vs Excel & Sheets
The last-mile grind
The data's the easy part. Making it presentable is where the afternoon goes, then next week you rebuild the same chart from scratch.
Gallery
What you can build with Lightchart.
The problem
It’s 4pm on Friday. The deck is due.
The numbers are done. The chart still looks like a spreadsheet, and the afternoon disappears into nudging bars and matching brand colours from memory.
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vs Canva
The template ceiling
Fine until your data needs to tell a specific story. Then the layout fights you, and you're back to arranging shapes by hand.
vs AI chart generators
The AI gap
A rough first draft, never something you'd put your name on. And when the emphasis is off, there's nothing to click and fix.
How it works
From spreadsheet to deck in three steps.
1
Import your data
Paste from Sheets or Excel, or upload a CSV. No connectors to configure, no formatting to undo, the data just lands.
2
Get a designed chart instantly
Opinionated defaults do the design work up front, sensible scales, clean type, one accent where it matters. It looks considered before you touch a thing.
3
Refine and export
Click any element, a bar, a label, a legend, and adjust just that. Then export a clean PNG sized for your deck and paste it in unedited.
Under two minutes from raw numbers to something worth sharing.
Chart types
One chart maker, every chart your report needs.
- Bar chart makerCompare categories with vertical (column) or horizontal bars.
- Stacked bar chart makerShow the total and the mix: segmented and 100% stacked bars.
- Grouped bar chart makerCompare series side by side: clustered and double bar graphs.
- Line chart makerShow change over time, with area fill and average lines.
- Multiple line graph makerPut several series on one line graph without the spaghetti.
- Scatter plot makerPlot two measures to reveal relationships and outliers.
- Pie & donut chart makerShow a few parts of one whole, with a total in the middle.
- Sankey diagram makerShow how one total flows into its parts.
- Funnel chart makerShow each step of a journey and where people drop off.
- Multiple charts in one imageCombine charts, KPIs and tables into one exportable image.
- Sparkline makerWord-sized trend lines for KPI cards and reports.
- KPI card makerHeadline numbers with deltas, for the top of a report.
- Data table makerDesigned tables with inline bars, tags and deltas.
Why Lightchart
Built for the last mile of reporting.
Sub-component editing
Click a single bar to recolour it. Annotate one point. Restyle one label. The control that used to mean Illustrator, without the skill.
Learn more about sub-component editingBar
Grouped bar
Stacked bar
Line
Multi-series line
Scatter
Pie
Donut
Sparkline
Chart types
Modern bar, line, scatter, pie, donut, Sankey, funnel and sparkline charts, including grouped and stacked multi-series views for richer comparisons.
Learn more about chart types
Brand colors & themes
Save your palette once. Every chart comes out on brand, no more matching colours from memory.
Learn more about brand colors & themes
Reusable components
Save your building blocks, KPI tiles, metric cards, annotated layouts, once, and drop them into any report. Build it once; reuse it forever.
Learn more about reusable componentsQ3 review · Slide 4
Maya9:41
Weekly numbers are in
+4Seen
chart.png
Export for decks
Export a clean, high-resolution PNG without editor controls, ready to place into presentations and documents.
Learn more about export for decksStart for free
No credit card. Free while in beta.
Compare
How Lightchart stacks up.
Different tools, different jobs. Here’s where each one stands for the last-mile chart problem.
| Dimension | Lightchart | Excel / Sheets | Canva | Datawrapper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output quality | Designed defaults, polished before you touch anything | Visually weak default styling | Prettier than spreadsheets, but template-flavoured | Clean editorial look |
| Data-native input | Built around pasted spreadsheet data | Native, the data is already there | Manual entry into a template | Data-native paste and import |
| Sub-component editing | Click any bar, label, or legend and change just that | Limited; long menus for simple changes | Locked to the template’s layout | Element control within preset structures |
| Brand control | Persistent palettes and themes on every chart | Manual reformatting each time | Brand kit, but charts drift from it | Themes geared to web embeds |
| Export to decks | High-res PNG, sized and cropped for slides | Low-res screenshots | Geared to print and social, not slides | Built for web embeds, not PNG-to-deck |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need design skills to use Lightchart?
No. Lightchart is built for non-designers. Opinionated defaults handle scales, spacing, type, and color before you touch anything, so the chart looks considered the moment your data lands. If you want to adjust something, you click the exact element, a bar, a label, a legend, and change just that.
How do I make my Excel or Google Sheets charts look professional?
Paste your data straight from Excel, Google Sheets, or a CSV into Lightchart. You get a chart with designed defaults instead of spreadsheet styling, and you can refine any element before exporting a clean PNG that drops straight into your deck or report.
Can Lightchart match my brand colors?
Yes. You can set your palette and themes once, so every chart you make comes out on brand, no eyedropping hex codes or matching colors from memory each week.
What charts and graphs can I make?
Bar charts (vertical, horizontal, grouped and stacked), line graphs, scatter plots, pie and donut charts, Sankey diagrams, funnel charts, sparklines, KPI cards and data tables. You can also combine several charts on one card and export them as a single image.
What can I export my charts to?
Lightchart exports high-resolution PNGs sized for where the chart is going, a 16:9 slide, a document, Slack, or LinkedIn. The export is clean and final, so you can paste it in unedited.
How is Lightchart different from Canva?
Canva is a design tool with charts bolted on, great for graphics, but the chart layouts are templates that fall apart when your data needs to tell a specific story. Lightchart is data-first: paste real numbers, get a real chart, and edit it at the element level without any design skill.
Is Lightchart free?
Yes. Lightchart is free while in beta, with no credit card and no trial countdown. We'll let you know well before anything changes.