Does anyone dare to question the importance of including graphic resources in published articles and on social media? We have previously referred to the importance of images, and the figures speak for themselves: according to influential blogger Jeff Bullas, posts that incorporate them receive 94% more visits than others. This improves text readability and contributes to better web positioning, whether by incorporating photographs, videos, illustrations… or infographics.
Infographics offer countless benefits. They are attractive, allow information to be consumed quickly and clearly, and easily go viral on social media thanks to their originality. They are the perfect ingredient for any content strategy. But how do you generate infographics when a graphic designer isn't available?
Fortunately, and without completely ruling out the possibility of hiring a design expert (even on an ad-hoc basis), the internet offers some free programmes and applications for professionals, companies, and businesses with tight budgets. Below, we bring you 16 free tools to create infographics.
The Best Free Resources for Generating Infographics
1) Infogr.am
This option stands out for its ease of use and the results it delivers. It is completely free (it includes a watermark in one corner of the generated infographics). It offers users the convenience of signing up via Facebook or Twitter, as well as a wide range of possibilities: from various basic templates to different types of charts: circular, bar, bubble… It allows importing photographs and files in XLS or CSV format.
Infogr.am is useful for quick visualisation of statistical data. Its intuitive interface allows users with no design experience to create complex charts in minutes. For 2024, Infogr.am has improved its integrations with real-time data sources, allowing infographics to update automatically with the latest data, a key advantage for dynamic reports or marketing dashboards.
2) Piktochart
Launched in Malaysia in March 2012, Piktochart is an effective resource for effortlessly generating quality infographics. Starting from a large number of predefined templates, users can easily edit and add all kinds of links, illustrations, charts, and other graphic resources, such as interactive maps, graphs, and videos.
Piktochart has established itself as one of the most robust tools for creating infographics and visual presentations. In 2024, its templates have been optimised for mobile devices, crucial for content viewing on social media. It offers a constantly growing library of icons and graphic elements, adapting to current visual trends. A tip from ZDS Digital: use Piktochart to summarise complex reports or SEO/SEM campaign results, making them easier for clients or internal teams to understand. The free version is generous, but the paid version unlocks high-resolution export functionalities and watermark removal, essential for professional use.
3) Tagcrowd
Would you like to accompany an article with a word cloud? Discover Tagcrowd, an application that allows you to create these types of illustrations from a URL or a text document. It doesn't allow you to select colours or fonts, but you can indicate the maximum number of concepts that will appear in the cloud and discard those that are not relevant, such as articles, conjunctions, or prepositions. The result can be downloaded in HTML code or as a PDF file.
Word clouds, while visually appealing, should be used with caution. They are excellent for quickly identifying predominant themes in long texts or for basic sentiment analysis. For deeper, SEO-optimised keyword analysis in 2024, we recommend tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, which offer search volume and difficulty data. Tagcrowd remains a quick and free option for a superficial visual representation.
4) Tagxedo
If you're looking for a more striking result in your word clouds, Tagxedo is a tool for creating visual presentations of terms that appear most frequently in a news item, website, or file. This application isn't limited to generating a cloud of concepts; it also offers the option of giving it curious silhouettes and shapes: from countries to animals or historical figures, which helps visually reinforce the text's theme. You can choose fonts and colours.
Tagxedo offers an artistic touch that Tagcrowd lacks. For branding campaigns or creative content, the ability to customise the shape of the word cloud can be a differentiator. It's an ideal tool for social media or for illustrating blog articles in an original way, as long as the design doesn't compromise the legibility of the main keywords. At our agency, we've used Tagxedo for awareness campaigns, where the shape of the word cloud reinforced the central message.
5) Wordle
This is another option for generating a word cloud from a web page, site, or text document. The mechanics are simple: just copy and paste the text in question, or add the URL of the blog or website. For it to work, you need to install a Java plugin. Once the concept cloud is generated, the programme provides a code to embed the result on the web page you want.
Wordle, though a pioneer, has seen its relevance diminish due to its reliance on Java, a technology with security risks and increasingly less supported by modern browsers. For 2024, most users will prefer HTML5-based tools that don't require plugins. While historically popular, there are now safer and more accessible alternatives. It's a good example of how technology evolves rapidly, and tools must adapt.
Whichever option you choose, there are three elements that should never be missing from a good infographic. We remind you of them:
- Title, essential for orienting the reader to the theme of this resource.
- Authorship. Add the author's name or the company's logo (it will help you with branding).
- Source. Indicate where you extracted the data contained in the infographic. Credibility is key, especially in the age of misinformation.
You also need to be careful to add keywords to the image's alt text containing the infographic, so that Google can index it correctly in its search engine. Furthermore, with Google's Helpful Content Update and the focus on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), ensuring your infographics are informative, accurate, and come from reliable sources is more important than ever. Alt text not only helps with indexing but also improves accessibility for visually impaired users, a factor Google values positively.
Additional Tools and Key Considerations for Infographics in 2026
Beyond the classic options, the landscape of free infographic tools has evolved. Here are some additions and important considerations for the near future:
New Free and Freemium Tools
6) Canva
Canva is the most popular graphic design tool for non-designers. Its free version offers thousands of infographic templates, a vast library of graphic elements, photos, and fonts. Its drag-and-drop interface is intuitive. In 2026, we expect AI integration in Canva to be even deeper, allowing for the generation of graphic elements or even infographic outlines from descriptive text. It is an essential tool for any content strategy, from social media posts to marketing materials.
7) Venngage
Similar to Piktochart, Venngage specialises in infographics and data visualisation. Its free plan allows you to create up to 5 infographics with access to basic templates. It stands out for its professional templates and its focus on data clarity. By 2025, Venngage is investing in real-time collaboration features, making it ideal for marketing teams that need to work together on visual content creation.
8) Lucidchart
Although more geared towards flowcharts and mind maps, Lucidchart can be a powerful tool for infographics that require a logical structure or the representation of processes. Its free version is limited but useful for small projects. The ability to integrate spreadsheet data and convert it into visual diagrams is a strong point. At ZDS Digital, we use it to visualise website architecture or user flows, which are very technical types of infographics.
9) Easel.ly
Easel.ly offers a wide variety of templates and visual objects to create infographics. Its interface is simple and allows almost all elements to be customised. Although the free version has some limitations, it is an excellent option for beginners. In 2024, they have improved their icon library and search system, making it easier to find the right elements for each design.
10) Visme
Visme is a versatile tool that allows you to create not only infographics but also presentations, documents, and social media content. Its free plan offers limited storage and access to basic templates, enough to get started. Interactivity is one of its strengths, allowing you to add animations and links to infographics, which improves the user experience and can increase dwell time on the page.
Impact of AI on Infographic Creation (2024-2026)
Artificial intelligence is revolutionising content creation, and infographics are no exception. Tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity AI help in the early stages:
- Idea and data generation: Ask an AI to suggest infographic topics based on your niche, or to summarise statistical data from reliable sources to include. For example, “Give me 5 impactful statistics about e-commerce growth in Spain in 2023-2024.”
- Content structuring: AI helps organise information into a logical structure for the infographic, suggesting sections or key points.
- Short text writing: For titles, subtitles, or brief descriptions within the infographic, AI generates concise and attractive texts.
Human supervision remains crucial to ensure data accuracy, design originality, and alignment with brand tone. AI is a powerful assistant, not a replacement for the designer or content strategist.
Optimisation for Core Web Vitals and INP in 2026
With the evolution of web performance metrics, such as the replacement of FID by INP (Interaction to Next Paint) in March 2024, it is vital that infographics are not only attractive but also lightweight and optimised. A heavy infographic slows down page loading and negatively affects user experience, which in turn impacts SEO.
- Image compression: Use tools like TinyPNG or Compressor.io to reduce the file size of your infographics without losing visual quality.
- Appropriate format: Prefer formats like WebP or AVIF over PNG or JPG when possible, as they offer better compression.
- Lazy Loading: Implement lazy loading so that infographics only load when the user scrolls to them, improving INP and initial load speed.
Privacy and GA4 in 2026
With the increasing importance of user privacy and the full transition to Google Analytics 4 (GA4), it is essential that infographics, especially interactive ones, comply with these guidelines. If your infographics include interactive elements that collect data, ensure compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations. GA4 will allow you to track interaction with your infographics (clicks, viewing time) in a more event-oriented way, providing valuable insights into their performance without compromising user privacy.
11 Tools for Creating Timelines
While not as common as infographics, interactive timelines are a perfect resource for captivating your audience with their originality. They are an ideal resource for illustrating articles containing stories and biographies. Here are some applications for creating timelines for free, although the features of some of them are very limited unless you subscribe to the paid version.
Some of the tools listed below may have evolved or even disappeared since the original publication of this article. Technology advances rapidly, and what was a cutting-edge tool in 2018 may not be in 2024. Nevertheless, the 'timelines' category remains relevant for visual storytelling.
- Animaps (Note 2024: Animaps appears to be inactive or has been absorbed by other projects. This is an example of the volatility of free tools.)
- Capzles (Note 2024: Similar to Animaps, Capzles no longer appears to be in operation.)
- Dipity (Note 2024: Dipity has also ceased operation.)
- Historypin (Note 2024: Historypin is still active, focusing on historical maps and timelines with archival content. It's a valuable resource for educational or cultural projects.)
- myHistro (Note 2024: myHistro appears inactive.)
- Rememble (Note 2024: Rememble is unavailable.)
- Tiki-Toki (Note 2024: Tiki-Toki remains a robust option for interactive timelines, although its free version is limited. It's one of the survivors and has improved its functionalities.)
- Timeglider (Note 2024: Timeglider has been discontinued.)
- TimeRime (Note 2024: TimeRime is not active.)
- Timetoast (Note 2024: Timetoast remains an excellent free option for creating simple and effective timelines. It's one of the most recommended currently.)
- Tour Builder (Note 2024: Google Tour Builder was discontinued in 2021. Google Earth Web is now the primary tool for creating geographical stories.)
Given the high discontinuation rate of these tools, for 2024-2026, we recommend exploring the timeline functionalities within more general tools like Canva or Visme, which offer templates and elements to build timelines more stably and with better customisation options. There are also plugins for WordPress or modules for other CMS platforms that allow you to create interactive timelines directly on your website.
Do you need help with your content strategy?
If you've just launched a site, blog, or social profile, or need to pivot your content strategy to improve traffic to your website, you might have questions about the best resources to capture your target audience's attention.
At ZDS Digital, we understand that an effective content strategy goes beyond just creating infographics. It involves in-depth keyword analysis, optimisation for voice and AI search, creating content that adheres to E-E-A-T principles, and smart distribution across multiple channels. Our team is up-to-date with the latest Google algorithm updates, such as the Helpful Content Update, and knows how to adapt your content to achieve the best results in a constantly changing SEO environment.
For the guidance you need, contact us or call us without obligation on 93 532 93 78. We will study your case and objectives and advise you on how to plan and create effective, engaging content. We look forward to hearing from you!
