What is a concentric circle chart?

A concentric circle chart (also called an onion diagram) displays values as nested rings, each circle represents a category, and its size is proportional to the value. The outermost ring is the largest value; each inner ring is progressively smaller. It's used to show market sizes, hierarchical comparisons, and part-of-whole relationships.

What is an onion diagram used for?

Onion diagrams are most effective for showing nested market sizes (TAM/SAM/SOM), population comparisons, or layered hierarchies where each inner ring represents a subset of the outer. They're popular in investor decks, strategic presentations, and reports where you want to show how a smaller number sits inside a larger context.

How many rings should a concentric circle chart have?

Three to five rings is ideal. Two rings work well for simple comparisons. Beyond five, rings become too narrow to read clearly. Consider a bar chart for more than five values.

Can I import data from Excel or Google Sheets?

Yes. Copy your data and paste it into the editor. Format: one column for labels, one column for values. AECharts scales the circles automatically.

What is the difference between a concentric circle chart and a bubble chart?

Bubble charts position circles on an X/Y axis to encode three variables (x position, y position, size). Concentric circle charts nest all circles at the same center, the only encoded variable is size. Use concentric circles when you want to show a simple nested hierarchy, not correlations between multiple variables.

What is the difference between a concentric circle chart and a pie chart?

Pie charts divide a single circle into slices, all values must add up to 100%. Concentric circles can show values that don't sum to a whole, like independent market sizes (TAM, SAM, SOM) where each is a subset of the previous but you're not partitioning a fixed total.

What export formats are available?

Every chart exports ready to use in PowerPoint or Google Slides, or as an image for reports.

Can I customize the colors?

Yes. Each ring has its own fill color, fully customizable. Use a monochromatic palette (same hue, varying opacity) for a clean look, or use distinct colors to differentiate categories.

Do I need design skills?

No. AECharts handles layout and proportions automatically. Paste your data, adjust colors if needed, and export. Most users are done in under a minute.

Is there a free plan?

Yes. AECharts is free to start, exports on the free plan include a watermark. The paid plan removes it, starting at $12/month billed annually. No credit card required to start.

Concentric Circle Chart Maker, Create Onion Diagrams Online for Free

Visualize nested hierarchies, TAM/SAM/SOM, population layers, market hierarchies. Paste your data, customize colors, and export and use in PowerPoint or Google Slides. Free to start.

Everything You Need to Build Concentric Circle Charts

Automatic Scaling: Enter your values and AECharts sizes each ring proportionally. No manual math, just paste your data.
Custom Ring Colors: Each ring has its own fill color. Use a monochromatic palette or distinct colors per category to match your brand.
Export Straight to PowerPoint: Export and drop it directly into PowerPoint, Google Slides, or reports.
Value Labels: Display formatted values inside each ring with prefix/suffix support: $44B, 2.4M users, 68%. Full control over font and size.
Automatic Layout: Rings are sized and spaced automatically based on your values, so the hierarchy reads clearly without manual adjustment.
No Design Skills Needed: Templates handle layout, sizing, and spacing automatically. Paste your data and export, most users finish in under a minute.

When to Use a Concentric Circle Chart

Concentric circle charts work best when each value is a subset of the one outside it, or when you want to show the relative scale of multiple independent numbers side by side.

TAM / SAM / SOM: The classic use case. Total addressable market wraps around serviceable addressable market, which wraps around serviceable obtainable market. The nested structure makes the hierarchy self-evident.
Market Size Comparisons: Show your market vs. a competitor, or your product category vs. the industry. The difference in ring size conveys scale without needing a bar chart axis.
Population Layers: Total users to active users to paying users to power users. Each inner ring is a subset of the outer. The visual makes retention and conversion immediately obvious.
Funding Milestones: Seed, Series A, Series B, current valuation. Show how funding rounds stack inside the total company value to date.
Revenue vs. Industry: Your revenue inside your segment, inside the broader category, inside the total industry. Useful for investor updates and competitive positioning slides.
Hierarchical Budgets: Total budget, department budget, team budget, project allocation. Concentric rings show the chain without a complex tree diagram.

Concentric Circle Chart vs Pie Chart vs Bubble Chart

Three circular chart types, each suited to different data.

Concentric Circle

Best for: Nested subsets, TAM/SAM/SOM, population layers, hierarchical budgets.
Strength: Shows "this number lives inside that number" without requiring values to sum to 100%.
Use when: You have 3–5 values in a clear hierarchy.

Pie Chart

Best for: Part-of-whole breakdowns where all slices sum to 100%.
Strength: Familiar format. Good for 3–6 categories that partition a total.
Use when: Budget allocation, survey results, market share among known competitors.

Bubble Chart

Best for: Three-variable data, X axis, Y axis, and bubble size.
Strength: Encodes more dimensions per data point. Good for scatter-style analysis.
Use when: Comparing entities on two metrics while also showing their scale.

How to Create a Concentric Circle Chart

Open the editor. Click 'Start Creating' to open AECharts with a concentric circle template ready to go.
Enter your data. Add your labels and values, one row per ring. AECharts scales circles from largest (outermost) to smallest (innermost) automatically.
Customize colors and style. Assign a fill color to each ring. Adjust fonts and background to match your brand.
Export. Export and drop it directly into PowerPoint, Google Slides, or reports.

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