- Timeline makers at a glance
- Ten timeline makers worth a look
- Which timeline maker fits the job
- Colour alone can't carry your timeline
- Design template, web timeline or specialist software?
- Six questions before you build a timeline
- Signs your timeline is trying to do too much
- My plain advice on timelines people follow
- Frequently asked questions
A timeline maker turns a list of dates and events into a visual timeline you can print, present or share online. Some are design tools with timeline templates, some build interactive web timelines and some are specialist software for writers, lawyers and project teams. Ten options follow in no particular order.
Timelines explain things that paragraphs can't. A history project, a product launch plan or the plot of a novel all make more sense once you can see what happened when.
The ten tools below cover classrooms, offices, newsrooms and writing desks. They're listed alphabetically and in no particular order, and every description comes from the vendor's own website, read this week. If you already work in slides, my guide on how to make a timeline in Google Slides shows the built-in route first.
Timeline makers at a glance
I checked the free plan column on each tool's own website, as of Oct 2026. Yes means the site says the tool, or a plan or version of it, is free or open source. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it, so check the vendor's page before you sign up.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Express | Online design tool | A designed timeline from a template | Yes |
| Aeon Timeline | Story and case planning software | Novels, legal cases and research | Trial only |
| Lucen Timeline | PowerPoint timeline add-in | Project timelines inside PowerPoint | Not stated |
| Preceden | Online timeline maker with AI | Generating a timeline on any topic | Yes |
| Sutori | Timeline tool for classrooms | Student timelines in Google Classroom | Yes |
| Tiki-Toki | Interactive web timeline maker | Company history timelines on the web | Yes |
| TimelineJS | Open source timeline tool | Turning a spreadsheet into a timeline | Yes |
| Timepath | Storytelling platform for publishers | Embedding timeline stories on a news site | Not stated |
| Timetoast | Online timeline maker | Projects, lessons and life events | Yes |
| Visme | Online design tool with a timeline maker | Timelines inside presentations and reports | Yes |
Ten timeline makers worth a look
Adobe Express
Best for: Anyone who wants a custom timeline built from a template in a browser, next to their social posts and print designs.
Aeon Timeline
Best for: Writers, lawyers and project managers who need to plan plots, case facts or research projects on a detailed timeline.
Lucen Timeline
Best for: Teams that build Gantt charts and project updates in PowerPoint and want the add-in formerly called Office Timeline.
Preceden
Best for: People who want to type a topic and generate a visual timeline with AI, or build one by hand for school or work.
Sutori
Best for: Teachers who want students to build vertical timelines with videos and quizzes, inside Google Classroom or Microsoft 365.
Tiki-Toki
Best for: Organisations and schools that want an interactive timeline, including a 3D view, to share on the web.
TimelineJS
Best for: Journalists and bloggers who'd like to build an interactive timeline from nothing more than a Google spreadsheet.
Timepath
Best for: Newsrooms and publishers that want chronological stories with custom dates and events embedded directly on their own site.
Timetoast
Best for: Anyone planning a project, teaching a lesson or mapping life events who wants an interactive timeline that's easy to share.
Visme
Best for: Marketers and teams who want a timeline sitting alongside presentations, documents, infographics and charts in one design tool.
Which timeline maker fits the job
- A designed timeline from a template: Adobe Express or Visme.
- Plots, legal cases and research: Aeon Timeline.
- Project timelines inside PowerPoint: Lucen Timeline.
- Generating a timeline with AI: Preceden.
- Student work inside Google Classroom: Sutori.
- Interactive company history pages: Tiki-Toki or Timetoast.
- Timeline stories on a news site: Timepath.
- A timeline built from a spreadsheet: TimelineJS.
Colour alone can't carry your timeline
The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative explains that WCAG success criterion 1.4.1 means colour must not be used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response or distinguishing a visual element.
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Timelines break this rule all the time. Phase one is blue, phase two is orange and the legend sits in a corner, so anyone who can't tell those colours apart sees one long, confusing line. The fix takes seconds: write the phase name on each block, or add a pattern or icon as well as the colour. It also helps everyone else, because a labelled timeline reads faster than a colour key.
Design template, web timeline or specialist software?
A design template gives you a good-looking timeline for a slide, poster or report. It's the quickest route when you have ten or fifteen events and a deadline.
A web timeline is interactive. Readers scroll or click through events with photos and video, which suits company history pages, school projects and news stories.
Specialist software handles hundreds of events, overlapping storylines or legal chronologies, and lets you filter and rearrange them. Writers and case teams use it because a simple template can't hold that much detail.
Six questions before you build a timeline
- How many events do you need to show?
- Will people read it on paper, in a slide or on the web?
- Do events overlap, or does one follow another?
- Can you import your dates from a spreadsheet?
- Is each phase labelled as well as colour-coded?
- Who else needs to edit it after you?
Signs your timeline is trying to do too much
- You need a magnifying glass to read it. Cut events.
- The legend is longer than the timeline. Label the blocks instead.
- Two storylines cross constantly. Split them into lanes.
- Nobody can tell what's next. Mark today clearly.
Do you make a timeline maker? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on timelines people follow
Cut your events in half before you design anything. Most timelines fail because they try to show every date, and the three moments that matter get lost among twenty that don't. Pick the turning points, give each one a short label and add detail only where someone would ask a question.
If your timeline is really a project plan, my project timeline spreadsheet template keeps dates and owners in one place.
Frequently asked questions
What is a timeline maker?
It's a tool that turns a list of dates and events into a visual timeline you can print, present or share online.
Are timeline makers free?
Several have a free version or are open source. Others offer a trial. Check the free plan column above, then confirm on each vendor's site.
Can I make a timeline from a spreadsheet?
Yes. Some tools build an interactive timeline straight from a spreadsheet, so you can keep editing the dates in rows.
How do I make a timeline accessible?
Don't rely on colour alone. The W3C guidelines say colour must not be the only way information is shown, so label each phase too.
Which timeline tool suits a novel?
Writers with many characters and storylines usually need specialist timeline software rather than a design template.
Can students make timelines in Google Classroom?
Yes. Some classroom timeline tools work inside Google Classroom and Microsoft 365 so teachers can set and review the work.
