Waterfall Chart Maker

A waterfall chart (also called a bridge chart or cascade chart) shows how an initial value changes through a series of positive and negative contributions to reach a final total. Each bar either floats (for intermediate changes) or sits on the axis (for starting and ending totals), making cumulative change easy to read at a glance.

Open the Waterfall Chart Maker, add your data items in the table, and assign each a bar type — Increase, Decrease, Total, or Subtotal. The chart updates live as you type. Adjust colors, labels, and layout, then export or share when you're happy with the result.

Absolutely. The tool is designed with financial use cases in mind. Add rows for revenue, cost categories, taxes, and net profit, label the first and last bars as 'Total', and set intermediate rows as 'Increase' or 'Decrease'. The chart will automatically stack and float bars to show the full financial bridge.

Yes — the core waterfall chart maker is completely free with no sign-up required. You can create, customize, and download waterfall charts at no cost. AI-powered chart generation is included with free credits. Paid plans unlock more AI credits, file uploads, and advanced export options.

A standard bar chart shows each value independently from a shared baseline. A waterfall chart starts from a running total, so each bar is positioned at the height of the previous cumulative value. This makes it ideal for showing how a starting figure is transformed step by step — something a regular bar chart cannot convey.

Yes. Type a plain-language description — such as 'Q2 revenue waterfall from gross sales to net profit' — and the AI will build a complete waterfall chart with data, bar types, and colors already set. You can then edit any detail or regenerate with a different prompt.

You can download your waterfall chart as a PNG (great for slides and documents) or as an SVG (ideal for websites and scalable print). You can also copy a shareable link or grab an embed code to place the chart directly on any webpage.

Yes. The Color Settings panel lets you set independent colors for Increase, Decrease, Total, and Subtotal bars. This makes it easy to apply your brand palette or follow standard financial conventions — green for positive, red for negative.

Yes. MakeCharts is fully responsive and works on smartphones and tablets. You can create, edit, and share waterfall charts on any device without installing anything.

In the data table, add the item you want to act as a running subtotal, then set its Type to 'Subtotal'. The chart will render it as a full-height bar reflecting the cumulative value at that point, distinct from both floating change bars and the final total.