TimelineJS review
A free, open-source tool for building chronological stories from Sheets or JSON.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
TimelineJS creates interactive, media-rich timelines for people who want to tell a story in chronological order. Beginners can build from a Google spreadsheet, while developers can supply JSON and use JavaScript to create or customize installations. Events appear as chronological slides with text, dates, and media, and the finished timeline is designed for embedding on a website or blog. That makes it a fit for publishers, educators, and organizations with a sequence of events to explain, rather than teams looking for a broad data visualization tool.
Its workflow centers on familiar data and media sources. A spreadsheet-based timeline draws from Google Sheets, while the JSON option supports developer-led creation. Events can include media from supported services such as YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo, and SoundCloud; listed integrations also include Google Maps, Wikipedia, and Document Cloud. Presentation configuration can adjust elements such as fonts and initial zoom. For spreadsheet use, the sheet's data must be published to the web. Organizations that need locally controlled assets can host the JavaScript and CSS files themselves, while the product is also available on the web.
TimelineJS is open source under the Mozilla Public License, and Knight Lab says it does not charge fees to publish stories with it. Its focus is a strength when a clear sequence and accompanying media are the main point, but it is a limitation for users seeking general-purpose charts or broader analytical exploration. Choose it for an embeddable, free timeline built around a spreadsheet or JSON; look elsewhere if the project needs visualization types beyond chronological storytelling. Documentation and email are listed support channels, with options for both web and self-hosted deployment.
TimelineJS pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Build timelines from Google Sheets or JSON data
- Embed chronological slides with text, dates, and media
- Use media from services including YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo, and SoundCloud
- Where it doesn't
- Spreadsheet timelines require data to be published to the web
- Focused on timeline storytelling, not general-purpose data visualization
- Customization relies on configuration options or JSON and JavaScript
TimelineJS fact sheet, pricing and score →
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