1. Canva
Canva is a powerful online design tool (and infographic maker) that allows you to create great looking content — even if you do not have any design knowledge.
Thanks to the huge range of infographic templates available, Canva is our top pick for creating quick, visually stunning infographics for your stories. Once you’ve chosen an infographic template, you can then use the drag and drop editor to customise everything from color scheme to data points and typography.
Canva’s charts and graphs make it easy to customise with your own data points.
You can even integrate data and information from Google Sheets to populate more complex and detailed pieces.
Changing the infographic to match the other elements of your story is easy, too. Just pick the colour swatches and typography that match your brand. As is common with other tools, Canva allows you to export your final infographic as a PNG, JPG, or GIF.
In their own words
"Canva’s infographic maker includes hundreds of free design elements, allowing you to experiment with data visualisation like a pro."
Time it takes to make an infographic
Under 30 minutes.
Pricing
Freemium plans give you access to infographic templates as well as fonts, icons, and images.
2. Venngage
If you are looking for a way to create more data-heavy infographics—try Venngage.The tool allows you to insert “widgets” into infographics that will pull data from various sources, like charts or maps, and use them to create striking images.
Here’s an example of a detailed map infographic that’s been created using Venngage:
Inside Venngage's infographic editor, you can change each state's statistics individually or bulk edit them by importing a .csv or .xlsx file with data that you've already prepared. The editor also allows you to change the infographics fonts, colours, and border widths. When you’re happy with the design, you can then download it as an image or embed it into your story.
In their own words
"Venngage is the easiest way to create beautiful infographics online. Choose from hundreds of templates, charts, and more!"
Time it takes to make an infographic
30 minutes to 1 hour.
Pricing
You can play around for free, but if you want to export infographics, you’ll have to upgrade your plan (premium tiers start at $19/month).
3. Piktochart
The third tool on our list to help create infographics is Piktochart. This is a good choice if you want your infographics to be heavily skewed towards images and graphics.
If you get lost when first using the tool, Piktochart has a tutorial to guide you. Start by picking an infographic template from Piktochart's library (or starting a design from scratch) and then customising it with your own shapes, images, and icons.
The editor also allows you to embed different elements into your infographics, like charts, maps, tables, and even videos.
In their own words
"Here at Piktochart, we want to create an easy app for you to tell stories, whether it's in the format of a presentation, report, banner or infographic. Join over 7,500,000 users in telling better stories."
Time it takes to make an infographic
About 1 hour.
Pricing
Piktochart has a freemium version with limited functions. If you want to export infographics or access templates, you’ll need to upgrade to the Lite plan, starting at $12.50/month.
4. Easel.ly
If you need to design an infographic that is more text-heavy, try out Easel.ly.
The tool has a huge library of templates to choose from. Each of the templates can be customised, so you can switch out graphics and timelines for flowcharts or text boxes. It's also perfect for creating timelines of chronological events or maps that need more space for text.
In their own words
"Easel.ly is a simple web tool that empowers anyone to create and share powerful visuals... no design experience needed!"
Time it takes to make an infographic
Around 30 - 45 minutes.
Pricing
Cost: $3/month (but non-profits get 50% off!).
5. Visme
The last tool on our list to build detailed infographics is Visme.
Visme is the perfect way to break down complex data sets and use them to create infographics, timelines, charts, and statistics.
While this tool does take a little more time to learn how to use compared to the others on our list, it is a better tool to use if you are creating infographics with lots of data points or you're trying to explain complicated statistics.
In their own words
"Tell better stories and translate boring data into beautiful visual content right in your browser. Share or download using our all in one easy-to-use editor."
Time it takes to make an infographic
Roughly 1 hour.
Pricing
Visme offers a freemium version with limited access to templates. If you want more options, premium plans start at $15/month.
