The 11 Best Data Storytelling Tools in 2026

A data storytelling tool turns numbers into something a person will read to the end: an interactive chart in an article, a scrolling report, a slide deck, a short video. The eleven tools below all do some of that. They differ in what they produce, in how much of the data work they leave to you, and in whether the story still matches the data once the data changes.

Every price and feature on this page was read from the vendor's own pricing page and documentation on 23 October 2026. Canva and Gamma showed us their prices in euros, so we quote them that way; both price by region. Links are in the References at the end.

The best data storytelling tools

• 1. Mammoth for decks, reports and dashboards built from one prepared dataset
• 2. Flourish for interactive charts and scrollytelling on the web
• 3. Datawrapper for clean, fast charts in articles and reports
• 4. Infogram for infographics and reports with a free plan
• 5. Shorthand for long-form, scrolling stories and microsites
• 6. Canva for on-brand visual content, with Flourish on its Business plan
• 7. Gamma for AI-drafted decks and documents
• 8. Visme for presentations and infographics with video export
• 9. Tableau for Story Points on top of deep analysis
• 10. Power BI for live Power BI visuals inside PowerPoint
• 11. Observable for analysts who write code

What makes a good data storytelling tool?

Four questions decide which of these fits.

• What it produces. An embeddable chart, a scrolling web page, a slide deck, a printed report or a video. Most tools are strong at one or two of these and weak at the rest.

• Where the data comes from. Some tools expect a clean table pasted in. Others connect to live sources. If your data needs cleaning or joining first, that work happens somewhere, and the question is whether it happens in the tool or in a spreadsheet before it.

• Whether the story stays true. A deck built from last month's export is wrong the moment the data moves. Tools with live connections or scheduled refresh keep the numbers current; tools built around pasted data do not.

• Who writes the words. Several tools now draft text with AI. Ask where the figures in that text come from: computed from the data, or written by the model.

How we compared these. We read each vendor's pricing page and documentation on 23 October 2026, and quote prices only where the vendor publishes them. We did not build the same story in all eleven, so nothing here is a verdict on design quality or speed. The numbers are not scores: the list is grouped by the kind of story each tool makes, and Mammoth Analytics, our product, sits first as the publisher.

The best data storytelling tools at a glance

Best for stories built from prepared data

1. Mammoth

Mammoth pros:

• One dataset becomes a dashboard, a presentation or a written document, and you can switch format in place
• Every number is computed from the data by a query; the AI never writes a figure
• Presentations and documents can animate and export as an MP4 video
• Data is prepared in recorded steps that re-run when connected data refreshes, so next month's story is one publish away
• Viewers are free on every plan

Mammoth cons:

• Not a free-form design canvas: charts come from a library or a custom chart you describe, not drawn by hand
• The PowerPoint export is one picture per slide, not editable charts
• Motion video is off on boards with row-level security

Mammoth Analytics is our product, so weigh this entry accordingly.

Most tools on this list start where the clean table already exists. Mammoth starts before that. You bring data in from files, databases, apps and warehouses through 100+ tested connectors, plus anything with a REST API, and prepare it in a pipeline whose steps are recorded and re-run on a schedule. The story is built from that pipeline, so its draft updates when the source does, and readers see the new version once you publish it (or straight away with auto-publish on).

From one dataset you choose the format: a dashboard, a presentation from your data (a slide deck) or a written report, each with named types to start from. You can switch between them in place. Documents come in brief, standard or full lengths, for the web or for A4 and US Letter, or as a single poster.

A presentation or document can become a motion story: it animates and exports as an MP4 in landscape, square or portrait. Share as carousel turns it into portrait cards for social feeds, one claim per card.

The part that matters most for a story is where the figures come from. Every number is computed from the data by a query, and the AI never writes one. Text blocks can be drafted by the AI, and summary sentences are checked against the computed facts before they appear. Styles come from a stock set or are derived from your brand's website or logo, with readable contrast enforced.

Finished stories share by public link, password or sign-in.

Viewers are free and unlimited on every plan, because only builders count. Storage is a separate axis: every paid plan includes 10 GB, and more costs the same on any plan (+$100/month for 50 GB, +$300/month for 250 GB, +$800/month for 1 TB, billed annually). Free holds 1 GB. Every account starts with 14 days of Pro, no credit card.

Mammoth pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $39/month a month billed annually. Viewers are free on every plan.

Best data storytelling tools for interactive web charts

2. Flourish

Flourish pros:

• Interactive charts, maps and templates, with no code
• Unlimited projects on the free plan, and unpublished work stays private
• Scrollytelling and live data from Google Sheets or CSV on the Publisher plan

Flourish cons:

• No published prices; Publisher and Enterprise are sold through sales
• Free embeds on websites carry Flourish attribution
• Scrollytelling and live data need Publisher

Flourish makes interactive data visualisations without code, and its Presenter plan is billed through Canva. It is the tool newsrooms and comms teams reach for when a chart has to move, respond and sit inside a web page. Its Presenter plan adds interactive charts in Canva and PowerPoint, and comes with a Canva Business or Enterprise subscription.

Flourish pricing: Free plan available. Presenter is included with Canva Business or Enterprise. Publisher and Enterprise are not published.

3. Datawrapper

Datawrapper pros:

• Free to create, publish and embed charts, maps and tables
• No limit on how many people view a published chart
• Clean defaults that suit articles and reports

Datawrapper cons:

• Free charts carry a "Created with Datawrapper" credit
• PDF and SVG export need Pro; waterfall and dual-axis charts need Business
• A custom theme is an add-on at $499 a month

Datawrapper is built for charts in articles: paste or link a table, choose a chart, publish an embed. It is less a story builder than the quickest route to a clear chart inside a story you write elsewhere.

Datawrapper pricing: Free plan available. Pro is $21 and Business $39 per user a month, excluding VAT, with the page set to annual billing.

4. Infogram

Infogram pros:

• A free plan with interactive charts, maps and object animations
• Live data connections from Pro, and SQL connectors on Business
• Multi-page reports, with presenter notes on Business

Infogram cons:

• The free plan is for personal use; Infogram says businesses need a paid plan
• Brand kits and your own logo start on Business
• No refunds, by Infogram's FAQ

Infogram makes infographics, reports and dashboards with interactive charts. It suits marketing and comms teams that want something more designed than a chart and less work than a full design tool.

Infogram pricing: Basic is free. Pro is $19 a month and Business $67 a month, billed yearly. Team is $149 a month for 3 to 10 users.

Best data storytelling tool for long-form stories

5. Shorthand

Shorthand pros:

• Long, scrolling web stories and multi-page microsites
• Free to create as many stories as you like; you pay to publish
• Unlimited users on every plan

Shorthand cons:

• No published prices; plans are sold through a demo
• Core is capped at 12 new stories a year
• A storytelling platform, not a charting tool: charts come from elsewhere

Shorthand builds immersive, scrolling stories: annual reports, campaign pages, feature articles. Data is one ingredient among photography, video and text. Teams often embed charts made in Flourish or Datawrapper inside a Shorthand story.

Shorthand pricing: Not published. Core, Unlimited and Enterprise are sold through sales; On Demand is a one-off payment per project. Free education plans and charity discounts are available.

Best data storytelling tools for presentations and visual content

6. Canva

Canva pros:

• A permanent free plan and a free trial of Pro and Business
• Brand kits, templates and team collaboration
• Access to Flourish on Business and Enterprise

Canva cons:

• A design tool first: no data preparation, and no live data connection listed on the pricing page
• AI use is rationed by plan
• Advanced data stories need the Business plan for Flourish

Canva is the design tool many teams already use for decks, reports and social posts. For data storytelling its strength is presentation: making the chart look like it belongs to your brand. Canva's Business plan now includes Flourish, which closes much of the gap for interactive charts.

Canva pricing: Free plan available. Pro is €110 a year for one person and Business €170 a year per person, as shown to us in euros.

7. Gamma

Gamma pros:

• Drafts decks, documents and web pages from a prompt
• Exports to PDF, PPTX, PNG and Google Slides, even on the free plan
• Imports existing PDF and PPTX files

Gamma cons:

• No data connections listed on the pricing page; the numbers are whatever you give it
• Free decks carry Gamma branding and are capped at 10 slides per prompt
• Premium AI features run on credits

Gamma is an AI presentation tool. You describe the deck and it drafts the structure, text and layout. It is fast for the narrative half of a data story; the numbers and charts still have to come from somewhere you trust.

Gamma pricing: Free plan with 400 credits at signup. Plus is €8 and Pro €18 per seat a month, billed annually, as shown to us in euros.

8. Visme

Visme pros:

• Presentations, infographics and reports in one tool
• MP4, GIF, PPTX and HTML5 downloads from Starter
• A free plan with no credit card

Visme cons:

• Charts and data widgets are limited on the free plan
• No live data connection mentioned on the pricing page
• Brand kit and analytics start on Business

Visme sits between a general design tool and an infographic tool, with charts, data widgets and video export for social posts.

Visme pricing: Basic is free. Starter is $12.25 and Business $24.75 per person a month, billed yearly.

Best data storytelling inside a BI tool

9. Tableau

Tableau pros:

• Story Points: a sequence of interactive views that walk a reader through the analysis
• Best-in-class visual exploration underneath
• Tableau Public is free for public data

Tableau cons:

• Everything published to Tableau Public can be seen by anyone
• Tableau Cloud prices are billed annually, and every deployment needs a Creator
• Tableau's documentation says stories don't support some dynamic features, such as zone visibility

Tableau's stories are built on the same workbooks analysts use for exploration, so the story and the analysis share one source. That makes it strong for analytical narratives, and heavy for a team that only wants to publish a chart.

Tableau pricing: Tableau Public is free. Tableau Cloud Standard is $75 per Creator, $42 per Explorer and $15 per Viewer a month, billed annually.

10. Power BI

Power BI pros:

• The Power BI add-in puts live, interactive report pages and visuals in PowerPoint slides
• Presenters can filter and drill down during the presentation
• Data stays in Power BI, so its permissions and row-level security still apply

Power BI cons:

• Viewing the add-in needs a Pro licence unless the report sits in Premium or a large Fabric capacity
• An admin may need to enable it, and Office must be a recent version
• Dashboards and paginated reports cannot be added, only report pages and visuals

Microsoft calls this storytelling in PowerPoint: a slide that shows a live Power BI visual rather than a pasted picture. It is the most direct answer to stale decks for teams already on Microsoft 365.

Power BI pricing: A free account is available. Pro is $14 and Premium Per User $24 per user a month, paid yearly.

Best data storytelling tool for code-first analysts

11. Observable

Observable pros:

• Notebooks that mix code, charts and text in one document
• Builds on the open-source D3 and Plot libraries
• A free plan for individuals

Observable cons:

• You write JavaScript; not for people who do not code
• Free embeds carry a watermark
• Private viewers cost $10 a viewer a month on Team

Observable is where analysts and data journalists who code build custom, interactive stories. Nothing on this list matches it for control, and nothing asks more of the author.

Observable pricing: Free plan available. Pro is $22 a month billed annually ($25 monthly). Team is $40 per editor a month.

How to choose a data storytelling tool

Start with where the story will be read.

• In a web article. Datawrapper for clear charts, Flourish for interactive ones, Infogram for more designed graphics.
• As a long scrolling page or report. Shorthand, with charts embedded from one of the above.
• As a deck or a social post. Canva, Gamma or Visme for design. Check where the numbers come from: none of the three lists a connection to your data on its pricing page.
• From a BI tool you already run. Tableau Story Points or the Power BI add-in for PowerPoint.
• From data that changes every month. Choose a tool that connects to the source and refreshes, so the deck you present matches the data you have. Mammoth, Power BI and Tableau do this; Flourish and Infogram do it on paid plans.
• In code. Observable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a data storytelling tool?

A data storytelling tool turns data into a narrative a reader can follow: interactive charts, a scrolling report, a slide deck or a video, with text that explains what the numbers mean. Some tools focus on the chart, some on the layout, and a few handle the data preparation as well.

What is the best free data storytelling tool?

Datawrapper's free plan publishes and embeds charts with no limit on viewers. Flourish, Infogram, Canva, Gamma, Visme, Observable and Mammoth all have free plans, and Tableau Public is free for data you are happy to make public.

Can AI write a data story?

AI can draft the structure and the words. The risk is the figures: a model that writes a number can write the wrong one. Look for a tool where every figure is computed from the data and the AI writes only around it.

How do I keep a data story up to date?

Build it on a live or scheduled data source rather than a pasted export. Mammoth refreshes on a schedule, the Power BI add-in shows live report data in PowerPoint, and Flourish and Infogram offer live data on paid plans.

Which data storytelling tools export to PowerPoint?

Gamma and Visme export PPTX, and Flourish's Presenter plan puts interactive charts in PowerPoint. The Power BI add-in places live visuals in a deck. Mammoth exports PowerPoint as one picture per slide.