4 Think-cell Alternatives in 2025: Free & Paid Options Compared

Think-cell is the gold standard for PowerPoint charting in consulting and investment banking. It's also expensive—starting at $299 per user per year for an annual subscription.

If you're looking for alternatives, whether due to budget constraints, different feature needs, or platform compatibility, this guide compares your options.

Having used Think-cell extensively during six years at McKinsey and Deloitte, we understand what makes it valuable—and where alternatives can deliver the same results for less.

What Think-cell Does#

Before exploring alternatives, it's worth understanding what makes Think-cell valuable:

• Waterfall charts that actually work
• Mekko (Marimekko) charts
• Gantt charts with dependencies
• Data-linked charts that update from Excel
• Smart chart layouts with automatic labeling
• Agenda slides with automatic updates

Think-cell excels at complex, data-driven charts that would take hours to build manually in PowerPoint. It's widely used at McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Goldman Sachs, and similar firms.

Why People Look for Alternatives#

Based on common search queries and user feedback:

1. Price — $299/year is steep for freelancers, small teams, and students
2. Complexity — Not everyone needs waterfall and Mekko charts
3. Mac support — Think-cell's Mac version has historically lagged Windows
4. Learning curve — Powerful but takes time to master
5. Overkill — Many users only need basic productivity features

How We Tested These Tools#

We evaluated each Think-cell alternative over a 3-month period using real consulting workflows:

• Charts built: 15+ waterfall and Mekko charts per tool
• Data complexity: Excel datasets ranging from 10 to 5,000 rows
• Platforms tested: Windows 11 and macOS Sonoma
• Use cases: Market sizing, financial bridges, share-of-wallet analysis

For each tool, we measured chart creation time, Excel link reliability, and formatting flexibility. The results below reflect hands-on usage, not just feature comparisons.

Think-cell Alternatives Compared#

1. Deckary#

Best for: Consultants who need consulting-grade charts AND productivity features

Website: deckary.com

Deckary combines the charting capabilities consultants need with productivity tools that speed up everyday work. It includes:

Charting:

• Waterfall charts with automatic bridges and totals
• Mekko (Marimekko) charts for market sizing
• Gantt charts for project timelines
• 100% stacked bar charts for share analysis
• Excel linking for automatic chart updates
• CAGR lines, delta indicators, reference lines

Productivity:

• Keyboard shortcuts for alignment and distribution
• 600+ icon library built into PowerPoint
• Quick formatting tools
• Works on both Windows and Mac

Price: $49/year (Starter), $119/year (Premium), $199 lifetime option

What it does well:

• Consulting-grade charts at one-third Think-cell's price
• Speeds up everyday PowerPoint tasks
• Easy to learn, works immediately
• Cross-platform (Windows and Mac)

What it doesn't do:

• Automatic agenda slides

Our testing results:

• Waterfall chart creation: 35-45 seconds average
• Excel link success rate: 100% across 120+ link updates
• Mac/Windows parity: Identical performance on both platforms

Best for: Consultants who need waterfall and Mekko charts but build them weekly or monthly rather than daily. If you want both charting and productivity tools without Think-cell pricing, Deckary is the best value.

2. Native PowerPoint Charts#

Best for: Basic charting needs with no additional cost

PowerPoint's built-in charting has improved significantly:

• Bar, column, line, pie charts
• Combo charts
• Treemaps and sunburst charts
• Data linking from Excel (with limitations)

Price: Included with Microsoft 365

What it does well:

• No additional software needed
• Familiar interface
• Handles basic charts adequately

What it doesn't do:

• Waterfall charts require manual workarounds
• No Mekko charts
• Poor automatic labeling
• Data links can break easily

Our experience: We built the same waterfall chart in native PowerPoint and Think-cell. Native PowerPoint: 12 minutes with manual stacked bar workarounds. Think-cell: 45 seconds. For occasional simple charts, native works. For anything recurring, it's not practical.

Best for: Users with simple charting needs who don't want additional software.

3. Mekko Graphics#

Best for: Users who specifically need Mekko and waterfall charts

Website: mekkographics.com

A direct Think-cell competitor focused on business charts.

• Marimekko charts
• Waterfall charts
• Bar/column with breakouts
• PowerPoint and Excel add-in

Price: $499/year (more expensive than Think-cell)

What it does well:

• Specialized business charts
• Similar functionality to Think-cell

What it doesn't do:

• Costs more than Think-cell
• Smaller user base means less community support

Our experience: In testing, Mekko Graphics produced charts visually similar to Think-cell, but the interface felt dated. At $499/year—more than Think-cell—we struggled to identify a compelling use case for new buyers.

Best for: Organizations already locked into Mekko Graphics.

4. Zebra BI#

Best for: Power BI users who also need PowerPoint output

Website: zebrabi.com

Zebra BI focuses on creating IBCS-compliant charts (International Business Communication Standards).

• Power BI and Excel add-ins
• Standardized business chart formats
• Waterfall and variance charts

Price: Starts at $28/month per user

What it does well:

• IBCS compliance
• Strong Power BI integration
• Good for financial reporting

What it doesn't do:

• Not a true PowerPoint add-in
• Steeper learning curve
• Different workflow than Think-cell

Our experience: Zebra BI excels if you're already in the Power BI ecosystem. We found the PowerPoint integration indirect—you're exporting from Power BI rather than building natively. For pure PowerPoint workflows, it adds friction.

Best for: Organizations using Power BI that need standardized reporting charts.

Comparison Table#

Which Alternative Is Right for You?#

Choose Deckary if:#

• You need waterfall and Mekko charts but not daily
• You want Excel-linked charts at a lower price point
• You also need alignment shortcuts and icon libraries
• Budget is a concern ($49-119/year vs $300+)
• You use Mac and Windows

Choose Native PowerPoint if:#

• You only need basic charts occasionally
• You don't want to install additional software
• Budget is very tight

Stay with Think-cell if:#

• You regularly build waterfall and Mekko charts
• You need data-linked charts from Excel
• Your firm already has licenses
• Chart accuracy is critical for your work

Choose Zebra BI if:#

• You're already using Power BI
• You need IBCS-compliant charts
• Financial reporting is your primary use case

The Honest Take#

After testing all four alternatives over three months, here's what we learned:

Think-cell is the gold standard for complex data visualization, but it's not the only option anymore.

Deckary offers waterfall charts, Mekko charts, and Excel linking at $49-119/year—roughly one-third Think-cell's price. We built identical waterfall charts in both tools; the output quality was indistinguishable. If you build these charts weekly or monthly rather than daily, you get the same capabilities at a significant discount, plus productivity tools (shortcuts, icons) Think-cell doesn't include.

What disappointed us: Mekko Graphics costs more than Think-cell without offering more value.

If you build complex data visualizations daily and need Think-cell's automatic agenda slides, Think-cell is worth the investment. But for most consultants who need waterfall charts occasionally, Deckary offers the better value proposition.