---
title: "Bubble Chart Maker – Free, Static or Animated | chart.video"
description: "Plot three variables at once: X, Y and bubble size, coloured by group. Download a PNG or SVG, or play the bubbles over time like Gapminder. Free, no sign-up."
url: https://chart.video/bubble-chart-maker
---

Free · runs in your browser · no sign-up

# Bubble chart maker

Give each item an X value, a Y value and a size, and see them all at once, coloured by group and labelled. Save the bubble chart as a picture, or add years and watch the bubbles move.

To make a bubble chart, open the **Product bubbles** template below and paste a table with one row per item: a name, an optional group, then the X value, the Y value and the bubble size. The studio places every bubble, sizes it by area (so a value twice as big gets twice the ink), labels it and adds a legend for the groups. Export an **Image (PNG)** when it looks right.

Add a year or date column and the same chart becomes a bubble race: the bubbles drift across the plot from period to period, in the style made famous by Gapminder. The [bubble chart race](https://chart.video/bubble-chart-race) page covers that animated version in detail.

## How to make a bubble chart

1. ### Open the template
Select **Open the Product bubbles template**. It plots price against rating, with bubble size for units sold.
2. ### Paste your table
In **Data**, choose **Paste data**. Columns: name, group (optional), X, Y, size. The Data step confirms how it’s read, for example “across from Price, up from Customer rating”.
3. ### Check the columns
Under **Columns**, change which column is **Across (bubbles)**, **Values** or **Bubble size** if the guess is wrong.
4. ### Spread out big ranges
For values spanning several powers of ten, such as income or population, turn on **Spread out big ranges** in Chart for a log scale across.
5. ### Download
In **Export**, choose **Image (PNG)** or **Vector image (SVG)**, then **Export image** and **Download image**.

## Three variables in one picture

A bubble chart is a scatter plot with a third measure shown as bubble size, and often a fourth (a category) shown as colour. It answers questions a bar chart can’t: are the expensive products the best rated, and do they sell? Do richer countries live longer, and where are the biggest populations?

* X (across) and Y (up) should be measures you expect to be related.
* Size works best for a total, such as sales, population or budget; it’s read less precisely than position, so put the most important comparison on the axes.
* Use a group column for colour, so readers can spot clusters.

## Scatter plot or bubble chart?

Without a size column, every bubble is the same size and you have a scatter plot, which is the clearer choice when there are many points or when size has nothing to add. Set the size column to **Not used** under **Columns** for a plain scatter plot.

## From a still chart to a bubble race

Put the same items in for several years, one row per item per year, and the studio animates them: bubbles glide between years, can leave **Trails**, and the year ticks in the corner. Export the result as an MP4, a GIF or a vertical video, or keep the final year as a PNG for a report. The World Bank **Wealth and health** template shows the classic version with 30 countries.

## Bubble chart questions

### What data do I need for a bubble chart?

One row per item with a name, an X value, a Y value and a size value. A group column for colour is optional.

### How is bubble size worked out?

By area, so a bubble for a value twice as large covers twice the area, not twice the width. That keeps the visual comparison honest.

### Can I make a scatter plot instead?

Yes. Set the size column to **Not used** under **Columns** and every point is the same size.

### Can I use a log scale?

Yes, across: turn on **Spread out big ranges** in the Chart step.

### Can the bubbles move over time?

Yes. Add a date or year column with a row per item per period, and the chart becomes a bubble race you can export as a video.

## More charts and guides

* [ Animated chart maker All eleven chart types, every format and export, starting from a blank or a template. ](https://chart.video/)
* [ Make a bubble chart race An animated scatter plot: X, Y and size changing over time. ](https://chart.video/bubble-chart-race)
* [ Line graph maker One line or many, with dates on the x-axis, as a PNG, SVG or video. ](https://chart.video/line-graph-maker)
* [ Bar graph maker Vertical, horizontal, double or stacked bars as a PNG, SVG or video. ](https://chart.video/bar-graph-maker)
* [ Animated chart templates A gallery of free, editable chart videos to start from. ](https://chart.video/animated-chart-templates)