
Flourish - Detailed Review
Design Tools

Flourish - Product Overview
Flourish Overview
Flourish, available at https://flourish.studio, is a powerful tool in the design tools and data visualization category that specializes in transforming data into engaging and interactive stories.Primary Function
Flourish is primarily used for creating stunning charts, maps, and interactive content that help users communicate complex data in an engaging and accessible way. It allows users to turn raw data into interactive visualizations without requiring any coding skills.Target Audience
Flourish is trusted by a wide range of users, including data analysts, journalists, marketers, and anyone who needs to present data in a compelling manner. It is particularly popular among organizations that need to reach large audiences, such as media outlets and financial institutions.Key Features
No-Code Creation
Flourish offers a template-based system and an intuitive user interface, making it easy for users to create professional-grade visuals without any coding knowledge.Interactive Visualizations
Users can create a variety of interactive visualizations, including line charts, bar charts, pie charts, and more advanced graphics like bar chart races, chord diagrams, and Sankey diagrams. These visuals can be animated and are fully interactive, allowing audiences to explore the data in detail.Storytelling Capabilities
Flourish is uniquely designed to facilitate narrative visualizations, such as scrollytelling, interactive presentations, and audio-driven stories. This helps users to tell stories with their data in a more engaging and immersive way.Flexibility and Customization
The platform offers a wide range of templates and customization options. The Flourish SDK allows developers to create custom templates without limitations on functionality or design.Publishability
Visualizations created on Flourish can be seamlessly shared and embedded across various platforms, including websites, presentations, and social media. These visuals are optimized for mobile viewing and adapt beautifully to any screen.Collaboration and Brand Consistency
Flourish simplifies collaboration among team members and ensures that visuals stay polished and on-brand. Advanced sharing and customization options enable teams to work confidently and maintain brand consistency.Conclusion
Overall, Flourish is an excellent tool for anyone looking to transform data into engaging, interactive, and easily shareable visual stories.
Flourish - User Interface and Experience
User Interface Overview
The user interface of Flourish is crafted to be intuitive and user-friendly, making it accessible to a wide range of users, particularly those without coding skills.Ease of Use
Flourish is remarkably easy to use. Users start by selecting from a wide variety of pre-formatted chart types and templates, which serve as starting points for their visualizations. This approach eliminates the need for coding, allowing users to focus on selecting the appropriate chart type and inputting their data based on the demo data provided.Template Selection and Customization
The software features a template browser where users can browse and select templates for various types of visualizations, including line graphs, bar charts, maps, sliders, timelines, word clouds, and more. These templates come with sample data that users can replace with their own, making the process straightforward.Design Customization
Flourish offers extensive design customization options. Users can adjust fonts, colors, and sizes to align with their brand guidelines. While the software prevents most bad design choices by limiting certain adjustments (like spacing between elements), it still provides ample flexibility to customize the visualizations to meet most design needs.Workflow
The workflow in Flourish is simple and linear. Users select a template, replace the sample data with their own, configure the graphic as needed, and then publish or export the visualization. This process is supported by a user-friendly interface that makes each step clear and manageable.Interactive and Mobile-Friendly
Flourish allows users to create interactive and mobile-friendly graphics, which can be embedded on websites or exported as SVG files. This makes the visualizations versatile and suitable for various platforms.User Experience
The overall user experience is positive due to the software’s intuitive nature. Users have reported that Flourish is easy to pick up quickly, even for those who are not familiar with data visualization tools. However, it may be less comfortable for users who prefer step-by-step instructions or the control of coding their own visualizations.Additional Features
Flourish also supports the creation of “stories,” which are combinations of multiple visualizations. This feature is particularly useful for presenting complex data in a cohesive and engaging manner. Additionally, the free version allows users to publish and share visualizations publicly, although paid versions offer more privacy and hosting options.Conclusion
In summary, Flourish’s user interface is designed to be easy to use, highly customizable, and supportive of a wide range of data visualization needs, making it an excellent tool for both beginners and experienced users.
Flourish - Key Features and Functionality
Flourish Studio Overview
Flourish Studio is a versatile and user-friendly data visualization and storytelling tool that offers a wide range of features and functionalities, making it an excellent choice for creating interactive and engaging visual content. Here are the main features and how they work:Data Import and Integration
Flourish allows users to import data from various sources, including Excel, CSV, and Google Sheets. You can also connect to live data feeds or integrate with the API for dynamic data updates. This flexibility enables you to keep your visualizations up-to-date with the latest information.Variety of Visualization Types
Flourish supports a diverse array of visualization types, such as bar charts, line graphs, maps, network diagrams, sliders, timelines, word clouds, and quizzes. This variety makes it suitable for a range of projects and ensures you can find the right type of visualization to convey your data effectively.Customization Options
The tool offers extensive design customization options, including fonts, colors, and sizes. While it prevents most bad design choices by limiting certain adjustments (like spacing between elements), it still allows you to align your designs with your brand guidelines. This balance ensures that your visualizations look professional and consistent.Interactive Storytelling
Flourish is uniquely designed for narrative visualizations, such as scrollytelling, interactive presentations, and audio-driven stories. This feature helps present data in a story format, making the information more engaging and easier to comprehend.Interactivity
Users can interact with the graphs and maps created in Flourish by clicking on data points for more detailed information. This interactivity enhances user engagement and provides a deeper understanding of the data being presented.Easy Sharing and Integration
Visualizations can be easily embedded into websites or shared on social media and other platforms. All outputs are optimized for mobile viewing and can be served inside iframes for security and practical reasons.Collaboration and Editor Workflows
Flourish offers easy collaboration features and editor workflows, allowing seamless teamwork and control over your visualizations and stories. This makes it easier to work with others in real-time and manage multiple projects efficiently.Developer SDK and API
The Flourish SDK and API provide unlimited flexibility for developers. You can create custom templates without limitations on functionality or design, connect visualizations to databases or live data feeds, and control visualizations based on inputs on your webpage. This allows for dynamic creation and editing of visualizations within your own environment.Integration with Other Tools
Although the resources provided do not detail AI-specific integrations, Flourish has become part of the Canva family, allowing you to import Flourish visualizations into any Canva project. This integration enhances the versatility of your visual content creation.Conclusion
In summary, Flourish Studio combines a user-friendly interface with advanced features for data visualization and storytelling, making it a powerful tool for creating engaging and interactive content without requiring coding or software installation.
Flourish - Performance and Accuracy
Evaluating Flourish: Performance and Accuracy
Variety and Customization
Flourish offers a wide range of chart types and design customization options, which is a significant advantage. Users can choose from dozens of different visualization types, including maps, sliders, timelines, word clouds, and traditional charts like line graphs and bar charts. The software also allows for customization of fonts, colors, and sizes, making it easy to align designs with brand guidelines.Ease of Use
Flourish is generally easy to use, especially for those who have a clear idea of what they want to create. The interface is user-friendly, and selecting the appropriate chart type and inputting data is straightforward. However, this ease of use can sometimes limit its utility for exploratory data analysis, as it is more geared towards presenting data rather than exploring it.Limitations in Adaptability
One of the notable limitations of Flourish is its adaptability to specific needs. While the tool offers many chart types, there can be discrepancies that make certain data displays seem possible but are actually impossible to achieve. This can force users to pivot to other chart types, which might not perfectly fit their narrative.Front-End Focus and Design Constraints
Flourish, now part of Canva, has a heavy front-end focus that makes design choices straightforward but lacks the versatility of more advanced design software like Illustrator or Photoshop. This focus on simplicity and ease of use can limit control and specificity in design, which might be a drawback for some users.Specific Challenges
Maps, in particular, can be difficult to work with in Flourish. Despite the variety of visualization options, some users find that creating and customizing maps is more challenging compared to other types of charts.Accuracy and Factual Integrity
While Flourish is good at presenting data accurately once the data is input correctly, the tool’s limitations in adapting to specific needs can sometimes lead to inaccuracies or misrepresentations if the chosen chart type does not perfectly fit the data. However, this is more a function of the tool’s design constraints rather than a lack of factual accuracy in the data itself.Conclusion
In summary, Flourish performs well in terms of ease of use and customization options, but it has limitations in adaptability and specificity, particularly with more complex visualizations like maps. Ensuring engagement and factual accuracy requires careful selection of the appropriate chart types and a clear understanding of what Flourish can and cannot do.
Flourish - Pricing and Plans
Flourish Pricing Overview
Flourish, a data visualization platform, offers a structured pricing plan with various tiers to cater to different user needs. Here’s a breakdown of their pricing structure and the features associated with each plan:
Free Plan
- Flourish provides a free plan that is quite comprehensive, making it suitable for students, teachers, freelancers, and those just starting with data visualization.
- Features include:
- Unlimited access to many Flourish features.
- Private data; projects remain private until published.
- Duplicable projects; you can choose whether others can duplicate your visualizations.
- Unlimited visualizations; no limit on the number of projects you can create and publish.
- Access to almost all Flourish resources, such as webinars and help pages.
- Over 150 free templates, including animated bar chart races, line chart races, gauge charts, scatter charts, and more.
Personal Plan
- This plan is priced at $55 per month.
- It includes all the features from the free plan, but with additional capabilities that are not specified in detail. For precise features, it is recommended to check the official pricing page.
Business Plan
- The Business plan costs $4,000 per year, billed yearly.
- Features include:
- Team collaboration tools; users within the same company can see, duplicate, and edit colleagues’ visualizations.
- Approval workflows; control publishing or add editorial sign-off.
- Custom themes; apply your company branding to all visualizations.
- Access to premium templates.
- Scrollytelling; create rich interactive articles.
- Live data visualization; point to a web-accessible CSV file instead of manually uploading data.
- Password-protected projects; share unpublished projects with other members of your organization.
Publisher Plan
- This plan is priced at $999 per month for 10 users.
- Features include:
- All features from the Business plan.
- Hosting embeds on your servers.
- Access to live data from Google Sheets.
- Custom themes with one color palette and a Google font.
- Password-protected visualizations.
- Scrollytelling.
Enterprise Plan
- The cost of the Enterprise plan is not publicly listed.
- Features include:
- All features from the Publisher plan.
- Bespoke themes with custom fonts and additional design elements.
- Hosted fonts and additional design elements.
- Analytics connector that syncs with a company’s existing analytics system.
- Priority account and project support.
- Enhanced security features.
- Access to the developer SDK.
Additional Notes
- Flourish does not offer a free trial but provides live demos, help documents, and access to their Flourish Hub for a preview of the platform.
- The plans are subject to a 12-month commitment, with the option to pay monthly. Cancellation before the end of the term incurs a charge of 75% of the remainder of the subscription.
For the most current and detailed information, it is recommended to visit Flourish’s official pricing page or contact their support team.

Flourish - Integration and Compatibility
Flourish Overview
Flourish, a powerful data visualization platform, integrates seamlessly with a variety of tools and is compatible across multiple platforms and devices, making it a versatile choice for data storytelling.
Integrations with Other Tools
Flourish has several deep integrations that enhance its functionality and ease of use. For instance, it integrates well with Canva, allowing users to import Flourish visualizations into Canva projects. This integration enables users to combine Canva templates with Flourish graphics, resize charts, and create presentations and social media posts efficiently. Users need both Flourish and Canva accounts to leverage this integration.
In addition to Canva, Flourish has integrations with various other tools, particularly in the financial and advisory sectors. It integrates with Salesforce, allowing advisors to send invitations and enhance visibility of clients’ held-away cash. Other integrations include Addepar, RightCapital, Redtail, Wealthbox, Orion, and eMoney, which facilitate data connections, client application pre-filling, and cash optimization opportunities.
Compatibility Across Platforms and Devices
Flourish is a web-based platform, making it accessible on almost any computer running a modern web browser. It is optimized for Google Chrome, although it can be used with other browsers as well.
For mobile devices, Flourish visualizations are fully mobile-friendly. When embedded via script embeds, these visualizations resize according to the device’s width, ensuring they look great on all screens.
Embedding Options
Flourish provides several embed options to ensure compatibility with various Content Management Systems (CMS). Users can choose from responsive script embeds, AMP iframes, and traditional iframes. The script embed option is recommended as it offers fully responsive embedded content, but iframes and oEmbed are also available for CMS systems that do not support script embeds.
Accessibility and Customization
Flourish is committed to accessibility, with all visualizations coming with screen-reader settings and options for creating color-blind-friendly palettes and accessible font sizes. The platform is also focusing on making all templates keyboard accessible.
The Flourish SDK allows developers to create custom templates without limitations on functionality or design, providing a high degree of customization. This flexibility is further enhanced by the Flourish API, available to Enterprise users, which allows for dynamic creation and editing of visualizations, connection to databases or live data feeds, and more.
Hardware and Network Compatibility
For users requiring specific hardware integrations, particularly in industries like retail or cannabis dispensaries, Flourish has recommendations and partnerships. For example, it supports hardware like receipt printers, label printers, and scales on systems running Windows 10 and 11. There are also partnerships with companies like PLS for hardware and IT support tailored to the cannabis industry.
Conclusion
In summary, Flourish offers extensive integration capabilities with various tools, strong compatibility across different platforms and devices, and a range of embedding and customization options, making it a highly versatile and user-friendly data visualization platform.

Flourish - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support Options
- Email Support: You can reach out to the support team directly via email at
support@flourish.studio
. This is a straightforward way to ask questions, report issues, or seek assistance. - Contact Form: While the specific website does not detail a contact form, you can use the email address provided to initiate contact.
- General Inquiries: For any questions or comments about privacy practices or the Privacy Policy, you can also use the
support@flourish.studio
email address.
Additional Resources
- Privacy Policy and Data Rights: The website provides a comprehensive Privacy Policy that outlines how your personal information is collected, used, and protected. This includes details on your rights to request, rectify, or erase your personal data.
- Settings and Account Management: Users can manage their account settings, including updating their email address or other information, directly within the Flourish app on the Settings page.
General Support Guidelines
While the specific support options for Flourish’s Design Tools are somewhat limited in the provided sources, it is clear that the primary method of contact is through email. For more detailed support, such as troubleshooting or technical issues, it might be necessary to refer to any user guides or FAQs that may be available on the Flourish website, although these are not explicitly mentioned in the sources.
If you need more specific technical support or have detailed questions about the product, it would be best to reach out via the provided email address and explain your needs clearly.

Flourish - Pros and Cons
Advantages of Flourish
Flourish offers several significant advantages that make it a popular choice for data visualization and storytelling:Ease of Use
Flourish is highly user-friendly, requiring no specific technical skills or coding knowledge. Its template-based system and intuitive interface make it easy for anyone to start creating visualizations quickly.Diverse Visualization Options
The platform supports a wide range of visualization types, including bar charts, line graphs, maps, network diagrams, word clouds, quizzes, and more. This variety allows users to choose the best visualization for their data.Customization
Flourish provides extensive customization options, such as choosing fonts, colors, and layouts, which helps users align their visualizations with their brand’s style. However, it also prevents most bad design choices by limiting certain adjustments, like spacing between elements.Interactivity
The platform allows users to create interactive graphics and maps, enabling viewers to click on data points for more information. This interactivity enhances engagement and makes the data more accessible.Storytelling Capabilities
Flourish is uniquely designed for narrative visualizations, including scrollytelling, interactive presentations, and audio-driven stories. This feature makes data more understandable and engaging by presenting it in a story format.Easy Sharing and Integration
Visualizations can be easily integrated into websites or shared on social media and other platforms. Flourish also supports seamless embedding and presentation options, making it convenient to distribute the visualizations.Developer Flexibility
For developers, Flourish offers the flexibility to create custom templates using tools like D3, WebGL, and vanilla JS. This allows for unlimited customization and functionality.Disadvantages of Flourish
While Flourish has many advantages, there are some limitations and potential drawbacks:Limited Data Exploration
Flourish is not ideal for exploring data before presenting it. It is more suited for creating visualizations once you know what you want to present, which can limit its use in data discovery phases.Adaptability Issues
Sometimes, the chart types provided by Flourish may not fully adapt to specific narrative needs. Users might need to pivot to other chart types if their initial ideas cannot be implemented with the available tools.Front-End Focus
Flourish has a heavy front-end focus, which means it is more geared towards presenting data rather than deep data analysis. For projects requiring detailed mapping or advanced BI features, other tools might be more suitable.Design Restrictions
While Flourish offers many customization options, it also restricts certain design elements to prevent bad designs. This can be limiting for designers who prefer more control over every aspect of their visualizations. Overall, Flourish is an excellent tool for creating engaging, interactive data visualizations and stories, especially for those who do not have coding skills. However, it may not be the best choice for detailed data analysis or projects that require a high degree of customization beyond its built-in options.
Flourish - Comparison with Competitors
Unique Features of Flourish Studio
- Flourish Studio is renowned for its extensive library of flexible templates and custom themes, allowing users to create a wide range of visualizations, from quizzes and carousels to traditional charts like line graphs and bar charts, without needing to code or install software.
- It offers seamless embedding on websites and supports all devices, making it highly versatile for various platforms.
- The tool provides easy collaboration features and editor workflows, which are crucial for teamwork and maintaining control over visualizations and stories.
- Users can upload data from spreadsheets, connect to live sources, or integrate with the API, and even create bespoke templates using the developer SDK.
Potential Alternatives
Miro
Miro is a virtual whiteboard and remote collaboration tool that, while not primarily a data visualization tool, offers strong collaboration features and over 200 pre-made templates. It is more focused on keeping teams in sync and facilitating idea capture and visualization across different geographies and time zones. Miro includes features like comments, chat, screen sharing, and video chat, making it a strong alternative for teams needing robust collaboration tools.
dReveal
dReveal is another alternative that simplifies data visualization and reporting. It allows users to create detailed grids, interactive dashboards, and polished documents using an intuitive builder. dReveal integrates seamlessly into products, providing engaging visualizations and the ability to export reports in various formats. This tool is particularly useful for businesses looking to integrate powerful, scalable reporting solutions directly into their products.
Other AI-Driven Design Tools
Autodesk Dreamcatcher
Although not a direct competitor in data visualization, Autodesk Dreamcatcher is an advanced generative design tool that uses AI to explore design alternatives and optimize for specific constraints and goals. It is more geared towards designers and engineers who need to generate high-performance design solutions, optimize materials, and evaluate performance metrics like strength and durability.
UXPin’s AI Component Creator
This tool, part of UXPin Merge, automates the creation of UI components, significantly speeding up the design and development process. It generates fully functional components that match the design system and code, ready for immediate use by developers. This tool is particularly useful for streamlining designer-developer collaboration and enhancing productivity.
Lummi AI and Adobe Tools
Lummi AI is a design assistant that generates design concepts, provides layout suggestions, and offers creative prompts. It helps designers overcome creative blocks and quickly visualize different design directions. On the other hand, Adobe’s AI tools, such as Adobe Sensei and Adobe Firefly, focus on automating repetitive tasks and generating new content like images and text effects. These tools are integrated into Adobe’s Creative Cloud applications and are valuable for creative professionals looking to automate tasks and generate new content efficiently.
In summary, Flourish Studio stands out with its extensive template library, ease of use, and strong collaboration features. However, depending on specific needs, alternatives like Miro for collaboration, dReveal for integrated reporting, Autodesk Dreamcatcher for generative design, UXPin’s AI Component Creator for UI components, and Adobe’s AI tools for content creation and automation can be highly beneficial. Each tool has unique features that cater to different aspects of the design and visualization process.

Flourish - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about Flourish
What types of visualizations can I create with Flourish?
Flourish offers a wide variety of visualization types, including bar charts, line graphs, maps, network diagrams, word clouds, quizzes, and more. With over 30 different types of charts and maps available, you can create a range of interactive graphics to suit your needs.Is Flourish easy to use?
Yes, Flourish is designed to be user-friendly. It does not require specific technical skills, thanks to its template-based system and intuitive user interface. This makes it accessible to anyone who wants to create data visualizations and stories.Can I customize the design of my visualizations in Flourish?
Absolutely. Flourish provides numerous design customization options, including the ability to change fonts, colors, and sizes. While it prevents some bad design choices, it still allows you to tailor your designs to align with your brand guidelines.How can I share and integrate my visualizations created with Flourish?
You can easily share your visualizations on social media, websites, and other platforms. Flourish also supports seamless embedding into websites, and you can share your projects with others for collaboration. The platform offers sharing and editor approval workflows to facilitate teamwork.Does Flourish offer a free plan?
Yes, Flourish does offer a free plan with limited features. This plan is particularly useful for education and small newsrooms. In addition to the free plan, there are premium plans such as the Personal, Business, and Enterprise plans that offer more features.How do I import data into Flourish?
You can import data into Flourish from various sources, including Excel, CSV, and Google Sheets. Additionally, the Live CSV feature allows you to connect to web-accessible CSV files, which can be hosted on your own server or third-party services, ensuring your visualizations are automatically updated.Is Flourish accessible for users with disabilities?
Flourish is committed to accessibility. All visualizations come with screen-reader settings and text alternatives to visual elements. The platform also supports color-blind-friendly palettes, accessible font sizes, and is working on making all templates keyboard accessible.Can developers create custom templates in Flourish?
Yes, developers can create custom templates using familiar tools like D3, WebGL, and vanilla JS. The Flourish SDK provides the flexibility to build custom templates without limitations on functionality or design.What kind of support and resources does Flourish offer?
Flourish provides various support resources, including monthly webinars, training videos on YouTube, and a blog with learning resources. Additionally, users can access approved agencies or freelancers through the Flourish Experts Network for additional support.Can I use Flourish for data storytelling and presentations?
Yes, Flourish is uniquely designed to facilitate narrative visualizations, such as scrollytelling, interactive presentations, and audio-driven stories. It is particularly useful for creating engaging presentations and interactive content that brings data to life and engages audiences effectively.What are the pricing plans for Flourish?
Flourish offers several pricing plans, including a Free plan for education and small newsrooms, a Personal plan starting at $55 per month, a Business plan at $4,000 per year, and an Enterprise plan with custom features. The exact pricing details for the Enterprise plan need to be obtained directly from Flourish.
Flourish - Conclusion and Recommendation
Final Assessment of Flourish
Flourish is a highly intuitive and user-friendly data visualization tool that stands out in the Design Tools AI-driven product category. Here’s a comprehensive look at its benefits and who would most benefit from using it.Key Features and Benefits
Variety of Visualization Types
Flourish offers a wide range of chart types, including maps, sliders, timelines, word clouds, quizzes, and traditional charts like line graphs and bar charts. This variety makes it versatile for various projects.
Ease of Use
The platform is very easy to use, even for those without coding skills. Users can select chart types and input data using demo data as a guide, making it accessible to a broad audience.
Design Customization
Flourish provides extensive design customization options, including fonts, colors, and sizes, while also preventing bad design choices. This ensures that visualizations align well with brand guidelines.
Interactive and Visual Storytelling
The tool is excellent for creating interactive and visual content, which is increasingly preferred by consumers. It helps in engaging audiences and making data more memorable and understandable.
Collaboration and Sharing
Flourish supports seamless embedding, sharing, and presentation options. It also offers collaborative features like sharing and editor approval workflows, making it ideal for team projects.
Who Would Benefit Most
Non-Technical Users
Individuals without coding skills can greatly benefit from Flourish, as it allows them to create sophisticated data visualizations without any technical expertise.
Businesses and Agencies
Companies looking to enhance their data visualization and storytelling capabilities will find Flourish particularly useful. It supports various sectors, including business, agencies, and newsrooms.
Educators and Small Newsrooms
Flourish offers a free plan for education and small newsrooms, making it an excellent choice for these groups to create engaging and informative visuals.
Recommendation
Flourish is highly recommended for anyone looking to create engaging, interactive, and visually appealing data visualizations without the need for coding. Its user-friendly interface, extensive customization options, and variety of visualization types make it an excellent tool for a wide range of users.
However, if you are working specifically with maps or require more advanced mapping features, you might want to consider specialized mapping software like Google Earth Projects or ArcGIS StoryMaps.
Overall, Flourish is an excellent choice for those who want to communicate data effectively and engagingly, making it a valuable addition to any data visualization toolkit.