Infographic/Visualization Software & Platforms: an Overview - 2013
Infographic/Visualization Software Platforms:
An Overview - 2013 by Information Use and Fluency, data compiled by Melissa Cornwell, practicum student
This overview provides a quick overview of a variety of infographic or visualization software and platforms. This document is not to be all inclusive of what is available. Current Milner subscriptions to various visualization packages are not included within this document. Within this report you will find the following:
Description of the software and/or platform
Full web address
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different
Whether it is web-based or a desktop software
Cost to have an account and multiple pricing/licenses information, if relevant
The different software and platform options are presented in alphabetical order and not ranked in any way. View the table at the end of this document for a condensed version of this overview.
ChartsBin -
Description of the software and/or platform:
ChartsBin allows you to create interactive maps online. You can also export the map as an image, create choropleth and proportional symbol map, create a map displaying an image inside a tooltip, create a map displaying a charting inside a tooltip, and specify different zoom levels and positions.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
This platform allows you to create visualizations out of your own data without any installation of software. You can also embed the interactive visualizations in your own website or blog, or export them as images for a presentation. You can also embed the interactive visualizations in social media websites.
Web-based or Desktop: web-based
Cost to have an account: Free for now.
Multiple pricing/licenses options: NA
Creately -
Description of the software and/or platform:
Creately is a diagram, wireframe, and web design tool that does not require a download or install. The software allows you to create flowcharts, wireframes, UML diagrams, mindmaps, and many other kinds of diagrams. The software is available to use online (through the browser), and you can try it out for free. It also comes in a desktop software package that you can purchase. There is also Creately for the server, in which you can install the software on your own server and this will enable everyone in the organization or institution to draw and collaborate either by accessing the software via the browser or using the desktop version. Creately also serves as a plug-in for various other programs, such as
FogBugz, Confluence, and Jira. In particular with the Confluence plug-in, you can add the diagrams you create wiki pages and blogs.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
Creately allows for real-time team collaboration, sharing, and the ability to review and leave comments on projects. The software for specifically the server to ensure collaboration across an organization is unique. Creately is also available in the Google Apps marketplace. Also, you can have collaboration between the desktop software and online platform.
Web-based or Desktop: Both
Cost to have an account:
Online is subscription-based with a certain amount due each month depending on how many people are going to be expected to use it. Users can create a free, public account, but they are limited to only 5 public diagrams, 1 project, and 3 collaborators. The plans go up to a team of 25 people for $75 a month or $749 per year. Users could also create a personal account that allows for unlimited public and private diagrams as well as unlimited projects; the personal account is $5 a month or $49 per year.
The desktop software costs $75 for unlimited offline and online diagramming. There is also the option for desktop for teams that cost $40 per user. There are also deals for more users in a team: 5 users
($349), 10 users ($649), 25 users ($1299), 50 users ($2499), 100 users ($3999), and an enterprise has to call for a quote.
Multiple pricing/licenses options:
Prices for Online: Prices for Desktop:
Personal (1 user) - $5 a month/$49 per year Desktop Personal- $75
Team (5 users) - $25 a month/$249 per year
Team (10 users) - $45 a month/$449 per year
Team (25 users) - $75 a month/$749 per year
Public (1 user, limited features) – Free
Desktop for Teams- $40 per user
Team (5 users) - $349
Team (10 users) - $649
Team (25 users) - $1299
Team (50 users) - $2499
Team (100 users) - $3999
Datameer -
Description of the software and/or platform:
Datameer provides a single application on the Hadoop platform for data integration, data analytics and data visualizations. The steps include data integration, dynamic data management, and self-service analytics. With data integration, you just have to load raw data of any type, size, or source, and the data can come from either structured sources (Oracle, MySQL, etc.) or unstructured sources (like Twitter,
Facebook, Linkedin, etc.). For creating infographics, you would use the drag and drop, WYSIWYG
Infographic Designer. Datameer also has a library of widgets that includes tables, graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, and tag clouds.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
A unique feature of this platform is the ability to “liberate your data” and use both structured and unstructured sources for gathering data on users/customers. Also, there is the ability to share your data visually on any device. The application also scales with your needs, and you choose where you want to store and analyze your data. Datameer also uses HTML 5 in its design. Workgroup space:
Web-based or Desktop: Both
Cost to have an account:
Personal account (1 desktop) - $299/year
Workgroup (1 server) - $2,999/year
Enterprise (1 hadoop cluster) – Have to request a quote
Multiple pricing/licenses options:
The Enterprise package is priced on a data plan model of how much new data is brought into Datameer in a given year. There is no mention of an educational discount.
Dipity -
Description of the software and/or platform:
Dipity is an online platform for creating digital timelines. “Users can create, share, embed, and collaborate on interactive, visually engaging timelines that integrate video, audio, images, text, links, social media, location and timestamps.” You can create a free account with limited features or pay for a Dipity Premium account. Dipity Premium, which is any other package than the free account, may offer custom branding and backgrounds, multi-user support, stats and analytics, custom iPhone Apps, and hosting by Dipity.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
This service is unique because it integrates many different types of multimedia on a timeline feature.
You can also embed the timeline in your own website to increase user engagement. You can make multiple interactive timelines, depending on what version or package you want to purchase, and synchronize content from a wide variety of social media sources. The site allows you to sign in with your Facebook account.
Web-based or Desktop: web-based
Cost to have an account:
Personal- Free
Plus- $4.95/month
Prime- $49.95/month
Pro- $99.95/month
Partner- contact for price
Multiple pricing/licenses options: NA
Easel.ly - 6
Description of the software and/or platform:
Easelly is an online website/platform for creating and sharing visual ideas online. To create a vheme
(visual theme), you drag and drop a vheme onto your canvas.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
This product is still in the beta stage, and so it does not have a lot of features yet.
Web-based or Desktop: web-based
Cost to have an account: Free (?)
Multiple pricing/licenses options: NA
GeoCommons -
Description of the software and/or platform:
GeoCommons is an online, public community site for open data and maps. The users of the site are intent on building an open repository of data and maps for the world. You can create map visualizations using GeoIQ’s simple workflow and exploration capabilities. You can also animate your data through time and space with the one-click temporal analysis. You can also share your visualizations on
Facebook, Twitter, or embed them in your blog. GeoCommons provides a full data upload and a search feature to easily share data with the world; they also automatically calculate statistics for your data and convert it to a dozen different formats. You can also view, edit, and track the usage of your data. There are also filtering options by number, string, or data attributes.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different: 7
This platform is unique because you can just start putting in data through the home page of the website and get a map back in minutes. There are options to upload data or make a map. You can also share your visualizations through Facebook or put them on your blog. There is also the emphasis on open data and maps, and sharing that data with a public community. There is also a freely available API that is built on the GeoIQ platform that you can use to build dashboards and web applications.
Web-based or Desktop: web-based and API
Cost to have an account: Free for the online version, but there is also an option for GeoIQ Enterprise, which is the same platform that powers GeoCommons but has many additional features for collecting social, local and mobile data. The GeoIQ software comes in many different packages.
Multiple pricing/licenses options: Please see for information on the different software packages and features.
Gliffy -
Description of the software and/or platform:
Gliffy is an online diagram and flowchart application that you can use to create, share, and collaborate on diagrams. You can create diagrams, drawings, process flows, interfaces, and designs. Gliffy stores and backs up your documents on their servers. You use the software by dragging and dropping shapes from the library and formatting the diagrams by point-and-click.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
This software is unique in the amount of different diagrams you can create and the ways in which you can share them. You can embed your images and diagrams into wikis, blogs, and other hosted office applications. You can also save and export your diagram as a .JPG, .PNG, or .SVG. You can also invite 8others to collaborate on the diagrams. Gliffy also automatically keeps a copy every time a document is saved so you can track changes or revert to an earlier version. The API, which you can add to your existing web based applications. Examples of this include creating drawings in wiki pages, including
Gliffy in your blog software, and add drawings to your content management system.
Web-based or Desktop: web-based (works through your web browser). Gliffy also offers an API.
Cost to have an account: Free Basics Account and Paid-Full Feature Accounts
Multiple pricing/licenses options:
The paid-full feature accounts, especially multiuser accounts, are billed monthly.
Free Basic Account
Standard Account – Individual ($4.95/user/month) and $49.50/user/year
Pro Account- Individual ($9.95/user/month) and $9.95/user/year
There are discounted rates available for academic institutions. Currently, Gliffy offers a 50% discount for groups of academic users (starting at $12.50/month for 5 users). However, they do not offer discounted rates for premium, individual academic use. You would have to upgrade to premium to have
multiuser accounts. See this link for choosing which Gliffy account is right for your classroom:
Google Chart Tools -
Description of the software and/or platform:
Google Chart Tools allows you to create charts for your websites. To build these charts, you must go through a series to steps such as choosing a chart from the Chart Library, populating the chart with data using a common JavaScript DataTable class. Google Chart Tools provides a step-by-step manual for building charts and embedding them into your website. Some of the charts offered are area charts, bar 9charts, bubble charts, column charts, gauge charts, pie charts, scatter charts, and many others. You can also easily customize your charts to fit your needs.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
Google Chart Tools provides a step-by-step manual for creating a chart specifically for your website’s needs. Also, the charts are based on pure HTML5/SVG technology so there are no plugins required to embed or view your charts. Charts are also fully customizable.
Web-based or Desktop: web-based API
Cost to have an account: Completely free for all uses: commercial, governmental, personal, or educational.
Multiple pricing/licenses options: NA
Google Public Data -
Description of the software and/or platform:
Google Public Data is a free source of open data and graphs; it provides public data and forecasts from a range of international organizations and academic institutions including the World Bank, OECD,
Eurostat, and the University of Denver. The data can be displayed and exported as line graphs, bar graphs, cross-sectional plots, or as maps. The Google Public Data Explorer makes the public-interest datasets easy to explore, visualize, and communicate. You can also play with the tool to create visualizations of public data, link to the, or embed them in your own webpages.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
This platform is unique in that you can manipulate, export, and share the public data. You can also upload different formats of data, and you can also upload, visualize, and share your own datasets. 10
Web-based or Desktop: web-based
Cost to have an account: Free (has to be a Google account though)
Multiple pricing/licenses options: NA
Hohli -
Description of the software and/or platform:
Hohli is an online charts builder where you just upload the data on the webpage, set a data max value, give the chart a title, and set the range for the axes; you also need to set the size for your chart, and choose whether it’s going to be horizontal, vertical, or square. You can also set a background image for your chart. The types of charts you can create are line, bar, and pie graphs. You can also make Venn diagrams, scatter plots, and radar charts. The company behind this is Google, and it is Google Charts
API that allows you to create the charts.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
What makes this platform unique is that you can just add your data on the webpage and even manipulate the chart to make it look like you want it to. Your chart will be created as you enter information so that you can see how the new data you add affects the chart. When you are done with your chart, you can either save it to your computer or use the embed code to add it to a blog or website.
Web-based or Desktop: Web-based
Cost to have an account: Free
Multiple pricing/licenses options: NA 11
Infogr.am -
Description of the software and/or platform:
Infogram is online platform for creating interactive infographics and charts. The process of creating an infographic includes selecting a template from Infogram’s selection, adding your own data, customizing the graphic, and then sharing it via Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest, or viewing it on the web. For creating online charts, you can import data from Microsoft Excel or CSV and then edit it with
Infogram’s online Excel compatible spreadsheet. Then, you can embed the charts you make in articles or share them on social networks.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
I think the social networking capabilities of this software are what make it unique. You can share any of the infographics you make on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest, or even publish them separately on the web. You can also log into Infogram with your Twitter of Facebook account information. Another feature of this platform is that you can add Vimeo and YouTube videos or also create interactive maps.
Also, the use of templates for infographics might also make this platform unique depending on what templates are available.
Web-based or Desktop: web-based
Cost to have an account: Nothing, it’s free.
Multiple pricing/licenses options: NA 12
Many Eyes -
Description of the software and/or platform:
Many Eyes is an experiment being performed by IBM Research and the IBM Cognos software group.
Many Eyes allows you to view and discuss visualizations and data sets; you can also create visualizations from existing data sets. After you make an account and register, you can also upload your own data, create and participate in topic centers (a topic center is a page devoted to a topic or theme), watch items, track your contributions to the site, and see comments others have written.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
This software and program is unique because it is just in the experimental phase, but it is essentially social networking over visualizations and data sets. You can also share whatever visualizations you’ve created on Twitter and Facebook. You can delete any data set you’ve uploaded, and other users can use your data to make new visualizations. You can upload data by cutting and pasting from spreadsheets or tab-delimited text files, or by cutting and pasting from word processing files. Many Eyes also has many different options for different types of visualizations, including analyze a text. For data, the format has to be either text or numbers.
Web-based or Desktop: Web-based
Cost to have an account:
There is no cost to have an account, and the registration is free. However, because it is an experiment, none of the data sets or visualizations you create are considered confidential.
Multiple pricing/licenses options: NA 13
Photo Stats -
Description of the software and/or platform:
Photo Stats is an infographic creator for the iPhone. The software is an app for the iPhone that you can purchase from the iTunes store. How it works is you chose a time range of photos to be analyzed and then choose the visual theme of your infographic from a list of pre-selected themes. Your photo can say how, when, and where you take photos with the iPhone.
What makes the software, platform, or service unique or different:
This software is unique because it is app-based for Apple products. The app works on the iPhone, iPod
Touch, iPad, and the iPad mini. However, it is optimized for iPhone 5.
Web-based or Desktop: Neither (app-based)