Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

SAS Visual Analytics vs Sigma 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

SAS Visual Analytics
Ranking in Data Visualization
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sigma
Ranking in Data Visualization
13th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools (16th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Data Visualization category, the mindshare of SAS Visual Analytics is 3.4%, down from 5.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sigma is 2.3%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Visualization
 

Featured Reviews

Danna Nemeth - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides ease of use and has advanced data visualization capabilities
The initial setup can be complex and depends on the specific environment and licensing. It typically requires some time and effort to configure properly. It can be deployed as a SaaS solution or on-premises. It typically requires an installer and someone knowledgeable in business analytics and data management. Generally, it does not require extensive maintenance, though occasional upkeep might be necessary.
Russell Rothstein - PeerSpot reviewer
Modern dashboards and reports enhance decision-making and presentations
I would love to be able to create my own reports in Sigma, as I can do in Salesforce. Either we are not using it properly, or the software is too complicated. It would be great if there was a way for me to create reports without relying on a data analyst. I'm interested in the upcoming AI co-pilot to enable natural language generation of visualizations and reports. Also, the marketing materials did not match what I feel we've received. Regarding pricing, Sigma's pricing doesn't allow more people to have the ability to create their own reports. We have very few admin or report creator licenses, while everyone else is on a view-only mode.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The flexibility of the configuration is valuable to me."
"It's a stable, reliable product."
"It provided the capability to visualize a bunch of data in an organized way."
"It's relatively simple to create basic dashboards and reports."
"The product is stable, reliable, and scalable."
"Visual Analytics is very easy to use. I use Visual Analytics for all the typical use cases except text mining. I used it to analyze data and monitor statistics, not text mining. I also use it for data visualization as well as creating interactive dashboards and infographics."
"It's quite easy to learn and to progress with SAS from an end-user perspective."
"Data handling is one of the best features of SAS Visual Analytics."
"The most valuable feature of Sigma is the detailed reports."
"I find the collaborative features, such as commenting, to be very valuable."
"Sigma has excellent features, such as lookup tables where you can easily bring data that are not interrelated or at different granularity."
"Sigma is a great software for non-technical business users. If someone's familiar with pivot tables or Excel or Google Sheets, they should be able to pick up Sigma pretty quickly. There is a very low bar for onboarding."
"Sigma serves as the visualization and reporting front end."
"The tool's interface is easy to use. The functions listed as a part of the menu items are easy to use."
"The most valuable aspect for me is having real-time data."
"The most valuable feature of Sigma is the detailed reports."
 

Cons

"There are certain shortcomings in the tool's support services, making it an area where improvements are required."
"SAS Visual Analytics could be more user-friendly."
"The solution should improve its graphics."
"The licensing ends up being more expensive than other options."
"In terms of configuration, I would like to see AI capabilities since many applications are now integrating AI."
"There are scalability issues. It depends on the data volume and number of end-users. VA requires a lot of hardware resources to move volumes of data."
"I haven't come across any missing features."
"The deployment isn't smooth. Deploying Visual Analytics on the cloud takes a lot of work, or you can use some providers that give you SAS as a service. For example, there is a provider called SaasNow. They host SAS Visual Analytics and the license. You can buy the license and deploy it there without the hassle of installation because deploying the software isn't easy."
"Either we are not using it properly, or the software is too complicated. It would be great if there was a way for me to create reports without relying on a data analyst."
"Sigma could have better reports."
"The only minor area for improvement lies in handling highly complex visualizations."
"I would like to see better visualization options. That would allow me to build out more visually pleasing dashboarding in Sigma."
"Sigma could have better reports."
"The product's roadmap regarding introducing new features in the solution or new versions of the tool can be made better in the future."
"Sigma lacks a versioning feature to track changes. There is a need for better structuring, like a folder system, to organize diagrams efficiently."
"The main improvement needed is in data modeling capabilities. If they add those features in the near future, it would be very helpful for us to implement the same or do the data cleansing part in the Sigma tool itself."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of the solution can be expensive. There is an additional cost for users."
"$10,000 per annum for an enterprise license."
"SAS Visual Analytics is expensive, as is the rest of the platform."
"Visual Analytics is expensive for a small company like mine. You also need to deploy it on a server or cloud, so you pay for the license as well as the cost of the cloud or the server that you will deploy on."
"I work with the tool's free version...The tool's corporate version is very expensive and requires a monthly hire."
"The product is quite expensive."
"Licensing is simple."
"It was licensed for corporate use, and its licensing was on a yearly basis."
"The retail price is set at one thousand dollars per creator per year."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Data Visualization solutions are best for your needs.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
20%
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SAS Visual Analytics?
The most solution's notable aspect, in my view, is the ability to integrate various data sources and harness advanced technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. This helps w...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAS Visual Analytics?
It's about an average of five. It's easy to scale, but it comes with cost.
What needs improvement with SAS Visual Analytics?
In terms of configuration, I would like to see AI capabilities since many applications are now integrating AI. It may be that our current subscription does not include AI-enabled features, but I wo...
What do you like most about Sigma?
The tool's interface is easy to use. The functions listed as a part of the menu items are easy to use.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Sigma?
The pricing of Sigma is a concern, as it restricts our ability to provide more users with report-creating capabilities due to the high cost of admin or report creator licenses. Most users have view...
What needs improvement with Sigma?
I would love to be able to create my own reports in Sigma, as I can do in Salesforce. Either we are not using it properly, or the software is too complicated. It would be great if there was a way f...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

SAS BI
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Staples, Ausgrid, Scotiabank, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, Xcel Energy, and Triad Analytics Solutions.
Snowflake, Fivetran ,Autodesk, Flowspace, Super League Gaming, Zumper, Clover, Volta, Olivela
Find out what your peers are saying about SAS Visual Analytics vs. Sigma and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.