Plotly vs SAP Crystal Reports comparison

Plotly and SAP are both solutions in the Reporting category. Plotly is ranked #19 with an average rating of 7.7, while SAP is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.4. Plotly holds a 1.2% mindshare in RT, compared to SAP’s 2.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Plotly users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of SAP users who would recommend it.

Plotly

Read 3 Plotly reviews

618 Views
100 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SAP Crystal Reports

Read 49 SAP Crystal Reports reviews

1,619 Views
534 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Plotly

SAP Crystal Reports

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

SAP Crystal Reports and Plotly are competing in the data reporting and visualization market. While SAP Crystal Reports is known for its cost-effectiveness and strong support, Plotly is regarded as superior due to its extensive features that cater to custom and advanced analytics.

Features: SAP Crystal Reports offers standardized reporting, supports various data sources, and provides customizable report designs suitable for financial reporting. Plotly stands out with interactive visualization capabilities, dynamic graph creation for web applications, and open-source framework support, making it popular among developers.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP Crystal Reports has a comprehensive implementation process that might require significant time, supported by robust troubleshooting service. Plotly provides a straightforward deployment with user-friendly online tools, complemented by responsive customer service and easy system integration.

Pricing and ROI: SAP Crystal Reports is cost-effective for traditional reporting with predictable expenses facilitating budget planning and offering a decent ROI. Plotly may incur higher costs due to advanced features but offers superior visualization capabilities and adaptability, promising enhanced ROI for innovative data presentation.

To learn more, read our detailed Plotly vs. SAP Crystal Reports Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Plotly vs. SAP Crystals

June 2025

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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

Plotly

Ranking in Reporting

19th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SAP Crystal Reports

Ranking in Reporting

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Reporting category, the mindshare of Plotly is 1.2%, down from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Crystal Reports is 2.8%, down from 3.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Reporting

Featured Reviews

VenkateshJuloori

Founder & CEO at Ira

A flexible tool that offers an open-source version

It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine to ten out of ten. In my company, there are around five resources that use the product. My company's clients use the product a lot on a daily basis. I use the product twice a week in my company before I get any call from our clients.

Read full review

GhulamMustafa

Head of IT Department at Indus Sugar Mills Limited

Data management and graphs help with decision-making and good at customization

The overall environment is the best. Data management, graphs, and layout – everything is the best, in my opinion. It is good at customization in context with Crystal Reports. I use Crystal Reports on the front end, and SQL Server on the back end. So we can build any kind of report and face no difficulties in our routine reporting. So, flexibility is of great importance to me.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The level of interactivity that the product provides is valuable to me."

"When reviewing and interpreting data, I typically examine it in a tabular form to understand its structure. However, when explaining or presenting the findings to others, I often use visualization tools such as Plotly. These tools allow me to create visual representations of datasets."

"It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine to ten out of ten."

"The initial setup of the solution is pretty easy."

"SAP Crystal Reports offers a plethora of features, many of which were available much earlier than in the Crystal Reports we previously used. We extensively use its capabilities for generating general reports, working with Kaspersky data, and even incorporating images into our reports. The range of functions available in SAP Crystal Reports is diverse, and we leverage them across various systems for our needs."

"We use SAP Crystal Reports for operational reporting."

"It is an user-friendly solution."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is a fantastic way of generating reports."

"I find Crystal Reports very easy to use, even for a non-technical person."

"The overall environment is the best. Data management, graphs, and layout – everything is the best, in my opinion."

"The most valuable feature is that from a user's point of view, it is easy to use and requires just a simple click to generate a report."

Cons

"The solution cannot be deployed on the website and shared with others through its own platform."

"The tool needs to improve its pie charts. Regarding Plotly, I find the online documentation somewhat challenging to navigate, especially when dealing with many parameters. Searching through thousands of parameters can be a tedious and less straightforward process. While the documentation is available online and serves its purpose, I often encounter difficulties in finding the information."

"I believe that the prices of the tool's paid services could be on the premium side, so the pricing model can be considered for improvement."

"SAP Crystal Reports has some compatibility issues with third-party products."

"The financing part needs improvement."

"If at all possible, a little bit of improvement on the analytical side is needed."

"There could be improvements made to the analytics capabilities."

"It has significantly enhanced security features, especially when compared to the standard security features of the earlier PeerSpot version I purchased. I've observed improvements in security, and overall, it's quite commendable. Regarding potential enhancements for the next release of this solution, I haven't closely examined SAP Crystal Reports 53. I've only encountered it briefly, perhaps once or twice. However, I anticipate that it likely offers advanced features distinct from its predecessor. I believe there may be notable improvements and additions in the latest version, and I look forward to exploring them further."

"Maybe some Power BI-related features could be added, like dashboards or direct editing in reports."

"A real improvement would be a simpler system that allows users to play with the visualization without needing specialized skills and code."

"SAP Crystal Reports should provide better support for dynamic connectors."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an open-source tool. My company hasn't explored Plotly's premium services yet, but I believe the prices could be on the premium side."

"I only use the free tier of the product."

"We pay fifteen hundred dollars as licensing fee."

"This product costs a lot of money."

"I feel that SAP Crystal Reports is a reasonably priced product."

"SAP Crystal Reports is a very expensive solution."

"The cost of licensing can be a significant factor to consider when upgrading or transitioning to a new version of SAP Crystal Reports. It's important to evaluate the benefits and features offered by the new version against the associated costs to ensure it aligns with your organization's needs and budget."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

University

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Plotly?

It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine to ten out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Plotly?

It is an open-source tool. My company hasn't explored Plotly's premium services yet, but I believe the prices are on the premium side. I rate the product price as five or six on a scale of one to t...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Plotly?

I believe that the price of the tool's paid services is on the premium side, so the pricing model can be considered for improvement.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SAP Crystal Reports?

Maybe some Power BI-related features could be added, like dashboards or direct editing in reports. We use query language to build reports; this area could be improved more.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for SAP Crystal Reports?

We use SAP Crystal Reports for reporting. We use it for financial reports like statements of accounts, trial balances, and other management reports, salary slips, and many other purposes.

See all answers

What do you like most about SAP Crystal Reports?

We use SAP Crystal Reports for operational reporting.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Power BI vs Plotly

Compared 40% of the time

Tableau vs Plotly

Compared 31% of the time

TIBCO Spotfire vs Plotly

Compared 12% of the time

Looker Studio vs Plotly

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services vs Plotly

Compared 8% of the time

More Plotly Competitors

Microsoft Power BI vs SAP Crystal Reports

Compared 20% of the time

TIBCO Jaspersoft vs SAP Crystal Reports

Compared 15% of the time

IBM Cognos vs SAP Crystal Reports

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services vs SAP Crystal Reports

Compared 10% of the time

Oracle OBIEE vs SAP Crystal Reports

Compared 7% of the time

More SAP Crystal Reports Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Reporting

June 2025

Download Plotly product report

Buyer's Guide

SAP Crystals

May 2025

Download SAP Crystal Reports product report

Overview

Plotly creates leading open source tools for composing, editing, and sharing interactive data visualization via the Web.

Our collaboration servers (available in cloud or on premises) allow data scientists to showcase their work, make graphs without coding, and collaborate with business analysts, designers, executives, and clients.

Plotly

Turn information from almost any data source into a sophisticated, interactive report with SAP Crystal Reports. This powerful, user-friendly application for small businesses and departments can help you deliver key insights to the right decision maker, at the right time, in the right format.

Click here for a free trial

SAP

Sample Customers

Google, Goji, VIT, Smpl Bio, U.S. Air Force, C12 Energy, New York University

City of Buenos Aires, ASR Group, Citrix, EarlySense, Usha International Limited, Automotive Resources International (ARI), LivePerson, Coelba (Grupo Neoenergia), RZD Russian Railways, National Basketball Association - NBA, TALLY WEiJL, El Machetazo, Young Heroes, Mozzart, Mitsui Knowledge Industry (MKI) , Surgutneftegas Open Joint Stock Company, The VELUX Group, AOK Bundesverband, AL-KO KOBER GROUP

Buyer's Guide

Plotly vs. SAP Crystals

June 2025

Free Report: Plotly vs. SAP Crystal Reports

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