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When does the column chart beat the donut for a budget split past 8?

Use the column chart once a budget split passes 8, because the eye can compare lengths faster than angles. The donut still works for a handful of shares of one total. The chooser states that limit before you draw, and the compare page puts the two forms side by side so the switch is visible.

At a glance

What the chooser is forThe chooser answers the budget split before a canvas exists. It tells you to…
What compare addsCompare shows the column chart and the donut as a pair, with the same budget…
Ranking versus shareIf the sentence is “who is larger,” the column chart wins even below 8. If…
Stop before decoration — column-beats-donutA 3D edge or a legend with 8 colors will not rescue a donut that already…

Pick the column chart when the budget split has more than 8 parts or when people must rank them. Keep the donut only for a single total cut into a few shares. Open the chooser to see the avoid note, then the compare page if you still want both drawings.

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Pick the column chart when the budget split has more than 8 parts or when people must rank them. Keep the donut only for a single total cut into a few shares. Open the chooser to see the avoid note, then the compare page if you still want both drawings.

What the chooser is for

The chooser answers the budget split before a canvas exists. It tells you to prefer the column chart once you pass 8, and it names the donut as the form to avoid when the count gets large.

What compare adds

Compare shows the column chart and the donut as a pair, with the same budget split in mind. Use it when a colleague still wants the familiar donut after the chooser already said 8 is too many.

Ranking versus share

If the sentence is “who is larger,” the column chart wins even below 8. If the sentence is “how the whole splits,” a donut can stay, but only while the parts stay few and labeled.

Stop before decoration — column-beats-donut

A 3D edge or a legend with 8 colors will not rescue a donut that already failed the count. Change the form to the column chart first, then open the studio.

This page chooses a column chart or a donut for a budget split around 8. It does not draw the chart and it does not change how the studio sanitizes a shape.

Questions

Is 8 a hard stop for the donut?
Treat 8 as the point where a budget split becomes safer as a column chart. A smaller donut can remain if every share is labeled and the total is the story.
Should I open the studio before the chooser?
No. The chooser picks the column chart or the donut for the budget split. The studio draws the winner. Starting on a blank canvas past 8 often redraws the weaker form.
Where do I see both forms of the budget split?
On the compare page. The chooser is the rule; compare is the pair. Neither one replaces a 8-part check of your own table.

Open the chart chooser · Compare chart forms

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