How to Pick the Right Chart Type for Your Data
If youve ever stared blankly at a "choose chart type" menu, youre not alone. Whats the first choice made between making a good chart and a bad one? Picking the right tool for the job! Heres a no-jargon guide on when to use bar, line, scatter, pie/doughnut, polar area, and radar charts; plus quick, real-life examples for each.
Chart Type Quick Reference Table
| Chart Type | Best For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Bar | Comparing categories | Subscribers by streaming service |
| Line | Trends over time | Website traffic per month |
| Pie/Doughnut | Percentages of a whole | Budget allocation |
| Scatter | Correlation/relationships | Ad spend vs. sales |
| Polar Area | Circular/seasonal categories | Sales by quarter |
| Radar | Multiple features/traits per category | Skill evaluation |
Bar Charts
When to use:
When you want to compare values across categories.
Best for:
- Rankings ("Top 10 movies by box office sales")
- Names, groups, or distinct items
- Before/after or yes/no comparisons
Example:
Line Charts
When to use:
When you want to show change or trends over time.
Best for:
- Stock prices, website visits, monthly sales, etc.
- Anything measured in continuous regular intervals (days, months, quarters)
- Showing patterns (seasonal spikes, growth, decline)
When to avoid:
- You have unrelated categories or groups (use a bar chart instead)
Example:
Pie & Doughnut Charts
When to use:
When you want to show how parts make up a whole, especially if there are only a few categories.
Best for:
- Market share among a few rivals
- Budget breakdowns
- Survey responses ("Which feature do customers love most?")
When to avoid:
- When you have negative/zero values
- No more than 5-6 slices (after this, they begin to get confusing)
Example:
Scatter Plots
When to use:
When you want to see relationships or patterns between two numeric variables.
Best for:
- Spotting correlation ("Does spending more on advertising lead to more sales?")
- Outliers (biggest spenders, fastest runners)
- Distributions (clumps or clusters)
Example:
Polar Area Charts
When to use:
When you want to compare categories in a circular format, especially for cyclical data.
Best for:
- Distinct categories (like months) that wrap around (e.g., weather, sales, cyclic phenomena)
- Showing quantities for each
When to avoid:
- Youre not using cyclical data (a bar chart may be a better choice in most cases)
Example:
Radar Charts
When to use:
When you want to compare values for multiple features/traits on one scale.
Best for:
- Comparing profiles ("Player statistics by skill," "Department strengths and weaknesses")
- Survey results (rate these 1–10)
- Multi-factor evaluations
When to avoid:
- You have many different variables (this makes visualizing and comparing difficult)
Example:
The Big Idea
Start with your data and your story. Ask, "What relationship or comparison am I communicating?" Pick the chart that spotlights that story, then let SnappyCharts help you build it.
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