Chart maker

Grouped Bar Chart Maker

Compare several series side by side

A grouped (clustered) bar chart places several bars side by side for each category, one per sub-category, so you can compare series within a group and across groups at once. InstaCharts builds it straight from your spreadsheet and keeps every series on a shared zero baseline for precise comparison.

Make a Grouped Bar Chart Free
Open the Demo

A live grouped bar chart example

An interactive grouped bar chart built and embedded with InstaCharts.

Your data

What data you need for a grouped bar chart

Paste your spreadsheet, upload a CSV or Excel file, or connect a Google Sheet, and InstaCharts detects your column types and builds the grouped bar chart automatically.

X

X-Axis

Dates or categorical data, the main groups

Y

Y-Axis

Numerical values, starting at zero

B

Breakdown

A category column; each unique value becomes a bar within the group

Use cases

When to use a grouped bar chart

Best uses

  • Compare sub-categories both within and across groups
  • Read absolute values precisely thanks to a shared baseline
  • Analyze several series over the same time periods
  • Check whether one series consistently leads across groups

When another chart fits better

  • More than four or five bars per group gets cluttered
  • When proportions matter more than absolutes, use a stacked bar chart
  • Dense continuous trends read better as a grouped line chart

How it works

How to make a grouped bar chart

  1. Step 1

    Add your data

    Paste a spreadsheet, or upload a CSV, Excel, TSV, or JSON file.

    InstaCharts new sheet dialog with options to upload a file, connect a data source, or start a blank sheet

  2. Step 2

    Pick the grouped bar chart

    InstaCharts auto-suggests a chart; switch to this type in one click.

    InstaCharts chart type menu listing line, grouped line, bar, stacked bar, scatter plot, area, and pie charts

  3. Step 3

    Map your columns

    Choose which columns drive each axis, or accept the smart defaults.

    InstaCharts chart tab with chart type, X-axis, and Y-axis selectors above an area chart of demo site earnings

  4. Step 4

    Customize styling

    Adjust colors, labels, and titles to match your brand or report.

    InstaCharts colors panel with a color scheme picker beside a grouped bar chart

  5. Step 5

    Export or embed

    Download as PNG, SVG, or PDF, share a link, or embed a live, auto-updating chart.

    InstaCharts export dialog with PNG, SVG, JPG, WebP, PDF, and PowerPoint image formats

FAQ

Grouped Bar Chart maker FAQ

Answers to common questions about making a grouped bar chart with InstaCharts.

Is the grouped bar chart maker free?

Yes. Creating and exporting a grouped bar chart is free with no account. The free tier supports up to 500 rows and adds a watermark; paid plans from $10 user/mo remove it.

What is the difference between a grouped and a stacked bar chart?

A grouped bar chart places bars side by side on a shared baseline, which is best for precise value comparison. A stacked bar chart stacks segments into one bar, which is best for showing part-to-whole composition. InstaCharts lets you switch between them in one click.

What data do I need for a grouped bar chart?

A category column for the X-axis, a numeric value column, and a breakdown column whose unique values become the bars within each group.

How many series can I compare?

You can plot several series, though four or five bars per group keeps the chart readable. You can filter or limit categories directly in InstaCharts to avoid clutter.

Want the full reference?

Read the grouped bar chart documentation.

Explore

Related chart makers

Compare related chart types, or browse every InstaCharts chart maker below.

Bar Chart Maker

Compare values across categories online

Stacked Bar Chart Maker

Show totals and composition in one chart

Grouped Line Chart Maker

Compare multiple trends on one chart

All InstaCharts chart makers

See every option on the chart maker page.

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