Best Free Timeline Creation Tools
Timelines are an inarguably powerful visual tool that is widely used for educational purposes. You can use it to put emphasis on important aspects of a work process, explain it or present progress stages chronologically. Teachers often reap the benefits of timeline integration in their lessons. Timelines add to a lesson’s interactivity and enable teachers to showcase how a concept has changed over time. So, let’s take a closer look at some of the best free timeline creation tools out there.
1. Office Timeline
One of the most professional looking free timeline creation tools on the Internet that you can also use to produce milestones and Gannt charts.
- MS Powerpoint Integration
With its Powerpoint built-in feature it enables you to craft timelines and directly incorporate them into your Powerpoint slides. - File Import From Other Platforms
Office Timeline allows you to import files from Excel or Project Management tools like Microsoft Project, if you pay for a premium subscription. - Customization
It offers great space for customization and full modification of your designs to localize them for any audience.
Features And Plans
- Free Download Available & 1 Premium Option
Although it might seem odd for such a professional looking platform, it does come with a free version available for download. However, for $49 per year for individuals and $59 per year for businesses you get the Plus Edition. Features include import & sync from Excel, pre-built templates and various milestone and task shapes.
2. Sutori
When we are talking about free timeline creation tools that make use of pictures and videos to produce powerful storytelling this is the king of kings.
- Great Combination Of Text And Pictures
Particularly useful in the presentation of historical data or the succession of a series of events describing a specific era. - Social Media Sharing
Craft great timelines and share them directly with your network of friends on various social media such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Google Plus. - Audio And Video Embedding
Sutori allows users to include audio and video files in their timelines for a more engaging and interactive experience.
Features And Plans
- Customization Features
You can contact the company directly and find out how you can customize various features to cater to the educational needs of your lessons and what pricing options you have.
3. MyHistro
One of the most innovative free timeline creation tools that can be used as a map creation platform. MyHistro could be also used for online training purposes. An example could be recently hired employees that need to be trained about the company’s history and vision for the future.
- Storytelling At Its Best
Not only can you include pictures, videos and text, but you can also specify their location on google maps and take storytelling to the next level. - Easy Social Media Sharing
Using MyHistro you are one click away from sharing all your meticulously put together timelines with your social media network on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. - iPhone Application Available
Busy iPhone users are also able to use MyHistro to create timelines on the go.
Features And Plans
- No Premium Subscriptions
You get to use all of MyHistro's great features for free.
4. OurStory
OurStory is mostly targeted towards personal use. However, this is one of the most functional free timeline creation tools that can certainly get the job done for teachers, if they are not in need of something too fancy.
- Interactivity And Social Media Sharing
Users can interact in the comments section or share their creations on social media networks. - Media-Rich
Text, images, video comprise timelines that are interesting, descriptive and engaging. - Collaborative Timelines
Tag other people and go beyond personal timelines into making collaborative stories.
Features And Plans
- No Premium Subscriptions
Incorporate timelines into your lessons completely free of charge.
5. SmartDraw
Cnet gave this timeline maker a 5-star rating and with good reason. This is definitely one of the most efficient free timeline creation tools to be considered by teachers.
- Ready-Made Templates
Great abundance in template variety to suit your students’ needs. - Automatic Formatting
SmartDraw automatically realigns events every time you make changes to your timelines. All you have to do is provide the information. - Both Download And Online Editions
If you’re a Windows user you can download the platform on your PC for ease of use. However, there is an online edition for use on computers and tablet devices as well. - Timeline Export To MS Office Platforms
With just one click you can integrate your timelines into MS Word or Powerpoint.
Features And Plans
- Free 7-Day Trial And 3 Premium Subscriptions
With Smart Draw’s free 7-day trial you can see what all the fuss is about completely free of charge. The Standard package gets you a Cloud service and 40+ visuals for $197 per year. The Business package offers an additional 70+ business visuals for $297 per year. For $497 per year you can purchase the Enterprise package that offers all the previous features along with Project Management tools and Sharepoint integration.
6. Twitter Custom Timelines
Social media and social learning are widely used by both teachers and students, so why not use probably the best free timeline creation tool for Twitter out there?
- All Tweets And Hashtags Put Together
Do you use Twitter as a tool in your lessons? Twitter Custom Timelines gives you the chance to craft a timeline of all tweets on a particular subject and showcase your students how their grasp of a subject has changed over time. - Timeline Sharing And Website Embedding
Twitter Custom Timelines enables students to share their timelines on Twitter or embed them on their website.
Features And Plans
- No Subscription Required
Twitter Custom Timelines is an entirely free timeline creation tool.
7. Timeline JS
Open-source timeline maker with lots of different features and highly regarded as one of the most interactive free timeline creation tools.
- Ready-Made Templates
You don’t have to be an expert as Timeline JS has you covered with some pre-made templates. However, more advanced users can go into further customizations to create more impressive timelines. - Media Sources
Users can incorporate media from a wide variety of sources such as Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, Vine, Dailymotion, Google Maps, Wikipedia, SoundCloud, Document Cloud and many more. - Support For 40 Languages
Teachers can eliminate all space barriers by making use of this tool for multi-lingual projects.
Features And Plans
- No Subscription Required
Timeline JS offers all of its great features for free.
8. Free Timeline
This platform’s name is pretty indicative of what it offers as it is one of the truly functional free timeline creation tools.
- No Sign-Up Required
This timeline maker does not require any registrations. - Easy-To-Use Interface
Drag and drop features make timeline creation a breeze. - Use On Various Devices
Free Timeline can be easily utilized from any desktop or tablet device. - Import Feature
Excel and Google Sheets CSV files can be directly imported into Free Timeline.
Features And Plans
- No Subscription Required
Much like the name of the platform suggests, no subscriptions are required.
9. Preceden
Preceden has some very interesting features that make it one of the most distinctive free timeline creation tools on the Internet.
- Zooming And Panning
The company calls it “Google Maps but for time” and they are right. Zooming in allows you to further focus on parts of the timeline where many events are accumulated and must be emphasized. Specify the importance of the event and make it prominent on the timeline. - Sharing And Embedding
Unique timeline URLs give you the chance to share it on social media or embed it to a website.
Features And Plans
- Free Version And Paid Plans
With Preceden you can create 1 timeline with up to 10 events for free making it a great choice for students and teachers. Paid plans start at $12/month.
10. TimeToast
Another highly effective free timeline creation tool that gets the job done well. It doesn’t have too many fancy features, so if your lesson is in need of basic designs, then look no further.
- Pictures And Text
It doesn’t get any simpler than that, but truth is, it works. No sophisticated features are available here. - Go Social
Students can easily share their creations on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus or embed them on any website.
Features And Plans
- No Subscription
This easy-to-use timeline creation tool is entirely free.
Timelines are essential for teachers as they make content easy to follow and memorable. These 10 free timeline creation tools can help you generate both basic and sophisticated timelines depending on your lesson’s needs.
Free timeline creation tools are a powerful tool for teachers. When used creatively they can contribute significantly to the comprehension of a subject without any extra expenses. Read the article 10 Creative Ways To Use Free Timeline Makers in eLearning and learn how you can use free timeline makers to produce compelling eLearning courses.