How to Compare Two Charts in Excel

Comparing two sets of data in Excel is essential for spotting trends, identifying relationships, and telling a clear story with your numbers. This guide will walk you through a few practical methods for comparing two charts in Excel, from simple side-by-side visuals to more advanced combination charts.

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Before You Begin: Organize Your Data

Clean, well-structured data is the foundation of any good chart. Before you start building visualizations, take a moment to ensure your data is set up for success. A little prep work makes the entire process smoother and your comparisons much clearer.

For example, if you want to compare monthly sales revenue against ad spend, your table should look something like this:

| Month    | Sales Revenue | Ad Spend |
|----------|---------------|----------|
| January  | $52,000       | $5,000   |
| February | $58,000       | $5,500   |
| March    | $65,000       | $6,200   |
| April    | $71,000       | $6,000   |
| May      | $68,000       | $6,800   |
| June     | $75,000       | $7,200   |

Here are a few quick tips for data organization:

• Use Clear Headers: Give each column a distinct and descriptive name (e.g., "Month," "Sales Revenue," "Website Traffic"). This makes selecting data and understanding your charts easier.
• Keep Data Contiguous: Try to keep your data table in a single block without any empty rows or columns breaking it up. This helps Excel automatically recognize the data range.
• Ensure Consistency: Make sure the labels you want to compare are in a shared column. For instance, both datasets you're comparing should share the same timeline (e.g., the "Month" column).

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Method 1: A Simple Side-by-Side Comparison

The most straightforward method for comparing two charts is to place them next to each other. This approach works best when you want to highlight trends in two separate but related datasets without overlaying them. For example, comparing sales performance in two different regions.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Let's say you have sales data for Region A and Region B in separate tables.

1. Create the First Chart: Highlight the data for your first dataset (e.g., the months and sales for Region A). Go to the Insert tab on the Ribbon, find the Charts group, and select your desired chart type, like a Line or Column chart.
2. Create the Second Chart: Repeat the process for your second dataset (Region B). You'll now have two separate charts on your worksheet.
3. Position the Charts: Simply click and drag each chart to position them side-by-side. You can resize them by dragging the corners to make them the same size. For perfect alignment, hold the Alt key while moving or resizing a chart to snap it to the worksheet's gridlines.

Tips for Side-by-Side Comparison

• Synchronize the Axes: For an accurate comparison, make sure the vertical (Y-axis) on both charts uses the same scale. To do this, double-click the axis on one chart to open the "Format Axis" pane. Note the Bounds (Minimum and Maximum values). Then, click the axis on the second chart and manually set its Bounds to match the first.
• Use a Consistent Color Scheme: If "Region A" is blue in one chart, consider using a similar color scheme in your presentation for consistency.

This method is simple and effective for a high-level overview, but for a more direct comparison, you'll want to combine the data into a single chart.

Method 2: Creating a Combo Chart on a Single Axis

Combining two data series into one chart is a powerful way to see how they relate to one another. This method is ideal when both datasets share the same unit of measurement (like dollars, percentages, or units sold). For instance, comparing the sales revenue of two different products over the same time period.

By plotting both in a single chart, you can instantly see periods where one outperforms the other.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Select All Your Data: Highlight the entire data range, including the shared axis labels (e.g., "Month") and both data series you want to compare (e.g., "Product A Sales" and "Product B Sales").
2. Go to Insert > Chart: Navigate to the Insert tab on the Ribbon. A great starting point is the Recommended Charts button. Excel will often suggest a line or column chart that compares the two series.
3. Choose Your Chart Type: If the recommended charts aren't quite right, you can select a specific chart type. A Line Chart is excellent for showing trends over time, while a Clustered Column Chart is effective for comparing discrete values at specific points.
4. Format and Refine: Once your chart is created, you can customize it. Add a clear title (e.g., "Product A vs. Product B Monthly Sales"), ensure the legend is enabled, and adjust the colors to enhance readability.

This approach gives you one unified visual, making a direct comparison much easier than looking back and forth between two separate charts.

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Method 3: Comparing Charts with a Secondary Axis

What if you want to compare two data series that have entirely different scales or units? For example, comparing Website Traffic (in thousands of visitors) and Sales Revenue (in dollars). Plotting both on the same Y-axis would render one data series nearly flat and unreadable.

The solution is a Secondary Axis. This creates a second vertical axis on the right side of the chart, allowing each data series to have its own independent scale.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Using our initial example of comparing Sales Revenue and Ad Spend, let's create a combo chart with a secondary axis.

1. Select the Data: Highlight your range of data that includes the Months, Sales Revenue, and Ad Spend.
2. Insert a Combo Chart: Go to the Insert tab, click the tiny Insert Combo Chart icon (a mix of a column and line chart), and select Create Custom Combo Chart from the dropdown menu.
3. Configure the Chart Series: A dialog box will appear showing your data series ("Sales Revenue" and "Ad Spend"). For each series, you can choose a chart type. It’s a common practice to make one a Clustered Column and the other a Line. This visual distinction makes the chart much easier to read.
4. Add the Secondary Axis: This is the key step. For the data series that needs a different scale (in our example, either one could work, but let's put Ad Spend on the secondary axis), check the Secondary Axis box next to its name.
5. Click OK: Excel will generate a chart with Sales Revenue (as columns) plotted against the left vertical axis and Ad Spend (as a line) plotted against the right vertical axis.

You now have an incredibly useful chart that shows the relationship between two different types of data. You can easily see if an increase in ad spend correlates with a rise in sales revenue in a way that wouldn't be possible with a single axis.

*Pro tip: Always label your axes clearly. Click your chart, go to the Chart Design tab, click Add Chart Element > Axis Titles, and add titles for both the "Primary Vertical" and "Secondary Vertical" axes so viewers know which line corresponds to which scale.

Method 4: Manually Overlaying Charts (A Creative Workaround)

Sometimes, you just need a quick visual overlay without the formal structure of a combo chart. This method involves making one chart transparent and placing it directly over another. It's a bit of a trick, but it can be useful in specific situations, like creating a custom infographic.

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How to Do it

1. Create Your Two Charts: Following the steps in Method 1, create two separate charts.
2. Make One Chart Transparent: Click on the first chart you want to use as the overlay. Right-click the chart area (the background, not a specific element) and select Format Chart Area. In the pane that opens, under the Fill options, select No fill. Under the Border options, select No line.
3. Position the Transparent Chart: The first chart is now effectively invisible except for its data series and axes. Click and drag it directly on top of the second chart. You can adjust the resizing and alignment to get the overlay effect you want.

Note: This is a static method. The charts are not truly linked, and their axes won't update together. It’s best used for aesthetic presentations rather than complex data analysis, but it's a handy trick to have in your back pocket.

Final Thoughts

Comparing charts in Excel doesn't have to be complicated. Whether you need a simple side-by-side view, a blended chart with one axis, or a more advanced comparison with a secondary axis, Excel provides flexible tools to help you visualize the relationships in your data. Choosing the right method depends on your data and the story you're trying to tell.

When the manual process of organizing data and building comparison charts in spreadsheets starts to feel too slow, we've found that a more intuitive approach can make all the difference. At Graphed, we designed a tool that lets you connect all your data sources (like Google Analytics, Shopify, or Salesforce) in one place. Then, you can just ask questions in plain English like, "Compare traffic vs. revenue for last quarter as a combo chart," and get a live, interactive dashboard built for you automatically - no more configuring secondary axes or wrestling with formatting options.