Radar Chart

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Radar Chart

A radar chart, also known as a spider or web chart, plots multivariate data on a series of axes radiating from a central point - one axis per variable. Data values are plotted along each axis and connected to form a polygon, making it easy to see the overall “shape” of a profile at a glance.

Radar charts excel at comparing performance or characteristics across multiple dimensions simultaneously.

Site Earnings | InstaCharts
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Site Earnings
Chart with 4 data series.
Earnings by site, for the first week of January
The chart has 1 X axis displaying categories.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Data ranges from 482.62999999999994 to 23193.080000000005.
Use them to comparenumeric features amongitems in a groupRadar ChartsCompares total earningsby site by dayThis chartClick an item in thelegend to show & hide itspiece from the chartInteractive LegendAdd unlimited annotations toyour chart under the left sidepanel "Annotate"Annotations
End of interactive chart.

An example of an embedded radar chart

Creating an Effective Radar Chart

Recommended data types for each axis:

  • X-Axis Categorical data (each category becomes one spoke of the radar)
  • Y-Axis Numerical values
  • Breakdown Axis Categorical data (each unique value becomes a separate polygon)

Description

  • Spokes - equi-angular axes radiating from the center; each spoke represents one variable
  • Polygons - values along the spokes are connected to form a shape; a larger, rounder polygon indicates uniformly high values
  • Center - represents the minimum or zero value; outer ring represents the maximum
  • Colors - when multiple series are plotted, each polygon uses a distinct color with semi-transparent fill
  • Legend - maps each color to its corresponding series

Ideal Data for Radar Charts

Radar charts work best when your data has:

  • 3–10 variables - fewer than 3 variables doesn’t benefit from the radial layout; more than 10 spokes becomes crowded
  • Comparable scales - variables should be on similar scales or normalized so no single spoke dominates visually
  • Related metrics - the dimensions should belong to the same conceptual group (e.g., skill categories, product attributes)

When to Use a Radar Chart

  • Performance profiles - compare strengths and weaknesses across multiple attributes for one or more subjects
  • Skill assessments - visualize competency scores across different areas for a person or team
  • Product comparisons - contrast specifications or feature ratings across multiple products
  • Before/after comparisons - overlay two polygons to show how performance changed across all dimensions

When to Avoid a Radar Chart

  • Precise value comparisons - angular area is hard to read accurately; use a bar chart when exact differences matter
  • More than 2–3 series - overlapping polygons become indistinguishable with many series
  • Variables on very different scales - without normalization, one spoke will overwhelm the rest and distort the shape
  • Ordered or time-series data - use a line chart when the X-axis has a meaningful sequence