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IBM Cognos Dashboard vs ThoughtSpot comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 1, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Cognos Dashboard
Ranking in Data Visualization
16th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ThoughtSpot
Ranking in Data Visualization
8th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools (13th), Embedded BI (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Data Visualization category, the mindshare of IBM Cognos Dashboard is 0.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ThoughtSpot is 2.0%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Visualization
 

Featured Reviews

Unes Ay - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides efficient data modules, but it could be more user-friendly
We use IBM Cognos Dashboard for data manufacturing, reporting, costing, quality check, etc The product helps us update the KPI automatically. We can access reports and analyze if a particular solution fits the requirements. The product's most valuable is the concept of data modules. IBM Cognos…
Sushma Polavarapu - PeerSpot reviewer
Creates user-friendly analysis environments for large datasets
The tool is user-friendly for the end users. It is primarily a search-based tool. Users do not need a technical background to work directly on the dataset. Its compatibility with most databases, including the latest from FlexMovely and Redshift, allows users to create joins and worksheets easily. ThoughtSpot is fast, even with one to ten terabytes of data.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The tool's valuable features are that it is easy to use and stable."
"The product helps us update the KPI automatically."
"It is a pretty stable solution."
"The main feature that is useful is the on-demand report generation through the dashboard."
"The initial setup was very straightforward."
"The main core of ThoughtSpot is to create models, connect data pipelines, and create business models and dashboards on top of them."
"The self-service analytics capabilities are unrivaled, making it a top-notch solution."
"The tool is user-friendly for the end users."
"ThoughtSpot excels in being self-service oriented, allowing users who aren't developers to easily create their own reports and visualizations, making it very intuitive."
"It's easy to drill down or expand data to get more details right out of the box."
"The ability to do ad hoc explorations of data has been most valuable."
"I would say the return on investment is good. Whatever we invested, we got results. We have been finding it easy to use and onboard new use cases."
 

Cons

"Visualization is an area where the product lacks."
"They should include proper documentation to learn more about the product."
"The scalability of the product's on-premises version is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."
"The price point is one of the major areas to be improved."
"The dashboards could give you more ability to fine tune the appearance. You get a great deal more control over how something looks in Power BI than you do in ThoughtSpot."
"In terms of features, I'd like to be able to pivot data - for example, going from rows to columns. It's not easy to do."
"Some areas for improvement include the pixel-perfect dashboards, which are not as refined as those in Tableau."
"The customer service and support are not good. I stopped opening tickets due to insufficient and untimely responses."
"The support team gets a six out of ten. They are not as proactive."
"The visualization customization needs improvement."
"If I want to order columns, this feature is not there."
"Some areas for improvement include the pixel-perfect dashboards, which are not as refined as those in Tableau."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing is based on individual usage, and it is more expensive than other providers."
"The product is expensive for small businesses compared to other vendors."
"I give the pricing a six out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
22%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Cognos Dashboard?
The product is expensive for small businesses compared to other vendors. Its pricing is fixed and depends on the number of licenses.
What needs improvement with IBM Cognos Dashboard?
The tool is good enough to serve the purpose of what it is meant in our company. The scalability of the product's on-premises version is an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are req...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ThoughtSpot?
The pricing is on the higher end but reasonable for what ThoughtSpot offers.
What needs improvement with ThoughtSpot?
ThoughtSpot lacks an intermediate layer for data loading, unlike Qlik, which affects dashboard stability when the database has issues. The platform also has fewer formulas and functions compared to...
What is your primary use case for ThoughtSpot?
I am working for a telecommunication company where we use ThoughtSpot ( /products/thoughtspot-reviews ) to create monthly, weekly, and daily ad hoc reports for business needs. We work for both B2B ...
 

Also Known As

Cognos Dashboard
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Primary Capital Mortgage, Sterling Backcheck, RichRelevance, Rambus, Batteries Plus Bulbs
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cognos Dashboard vs. ThoughtSpot and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
857,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.