Best Data Storytelling Tools in 2026
Updated
In short: Flourish is ranked #1 of 22 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Infogram and Understand. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Infogram. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Understand at $15/mo.
A useful data story connects visual evidence with a way for people to follow and share its meaning. Compared on interactive visualizations, narrative annotations, presentation flow, and share mode, these tools also indicate data source limits and live refresh support. Flourish, Infogram, and Understand are options to weigh against your intended audience and presentation needs. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing round out the comparison. Consider how many sources you need to bring together, whether updates must be live, and how you want viewers to engage with the story.
22 data storytelling tools ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Data Storytelling Tools, one module each. A lit port is something its maker publishes; 6 of the 22 on this page have a public API.
- 01 Flourish API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.4Free
- 02 Infogram API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.4Free
- 03 Understand API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.4$15/mo
- 04 Datawrapper API yesOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 7.3$21/mo
- 05 Evidence API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.9$2,500/mo
- 06 DataStories API yesOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 6.6
- 07 BStreams API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 6.0€21.08/mo
- 08 ArcGIS StoryMaps API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 09 ChartWeave API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.9$19/mo
- 10 Datastory API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.9$15/mo
- 11 Observable API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.9$2,225/mo
- 12 Storyline JS API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 13 Mapji API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 14 Toucan API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.3€445/mo
- 15 Graphtelling API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 16 Juicebox API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 17 MachEye API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 18 Mimasa AI API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 19 TimelineJS API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 20 Unmapped API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.1
- 21 MotionMap API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 22 TalkingMaps API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
Compare all 22 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Interactive visualizations | Narrative annotations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flourish | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | Infogram | 7.4 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 3 | Understand | 7.4 | Free plan | $15/mo | Yes | 25 /user/mo | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | Datawrapper | 7.3 | Free plan | $21/mo | Yes | 21 /user/mo | — | — |
| 5 | Evidence | 6.9 | No | $2,500/mo | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 6 | DataStories | 6.6 | No | — | No | — | Yes | — |
| 7 | BStreams | 6.0 | Free plan | €21.08/mo | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | ArcGIS StoryMaps | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | ChartWeave | 5.9 | Free plan | $19/mo | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 10 | Datastory | 5.9 | Free plan | $15/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 11 | Observable | 5.9 | Free plan | $2,225/mo | Yes | 22 /user/mo | — | — |
| 12 | Storyline JS | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | Mapji | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 14 | Toucan | 5.3 | No | €445/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | Graphtelling | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | Juicebox | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 17 | MachEye | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 18 | Mimasa AI | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | TimelineJS | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 20 | Unmapped | 5.1 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | MotionMap | 5.0 | No | — | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 22 | TalkingMaps | 5.0 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which data storytelling tool is ranked first on Inferse?
Flourish is ranked #1 of 22 with a score of 7.4. Infogram is second and Understand third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 22 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Understand has the lowest first paid tier we found: $15/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.