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50
charts on the map
11
things a chart can say
3
BI tools named
What it does

What Chart Compass does.

Choosing a chart is usually a guess: a pie because it looks friendly, a line because the last report had one. The right chart depends on two things, what you want to say and the shape of your data. Chart Compass reads your data (a table pasted from Excel, a CSV, or a sample), sees which columns are dates, categories and numbers, and asks only what it cannot tell by itself.

Then it ranks the charts that fit, says why, lists which field goes where, and warns you off the ones that would mislead. The chart map shows all 50 charts it knows, grouped by what they are for.

Your numbers, not a stock picture

The best fit and the alternatives are drawn with the data you pasted, so you judge the chart you will actually build.

Only the questions it needs

It reads which columns are dates, categories and numbers, answers what it can from them, and asks the rest: what matters most, a second grouping, who reads it.

Why, and why not

Each pick comes with the reason it fits your data, a warning about how it can mislead, and the charts to skip here, like a pie with twelve slices.

Named in your tool

For every chart: the Power BI visual, the Tableau Show Me type, the Excel menu, and the fields for its X-axis, Y-axis, Legend or Size.

The chart map

All 50 charts in eleven lanes (compare, change over time, part of a whole, distribution, relationship and more). Filter by what you want to say and open any chart to see it with your data.

Private by design

Your data is read in your browser and never uploaded. It is kept in your browser so it is there next time, until you press Paste your own.

Why, and why not

Same numbers, the right chart.

Twelve months of revenue, drawn the way most reports do it and the way Chart Compass picks it. Every pick comes with its reason, and every chart to skip with the reason it misleads.

Skip
Pie chartTwelve slices of nearly the same size. People compare angles poorly, so December, 65% above January, looks like every other slice, and the order of time is lost.
Best fit
Line chartTwelve points in time and one measure: a line shows the direction, and the dip in June and the climb after it stand out.
Power BI
Line chart, Month on the X-axis
Tableau
Lines (continuous)
Excel
Insert, Line
In a minute

See Chart Compass in action.

A short video of Chart Compass doing its one job, from an empty screen to the finished result.

Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. Then Google receives your IP address and may set its own storage. Narrated with an AI-generated voice. Privacy
How it works

How to use Chart Compass in three steps.

Best for: You have data for a report, a dashboard or a slide and want the chart that says what you mean, with its name in your BI tool.

01

Bring your data

Paste a table with its header row, open a CSV, or pick a sample.

02

Say what the chart should show

Compare, change over time, part of a whole, against a target and more. The goals that fit your data are marked.

03

Answer and build

Answer the questions it cannot answer by itself, then build the top pick with the fields and the visual name it gives you.

Course

Learn Chart Compass, from 0 to 100.

A free course of 6 short lessons, from your first minute in Chart Compass to using all of it, with a picture of every step.

Chart Compass6 lessons

Chart Compass, from zero to pro

Learn to pick the right chart for any data. Bring a table from Excel or a CSV, say what the chart should show, answer two or three questions, and build the chart that fits in Power BI, Tableau or Excel.

  • 6 lessons
  • 24 min
  • 6 of 6 with video
  • Beginner to Advanced
0 · Start6 lessons100 · Pro
Start the courseCourse overview
  1. 01Pick the right chart for your data in two minutesBeginner4 min
  2. 02Paste data from Excel, Google Sheets or a CSVBeginner5 min
  3. 03What should your chart say? The eleven goalsBeginner4 min
  4. 04Answer the questions and read the adviceIntermediate3 min
  5. 05Build the chart in Power BI, Tableau or ExcelIntermediate4 min
  6. 06Browse all 50 charts on the chart mapAdvanced4 min
From the blog

Read more about Chart Compass.

Data · ChartsBar chart or column chart: which one to useColumns stand up, bars lie down, and the choice is not a matter of taste. When to use a column chart, when a bar chart reads better, how to sort and label each, and what Power BI, Tableau and Excel call them.3 min readData · ChartsDual axis charts: when they work and when they misleadA chart with two y-axes can show a volume and a rate together, or invent a link between two numbers that has none. When a dual axis chart is fine, why two lines on two axes mislead, and four better options.3 min readData · ChartsWhen to use a pie chart (and when a bar chart is better)Pie charts work for two or three parts of a whole, and almost nowhere else. The rules for using one well, why people misread them, what a donut changes, and the chart to use instead for every case a pie gets wrong.3 min readData · ChartsWhich chart should I use? Start with what it should sayPick a chart by the question it answers, not by how it looks. A plain guide to the eleven things a chart can say (comparison, change over time, part of a whole and more), the chart that fits each, and the ones to avoid.4 min read

Every post

What's new

The latest release.

Latestv1.0.0First release

First release: find the right chart for your data by answering a few questions

  • Chart Compass picks a chart with you: paste your data, say what the chart should show, answer two or three questions, and see the charts that fit.
  • Paste a table from Excel or Google Sheets, open a CSV, or start from one of twelve samples; it finds the dates, categories and numbers by itself.
  • Eleven goals, from comparing and change over time to part of a whole and flow, with the ones your data can answer marked; all three steps fit on one screen. Paired questions never hold the same column: Actual and Target, and Across (X) and Up (Y), swap when you pick the other one's column.
  • The best fit and the good alternatives are drawn with your own numbers, each saying why it fits and which field goes where; on a phone they are drawn at the width they get, so their labels stay readable.
All release notes
Questions

Chart Compass questions, answered.

How do I choose the right chart?

Start from what the chart should say: compare items, show change over time, show parts of a whole, show a spread, show a relationship, or compare with a target. Then look at your data: how many categories, how many points in time, how many measures. Bars compare, lines show time, a donut shows two to five parts, a histogram shows a spread, a scatter shows a relationship, and a bullet chart compares with a target. Chart Compass does this for you and draws the result.

When should I not use a pie chart?

When there are more than about five slices, when the slices are close in size, or when you want to compare two pies. People compare angles poorly, so small differences disappear. A sorted bar chart shows the same shares exactly.

Which Power BI visual should I use?

Each chart Chart Compass recommends names its Power BI visual (for example Line and clustered column chart, or Scatter chart with a measure in Size) and the fields that go into its wells. Charts Power BI does not have built in, like the box plot or the Sankey diagram, point to an AppSource visual.

Does it work with Tableau and Excel?

Yes. The charts are the same in every tool; Chart Compass gives the Tableau Show Me type and the Excel Insert menu for each one alongside Power BI.

What data can I paste?

A table with a header row, copied from Excel or Google Sheets, or a CSV or TSV file, up to 5,000 rows. It understands dates like 2026-03, Mar 2026 and Q1 2026, and numbers like 1,234.5, 1.234,5, $1,200, 12% and 3.4K.

Is my data uploaded?

No. It is read and drawn in your browser. It is kept in your browser's storage so it is still there next time; pasting new data replaces it, and Paste your own clears it.

Is Chart Compass made by one of the companies it names?

No. Chart Compass is independent: it is not made, endorsed or supported by Microsoft, Google or Salesforce. Product names on this page are their owners' trademarks, used only to say what it works with.

Free, no sign-up

Try Chart Compass now.

Chart Compass picks a chart with you. Paste your data, say what the chart should show, answer two or three questions, and the charts that fit appear, drawn with your own numbers, with what each is called in Power BI, Tableau and Excel.

Open Chart Compass
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