Scatter Plot vs. Line Graph: A 2023 Guide

There’s a common misconception that a Line Chart and a Scatter Plot perform the same job due to their similarities in appearance.

Here’s the difference.

A Scatter Plot can help you display the relationship between key variables in your data. The nature of the relationship varies depending on the distribution of dots. Conversely, Line Charts are best-suited in displaying trends and patterns of variables in data.

You can actually leverage both charts to tell a story using your data because they’re incredibly easy to decode and plot.

Google Sheets produces pretty basic and less intuitive Scatter Plot Graphs and Line Charts, which require a lot of customizing. However, the aforementioned does not imply you should do away with the freemium data visualization tool.

You can actually supercharge Google Sheets’ usability by installing a particular third-party add-on to access visually appealing Line and Scatter Plot Charts.

In this blog, you’ll learn the following:

• Scatter Plot vs. Line Graph
• Scatter Plot Definition & Scatter Plot Example
• Line Graph Definition & Line Graph Example
• We’ll address the following question: what is the difference between Scatter Plot and Line Graph?
• Also, we’ll recommend the best add-on to install in your Google Sheets

Scatter Plot vs. Line Graphs in Data Visualization

In this section, we’ll provide definitions and examples of Scatter Plot and Line Graphs to spell out their differences.

Line Graph Definition & Line Graph Examples

Line Graph is a visualization that displays the changes over a specified time.

The chart has two axes: a horizontally-oriented x-axis and a vertical y-axis. The x-axis mainly depicts a dimensional attribute, such as time. Conversely, the vertical axis displays the key metric under study.

The Line Chart is best-suited in displaying patterns and trends present in your data. In other words, you can use it to show whether a particular metric is on an up or downtrend in terms of growth.

What is the difference between Scatter Plot and Line Graph? The aforementioned question is what we’re debunking to clear the confusion surrounding the same.

Keep reading to discover more.

Example To Understand Line Chart

You can use a Line Graph to visualize continuous and categorical data types.

Take a look at the table below to gain an in-depth understanding of Scatter Plot vs. Line Graphs in visualization.

The table below represents data collected from female respondents.

Age (Years)	Height (inches)
8	50
11	57
14	63
18	64

 Can you get the story associated with the data by just looking at the table above?

Let’s use a Line Chart to display insights into the data above.

Note the difference after visualizing the data.

You can easily tell that the height of the research respondents rises with age. In other words, older respondents are taller than their counterparts.

So when should you select a Line Graph as your premier visualization in your data stories?

When to Choose Line Graphs?

Line chart is not for every data but if you have continuous data that you would like to represent through a chart then a line chart is a good option.

Continuous data is data that can take any value. Height, weight, temperature, length etc. are all examples of continuous data. Some continuous data will change over time; the weight of a child in its first year or the temperature in a room throughout the day, a person’s age after certain years.

This chart is best suited to track short and long term changes.  When there are smaller changes, this chart is best to use rather than any other charts. If multiple lines are used, they may be used for comparison purpose as well.

Scatter Plot Definition & Scatter Plot Example

A Scatter Plot (also called x-y Graph) is a visualization design best suited to displaying relationships between key data points. The chart uses dots to reveal the correlation between the variables under study.

Example To Understand Scatter Plot

The Scatter Plot Chart is ideal, especially if your goal is to uncover hidden associations between key variables.

Take a look at the table below.

Is there a correlation between the age and height of the genders understudy?

Gender	Name	Age (Years)	Height (inches)	Weight (lb)
Male	Tom	8	51	50
Male	Tom	11	60	82
Male	Tom	16	68	130
Male	Tom	20	70	148
Male	Jimmy	6	46	60
Male	Jimmy	13	60	108
Male	Jimmy	17	67	147
Male	Jimmy	19	70	154
Female	Samantha	9	50	46
Female	Samantha	14	59	83
Female	Samantha	16	63	117
Female	Samantha	20	65	127
Female	Rhonda	8	53	62
Female	Rhonda	11	62	101
Female	Rhonda	15	63	124
Female	Rhonda	20	64	128

Let’s visualize the tabular data below using a Scatter Plot Visualization.

It’s crystal clear that the height of the two genders (male and female) increases with age. Moreover you can notice that size of the dot is also increased with the time which is representing the weight of the gender.

What is the difference between Scatter Plot and Line Graphs? This question should never bring confusion. Keep reading to learn more.

When to Choose Scatter Charts?

– Random Data Distribution on the X-axis

The Scatter Plot Charts are ideal in situations where you’ve got the random distribution of variables in data.

– Show Correlation from Data

If your goal is to display insights into hidden correlations and associations present in your data, your go-to chart should be a Scatter Plot.

Scatter Plot vs. Line Graph

Like we said, a Scatter Plot vs. Line Graph represents two similar visualization types in appearance but different in tasks.

Graph-A is a Line Chart while Graph-B is a Scatter Plot.

A Line Chart is a visualization design that displays information as data points connected by straight line segments. You can use the chart to extract trend and patterns insights into raw data.

On the other hand, a Scatter Plot Chart uses dots to display associations and correlations present in your raw data. Besides, it uses a line of regression (or the line of best fit) to display the relationship between two sets of varying data.

Take a look at the table below to learn more about the answer to this question: what is the difference between Scatter Plot and Line Graph?

	Line Graph	Scatter Plot
Purpose	A Line Graph displays insights into continuous data over a period The graph uses a line to connect key data points relative to a specified time. A Line Chart is ideal for showing growth rates or trends at even intervals.	A Scatter Plot works best in displaying relationships between varying variables. It’s ideal for displaying correlations and associations. Also, you can use a Scatter Plot Graph in cause-effect analysis for in-depth insights.
Axis	The x-axis depicts dimensional variables, such as years, months, and weeks. The y-axis depicts key metrics present in your data.	Both x and y-axes depict varying metrics, which are mostly numbers.
Plots	Line segments join the key data points.	The line of best fit is drawn in areas where dots are heavily concentrated.
Amount of Data	One of the weaknesses of the Line Chart is the fact that it cannot handle bulky and complex data.	Scatter Plots are best-suited in visualizing bulky and complex data sets.

We hope the table above has addressed the question: what is the difference between Scatter Plot and Line Graph?

The Best Tool to Use to Visualize your Data with Scatter Plot vs. Line Graph

Google Sheets is one of the go-to data visualization tools for business owners and professionals.

However, this freemium spreadsheet tool comes with very basic Line and Scatter Plot Charts. You need to perform a ton of customizations to get Line Charts and Scatter Plots that are in harmony with your data story example.

Well, you don’t have to do away with the spreadsheet app. You can supercharge Google Sheets’ usability by installing a particular add-on called ChartExpo.

Why ChartExpo?

ChartExpo is an add-on you can easily install in your Google Sheets without watching hours of YouTube tutorials or reading a how-to PDF manual.

With 50+ advanced visualizations, ChartExpo turns your complex, raw data into compelling, easy-to-digest, Scatter Plot Graphs or Line Charts that tell the story of your data.

With just a few clicks, ChartExpo produces simple and easy-to-interpret visualization designs. Yes, this tool generates charts that are amazingly easy to interpret, even for non-technical audiences.

With ChartExpo, the Scatter Plot vs. Line Graph confusion is put to rest. The tool is designed to intuitively guide you in distinguishing the role of the two varying visualization designs.

How to make Scatter Plot using ChartExpo?

In this section, we’ll use Scatter Plot to visualize the data shown below.

Let’s get started.

Gender	Name	Age (Years)	Height (inches)	Weight (lb)
Male	Tom	8	51	50
Male	Tom	11	60	82
Male	Tom	16	68	130
Male	Tom	20	70	148
Male	Jimmy	6	46	60
Male	Jimmy	13	60	108
Male	Jimmy	17	67	147
Male	Jimmy	19	70	154
Female	Samantha	9	50	46
Female	Samantha	14	59	83
Female	Samantha	16	63	117
Female	Samantha	20	65	127
Female	Rhonda	8	53	62
Female	Rhonda	11	62	101
Female	Rhonda	15	63	124
Female	Rhonda	20	64	128

• To visualize the data (above) using Scatter Plot, export it into your Google Sheets.
• Click the Search Box and type “Scatter Plot.”
• Select the sheet holding your data and select the Metrics option. Fill in the numerical numbers (in our scenario, we’ll fill in age, height, and weight).

• Select the Dimensions button and fill in the dimensional data (in our example, we’ll use gender and name).

• Finish the simple process by clicking the Create Chart button.

Insights

• The average height is 60.69.
• The average age is 14 years.
• The height of the participants increases with age. In other words, their heights increase as they get older.
• Size of the dot represent the weight, it is also increased with respect to age.
• The majority of the participants fall within the lines of best fit. Tom and Rhonda are the only two outliers at the age around 11 years.

FAQs:

When should you choose Line Graphs?

The Line Graphs work well in situations where data is unevenly distributed along the x-axis. To get reliable insights, use values that change with time on your y-axis.

If your goal is to display patterns and trends of key data points, choose a Line Chart.

When should you choose Scatter Charts?

The Scatter Plot Charts are ideal in situations where you’ve got the random distribution of variables in data.

If your goal is to display insights into hidden correlations and associations present in your data, your go-to visualization design should be a Scatter Plot Chart.

Why should you use a Scatter Graph instead of a Line Graph?

Scatter Plots are highly advisable over Line Chart if you’ve got a bulky and complex data set. These visualization designs are ideal for displaying hidden associations and correlations of key metrics in your raw data. Also, Scatter Plot Charts are amazingly easy to read and interpret.

Wrap Up:

What is the difference between Scatter Plot and Line Graph?

Here’s the difference.

A Scatter Plot can help you display the relationship between key variables in your data. The nature of the aforementioned relationship varies depending on the distribution of dots. Conversely, Line Charts are best suited in displaying trends and patterns of variables in data.

You can use Scatter Plot vs. Line Graph to tell a story using your data because they’re straightforward to decode and plot.

Google Sheets is one of the go-to popular data visualization applications among professionals and business owners worldwide.

However, the visualization tool has pretty basic Scatter Plot Graphs and Line Charts. You have to invest extra effort and time to edit the final charts to align with your needs.

It turns out there’s a specific add-on you can download and install in your Google Sheets to access ready-to-use Scatter Plots and Line Charts.

We recommend you install ChartExpo in your Google Sheets to access ready-made Line and Scatter Graphs.

ChartExpo has both Line and Scatter Plot Graphs, plus 50 other advanced charts, which are visually stunning and easy to interpret. Unlike other tools, you don’t need programming skills to visualize your data using ChartExpo.

Sign up for a 7-day free trial today to access visually appealing and insightful Line and Scatter Plot Graphs in Google Sheets.