Dashboards are a powerful tool for business insights because they provide a concise view of key metrics and indicators. The best visualisation tool for a dashboard depends on the business's specific needs.
For example, a retail business might need to track sales data, while a manufacturing business might need to track production data. Many different software options are available, so it is crucial to find one that includes all the required features and functionality.
Once the right software is in place, dashboards can help businesses to make educated decisions based on real-time data. This can result in improved efficiency and profitability.
But what is the best data visualisation tool, and why?
To help you identify the best data visualisation tool for your business, we asked CEOs and business owners this question for their best recommendations. From Datawrapper to Google Data Studio to Redash, several data visualization tools are considered the best for small businesses.
Here are 11 data visualisation tools these leaders use and highly recommend for small businesses:
Datawrapper
Datawrapper is an excellent data visualization tool. Using this program, you can take your data from MS Excel or Google Sheets and convert it into more sophisticated visual data than what the former programs offer. Not only can this program create charts, but it can also create maps and data tables. For a more wide range of styles of data visualization, opt for Datawrapper.
Miles Beckett, Co-Founder & CEO, Flossy
Geckoboard
Because we track KPIs from so many different sources, including Google Analytics, QuickBooks, MailChimp, Asana, and Zendesk, it helps to be able to see them all in snapshot form in one place. Jumping from one platform to another to check daily metrics would kill my efficiency, so I 100% need a KPI tracker where I can pull it open at a moment’s notice and check relevant data. And though there are a number of KPI dashboards on the market today, we use Geckoboard. Their pricing is fair, they have tons of integrations (covering all of our essentials), and I love their interface. It was super simple to create my dashboard, and have found them to be a cost-effective yet powerful dashboard option.
John Ross, Chief Executive Officer, Test Prep Insight
Tableau
Different data visualization tools suit different use cases. However, Tableau is widely considered to be one of the best data visualization tools available, due to its wide range of features and capabilities. Tableau allows you to create custom visualizations and dashboards, making it perfect for analyzing data and understanding trends. It also integrates with a wide range of data sources, making it easy to get started with data analysis.
Aviad Faruz, CEO, FARUZO New York
Google Data Studio
Our favorite data visualization tool is Google Data Studio (https://datastudio.google.com/), a fantastic free dashboard suite that allows us to combine in just one view all data and analytics, from Google Tools to third-party software as well. It also allows us to make and share reports internally and with our clients as well.
D3.js
This is the best data visualization tool in my opinion because D3.js is a JavaScript library for creating interactive data visualizations in web browsers. When it comes to data visualization, this is the best platform to use. Initial access to the tool was granted on February 18, 2011, with the full official rollout occurring in August of the same year. It is compatible with the widely-used web standards HTML5, CSS3, and SVG. Developers now have the option of presenting information visually, through the use of imaginative images and graphics. The platform's adaptability stems from the fact that it can be used to build a wide variety of graphs with a few simple tweaks.
Kenny Kline, President & Financial Lead, BarBend
Infogram
Infogram is a really user-friendly and intuitive tool that knows exactly what its users need, and finds the easiest possible UI to do that quickly and with amazing results. I think of Infogram as a data visualization tool for people who aren't overly comfortable with data, and who can be put off by the complex technical layers of tools like Google Data Studio (Looker) or Adobe Analytics. You get beautiful layouts, data is intuitively presented, and suddenly, the numbers paint a clearer picture for your stakeholders: that's why it's a firm favorite of mine.
Wendy Makinson, HR Manager, Joloda Hydraroll
Plotly
Plotly is the best data visualization tool, from my experience. You can visualize a large number of data through graphs and charts. It gives the URL of the visualization, so you can share it through different platforms if needed. It has an easy and user-friendly interface that you can use with a few clicks. Plotly allows you to create charts and graphs by selecting the template you desire, and it starts within a few seconds.
Karen Cate Agustin, Business Analyst, Investors Club
Flourish
I've come through five different data visualization tools, i.e., Tableau, Power BI, RAW, Plotly, and Flourish, and I can fairly say that Flourish stole my heart. Data should be interesting. You want to guide your readers through visualizations by building a narrative. Regarding storytelling, Flourish stands out from the competition and is ideal for anyone looking to tell stories with data. Rather than using traditional ways to visualize data, such as tables, diagrams, and dashboards, it enables immersive storytelling. Flourish offers a wide range of charts and graphs, from basic to more complex types, and you can choose a wide range of flexible templates from the library. Desktop editions are not required because it is browser-based. In my opinion, Flourish is worth a try.
Tomasz Bartczak, Marketing Specialist, PhotoAiD
Hotjar
Hotjar is a product experience insights tool with quantitative tools such as heat maps, which visualize analytics that show where your visitors are scrolling and clicking. The software offers a myriad of visual tools to organize data including surveys, on-site polls, and session replays. Additionally, it’s an intuitive way to communicate, discover, and consolidate user needs. Hotjar is among the elite tools to best understand and visualize visitor behavior on your site.
Andrew Chen, Chief Product Officer, CommentSold
HighCharts
In my opinion, this is the top data visualization tool because its website boasts that 72 of the 100 largest organizations in the world use it and because it is chosen when an agile solution needs to be implemented quickly and with minimal specialized experience in statistical visualization. HighCharts is one of the most popular data analysis tools, and it's easy to incorporate interactive charts into complex applications thanks to this capability, which are, in my opinion, the tool's most salient attributes.
Daniel Foley, Founder, Assertive Media
Redash
Redash is my favorite data visualization tool. It's open source and continues to improve year after year. I built my last business on top of it! It works well with all major data sources, it's easy to install, and best of all, it's free when you self-host. I've tried dozens of other tools, but I always come back to Redash.
Scott Krager, Founder, TubeSplit.com
Conclusion
So, what is the best data visualisation tool for your business? The answer to that question may vary depending on your needs and preferences. However, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most popular and highly recommended data visualisation tools by small business owners themselves.
If you want to get started with data visualisation or are looking for a new tool to try out, this list should give you some great options. Have you had success with any of these data visualisation tools?
Let us know in the comments!