An area chart is a line chart with the space between the line and the x-axis filled with colour. It shows how a single value changes across an ordered sequence such as time, and the shaded area helps readers see both the trend and the overall volume at a glance.

Area charts are used to show change over time when the total volume matters, for example website traffic, rainfall, sales revenue, temperature, or energy use. The filled area draws the eye to how much has accumulated, not just the direction of the line.

They plot the same data, but an area chart fills the space under the line. A line chart is best when you only care about the path or you are comparing several series. An area chart is best for a single series where you want to emphasise magnitude or cumulative volume.

Paste your numbers separated by commas, such as 52, 48, 55, 61, 47, then click Generate Plot and Results. The tool plots the values in order, fills the area under the line, and builds a results table you can download.

Yes. Open the Upload CSV tab, choose a .csv or .txt file, then pick the value column from the dropdown. You can also select a label column for the x-axis. The chart and table refresh from the columns you choose.

The tool uses the trapezoidal rule. It treats each pair of neighbouring points as a trapezoid, averages their heights, multiplies by the spacing, and sums every piece. With equally spaced points the spacing is one unit, so the area is a clean running total of the trend.

For area charts, yes, in most cases. Because the fill is measured from the baseline up, a non-zero baseline can exaggerate or shrink the area and mislead readers. You can set a custom Y minimum in the options, but a zero baseline is the honest default.

A stacked area chart layers several series on top of each other so the total and each part are visible. It works for a few related series that add up to a whole. This tool focuses on a single, clean area series for clarity and publication use.

It can, but it is not ideal. When values dip below zero, the fill crosses the baseline and the shape gets hard to read. If your data swings well below zero, a plain line chart usually tells the story more clearly.

You can plot anything from a handful of points to a few hundred. With many points, turn off the markers and use a thin line so the filled trend stays clean. The tool keeps the axis labels readable by spacing out ticks automatically.

A fill opacity around 30 to 40 percent usually looks good. It is dark enough to read as volume but light enough to keep the line and grid visible. For print, a slightly lighter fill often reproduces better.

Smoothing looks polished but can invent bumps between points that are not in your data. Use straight lines when accuracy matters, step style for counts that change at set moments, and smooth only when the underlying trend is truly continuous.

Click PNG, JPEG, or WebP below the chart. The tool saves the figure at the export width and height you set in the options, with your title, caption, colours, and axis frame baked in, ready for a report, paper, or slide.

Yes, it is fully free with no sign-up. Everything runs in your browser, so your numbers stay on your own device and nothing is uploaded to a server.

Yes. In the Paste values tab, enter your labels in the second box, one per value, for example Jan, Feb, Mar. In the Upload CSV tab, pick a label column. Leave both empty to number the points 1, 2, 3, and so on.

The cumulative column is a running total. Each row adds its own value to the sum of all rows before it, so the last row equals the grand total of the series. It is handy for tracking totals like year-to-date visits or revenue.

Tick the Mark peak and trough box in the plot options. The tool highlights the largest and smallest values with labelled markers so readers can spot the extremes without reading every number.

Yes, if the percentage is one series changing over time, such as a monthly conversion rate. If you are splitting a single total into parts, a pie or stacked bar chart is usually a better fit than an area chart.

Jagged edges usually mean real, sharp changes between points, which is fine. If it looks noisy, you can widen the spacing, reduce markers, or apply light smoothing. Do not over-smooth, since that hides the true shape of your data.

An area chart shows one value across an ordered sequence like time, with a continuous filled line. A histogram shows how often values fall into bins and uses separate bars. Use an area chart for trends and a histogram for the shape of a distribution.