TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Looker Studio

    Score7.6 out of 10
    N/ALooker Studio is a data visualization platform that transforms data into meaningful presentations and dashboards with customized reporting tools.

    $9

    per month per user per project

    Microsoft Power BI

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Power BI is a visualization and data discovery tool from Microsoft. It allows users to convert data into visuals and graphics, visually explore and analyze data, collaborate on interactive dashboards and reports, and scale across their organization with built-in governance and security.

    $10

    per month per user

    Pricing
    Looker StudioMicrosoft Power BI
    Editions & Modules
    Looker Studio Pro
    $9
    per month per user per project
    Looker Studio
    No charge
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Looker StudioMicrosoft Power BI
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Looker StudioMicrosoft Power BI
    Considered Both Products
    Google
    Chose Looker Studio
    The main reason why Looker Studio was selected is because it was already integrated into the google ecosystem. But it actually once you start working with it, is really easy to get into. For really complex reports you will have to focus in building a good model in the database …
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    We selected Looker Studio because we are Google Workspace users, and Looker Studio is natively integrated with it.
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    Easy availability and accessible with Google suits. Sharing is smooth.
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    We selected Google Data Studio because it is easier to make connections with third-party data sources. Also Google Data Studio can understand connections between different tables and databases better that its competitors such as Power BI. Compared to Power BI you do not need to …
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    Google holds it's own against these competitors as they each have their own strengths and weaknesses. While Tableau provides user-interactive reporting, its formatting options can be quickly rigid and frustrating.
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    Google Data Studio provides a great feature set considering its price point, especially when compared to commercial options from Microsoft and Tableau. While it may not be as versatile when it comes to working with and developing complex datasets, there is enough charm in its …
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    Compared with Tableau and Power BI, I would say Google Data Studio is fairly placed or a pretty decent tool. We need to understand, this is a free tool and it will have its own limitations - apart from that this is a pretty decent tool compared to the biggies in the market.
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    Officially we are still on Tableau Desktop. We are nearing the end of our "exploration" phase with Google Data Studio. Tableau's products are expensive, especially for a small organization like us. There are many better uses of the software budget than Tableau. Google Data …
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    I selected Google Data Studio because it was free. In general it compares favorably against BIME but less against PowerBI and Tableau. I was looking for a free tool to help surface metrics company-wide and this tool was perfect for me. PowerBI and Tableau have much more data …
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    Google Data Studio provides basic functionalities for visualizing data and creating simple reports, but it certainly does not provide the advanced visualizations and features that Tableau and Power BI offer.
    Moreover, Tableau offers built-in advanced functions and data …
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    Google Data Studio is widely available and accessible, can be shared easily, and it only takes 20-30 min to build a rudimentary dashboard. It has very little setup and does not rely on internal data architecture and development. For later development purposes, Tableau, Power …
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    The only benefit to Data Studio compared to Klipfolio is being free. In any other aspect or function that I've used, Klipfolio is far better.
    Incentivized
    Chose Looker Studio
    Google Data Studio is much more intuitive to pick up and start using immediately. There was very little need for formal training or onboarding to start using the tool quickly. Power BI was much more difficult to start using.

    The formatting in GDS is also very customizable, and …
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Power BI
    After several years using Google Looker Studio and BigQuery, Microsoft Power BI is a step-up in terms of visualizations. It is also much more powerful, leading to less errors and has a more intuitive interface. Looker Studio has a focus on Google Analytics whereas Microsoft …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Power BI
    I prefer Power BI because of its affordability and fewer complicated tools than Tableau. It's easy to use and compatible with other Microsoft products, which are mostly used in the IT industry. It's not limited to only one platform like Looker Studio, which is mostly used in …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Power BI
    Complexity: Microsoft Power BI is more powerful and complex, Looker Studio is simpler and easier to use.
    Data: Microsoft Power BI handles complex data modeling and diverse sources, Looker Studio is better for simpler data and Google ecosystem sources.
    Analytics: Microsoft Power …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Power BI
    Some of the strengths are 1. User-Friendliness 2. Self-Service BI (Caters to all levels of the employees 3. Cost-effective. 4. Easy integration with Microsoft Suits. 5. DAX Calculations 6. Familiar Interface like traditional Excel. 7. Easier Self-Service platform for …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Power BI
    Overall Microsoft Power BI has more capabilities, it is more customizable and it also has it's own query language DAX which is really powerful for complex calculations and that's something you just don't get in their competitors, also when integrated with the other power apps, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Power BI
    Due to microsoft user and all the data into excel it was found more feasible from the organization to get Microsoft Power BI. Also due to access of microsoft licence we don't need to survey other vendors and feasibility. Also price wise it was more competitive then Tableau.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Power BI
    I selected Power BI because it is the best in all because of its ecosystem and its ability to connect with multiple data source like Microsoft Excel, Microsoft SQL Server, web, analysis services etc. Moreover, its available on both Cloud and Desktop with some pro and cons …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Power BI
    Much more instinctive
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    97%
    Would buy again
    34 Answers
    95%
    Would buy again
    101 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    32 Answers
    99%
    Delivers good value for the price
    96 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    33 Answers
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    103 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    26 Answers
    98%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    63 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    87%
    Implementation went as expected
    27 Answers
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    67 Answers
    Features
    Looker StudioMicrosoft Power BI
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Looker Studio and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Looker Studio
    8.0
    53 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Microsoft Power BI
    8.8
    140 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Pixel Perfect reports7.037 Ratings8.5120 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards8.552 Ratings10.0140 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates8.451 Ratings8.0128 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Looker Studio and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Looker Studio
    7.6
    52 Ratings
    5% below category average
    Microsoft Power BI
    8.2
    140 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Drill-down analysis9.544 Ratings7.0139 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities8.048 Ratings9.0138 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages4.024 Ratings8.0103 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration8.951 Ratings9.0135 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Looker Studio and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Looker Studio
    8.2
    52 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Microsoft Power BI
    8.6
    134 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Publish to Web7.546 Ratings8.0129 Ratings
    Publish to PDF9.545 Ratings9.0122 Ratings
    Report Versioning8.033 Ratings9.0102 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling7.436 Ratings8.0104 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers8.818 Ratings9.074 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Looker Studio and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Looker Studio
    7.1
    51 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Microsoft Power BI
    8.7
    136 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)9.551 Ratings9.0131 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization9.048 Ratings8.0122 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics5.026 Ratings9.0102 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining5.02 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Looker Studio and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Looker Studio
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Power BI
    8.6
    127 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings9.0121 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings9.0102 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings10.0111 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings8.394 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Looker Studio and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Looker Studio
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Power BI
    8.0
    117 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings8.0111 Ratings
    Mobile Application00 Ratings7.793 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings7.7112 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Looker Studio and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Looker Studio
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Power BI
    8.4
    80 Ratings
    8% above category average
    REST API00 Ratings8.072 Ratings
    Javascript API00 Ratings9.956 Ratings
    iFrames00 Ratings8.055 Ratings
    Java API00 Ratings8.046 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)00 Ratings8.163 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)00 Ratings8.444 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Looker StudioMicrosoft Power BI
    Small Businesses
    Chartio (discontinued)
    Score7.5 out of 10
    Cyfe
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Jet Reports
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Zendesk Explore
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Grafana
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Jaspersoft Community Edition
    Score9.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Looker StudioMicrosoft Power BI
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (54 ratings)
    8.5
    (142 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    8.5
    (5 ratings)
    7.9
    (58 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.7
    (10 ratings)
    10.0
    (53 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.5
    (82 ratings)
    Data Sources
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (81 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Looker StudioMicrosoft Power BI
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Google
    Looker Studio is well-suited for those wanting to analyze web/site data and performance quickly. It is simple enough to learn/use for quick report-building or drilling into data. Looker Studio is easier to use/understand than the GA4 console and thus has a better UI/UX. It is an efficient tool for fast, simple data needs—especially for team members with limited analytical capabilities and knowledge.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Has significantly improved collation of data and visualisation especially with business across Europe. Has given me the ability to see the Site availability at the click of a button to see which Site is in the "money" and seize opportunities based on Market data
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Google
    • Self-service
    • Easy to use, point and click
    • Little to no training required
    • Easy to share internally and externally
    • Rich visualizations
    • Canned reports
    • Easy to copy/paste/dupe existing reports
    • Ability to join data sets
    • Easy integration with various data sources
    • Flexible data integrations, including lowest common denominator (CSV, XLS, G-Sheets)
    • Wide range of APIs
    • Secure / authentication via Google SSO
    • Easy to share / re-assign ownership of reports and data sources
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Options for data source connections are immense. Not just which sources, but your options for *how* the data is brought in.
    • Constant updates (this is both good and bad at times).
    • User friendliness. I can get the data connections set up and draft some quick visuals, then release to the target audience and let them expand on it how they want to.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Google
    • Few functionalities are very exclusive only for data studio.
    • It's time taking to load data and at the same time only single Data source can be connected.
    • When editing the reports you have to switch between Edit and View mode to see how does the change looks like.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • It would be easier for users could Microsoft Power BI and Excel used the same programming languages.
    • Would like to see the online version of Microsoft Power BI be as powerful as the desktop version.
    • Publishing a Microsoft Power BI file online and then having to save the file is somewhat redundant.
    • Would like to export each page or chart as an image.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Google
    It is the simplest and least expensive way for us to automate our reporting at this time. I like the ability to customize literally everything about each report, and the ability to send out reports automatically in emails. The only issue we have been having recently is a technical glitch in the automatic email report. Sadly, there is almost no support for this tool from Google, but is also free, so that is important to take into consideration
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Power BI is an excellent and scalable tool. It has a learning curve, but once you get past that, the sky is the limit and you can build from the most simple to the most complex dashboards. I have built everything from simple reports with only a few data points to complex reports with many pages and advanced filtering.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Google
    It is not ideal and requires time and dedication to understand how to work with it. Also, it has a lot of limitations around data it can accept. But in most cases, this tool is sufficient for everyday tasks of product and marketing departments. I wouldn't say that the interface is very user-friendly, but for people who regularly work with analytical tools, it must be ok.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Automating reporting has reduced manual data processing by 50-70%, freeing up analysts for higher-value tasks. A finance team that previously spent 20+ hours per week on Excel-based reports now does it in minutes with Microsoft Power BI's automated Real-time dashboards have shortened decision cycles by 30-40%, enabling leadership to react quickly to sales trends, operational bottlenecks, and customer behavior.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Google
    I give it a lower support rating because it seems like our Dev team hasn't gotten the support they need to set up our database to connect. Seems like we hit a roadblock and the project got put on pause for dev. That sucks for me because it is harder to get the dev team to focus on it if they don't get the help they need to set it up.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    It is a fantastic tool, you can do almost everything related with data and reports, it is a perfect substitutive of Power Point and Excel with a high evolution and flexibility, and also it is very friendly and easy to share. I think all companies should have Power BI (or other BI tool) in their software package and if they are in the MS Suite, for sure Power BI should be the one due to all the benefits of the MS ecosystem.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    It was integrated with our erp easily and was accessible on cloud.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Google
    The free version of Looker Studio is still better than the leading enterprise-embedded BI tools, despite its weaknesses. The leading embedded BI platforms have terrible visualizations that can be spotted a mile away. They are also primarily locked to a grid, making it very hard to fully customize. The price point is also a major deterrent, since users end up paying for lots of features they might never use. Looker Studio has weaknesses on the blending and modeling side, but we've been able to get by via connection to GBQ and transformation done in dbt.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Power BI is free. If I didn't want to create a custom platform (i.e. my organization insisted on an existing platform that I *had* to use), I'd use Microsoft Power BI. For any start-up or SMB, I'd just use Claude & Grok to build it quickly, also for free. Would not pay for Tableau or Sigma anymore. Not worth it at all.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Google
    • Free, so the only investment is time
    • Because it doesn't have native support of non-Google sources, it can cost more money than Tableau
    • The time spent formatting the templates or building connectors can have a negative impact on ROI
    • As a agency, charging for the reporting service is profitable after the first month or two after building the dashboard.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Power BI usage reduced the effort of analytical reports creation by about 80%
    • Empowered all the level of employee to be more vigilant of the data and business insights, gained the profit of 8% overall.
    • AI-powered predictive analytics improved forecasting accuracy by 17%, that topped the overall sales.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Microsoft Power BI Screenshots

    Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Turns insights into impact for business usersScreenshot of Power BI integrates easily with Microsoft 365Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - AI-Powered CapabilitiesScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Copilot can be used to create reportsScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Data HubScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Scales as organizational needs grow