PlotSet LogoPlotSet
All chart types

Line Chart Maker

Show how something changed, and whether it is still changing. Upload your spreadsheet, pick a time column and your measures, and publish an interactive line graph you can embed anywhere, all free.

Create a Line Chart (free)See the gallery

A live Line Chart, built in PlotSet

Not a screenshot. This is a real interactive chart, embedded exactly as yours would be.

Example: Internet and smartphone users worldwide

What is a Line Chart?

A line chart plots values against a continuous scale, almost always time, and connects consecutive points. The connection is the message: it asserts that the points belong to one sequence, so the eye reads slope rather than individual values. That makes a line chart the right tool for direction, rate and turning points, and the wrong tool for comparing unrelated categories, where the connecting line would imply a continuity that does not exist.

When to use a Line Chart

  • You are showing change over time

    Revenue by month, users by year, temperature by day. Time on the horizontal axis, the measure on the vertical, one point per period.

  • You have many time periods

    Twenty-four months as bars is a fence. As a line it is a shape you can read in a second, including where it turned.

  • You want to compare a few series

    Two to four lines on shared axes make relative growth obvious. Whether the gap between them is widening or closing is visible without any arithmetic.

  • The rate of change matters

    Slope is the one thing a line chart encodes better than anything else. If accelerating or flattening is the point, use a line.

When not to use a Line Chart

  • Your horizontal axis is categorical

    Connecting countries or products implies a sequence between them that does not exist. Use a bar chart for category comparisons.

  • You have only two or three periods

    A line through three points overstates how much you know about the shape between them. Bars, or the numbers themselves, are more honest.

  • You are plotting more than about five series

    Beyond five lines the chart becomes a tangle and the legend becomes a lookup exercise. Use small multiples: one small chart per series, same axes.

  • Your time intervals are irregular

    A line drawn between points spaced unevenly implies steady movement that the data does not support. Space the axis by real time, or use points alone.

How to make a Line Chart

From a spreadsheet to a published chart, step by step.

  1. 01Start from the line chart template
  2. 02Put time in the first column
  3. 03Upload or connect your data
  4. 04Label the lines directly
  5. 05Publish, embed or export
Read the full Line Chart guide

The parts of a Line Chart

Time axis
The horizontal scale, spaced by real elapsed time. Uneven periods drawn at even spacing distort every slope on the chart.
Value axis
The vertical scale. Unlike a bar chart it need not start at zero, because position rather than length carries the value, but the range you choose still shapes how dramatic the trend looks.
Line
One series. Its slope encodes the rate of change, which is the thing a line chart does better than any other form.
Data point (marker)
An actual observation. Worth showing when readings are sparse, worth hiding when there are hundreds and the markers would crowd the line.
Direct label
The series name placed at the end of its line. Better than a legend on almost every multi-line chart.
Annotation
A note marking the event behind a turn in the line. Often the most valuable ink on the chart, because it answers the question the shape provokes.

Common Line Chart mistakes

Choosing an axis range that manufactures drama

A line chart's y axis does not have to start at zero, which makes the range a judgement call. Pick one that reflects the meaningful variation, and say so if you deliberately zoom in.

Too many lines

Past about five series the chart becomes spaghetti. Split into small multiples, or highlight one line and grey the rest.

Connecting across missing data

Drawing a straight line over a gap invents readings that were never taken. Break the line, and say the data is missing.

Smoothing that hides the data

Curve smoothing can invent peaks and troughs between real points. Keep straight segments unless you have a reason not to.

Line Chart: common questions

Showing how a value changes across a continuous scale, usually time. Connecting the points makes direction, rate of change and turning points visible at a glance.

Make your Line Chart now

Free to start with 300+ templates. No credit card required.

Create a Line Chart (free)All chart types