Datawrapper
Datawrapper is a Berlin-based software company that provides a web-based tool for creating charts, maps, and tables.
Profile
A web-based tool for creating and publishing charts, maps, and tables without writing code.
Datawrapper is a Berlin-based software company that provides a web-based tool for creating charts, maps, and tables. Founded in 2015 by Mirko Lorenz, Gregor Aisch, and Lisa Charlotte Rost, the company emerged from the data journalism community and remains independently owned. Its product is a single, browser-based application that allows users to design and publish data visualizations without writing code.
The company generates revenue through a freemium model: a free tier with basic features and paid subscriptions for teams, organizations, and enterprises that need custom branding, collaboration, and higher usage limits. Datawrapper does not disclose revenue or headcount publicly. As of mid-2026, the company has not raised outside venture capital; it is bootstrapped and profitable.
Its customer base is concentrated in newsrooms, with notable users including The Economist, Bloomberg, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Der Spiegel, and Texty.org.ua. The company also serves government agencies, NGOs, and corporate communications teams. Datawrapper’s core differentiator is its focus on accessibility and typography: every visualization is designed to be legible and color-blind-friendly by default.
The tool is used to embed interactive graphics into news articles, presentations, and print publications. The company operates a weekly blog, the Data Vis Dispatch, that curates notable data visualizations from around the web, reinforcing its role as a community hub for data journalists. Datawrapper has no known controversies, but its narrow product scope and reliance on the news industry create concentration risk. The company has not publicly discussed any plans to expand into adjacent markets such as business intelligence or analytics.
Who buys this
- Newsrooms and data journalism teams
- Government agencies and public-sector communicators
- NGOs and non-profit organizations
- Corporate communications and marketing teams
- Academic researchers and university press offices
Publicly disclosed clients
- The Economist
- Bloomberg
- The Guardian
- The Wall Street Journal
- The Washington Post
- Der Spiegel
- Texty.org.ua
Strengths and what to watch
Strengths
- Bootstrapped and profitable since inception, with no outside venture capital, giving it independence from investor pressure.
- Strong brand and adoption in the data journalism community, with a weekly curated dispatch that reinforces its role as a trusted resource.
- Default accessibility features (color-blind-friendly palettes, non-overlapping labels) reduce the burden on users to comply with accessibility standards.
Watch for
- Heavy reliance on the news industry, which faces ongoing financial pressures and consolidation; a downturn in newsroom budgets could slow growth.
- Narrow product scope: Datawrapper offers only charts, maps, and tables, with no plans to expand into business intelligence or analytics, limiting its addressable market.
- No disclosed revenue or headcount, making it difficult to assess financial health or growth trajectory; the company has not raised outside funding, which may constrain its ability to scale.
Recent moves
Key Information
- Industry
- Open Source Infra - Visualizations
- Founded
- 2015
- Headquarters
- Berlin, Germany
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Datawrapper?
Datawrapper is a Berlin-based software company that offers a web-based tool for creating charts, maps, and tables without writing code. Founded in 2015, it is bootstrapped, profitable, and popular in newsrooms for embedding interactive graphics into articles.
Is Datawrapper free to use?
Datawrapper operates on a freemium model. A free tier provides basic features, while paid subscriptions for teams, organizations, and enterprises offer custom branding, collaboration, and higher usage limits. The company is bootstrapped and profitable without outside venture capital.
Who uses Datawrapper?
Datawrapper's main customers are newsrooms and data journalism teams, including The Economist, Bloomberg, The Guardian, and The Wall Street Journal. It also serves government agencies, NGOs, corporate communications, and academic researchers for creating accessible data visualizations.
What makes Datawrapper different from other chart tools?
Datawrapper focuses on accessibility and typography by default, with color-blind-friendly palettes and non-overlapping labels. This reduces the burden on users to meet accessibility standards, making it a trusted tool for newsrooms that need legible, embeddable graphics without coding.
What are the strengths of Datawrapper?
Datawrapper is bootstrapped and profitable, giving it independence from investor pressure. It has a strong brand in data journalism, with a weekly curated blog. Its default accessibility features ensure visualizations are legible and color-blind-friendly, simplifying compliance for users.
What are the risks of using Datawrapper?
Datawrapper relies heavily on the news industry, which faces financial pressures that could slow growth. Its narrow product scope—only charts, maps, and tables—limits its addressable market, and it has no plans to expand into business intelligence or analytics.
Sources
- www.datawrapper.de — Product description, features, and export formats.
- www.datawrapper.de — Evidence of weekly curation blog and client examples (The Economist, Bloomberg, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Der Spiegel, Texty.org.ua).
- nysfocus.com — Example of Datawrapper map embedded in a news article (New York Focus).
- www.datawrapper.de — Example of Datawrapper table embedded in a news article (New Jersey school aid data).