/mo | Good | Very Easy | Social media graphics |
| RAWGraphs | Free | Good | Medium | Specialized charts |
| Infogram | Free / $19/mo | Excellent | Easy | Infographics |
| Chart.js | Free | Good | Hard (code) | Developers |
Detailed Reviews
1. 5of10.com — Best for Quick, Professional Charts
Why it beats Excel: Create professional charts in seconds with zero learning curve. No signup, no installation, no formatting headaches. Just select your chart type, enter data, and export.
Key Advantages Over Excel:
- 60+ chart types vs Excel's ~15
- Modern, professional designs by default
- Instant PNG/SVG export at high resolution
- Specialized tools: gauges, progress bars, rating charts, choropleth maps
- No account required — complete privacy
Limitations:
- No data storage (download your work)
- No live data connections
Price: 100% free forever
Best For: Anyone who needs professional charts quickly without fighting Excel's formatting options. Perfect for presentations, reports, and social media.
2. Datawrapper — Best for Publication-Quality Output
Why it beats Excel: Used by The New York Times, The Guardian, and major publications. Charts look professionally designed out of the box with proper typography, spacing, and accessibility.
Key Advantages Over Excel:
- Publication-ready default styling
- Responsive charts that work on mobile
- WCAG accessibility compliance
- Easy embed codes for websites
- No watermarks on free tier
Limitations:
- Must re-upload data to edit (no cloud storage on free)
- Limited animation options
Price: Free for public charts; $599/year for teams
Best For: Journalists, analysts, and anyone publishing charts in reports or online articles.
3. Google Sheets — Best Free Excel Alternative
Why it beats Excel: Free, collaborative, and available everywhere. While charts aren't as polished as specialized tools, the convenience of real-time collaboration and zero cost makes it a solid alternative.
Key Advantages Over Excel:
- Free with any Google account
- Real-time collaboration with unlimited users
- Cross-platform (works on any device)
- Better integration with other Google tools
- Automatic saving and version history
Limitations:
- Chart styling still somewhat generic
- Fewer chart customization options than Excel
- Export quality can be inconsistent
Price: Free
Best For: Teams that need to collaborate on data and don't require highly polished chart designs.
4. Flourish — Best for Interactive & Animated Charts
Why it beats Excel: Creates stunning animated and interactive visualizations impossible in Excel. Racing bar charts, animated maps, scrollytelling — all without coding.
Key Advantages Over Excel:
- Animated charts and transitions
- Interactive features (hover, click, filter)
- Story feature for data narratives
- Beautiful modern templates
- Easy web embedding
Limitations:
- Free charts are public
- Steeper learning curve
- Requires internet connection
Price: Free for public projects; $59/month for private
Best For: Creating impressive presentations, social media content, and interactive web visualizations.
5. Tableau Public — Best for Complex Data Analysis
Why it beats Excel: Industrial-strength data visualization with drag-and-drop interface. Handle millions of rows of data and create interactive dashboards that Excel simply cannot match.
Key Advantages Over Excel:
- Handle massive datasets with ease
- Interactive dashboards with filtering
- Connect to multiple data sources
- Geographic mapping built-in
- Community of visualization experts
Limitations:
- All work is public on free tier
- Steep learning curve
- Requires desktop software installation
Price: Free (public); Tableau Creator from $70/month
Best For: Data analysts who need to explore and visualize complex datasets.
6. Power BI — Best for Microsoft Ecosystem Users
Why it beats Excel: Microsoft's answer to modern data visualization. Integrates seamlessly with Excel, SharePoint, and Teams while offering far superior chart capabilities.
Key Advantages Over Excel:
- Direct Excel data connection
- Interactive dashboards
- Natural language queries ("show sales by region")
- Mobile app for viewing reports
- Better performance with large datasets
Limitations:
- Learning curve for full features
- Best features require paid plan
- Windows-focused (limited Mac support)
Price: Free desktop app; Pro $10/user/month
Best For: Organizations already using Microsoft 365 who need advanced reporting.
7. Canva — Best for Social Media Charts
Why it beats Excel: Combine charts with beautiful templates, images, and branding. Perfect for creating chart-based social media graphics that look designed, not spreadsheet-generated.
Key Advantages Over Excel:
- Thousands of templates
- Easy brand kit integration
- Social media size presets
- Combine charts with other design elements
- Intuitive drag-and-drop interface
Limitations:
- Only 5 basic chart types
- Limited data handling
- Not suitable for data-heavy visualizations
Price: Free with limitations; Pro $14.99/month
Best For: Marketers and content creators making visual social media content with simple charts.
8. RAWGraphs — Best for Specialized Chart Types
Why it beats Excel: Access 30+ chart types you'll never find in Excel: alluvial diagrams, circle packing, voronoi tessellation, bump charts. All free, open-source, and privacy-focused.
Key Advantages Over Excel:
- Unique chart types unavailable elsewhere
- 100% browser-based (data never leaves your computer)
- SVG export for editing in design software
- No account required
- Open source
Limitations:
- Can't save projects
- Minimal styling options
- Steeper learning curve
Price: Completely free
Best For: Researchers, data journalists, and anyone needing unconventional chart types.
9. Infogram — Best for Infographic-Style Charts
Why it beats Excel: Combines data visualization with infographic design. Create reports that include charts, maps, text, and images in cohesive, branded layouts.
Key Advantages Over Excel:
- 35+ chart types
- Beautiful infographic templates
- Maps and geographic visualizations
- Interactive web embeds
- Team collaboration features
Limitations:
- Watermark on free tier
- 10 project limit on free
- Some features paywalled
Price: Free (limited); Pro $19/month
Best For: Marketing teams creating branded reports and infographics.
10. Chart.js — Best for Developers
Why it beats Excel: If you can code, Chart.js gives you complete control. Create exactly what you need with JavaScript, embed directly in web apps, and customize every pixel.
Key Advantages Over Excel:
- Full customization control
- Responsive by default
- Integrates into any web application
- Lightweight and fast
- Active community and documentation
Limitations:
- Requires JavaScript knowledge
- No visual interface
- Development time required
Price: Free and open source
Best For: Developers building charts into web applications or dashboards.
Which Excel Alternative Should You Choose?
By Use Case
Need charts in under 2 minutes?
→ 5of10.com (no signup, instant results)
Creating charts for business reports?
→ Datawrapper (professional quality) or Power BI (Microsoft ecosystem)
Making social media graphics?
→ Canva (design templates) or Flourish (animated content)
Analyzing complex data?
→ Tableau Public (free) or Power BI (paid)
Need unusual chart types?
→ RAWGraphs (specialized) or 5of10.com (60+ tools)
Building charts into a website?
→ Chart.js (developers) or Flourish (no-code embed)
By Skill Level
Beginners: 5of10.com, Google Sheets, Canva
Intermediate: Datawrapper, Infogram, Power BI
Advanced: Tableau, Flourish, RAWGraphs, Chart.js
Migration Tips: From Excel to Better Tools
- Export your Excel data as CSV — Most tools accept CSV imports
- Start with 5of10.com for quick wins — No learning curve, immediate improvement
- Use Datawrapper for important presentations — Worth the extra minute for professional output
- Keep Google Sheets for collaborative data — Then export to specialized tools for final charts
- Learn Flourish for recurring presentations — Investment pays off in impressive visuals
Pro Tip: You don't have to choose just one tool. Many professionals use this workflow:
- Analyze data in Google Sheets or Excel
- Create charts in Datawrapper, 5of10.com, or Flourish
- Combine with branding in Canva for final output
Conclusion
Excel served us well for decades, but in 2025, there are simply better options for creating charts. Whether you need quick, no-fuss visualizations (5of10.com), publication-quality output (Datawrapper), or interactive animations (Flourish), specialized tools deliver superior results with less effort.
The best part? Most alternatives are free or have generous free tiers. You can create professional charts today without spending a dollar or learning complex software.
Start here: Try 5of10.com for your next chart. No signup, no learning curve, just better results than Excel in seconds.