Use this free waterfall profit loss progress bar in your browser. No sign-up, no download and no upload: everything runs on your own device, so your data stays private.
What this tool does
A waterfall chart explains a total by showing each step that built it: the start bar, then gains floating up and losses dropping down, ending at the final total. Finance teams use it for profit bridges, but it works for any running total, from budgets to populations. Each bar is labelled with the running value, so the story needs no narration.
How to use it
- Paste or type your step lines (name, value) in the box above.
- Adjust any settings, such as cutoffs, scales or styles, to match your data.
- Click the run button and read the output below the tool.
- Check the summary numbers before you copy anything into a document.
- Copy the output, code or image into your figure, slide or report.
Worked example
Enter Start 100, Sales 40, Costs −25 and Tax −10. The bars climb to 140, drop to 115, then settle at 105, and the final total reads 105. Change Costs to −50 and the final total falls to 80, with the loss bar visibly longer.
Tips for better results
Order steps from largest gain to largest loss for the cleanest bridge, unless time order matters.
Honest limits
Steps must be entered in order, and the first row is treated as the starting total rather than a change. Negative starts are drawn from zero, which can look odd.
Choosing the right settings
Start with the default values. They are chosen to show a sensible result at once, so you can see the layout before you touch your own data. Then change one setting at a time. Changing one thing at a time is the fastest way to learn what each control does, and it stops two changes from cancelling each other out. If the output looks wrong, check the input format first: a missing comma, a swapped column or a stray space causes most errors, and the tool reports what it received in its summary line.
Using the result in a figure
For a figure, keep the output simple. One message per figure, short labels, and a caption that states the method and the settings you used will serve readers better than a dense, decorated chart. If a journal or supervisor will see the result, note the tool name, the input values and any cutoff in your methods or caption, so the figure can be reproduced later. That habit also helps you: six months from now, the caption is the only record of how the figure was made.
Common questions
Do I need an account? No. The waterfall profit loss progress bar runs entirely in your browser with no sign-up and no saved data.
Is my data uploaded anywhere? No. Your step lines (name, value) stays on your device, which is why the tool is safe for unpublished work.
Can I use the output in a paper or presentation? Yes. The output is yours to reuse; just check it visually once, note the settings in your caption, and credit the method, not the tool, in your references.
What if the result looks wrong? Check the input format first, then change one setting at a time. Most errors come from a missing comma, a swapped column, or a value outside the expected range, and the summary line under the tool shows what it actually received.
Try the waterfall profit loss progress bar above with the sample data, then with your own. It is free, it needs no account, and it works in any modern browser.
When you reuse the result, keep a short record of the inputs and settings you used. A one-line note in your project file, such as the data pasted, the cutoff chosen and the date, is enough to reproduce the figure later. If a collaborator questions a number, that note lets you rebuild the exact output in seconds instead of guessing what changed.
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