Google Data Studio vs Looker comparison

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1,763 views|1,938 comparisons
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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Google Data Studio and Looker based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Tableau, Oracle and others in Reporting.
To learn more, read our detailed Reporting Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"This has improved our organization by allowing people to see their data and develop visualizations themselves.""I find it favorable regarding speed of development, ease of building, and flexibility.""Data Studio integrates seamlessly with other Google products, and we can use it with other APIs if we like.""The ability to integrate with a great variety of data sources.""The ability to design complex data models and equations.""The solution is free so that is a good feature.""Valuable features include advanced integrated analysis and easy implementation.""I am impressed with the tool's scheduling mechanism, refresh mechanism, and different types of charts."

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"The stability of Looker has been good since I have been using it. However, it depends on what components are being used.""With Looker, I have experienced benefits in terms of usability and shareability.""The product is easy to use.""We can centralize all our data models.""From a developer's perspective, the way the functionality's being handled is great.""I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. I didn't face any issues with stability.""It is a pretty stable solution because it is a cloud-based product.""Looker allows you to generate the most optimal SQL queries in a DC through UI actions. We had signed a contract with Google Cloud to use BigQuery. That was the primary reason we adopted Looker. It works better with BigQuery than any other BI platform. We also like how this tool was developed. It was designed with an eye toward microservices architecture."

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Cons
"It's not yet a replacement for a complete BI tool.""Stability and scalability an be improved for a full ten.""The tool should come up with data modeling layer features that are present in other products like Power BI.""There are issues with integration and I encountered limits and warnings, especially with my pivot table size.""Panels are not as easy to use as other data extraction UIs.""When you physically install a product on one machine instead of the cloud, you have a better visibility, best icon quality, etc.. It's more of an issue with how we are adapting to the transition. We are still in the early moments of using this tool, and we need to go deeper to discover some improvements.""There is a significant degree of sophistication required to compete with Tableau or Cognos.""Insisting on forums, blogs and community outreach in communications, and posting videos on an established calendar would be useful."

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"Integrations with other BI tools could be better.""Looker doesn't connect to Excel, which is a huge disappointment because a lot of data is presented in Excel. Also, it can't consume data directly from REST APIs, which is necessary. Looker needs to expand its horizons when it comes to data sources. The inability to connect to different data sources is hampering our use cases. Currently, it only has an ODBC connection that connects to a database. It needs to connect to other data sources, such as Excel, APIs, and different platforms.""The visualization capability of the product is limited.""The product does not have documented material.""The main area of concern in Looker is probably related to blending the data from the different sources, including the data present internally in the company and on the cloud.""It needs to be more user-friendly.""Stability needs improvement.""The integration with different databases must be improved."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The tool is free."
  • "The solution is free but the Google Looker is expensive."
  • "The cost is quite affordable based on feature analysis."
  • More Google Data Studio Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Looker is expensive and could be made better by reducing it."
  • "It's not cheap, but it's not expensive for big companies."
  • "The price of Looker usually depends on the solution's provider, but it is usually cheaper than the other products in the market. Looker is offered at different prices for different companies."
  • "It is cheap."
  • "I do not have to make any payments to use the solution."
  • More Looker Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:I find it favorable regarding speed of development, ease of building, and flexibility.
    Top Answer:The potential challenge, especially when considering a larger user base, is that the expenses can significantly add up. There are issues with integration and I encountered limits and warnings… more »
    Top Answer:By integrating Data Studio into our services, we not only provide added value to our existing customers but also ensure stability in traffic and minimize the cost of sales. This strategic move allows… more »
    Top Answer:With Looker, I have experienced benefits in terms of usability and shareability.
    Top Answer:I do not have to make any payments to use the solution. In the beginning, Looker may work fine for its users. If advanced users who have experience with BI tools use Looker, then they may find it to… more »
    Top Answer:The visualization capability of the product is limited. From an improvement perspective, the product should have more visualization capability. I can't clean data in Looker, and if I try to do it… more »
    Ranking
    14th
    out of 50 in Reporting
    Views
    1,763
    Comparisons
    1,938
    Reviews
    4
    Average Words per Review
    370
    Rating
    7.5
    4th
    out of 31 in Embedded BI
    Views
    2,246
    Comparisons
    1,776
    Reviews
    11
    Average Words per Review
    608
    Rating
    7.9
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Data Studio
    Learn More
    Overview

    Google Data Studio (beta) turns your data into informative dashboards and reports that are easy to read, easy to share, and fully customizable. Dashboarding allows you to tell great data stories to support better business decisions.

    Looker is a powerful data analytics platform that empowers businesses to explore and analyze their data in real time. 

    With its intuitive interface and robust features, Looker enables users to easily create and share interactive dashboards, reports, and visualizations. 

    The product's advanced data modeling capabilities and seamless integration with popular data sources make it a top choice for organizations looking to gain valuable insights from their data.

    Sample Customers
    Genesys, Shueisha
    Yahoo!, Etsy, Kohler, Hipcamp, Hubspot, Kickstarter, Venmo, Dollar Shave Club, 600+ customer
    Top Industries
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Educational Organization7%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company25%
    Financial Services Firm17%
    Retailer8%
    Recruiting/Hr Firm8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization33%
    Computer Software Company10%
    Financial Services Firm10%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business43%
    Midsize Enterprise29%
    Large Enterprise29%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business24%
    Midsize Enterprise15%
    Large Enterprise61%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business26%
    Midsize Enterprise42%
    Large Enterprise32%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business14%
    Midsize Enterprise40%
    Large Enterprise46%
    Buyer's Guide
    Reporting
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Tableau, Oracle and others in Reporting. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Google Data Studio is ranked 14th in Reporting with 7 reviews while Looker is ranked 4th in Embedded BI with 19 reviews. Google Data Studio is rated 7.8, while Looker is rated 8.0. The top reviewer of Google Data Studio writes "The cloud environment makes it easier to use large volumes of data and collaborate with coworkers". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Looker writes "The APIs are exposed at every level, so it's highly modular". Google Data Studio is most compared with Amazon QuickSight, Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, Databricks and QlikView, whereas Looker is most compared with Amazon QuickSight, Tableau, Qlik Sense, Databricks and SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform.

    We monitor all Reporting reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.