Free BCG Matrix Generator Online - Portfolio Analysis Tool - Small Study Tools
BCG Matrix · Bubble Plot · PNG Export · 100% Free

BCG Matrix Generator

Add your products or business units, set market share and growth rate, and watch them plot as bubbles on the BCG Matrix. Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks and Dogs, identified instantly. Pro Mode adds colour themes, a full HD export preview and strategy tips.

100% Private — saved only in your browser, never sent to a server
Pro Version is Free for now
✓ 6 Colour Themes · Full HD Export · Quadrant Legend ·
Print / PDF · Strategy Tips unlocked
Day Night
Company or portfolio you are analysing
🍎 Tech Giant 🧴 FMCG Portfolio 📺 Media Company 🛒 Retail Group 💊 Pharma Portfolio 🚗 Auto Manufacturer
Products / Business Units (0)
Click "Add Product" or load a template above to get started.
BCG Matrix — Live Preview Updates as you type
⭐ Star — High share, high growth
🐄 Cash Cow — High share, low growth
❓ Question Mark — Low share, high growth
🐕 Dog — Low share, low growth
Auto-saved
👁️ Full Export Preview — Click to Download PRO
📖 Quick Reference
Star high market share, high growth.
Question Mark low share, high growth.
🐄Cash Cow high share, low growth.
🐕Dog low share, low growth.
🎨 Colour Theme PRO
Default
💡 BCG Matrix Strategy Tips PRO
`); w.document.close();w.focus();setTimeout(()=>w.print(),500); }// ─── TIPS ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── function updateTips(){ const el=document.getElementById('tipsList');if(!el)return; const byQ={star:[],cow:[],qm:[],dog:[]}; products.forEach(p=>byQ[getQ(p.share,p.growth)].push(p)); const tips=[]; if(!products.length){tips.push('Add your products or business units, then set their relative market share and market growth rate to plot them on the BCG Matrix.');} if(byQ.star.length)tips.push(`Stars (${byQ.star.map(p=>p.name).join(', ')}): Invest heavily to maintain leadership. Stars become Cash Cows as market growth slows.`); if(byQ.cow.length)tips.push(`Cash Cows (${byQ.cow.map(p=>p.name).join(', ')}): Harvest profits to fund Stars and Question Marks. Minimal investment needed to maintain position.`); if(byQ.qm.length)tips.push(`Question Marks (${byQ.qm.map(p=>p.name).join(', ')}): Invest selectively to build share (→ Star) or divest. High growth but low share means high cash consumption.`); if(byQ.dog.length)tips.push(`Dogs (${byQ.dog.map(p=>p.name).join(', ')}): Consider divesting or repositioning. Dogs typically consume cash without strategic return.`); if(!byQ.cow.length&&products.length>2)tips.push('No Cash Cows identified — high-risk portfolio. You may lack reliable cash flow to fund growth in Stars and Question Marks.'); tips.push('BCG Matrix is most powerful combined with a SWOT analysis — Stars and Cash Cows inform your strengths, while Dogs and Question Marks reveal strategic decisions needed.'); el.innerHTML=tips.map(t=>`
${t}
`).join(''); }// ─── SAVE ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── function schedSave(){ const dot=document.getElementById('saveDot'),lbl=document.getElementById('saveLbl'); if(dot)dot.style.background='#f59e0b';if(lbl)lbl.textContent='Saving…'; clearTimeout(saveTimer); saveTimer=setTimeout(()=>{try{localStorage.setItem(SK,JSON.stringify({subject,products,pal:curPal}));if(dot)dot.style.background='#10b981';if(lbl)lbl.textContent='Saved';}catch(e){}},1200); }function clearAll(){ if(!products.length&&!subject)return; if(confirm('Clear all BCG Matrix data?')){products=[];subject='';colorIdx=0;document.getElementById('subjectInput').value='';renderAll();toast('Cleared!');} }// ─── APP MODE ───────────────────────────────────────────────── function setAppMode(m){ isPro=m==='pro'; document.getElementById('btnSimple').classList.toggle('active',!isPro); document.getElementById('btnPro').classList.toggle('active',isPro); widget().classList.toggle('pro-mode',isPro); const pb=document.getElementById('proBar');if(pb)pb.style.display=isPro?'flex':'none'; const pr=document.getElementById('paletteRow');if(pr)pr.style.display=isPro?'flex':'none'; if(isPro){buildPaletteBar();drawFullCanvas();} try{localStorage.setItem('sst_bcg_mode',m);}catch(e){} }function esc(s){return(s||'').replace(/&/g,'&').replace(//g,'>').replace(/"/g,'"');} function toast(msg){const t=document.getElementById('toast');t.textContent=msg;t.classList.add('show');setTimeout(()=>t.classList.remove('show'),2400);}window.addEventListener('resize',()=>drawPreview());// ─── INIT ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── function init(){ try{ const saved=localStorage.getItem(SK); if(saved){const d=JSON.parse(saved);subject=d.subject||'';products=d.products||[];colorIdx=products.length;document.getElementById('subjectInput').value=subject;if(d.pal)curPal=d.pal;} const m=localStorage.getItem('sst_bcg_mode');if(m==='pro')setAppMode('pro'); }catch(e){} renderAll(); } init();

How to Use the BCG Matrix Generator

From a blank portfolio to a downloadable growth-share matrix. No signup, saved only in your browser.

1
Name the Portfolio
Type the company, or load a ready-made template.
2
Add Products as Bubbles
Set market share, growth rate and bubble size for each.
3
Watch the Live Preview
Every bubble is classified instantly as you adjust it.
4
Export or Go Pro
Export as PNG, or unlock the full HD preview in Pro.

Everything above runs entirely in your browser. Your analysis is never uploaded to a server, so it stays completely private from start to finish.

Specifications
Price Free
Signup Not Required
Data Storage Local only (this device)
Categories 4 (Star, Cash Cow, Question Mark, Dog)
Templates 6 (Tech, FMCG, Media, Retail, Pharma, Auto)
Export Formats PNG · Plain Text · Print / PDF (Pro)
Pro Tools 6 Colour Themes · Full HD Export · Strategy Tips
Platform Optimized for Web & Mobile
Category Strategy & Diagrams
Found a bug or something not working right? Let us know and we'll fix it. Every report helps make this tool better.
Report an Issue

BCG Matrix Generator, Free and Online

A BCG Matrix generator plots your products or business units as bubbles by market share and growth rate, instantly classifying each as a Star, Cash Cow, Question Mark or Dog. This one is fully editable in the browser, includes ready-made industry templates, and runs entirely on your device.

Deciding where to invest, hold, or cut a product from a portfolio gets far clearer once you can actually see it plotted against every other product, which is exactly what makes the BCG Matrix such a durable tool more than 50 years after it was introduced. This BCG Matrix generator online tool lets you add products as bubbles, set their market share and growth rate with sliders, size each bubble to reflect revenue or importance, load a starter template for a tech giant, FMCG portfolio, media company, retail group, pharma portfolio or auto manufacturer, and watch the live preview classify every bubble as it updates. Export the result as a high quality PNG. Pro Mode adds 6 colour themes, a full HD export preview, a quadrant legend, a print-ready view, and contextual strategy tips based on how your portfolio is actually distributed.

1Simple vs Pro, What Each Mode Includes

FeatureSimple ModePro Mode (Free)
Unlimited products, live bubble plot previewIncludedIncluded
Market share, growth rate and bubble size slidersIncludedIncluded
6 industry starter templatesIncludedIncluded
Export as PNG or copy as plain textIncludedIncluded
6 colour themes, including monochromeNot includedIncluded
Full HD export preview with quadrant legendNot includedIncluded
Print-ready / PDF viewNot includedIncluded
Contextual strategy tips based on your portfolioNot includedIncluded

2What Each Quadrant Actually Means

Star
High share, high growth
Question Mark
Low share, high growth
🐄
Cash Cow
High share, low growth
🐕
Dog
Low share, low growth

A worked BCG Matrix example makes the four categories far easier to apply than the definitions alone. For a technology company, a flagship product with an established customer base and steady but modest growth typically sits as a Cash Cow, generating the reliable profit that funds investment elsewhere. A rapidly growing new product line that is still gaining market share might sit as a Star, or as a Question Mark if its share is still low relative to competitors. A legacy product with shrinking demand and a small market share usually sits as a Dog, a common candidate for retirement or divestment. According to the BCG Matrix, stars are the products worth continued heavy investment precisely because they combine strong current performance with real growth headroom.

3Where the BCG Matrix Actually Came From

The framework was developed collaboratively at the Boston Consulting Group in the late 1960s. According to BCG's own account of its history, the firm's Alan Zakon, who later became BCG's CEO, first sketched the concept and refined it together with colleagues, before BCG founder Bruce Henderson popularized it publicly in his 1970 essay "The Product Portfolio." At its peak the matrix was used by roughly half of all Fortune 500 companies, and it remains a staple of business school strategy teaching today, more than five decades after it was introduced.

QuestionQuick Answer
What does the BCG Matrix evaluate?A product's relative market share against the growth rate of its market
Where should reinvested cash come from?Cash Cows, since they generate profit with little further investment needed
What should happen to Dogs?Usually divested or repositioned, since they consume cash without strategic return
What pairs well with a BCG Matrix?A SWOT analysis, since Stars and Cash Cows often reflect genuine strengths
Privacy Note

Everything, including Pro Mode's colour themes, full HD export preview and strategy tips, runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your analysis is saved only in local storage on your own device, and is never sent to a server.

4Frequently Asked Questions

How do I create a BCG Matrix online for free?
Name the company or portfolio you are analysing, optionally load a starter template for a tech giant, FMCG portfolio, media company, retail group, pharma portfolio or auto manufacturer, then add each product as a bubble by setting its market share, growth rate and relative size. The bubble plots live and is instantly classified as a Star, Cash Cow, Question Mark or Dog. Export the finished matrix as a PNG. No signup is required, and everything is saved only in your browser.
What is the BCG Matrix, in simple terms?
A two by two grid that plots a company's products or business units by market share on one axis and market growth rate on the other. Each product lands in one of four categories, Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks or Dogs, and that category suggests whether a business should invest in it, hold it, grow it selectively, or divest it.
According to the BCG Matrix, what does each quadrant mean?
Stars have high market share in a high growth market and are worth continued investment. Cash Cows have high market share in a low growth, mature market, and generate steady profit with little further investment needed. Question Marks have low market share in a high growth market, consuming cash with an uncertain payoff. Dogs have low market share in a low growth market and are usually candidates for divestment.
Who created the BCG Matrix, and where does it come from?
The framework was developed collaboratively at the Boston Consulting Group in the late 1960s. BCG's Alan Zakon, who later became the firm's CEO, first sketched the concept and refined it with colleagues, and BCG founder Bruce Henderson popularized it publicly in his 1970 essay The Product Portfolio.
Can you give a worked BCG Matrix example?
For a technology company, a flagship product with a large, established customer base and steady but modest growth would sit as a Cash Cow, funding investment elsewhere. A rapidly growing new product line still gaining market share would sit as a Star or, if share is still low, a Question Mark. A legacy product with shrinking demand and a small market share would sit as a Dog, typically a candidate for retirement or divestment.
Is my BCG Matrix data private?
Yes. Everything, including Pro Mode's colour themes, full HD export preview and strategy tips, runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your analysis is saved only in your browser's local storage, and is never sent to a server.

Grounded in the Boston Consulting Group's own documented history of the framework, not a secondhand summary. The Alan Zakon and Bruce Henderson origin story is detailed on BCG's official history page. For related strategy and diagram tools on the rest of this site, see the SWOT Analysis Generator and the full SmallStudyTools.com tool library.

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