RAWGraphs
Open-source data visualization for unconventional chart types. All processing happens in your browser.
What should journalists know about RAWGraphs?
RAWGraphs is the missing link between a spreadsheet and a vector graphics editor. Paste data, pick from ~30 chart types (alluvial, Sankey, sunburst, hexagonal binning, horizon graph, parallel coordinates, and more), map dimensions, export SVG. The entire pipeline runs client-side in JavaScript — your data never touches a server. No account, no login, no cloud storage. Built by the DensityDesign Research Lab at Politecnico di Milano since 2013, maintained jointly with design studio Calibro and dev firm Inmagik. Current version is 2.0.1 (Jan 2024 release). Development has slowed — the team has signaled plans for a new major version but hasn't shipped updates in over two years. That said, for its purpose — turning data into unusual chart types with zero privacy risk — nothing else matches it. Export your SVG into Illustrator or Inkscape for final polish. Datawrapper and Flourish are better for publication-ready interactive embeds; RAWGraphs is better for chart types those tools don't offer.
Unconventional chart types that Datawrapper and Flourish don't support. Quick exploratory visualization of complex relationships. Privacy-sensitive data that must stay local. SVG export for post-processing in vector editors. Teaching data visualization concepts.
Interactive embeddable web charts (exports are static SVG/PNG). Real-time dashboards. Large datasets — browser-based processing chokes on big files with no documented row limits. Publication-ready output without post-processing in a vector editor.
Security & Privacy
Data is scrambled while being sent to their servers
Data is scrambled when stored on their servers
Where servers are located — affects which governments can request your data
Privacy policy summary
All data processing happens in your browser via client-side JavaScript. No data is uploaded, stored, or transmitted. No account required. The website uses Google Analytics cookies for traffic measurement (not essential — can be blocked without affecting the tool). Self-hosting eliminates even this minimal analytics exposure.
How to protect yourself:
No special precautions needed — data stays local by design. For maximum assurance, clone the open-source repo and run locally, or use the self-hosted option to avoid even Google Analytics cookies on rawgraphs.io. Important: exported SVG files can embed your raw data values in the DOM structure. Review SVGs before publishing if working with sensitive data. Strip metadata using a text editor or SVG optimizer.
Data never leaves your browser. No server-side processing, no accounts, no data collection. Open source under Apache 2.0 and academically maintained. One of the most privacy-respecting data tools available. Only caveat: exported SVGs can contain raw data values, so review before publishing sensitive work.
Who Owns This
Known issues
Development has stalled — last release (v2.0.1) shipped Jan 2024 with no updates since. The team has announced plans for a 'brand new version' but no timeline. Browser-based processing means no hard performance limits are documented; large datasets can crash tabs silently. Exported SVGs embed raw data values in the markup — a privacy risk if you publish without reviewing the file. No desktop app exists despite occasional claims; running locally means cloning the repo and serving it via a local web server. Google Analytics is active on rawgraphs.io (can be blocked or avoided by self-hosting).
Pricing
Free. Open source under Apache 2.0 license.
This is an editorial assessment based on publicly available information as of 2026-04-02, using our published methodology. Independent security review is pending. Security posture can change at any time. This is not a guarantee of safety.
Something wrong or outdated? Report it.