Looker vs. Tableau – Comprehensive Comparison of 2023

Jack

By Jack

Update on

Looker vs. Tableau

In the battle between Looker vs. Tableau, there can be only one winner. In this article, you are going to decide which one of them is just what you need for your enterprise.

Data visualization is the only way a company would get to know their record better as it would help to understand the real value of the data. So the company can start making improvements upon them.

Data visualization helps the company to process a large amount of data by just a simple look, without having to rummage through all the unnecessary details to reach the same conclusion.

The visualization of the result gets done through various processes, and the outcomes follow the same exact pattern.

Looker vs. Tableau – The Importance of Visualization

The reason why visualization sticks out to the viewer the most amongst other things is in its simplicity. While maintaining the information on what is being shown outside to the user is an important factor in data visualization.

Finding the right balance between simplicity and the information is how a visualization gets every aspect of the document right, is done through clean, precision, and recording what’s more important than filling up with extra details.

So the viewer can make up the big picture without getting lost in other information. The tools looker and Tableau brings the bigger picture to the organization.

So, why Looker vs. Tableau? A lot of software, tools available in the market promise to give way many options to the user by staying under a moderate price point. But what we are focusing on here is the battle between Looker vs. Tableau, because both of them sit at the popular side of the table.

And both of them features the options that are useful for the marketing needs of a company. Many companies use Looker and Tableau in their organization because both of these tools offer simplicity without compromising the quality. Along with simplicity, they feature high standard customer care service, a visualization that they are capable of producing.

A picture is worth thousands of words, but if that picture is filled with charts, graphs, then it will be worth more to a company. Representing all the complicated states in graphics, in a manner so any viewer can understand the real picture in the manner of second is the goal behind data visualization.

The data visualization needs to depict data in a more understandable method than being confusing, easier to navigate so that the work would require less effort from the user, and it needs to have the strength to consume large scale information.

If a tool contains all these important factors, it will be ready to provide unique data visualization at a much more efficient rate.

PS: Click to read more about the full Spotfire vs. Tableau and Tableau Vs. Microstrategy comprehensive comparison.

Looker vs. Tableau Full Comparison

Now let’s move to the main topic at hand, Looker vs. Tableau. Which one of them offers more than the other?

● Looker vs. Tableau – Data Storage

Both of the software doesn’t have a feature that allows you to store any sort of data in their software, but you can connect to data sources like SQL to access data. You might get any sort of data collection or storage, but having the option to SQL to do both of those things puts both of the software in the same circle.

But with Tableau, you will get more support to large data sources compared to Looker. In the data collection access case Looker vs. Tableau, Tableau is a clear winner here.

● Looker vs. Tableau – Modeling of Data

This is where the software takes the data, processes it, and then makes it ready for the data analysis. When it comes to data modeling, the layer is where all of the things will get handled, Looker’s LookML data modeling layer is far better than Tableau’s layer.

With Looker, you are going to get a wider margin and many other features that will make your workload much easier to do here. In modeling data between Looker vs. Tableau, Looker is the winner.

● Looker vs. Tableau – Visualization

With Tableau, you can visualize all sorts of data, and everything about them, from weather patterns to see the revenue growth. And everything with Tableau is customizable that allows you to create a data visualization that comes closer to your style than going with a pre-default one.

On the other side, you have Looker, which is jam-packed with many visualization features that allows you to create your customization visualization with a real-time dashboard, that would allow you to see if you need to make some changes to the visualization after a glance.

With Looker, you are going to get integration from companies like Google and Amazon. Looker is the clear winner between Looker vs. Tableau by providing you all sorts of vendor tools and application parse.

● Self-service

Self-service offers the business to go through the daily function of the data by themselves. Any user can open the data and analyze it. Looker offers all the self-service capabilities you need for your business.

But compared to Tableau, lookers feel flat; with Tableau, all of the users can act as data scientists without having any background to support it. The data interface is far more superior with Tableau than an onlooker, by giving you the drag and drop interface, which compared to the old school method, this one is more reliable and easier to do.

Knowing the analytics will allow the users to know all the details of the data without missing any. So they would have a better understanding of the data and everything about them.

● Deployment

Tableau offers different products that have different deployments. You will get tableau desktop and tableau server, and for the cloud, you have your Tableau online.

There are plenty of ways you start a deployment with Tableau, but with Looker, you will only have access to the cloud because it is a web-based platform operating in the cloud. So you won’t get any tableau desktop or server variants of it.

Many people nowadays prefer a cloud version than any other version, but the only Tableau provides a sheer number of a platform for the user. In the deployment issue, Looker vs. Tableau, Tableau is the winner here.

● Language

If language is the issue to you, as if you want more than just plain old English, then there are n’t too many options you are going to get with both of this software, with Tableau you are going to get English, but with Looker, you will get English and Dutch.

That’s it, English is the primary concern here, but if you go with Looker, you will get the ability to choose a language other than English. Between Looker vs. Tableau, Lookers win by providing one more option to the user.

● Services

If you are a small scale organization or standing on the top of a large scale company, you have to choose the plan that suits your organization the most; then, you can continue with the plan. Picking a small scale plan wouldn’t be able to handle all the data of a large scale organization.

Vice versa, if you are a small scale organization, then getting a large scale program or service will be a waste of money. With Tableau, you are going to get only support for large enterprises and medium enterprises, but with Looker, you will get the support of not only Large enterprises, medium enterprises, but also small businesses.

Here Lookers takes the cake here by providing the option to small businesses to choose the plan than forcing a medium enterprise plan.

Small businesses can save a lot of money per day or year by going with the small business plan than going anything beyond that because they will be useless for the small business. This will end up costing more than raising anything.

With Tableau, you are going to get

  • Drag and drop feature makes the work a lot easier than the old school style
  • Shared dashboard
  • Tableau reader for data viewing
  • Translate queries for visulation
  • Supports all range of data
  • Supports all size of data
  • Automatic updates and security permissions.
  • Single sign-on
  • User-friendly
  • Online analytical processing functionalities to get access to databases
  • Supports different file formats, which is really important to a lot of people.
  • Supports a large number of data sources
  • Platform friendly, with easy embedding
  • Has a cloud-based platform

Now that you know all the features of Tableau, let’s see all the stuff you are going to get with Looker

  • Web Deployment
  • Browser-based interface with the option to have customized dashboards
  • Easier to get in
  • All the reports, and charts are fully customizable.
  • Less prohibitive to use the default designs
  • LookLM modeling language.
  • Connection to SQL database
  • Modern IDE for development
  • Important tools for data exploration
  • Integrates with huge data platform
  • Qualitative customer support
  • Custom install option
  • Works on different platforms, such as on Mac and PC windows
  • Platform friendly -mobile, tablet, desktop
  • Easier to use

In the battle between Looker vs. Tableau, both of them carry the technology that provides the best route to the company and the best way to surf the data without any delay or bug. Tableau has added a lot of features of storyboarding and spatial file connector to its system.

Lookers create customized visuals that allow the user to pick from a library full of premade visualization templates. When it comes to analytics, Looker is just better than Tableau.

Tableau is not that bad when it comes to analytics, but Looker has platform exclusive analytics function and giving the ability to the user so they can customize to fit more to their need, rather than just going along with it.

When it comes to the Online Analytical Processing tool, Tableau is the winner here, because Tableau works with OLAP cubes, While Looker works around OLAP. There are many companies that seek OLAP for their organization; they should rather go with Tableau than Looker.

If your company doesn’t need OLAP to run the day-to-day activity, then picking software that has the function will be a waste of money. You might as well go for Looker since you don’t need the feature for your institution.

LookerTableau
Quote basedSubscription – Online payment
Supports English and DutchHere you will only get English
For small, medium, and large enterprisesFor both medium and large enterprises
Here you will get the browser-based interfaceHere the picture of visualization is pretty much the same
Access to many vendor tools to refine the work furtherYou are not going to get any vendor tools here
Self-service option without any skillTableau brings the drag and drops feature for analyzation of the data
With looker, you are only going to get a Web-based platformFor installation, you’ll have Tableau Desktop and server
Important tools for real-time eventsAutomatic management of the data and security permission
Fully customizable reports available to the userTableau reader for data reading

Conclusion on the Looker vs. Tableau comparison

LookerTableau
Data Storage3/55/5
Modeling of Data554/5
Functions4/55/5
Language4/53/5
Community3/54/5
Learning Curve4/55/5
API4/54/5
Visualizations5/53/5
Cost4/54/5

The point being in the subject Looker vs. Tableau, You need to get the one that will be more compatible with your needs.

Both of them provide excellent quality of service for a moderate price range, while getting the one with the most features might look tempting, but if your organization doesn’t use the services, then the whole program would be worthless.

Each service provides something better than the other one doesn’t have. It is better to know what feature you will need the most out of both of this software. After you pick the right feature, the next step is to get the software that would be more fitting to your needs.

FAQs

  1. What is the main difference between Looker and Tableau?
    • Looker focuses on data modeling and collaboration, while Tableau emphasizes data visualization and ease of use.
  2. Can Looker and Tableau be used together?
    • Yes, Looker and Tableau can be used together to leverage the strengths of both platforms. Looker can handle data modeling and exploration, while Tableau can be used for creating visually appealing dashboards and reports.
  3. Is Looker or Tableau better for large datasets?
    • Both Looker and Tableau can handle large datasets effectively. However, Looker’s modeling capabilities make it more suitable for complex data structures and large-scale data analysis.
  4. Can Looker and Tableau connect to cloud-based data sources?
    • Yes, both Looker and Tableau support connectivity to cloud-based data sources, including cloud storage and databases.
  5. Are there any alternatives to Looker and Tableau?
    • Yes, there are several alternatives to Looker and Tableau, such as Power BI, QlikView, and Domo, each with its own unique features and strengths.
Jack
Jack

Ten years of experience in information and computer technology. Passionate about electronic devices, smartphones, computers, and modern technology.

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