Infographics are a great tool for communicating complex data or long processes in a digestible way. The best infographics are bold, straightforward, and easy to understand; however, creating one that delivers its message boldly, simply, and easily is not always an easy task.
Fortunately, there are some great tools available that can help.
Before we get to the list, consider the following questions before choosing the tool that’s right for you:
- How many downloads do you expect to generate from your infographic?
- Do you need templates?
- How many accounts do you need to connect?
- Do you want to use custom fonts and branding?
- How many users will be accessing the tool?
Here’s a roundup of some of the best, easiest, and most affordable tools for creating great infographics:
1. Snappa
Snappa advertises the ability to create custom infographics in under five minutes. It has a free version, which allows for one user and five downloads per month. Upgrading to the pro version for $10/month gives you unlimited downloads, unlimited social account connections, and custom font capabilities, but still only supports one user. A Team Account is $20/month and offers all the features of Pro along with team collaboration and support for five users.
The interface is super-easy. Even the free account gives you access to hundreds of thousands of royalty-free images and graphics – and it’s all drag-and-drop, so it’s user-friendly for just about everybody. Using your own graphics and fonts is an advanced feature, as is saving your infographics to their cloud. All in all, a good value and very easy to use. Good for pretty much anybody who needs to get started fast with great features.
2. Easel.ly
If there is one initial drawback to using Easel.ly it’s that they are not very transparent in terms of their pricing and features. The free version has very limited templates and graphics, but an upgrade to the Pro version is only $3 per month, so ultimately, it’s not a bad deal. The interface is very easy to use with drag-and-drop functionality and you can search themes, templates, and graphics from the sidebar as you are creating. Decent value, if a little simplistic. Design-geeks might want something a little more robust. Good for just about anybody who needs an easy entry into infographics creation.
3. Visme
What strikes you most when you pull up Visme is the vast possibilities it offers. From charts to 3D graphics, Visme has it all. Even the free version offers 100 MG of storage, which is something you won’t get with many of the other similar tools. As with others, though, what you get for free is fairly limited—and it’s also branded with the Visme logo—so if you need personalized branding, you’ll need to upgrade. The Standard plan, which allows you to store up to 15 projects, is $12/month. The Complete plan, which allows unlimited projects is $20/month. Ultimately, Visme is probably the most robust infographic creation platform, but you get what you pay for. Good for single users, small business, students.
4. Infogram
Charts, maps, graphics, dashboards, reports – these are all things you can do with Infogram besides create great infographics. Infogram’s free “Basic” version gives you basic and limited features, but their most exciting advanced features come with a price tag. Starting at $19/month, you can access premium templates, over a million royalty-free images and graphics, maps, interactive charts, and a full analytics suite to see how your infographic is doing out there in the world. Additionally, the enterprise version allows for custom development, training, and three-nines of uptime. Good for teams, marketing, education, enterprise.
5. Adioma
I don’t necessarily recommend Adioma, but I included it in the list, so you have a broader idea of what’s out there.
This tool is super-cool for one very singular reason – it self-generates your infographics based on the template you choose. Add as much content as you like and it adapts as you go. Sadly, nothing this cool is free, and with Adioma, that’s an understatement. The basic “Pro” plan is $39/month and allows for 20 active infographics at a time. All plans allow you to upload your own graphics, but the basic plan doesn’t include email or chat support. The cost of entry goes up to $300/month for a “Business” account and allows for five unique users and unlimited active projects and downloads. So, if you’re in the business of creating infographics – this might be the ticket. Otherwise, for the average user, one of the other options will probably do.
Do you have any favorite tools for creating infographics? Any other digital tools you love? If so, feel free to share in the comments below.