Change over timeSample
Area chart
A line chart with the area beneath it washed in, emphasising volume over time.
Paying subscribers over two years.
Sample data
Use it when
- A single measure whose magnitude, not just direction, matters
- Cumulative totals
Avoid it when
- Several series overlap: the washes obscure each other
Display modes
- Default
- Paying subscribers over two years.
- Animated
- Fills the area month by month so growth is felt as accumulation.
- Annotated
- Marks the launches that caused the steps.
Seen in the wild
More in Change over time
Line chart
Shows how a measure changes across an ordered, continuous axis, usually time.
Stacked area chart
Layers several series on top of each other, showing the total over time and how it is composed.
Streamgraph
A stacked area around a wandering centre line, showing the ebb and flow of many categories over time.