Free Mac Graphing Software

Operating Systems Mac OS X 10.4 PPC, Mac OS X 10.5 PPC, Mac OS X 10.4 Intel, Mac OS X 10.5, Mac OS X 10.5 Intel, Mac OS X 10.6 Intel, Macintosh, Mac OS X 10.4 Additional Requirements None Popularity.
See full list on edrawsoft.com.

Last update 4/4/2021

Software designed for ease of use

Turn equations into graphs. Create 2D and 3D graphs of mathematical equations, then watch as they appear right on your screen ready for you to evaluate. How to create a graph and add equations. To explore the Grapher User Guide, click Table of Contents at the top of the page, or enter a word or phrase in the search field. Graph Paper Maker for Mac OS v.2.2.1 Software that lets you create your own custom sheets of graph paper. You have complete control over the graph characteristics: - X and Y axis can independently be set for linear or log scale, and scaling - Hydraulic scaling for graphing flow vs.

DataGraph

Compatibility: Catalina / dark mode compatible; signed. On Mac App Store, too.
Version: 4.6
Price: $90 perpetual; $50/year; $30/year academic; free trial with some features disabled; volume discounts automatically applied
Listing updated 4/4/2021. Software updated 12/2020.
Published by: VisualDataTools.com

Developer David Adalsteinsson wrote this $90 program in Cocoa, so it is native to OS X.

DataGraph grew out of DataTank and shares underlying graphics code, but is limited to two-dimensional graphing; the design is “simple and powerful,” with an emphasis on publication-quality output. Amazingly, DataGraph reads in CricketGraph files, creates animations, and can be called from Automator or the command line. Version 4 can work with R, and can handle over 200,000 points. It still works with OS 10.9 despite being Catalina-friendly, and has an active news page on the company site.

We plan to dive deeper into DataGraph soon.

Graphics and visualization

ImageTank

Public beta.
Catalina-safe and signed.
Software last updated April 2021. Listing updated 4/2021.
Published by: VisualDataTools.com

ImageTank grew out of DataTank, and is a newer, more modern program currently in public beta. The software loads quickly in Catalina and is clearly Mac-focused; it already has a simple command line utility, though it requires some setup.

PublishPlot

Price: $10
Version: 2.0
Listing updated January 2021. Software updated January 2021.
64-bit. Signed. M1 ready. Big Sur ready.
Published by: RSAC Software

PublishPlot was created to turn any collection of data (in flexible plain-text formats) into publication-quality plots, written by a former journal editor.

The program allows for error bars, annotations (with labels, arrows, and shapes), easy scaling with conserving relative sizes, customizing of any part of the chart, calculation of means, standard deviations, and quartiles (with standard deviation error bars or box-and-whisker graphics), data transformations (including fits and spline interpolations), and simple data editing. All aspects of the plot are sized relative to the plot size itself, rather than with absolute sizes.

The software is quite surprisingly fast on our Mini 8,1, though the user interface takes some getting used to. Data to be imported has to be saved in tab-delimited format and, ideally, altered in a text editor such as BBEdit or Brackets.

Available from the Mac App Store, and now conforming with all modern standards after a seven-year hiatus.

Thunderplot

Version: 1.15
Listing updated 8/2019. Software updated 2018.
64-bit. Signed.
Published by: Thunderplot

Thunderplot, a native Mac program, was created for quick data visualization; a native Mac program. Its programmer, Vadim Kalinsky, wrote: “It parses contaminated data (like ‘64 bytes from 8.8.8.8’), supports numeric and time axis, expressions, multiple datasets, multiple curves, works quickly with large datasets, has simple and responsive interface, and exports to jpeg/png/etc. It is available in the Apple Store (not currently in the US), and a non-sandboxed (but signed) version is available.”

Our initial impressions are that it is very easy to use, and the snapshot feature should prove very handy to web publishers. The program takes up just 4 MB of space and around 25 MB of RAM, other than data. Despite our poor snapshot, it is capable of sophisticated graphics and has numerous controls.

Lively Logic

Configurations: OS X Mavericks, El Capitan, and Sierra
Price: $20 (Mac App Store)
Version: 1.5.4
Listing updated: 11/2018 (software updated 2018)

From Ripeware, Lively Logic imports data from CSV files to create line graphs, scatter plots, bar graphs, bubble graphs, candlestick charts, pie charts, and tables. It has 75 functions, automatic updating of when data changes, and customization of graph elements. Available in the Mac App Store, it gained axis auto-scaling, better graph panning/scaling by dragging axes, best-fit curves, and support for Retina displays with version 1.1.

MagicPlot

Configurations: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux; 2 MB and does not require installation (Java program)
Student version: Free but limited. Pro: $198, trial available; includes custom fit equations, data and batch processing, vector export, and more.
Version: 2.8
Listing updated: 11/12/2018. Software updated: sometime after Jan. 2017
Appears to be under active development.

MagicPlot is used for scientific and engineering data analysis, graphing, nonlinear curve fitting, and multi-peak fitting. The Pro version program has publication quality customizable plots with multiple axes, text table import with previews, data manipulation, FFT, integration, differentiation, histograms, and other statistics, with multiple undos (some of these features are on the free student version as well).

The software is relatively easy to use and nicely featured, but as a Java program, does not use standard Mac open/close dialogue boxes, so finding files may be hard depending on your file structure. The system is simple enough — fill a table with data, add formulas if desired, choose the type of table you want, and select a large number of options from the dialogue boxes which appear next. It takes a short time to get acquainted but is far easier to learn than many graphing programs; basic statistics are provided. The program can guess the most appropriate fit line, but lets users choose a method if desired.

pro Fit

Configurations: OS X 10.8 or later
Current Version: 7.0.15
Price: $95; upgrade, $55
Software updated: 10/15/2019. Report updated: 3/11/2020

pro Fit is a data analysis and plotting software package from QuantumSoft. Dave [not me] wrote: '...it has an extensive Applescript dictionary, ability to handle large data sets well (I've done graphs with hundreds of thousands of points), can be extended by writing plug ins or adding formulas that you create, does great curve fitting. I consider it much more feature complete than Kaliedagraph and far more intuitive than Igor Pro. They have excellent customer support, usually getting back to you within 24 hours if you have a bug report or feature request.' We have observed that ProFit is frequently updated which indicates it is well supported (2010).

“pro Fit is a Macintosh (Mac OS) application for data/function analysis, plotting, and curve fitting. It is used by scientists and engineers to analyze their measurements and the mathematical models they use to describe them. Scientists or students can define any mathematical function and use it to model their data, finding by linear or nonlinear curve fitting the function parameters that best describe their observations. Moreover, they can use a number of tools for the mathematical and statistical analysis of functions and data sets, and they can produce aesthetically pleasing graphical representations for their scientific reports.”

Version 6.1 changes: now Universal Binary; new tool for multidimensional curve fitting; revamped rendering engine for plots with native Core Graphics, PDF, and PostScript support; additions to the scripting language; more. Version 6.2: Python support, extended fitting, more data processing, higher performance.

Nice but possibly dead

DeltaGraph

Configurations: 68030 or later, OS 7-9 (older versions); Universal; betas may be Lion compatible
Not ready for OS 10.15 “Catalina”
Current Version: 7.13
Price: $299 ($199 academic); upgrades currently at $99 (download)
Listing updated: 4/6/2021
Software last updated: February 2018. Note on their web page promising future support for a 64-bit release has been there for over a year.
Published by: Red Rock Software

DeltaGraph is a dual-platform charting program developed on the Mac, now cross-platform; owned for a time by SPSS, it has been at Red Rock Software for years now. DeltaGraph now has Mac/Windows feature parity and statistical abilities including linear and nonlinear regression. (Amusingly, Cricket Graph did both in 1987.) In 2010, after four years, version 6 was finally released, with a revised interface, cross-platform-friendly files, support for third-party spot colors in PDF and EPS export, and international text support.

The software was last updated in February 2018, according to their site, so be careful. There were no apparent updates since February 2018 on either the Mac or Windows versions, which does not bode well for buyers. (As of March 11, 2020.)

Kaleidagraph

Configurations: Dates back to 68000; currently compatible up to 10.14 “Mojave.”
Price: $200 (academic $140); crossgrades $100; upgrades $60
Version: 4.5.4
Listing updated: 4/6/2021
Software last updated: March 2018
Not signed; not 64-bit. Company has posted a notice saying 64-bit is in the works but some time away. This notice has been up for over a year now.

Kaleidagraph is a (dual-platform) data analysis and graphing application published by Synergy Software. A demo is available. Kaleidagaph's promotional materials promise essentially everything offered by DeltaGraph and then some. The Universal Binary update did not appear until August 2009, but it came with Intel-Mac optimization at long last, along with the use of QuickTime for export, which provides extra features.

Users have written in to say that Kaleidagraph can easily tabulate, normalize, and combine data sets, make numerical calculations of theoretical expressions for comparisons with the measured data points, make publication-quality graphs with little effort.

James P. Conner pointed out, 'KaleidaGraph can handle 1,000 columns and one million rows, while Delta Graph is (last time I looked) limited to 256 columns and 32K rows. Also, K-Graph's statistical functions have been expanded significantly in the last two releases, and are much more useful than D-Graph's.'

Powerful omnibus software that takes some getting used to

Graphviz

Configurations: PPC, Universal; current versions from Leopard to Mountain Lion
Current Version: 2.62
Software last updated: 2019
Listing updated: March 2020

Graphviz is an open source drawing package. Prepare for a steep learning curve but it may be worth it if you have graphs you do frequently; not what I'd suggest for the occasional one-off though, especially since it is really designed for Linux and must be installed via MacPorts or Homebrew.

Veusz (“Views”)

Python program for OS X, Linux, UNIX, and Windows
Latest version: 3.2 (listing updated 3/11/2020)

A surprisingly capable free program, Veusz creates publication quality output in PDF or SVG formats. Data can be read from text, CSV, or FITS files, and can be manipulated within the program. There is an object-based interface along with command line and Python-based scripting; it can be used as a Python pltting module. Charts include X-Y (with error bars and such), line and function, contour, image, stepped/histogram, bar, vector field, box, polar, and many others, with broken and multiple axes. There is an API for plugins, the ability to capture external data, and command-line scripting; plotting can also be accessed via DBUS and SAMP.

Nice but pricey

DataDesk / Data Desk DP / Data Desk DDRP

Configurations: started as 680x0; currently Universal; OSX 10.7 or higher
Current Version: 8.21 (OS X), 6.1 (OS 7-9)
Price: $495 normal (DataDesk Pro), academic $295 (Academic Data Desk), $30 student—full versions, no annual fees.
Listing updated: 2/23/2020 • last software update, 2020
Published by DataDescription

An exploratory data analysis package, DataDesk was originally developed by Cornell professor Paul Velleman, once a student of Bell Labs’ famed John Tukey. (800) 573-5121.

The Mac version is at parity with the Windows version. The strength and weakness of DataDesk is its visual environment:

While it implements many traditional statistics techniques suitable for data from planned experiments and sample surveys, Data Desk’s true strength is its powerful tools for data exploration. ... speed and linked views make Data Desk unsurpassable for exploring any set of data. ... Select points in one plot or table and see those points highlight instantly in all other plots. Modify a data value or parameter and see all relevant plots and table update immediately...

Dick Furnas wrote:

DataDesk is superb for exploratory data analysis. A student version is bundled with several textbooks Velleman has been involved in. DataDesk was originally developed for the Mac and makes splendid use of drag and drop, clickable, live interfaces and everything a Mac user might wish for (you can lasso points in a graph and the data values from the underlying data tables will be highlighted, and vice/versa).

Data Desk DDRP was recently added as an upgrade from Data Desk 8, for $39 (for a single license) with upgrades from versions 6 and 7 as well (for $149 and $99, respectively). It includes a data and story library, writes out R or Python commands so any table can be reproduced, and imports from Excel (including relations).

Igor Pro

Price: Several; around $995
Current Version: 8
Listing updated: March 2020

Igor Pro is a charting and data analysis program published by WaveMetrics, Inc. “IGOR Pro is an interactive software environment for experimentation with scientific and engineering data and for the production of publication-quality graphs and page layouts.” IGOR's data files are cross-platform. Analysis includes curve fitting, peak analysis, signal processing, and descriptive statistics. As of version 6, Igor Pro is a Universal Binary, and expanded statistics are available, along with built in FIR and IIR filtering.

JMP

A highly capable data visualization and discovery package which is very speedy and has a friendly Mac-like interface, JMP is covered on the main page.

Stata

Stata, the fine Mac-focused Swiss-army-knife statistics package started including SEM (structural equation modeling) with version 12. Stata details.

Specialty tools

Graphical Analysis

Current version: 4.10
Price: Free!
Software last updated in 2020? Listing updated: 3-11-2020

From Vernier Solutions, Graphical Analysis creates charts and graphs from sensor data (e.g. sensors purchased from Vernier). It lets you “create and print graphs, data tables, text, FFTs, and histograms. Perform automatic curve fits, and add models with adjustable parameters to your graphs. Calculate statistics, tangents, integrals, and interpolations.” It allows collection from Vernier sensors, which is probably why it's free. Data can be shared with Logger Pro and LabQuest 2 or entered manually.

ParallelSets

Java software: Mac OS X (10.5 or later), Linux, Windows
Current version: 2.1
Last updated: 1/2017

ParallelSets provides visualization for categorical data, including surveys and inventory; provides an alternative to simple cross-tabs. Importing is via CSV only, but Excel, SPSS, LibreOffice, and other software allows CSV export. Created by Shree Chhatwal, Shilpa Sharma, Robert Kosara, and Caroline Ziemkiewicz with support of various United States government agencies. Thanks, Chris Lucianu.

GMT - The Generic Mapping Tools

Configurations: UNIX, OS X; since you compile it, Universal
Current version: 5.1.1
Listing updated: January 2017
Last software update: March 2014

A collection of command-line tools that run on all Unix-like systems, including Mac OS X. See gmt.soest.hawaii.edu for details. Many of the main developers (including me) use Mac OS X. (Description by Paul Wessel)

Grapher / Graphing Calculator

Configurations: OS 7-9, PowerPC depending on version
Price: Comes with MacOS

This software was made available free of charge by Apple with the first PowerPC systems to show off the awesome power of the 60 MHz PowerPC 601 chips (which in some ways were quite speedy, but most people probably found themselves wishing for a Quadra). They have continued on, in various forms, through to OS X, and can actually do a number of useful things. Steve Martin of the University of Melbourne suggested its inclusion, noting that the new verison of Grapher allows importing sets of points and includes sample files. This only works for graphing functions.

gnuplot

Configurations: PPC
Current Version: 4.1
Price: free

gnuplot is the Mac version of the open source scientific plotting software. It is available online from many sources.

Magic Maps

Configurations: 10.7 or later
Price: $40 (Mac App Store)
Version: 1.4.12
Listing updated: Jan 2017
Software Updated: Dec 2016

From Evan Miller, Magic Apps is a tool for analyzing time-series data on a map. Maps; states and countries automatically change color to match values, with customization for the colors and numeric ranges (colors can also be set for text fields). Data can be entered manually or via various file formats; built in templates are provided, and KML and ESRI files can be imported. A timeline shows historical averages and totals with a 'play' feature to show changes by period. There are mathematical and geographical functions included, with CSV output.

Matplotlib

Free - open source - for Mac OS X
Latest version: 1.3.1
Report updated: July 2014

Matplotlib is a pure python plotting library with the goal of making publication quality plots using a syntax familiar to matlab users. The library uses Numeric for handling large data sets and supports a variety of output backends. The program was originally written by John D. Hunter, who died of cancer in 2012 at the age of 44.

OmniGraphSketcher

Configurations: Universal Binary; up to Snow Leopard; iPad version available
Current version: 3.8.4
Price: Shareware, $80 educational, now open source
Listing updated: January 2017
Software updated: Unknown

An amazingly quick and easy to use program for drawing instant, readable scatterplots and for drawing graphs by hand (without data). Written by Robin Stewart (graphsketcher.com).

Prism

GraphPad’s Prism is an excellent platform for graphing, providing the usability of graphing software with many advanced statistical capabilities. Numerous graph types are available along with flexible regression curving. See our main Mac statistics software page (listed under GraphPad).

R with SEM add-on (free)

R is a general purpose open source statistics package (see the separate page on R for the Mac); there is an SEM (Structural Equation Models) add-on by John Fox.

There is also a PLS package (Adam Naples wrote, “it’s kind of a less constrained, or exploratory SEM”) for R.

SciPy

For Linux and Windows but may be compiled on Macs
Report updated: 1/5/2017

SciPy is a library of scientific tools for Python which supplements the Numeric module. SciPy includes modules for graphics and plotting, optimization, integration, special functions, signal and image processing, genetic algorithms, ODE solvers, and others.

Simgua

Version: 3.4 (for OS X 10.4-10.7) and Windows
Price: download page not working, $860
Report updated: 1/2/2017

Simgua simulates and models complex systems with visual modeling, a Visual Basic compiler for Macs, macros, custom materials, and material transformations.

VTK (Visualization Toolkit)

Pre-compiled only for Windows; may be compiled from source code for OS X
Latest version: 7.1 (listing updated 1/2017)

The Visualization ToolKit (VTK) is a system for 3D computer graphics, image processing, and visualization with several interface layers. In VTK applications can be written directly in C++, Tcl, Java, or Python.

VTK supports a wide variety of visualization algorithms including scalar, vector, tensor, texture, and volumetric methods; and advanced modeling techniques like implicit modelling, polygon reduction, mesh smoothing, cutting, contouring, and Delaunay triangulation. Moreover, we have directly integrated dozens of imaging algorithms into the system so you can mix 2D imaging / 3D graphics algorithms and data. Our goal is to make the software easy enough for any computer literate person to use.

VVI Graph Builder

Configurations: Universal, Snow Leopard and up
Current Version: 10.11
Price: $45 direct, $20 through App Store
Publisher/site: VVI

Lance Bland, the developer, wrote: 'In addition to all the standard features, Vvidget includes advanced features such as floating ticks, curves that can extend beyond the graph frame or can be truncated and literally hundreds of tunable parameters. 3D types rotate in real time and even the graph labels can be rotated in their own plane, independent of the main graph rotation. Data can be inserted through a list of numbers or by point and click methods.' The same developer provides software such as QuadraticLab for other math functions. The software appears to be under very active development.

Data Graph

In version 10.6, VVidge has a new, improved manual with tutorials; drag-and-drop of graphs to Cocoa projects in the Interface Builder; and other features.

Vvidget and Graph

Configurations: Universal, 32-bit and 64-bit versions; Snow Leopard and up
Current Version: 10.6.3
Price: Free
Publisher/site: VVidget.org
Listing updated Aug 19, 2013