3-set Venn diagram of hallmark gene sets: hypoxia, glycolysis and mTORC1 signalling
Real gene sets; click a region to see its genes. Use it as a 3-circle template. Source: MSigDB hallmark gene sets, Liberzon et al., 2015 (CC BY 4.0).
Venn Diagram Maker
FigranPaste your lists or counts, check every intersection, and download the figure.
- Lists, counts or a membership matrix
- 2 to 5 sets, area-proportional for 2–3
- Free SVG and PNG
Click a region to list and copy its members.
Bioinformatics Venn diagram examples: gene lists and other sets
Illustrative values
2-set Venn diagram with gene names in each region
Illustrative lists of genes upregulated at 6 h and 24 h, drawn as two circles.
Area-proportional Venn diagram: hypoxia-induced metabolism genes in pulmonary hypertension
1,259 metabolism-associated genes and 27 reported smooth-muscle DEGs share five genes; with exact areas, the smaller set is a small circle. Source: He et al., 2021.
4-set Venn diagram with ellipses: four hallmark gene sets
Four circles cannot show all 15 overlaps, so 4-set diagrams use ellipses. Source: MSigDB hallmark gene sets, Liberzon et al., 2015 (CC BY 4.0).
5-set Venn diagram: five hallmark gene sets
21 of 31 regions are non-empty; for more sets, an UpSet plot is easier to read. Source: MSigDB hallmark gene sets, Liberzon et al., 2015 (CC BY 4.0).
Area-proportional Euler diagram of three sets with its fit error
The same hallmark lists, with area-proportional circles and their diagError and stress. Source: MSigDB hallmark gene sets, Liberzon et al., 2015 (CC BY 4.0).
Illustrative values
Venn diagram of DEGs called by four RNA-seq tools
Illustrative counts comparing DESeq2, edgeR, limma-voom and NOISeq.
Illustrative values
Venn diagram of ASVs shared by three body sites
Illustrative counts of ASVs in gut, skin and oral samples.
How to make a Venn diagram online from gene lists
1Paste each list, one item per line
Copy an Excel column or paste items separated by commas, semicolons or tabs.
2Check the counts and click a region
Read its exclusive and inclusive counts, then list or copy the members.
3Download the figure or export members
Use SVG for editable text or PNG for a 300 DPI image.
Area-proportional (Euler) diagrams and when circles cannot be exact
In an area-proportional diagram, each circle’s area follows its set size, and the overlaps aim to follow the intersection counts. Two circles can be exact; three circles often cannot satisfy all seven regions (Wilkinson, 2012). Turn on Area-proportional to use this maker as a scaled Venn or Euler diagram generator for two or three sets.
The diagError and stress values report that mismatch (Larsson & Gustafsson, 2018); the counts remain exact. For more sets or many empty regions, consider an UpSet plot.
Exclusive and inclusive intersections
| Intersection | Meaning | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Hypoxia ∩ Glycolysis only | In Hypoxia and Glycolysis, not in mTORC1 | 49 |
| Hypoxia ∩ Glycolysis (any) | In Hypoxia and Glycolysis, whether or not in mTORC1 | 65 = 49 + 16 |
| Union | In at least one set; percentage denominator | 493 |
The figure shows exclusive regions: they partition the union. Inclusive intersections overlap and should not be added together.
Venn diagram FAQ
What is a Venn diagram and what do the overlaps mean?
Each closed shape is a set. Each region is an exclusive intersection: its number counts items in exactly those sets and no others. The union size, n, appears in the corner. A Venn diagram shows every possible region, including empty ones; an Euler diagram can omit empty regions.
How do I make a Venn diagram from gene lists or Excel columns?
Copy each Excel column into a list box, one item per line or separated by commas. A common first item prompts you to remove a possible header; it is never removed automatically. Duplicate counts appear in the status pills. Click a region to see its genes.
Does it treat TP53 and Tp53 as the same gene? Why are some items flagged as dates?
By default, case matters: human and mouse gene symbols use different conventions. Ignore case merges spelling variants; duplicates are removed and counted. Excel can turn SEPT2 and MARCH1 into 2-Sep and 1-Mar, or identifiers such as 2310009E13 into scientific notation (Ziemann et al., 2016). HGNC renamed those symbols SEPTIN2 and MARCHF1 in 2020. These items are flagged but never rewritten.
Can I make a Venn diagram with 4 circles or 5 sets?
You can compare up to five sets. Four circles create at most 14 regions including the outside, while four sets need 16. Four-set diagrams therefore use ellipses; five sets use Grünbaum’s symmetric five-ellipse diagram. For more than five sets, or mostly empty regions, an UpSet plot is easier to read.
What is an area-proportional (Euler) diagram, and why is the fit not always exact?
Circle areas follow set sizes and overlap areas aim to follow intersection counts. Two circles can fit exactly. Three circles have only three positional degrees of freedom for seven regions, so the fit is often approximate (Wilkinson, 2012). We report diagError and stress, with the same definitions used in eulerr. Counts always stay exact. Ellipse fitting, as in eulerAPE and eulerr, is outside this tool’s scope.
Can I export the genes in each intersection?
Click a region to copy its members or download a CSV. Export members produces one row per union member, with item, set-membership 0/1 columns, and an exclusive region column. Counts mode has no members to export.
Can I edit the diagram in PowerPoint or Illustrator?
Insert the SVG into PowerPoint or Word, where Microsoft 365 can convert it to editable shapes. The SVG keeps labels as text, so it also opens in Illustrator, Inkscape or Affinity Designer.
How is this different from Venny, jvenn or InteractiVenn?
Venny supports up to four lists (Heberle et al., 2015). jvenn and InteractiVenn support up to six sets, and jvenn includes an Edwards layout (Bardou et al., 2014). BioVenn draws area-proportional diagrams for two or three lists (Hulsen et al., 2008). This tool supports two to five sets, area-proportional circles with a fit report, member CSV, SVG and 300 DPI PNG. Lists stay in your browser.
Is this Venn diagram generator free, and are my lists private?
Yes. No account is needed. Parsing, counting and drawing happen in your browser; lists are not uploaded. Your draft is kept only in this browser tab.
Ready to compare your lists?
Paste two to five lists and download the figure.