August 22, 2025

Graphing Software for Math Teachers

This presentation was created for the Summer Math Summit 2024. Watch the full video:

No time to watch the video? Here's a summary:

Here, I'll share some of my favorite free tools for creating high-quality graphs for worksheets, assessments, and presentations. While many teachers default to Desmos, I’m going to focus on two lesser-known programs: Autograph and GraphFree. Both of these tools allow you to make polished graphs that print clearly and look professional in handouts.

🎁 Free Resources: Along with this post, I’ve included:

A copy of my presentation slides (with links)

A worksheet on factoring polynomials using graphs

Sample Autograph pages you can try out
You can grab them here: bit.ly/sms2024freebie

Why Not Desmos?

Don’t get me wrong — I love Desmos and use it all the time with students. It’s fantastic as a graphing calculator. But when you want publication-quality graphs for worksheets, quizzes, or PowerPoints, Desmos doesn’t give you the crisp control you need. That’s where Autograph and GraphFree come in.

Autograph

I first discovered Autograph back in 2006 while teaching in Switzerland, and it has been one of my go-to tools ever since.

Originally sold for hundreds of dollars, it’s now completely free at autograph.completemaths.com. The catch: it only runs on PC (not Mac), though there is a lighter web version.

Features Teachers Will Love

Flexible Graphing: Easily create 2D and 3D graphs, scatterplots, and even polar graphs.
Custom Axes & Grids: Adjust scales, labels, and gridline thickness so graphs print cleanly.
Data & Regression: Paste data directly from Excel/Google Sheets, run regressions (up to 10th degree), and display best-fit equations.
Calculus Tools: Explore Riemann sums, tangent lines, normal lines, and derivative graphs with just a few clicks.
Area & Volume Calculations: Shade areas under curves or between curves, and even rotate regions to create volumes of revolution — a game-changer for calculus demonstrations.
Inequalities & Non-Functions: Shade solution regions, flip between accept/reject shading, and graph equations like circles, ellipses, or sideways parabolas.
Statistics Tools: Create boxplots, dot plots, histograms, and more, all from raw or grouped data.

One of my favorite tricks is setting up a default “worksheet grid” in Autograph, with thicker gridlines and clearer fonts. That way, every time I need a graph for a test or activity, I start from that template and know it will print perfectly.

GraphFree

If you’re a Mac user or just want something web-based, GraphFree is another excellent option. It doesn’t have quite the depth of Autograph, but it’s great for making polished 2D graphs without fuss.

You can quickly create:

Functions and relations
Piecewise functions
Polar and parametric graphs
Annotated graphs with labels

And since it’s browser-based, you don’t need to install anything. Simply export your graphs as images and drop them directly into the worksheets.

Final Thoughts

As math teachers, we often spend hours trying to make our handouts and presentations clear and visually appealing. Tools like Autograph and GraphFree save time and let us focus on what really matters — helping students understand the math.

So next time you’re building a worksheet or assessment, try one of these programs instead of Desmos. You’ll get professional-looking graphs that are easy to read, print beautifully, and make your materials look polished.