Looker vs Chartio

Looker is a forerunner in the business intelligence field for a reason; it generates reports that include easy sharing via link, automatic scheduling and a level of granular detail that allows for deeper analysis below the surface. It excels in its filter and drill-down features and creates unique URLs when users make changes to data, leading to enhanced sharing. However, one of its biggest strengths could also be considered one of its biggest weaknesses: its proprietary programming language, LookML which is used to construct SQL queries in the platform. While a flexible and powerful data querying language, of course, LookML isn’t the most accessible to non-technical users, which means that Looker requires an IT or data team to access its full capabilities and has a steep learning curve. Users also note that its data visualizations, while simple and easy to understand, are quite basic and lacking in customization options, particularly in comparison to competitors. Some users say that it may be more appropriate for internal reporting than presentation to shareholders and end-users because of its bare-bones visualization options. However, Looker truly shines when used by enterprises, with its scalability and data accessibility making it a stellar solution that can align departments and provide thousands of users access to data insights. Its price point reflects this, with its pricing being prohibitive to startups as about 88% of users who comment on its cost remark. Overall, Looker is a solid pick for larger businesses that have a team of power users who can maximize its functionality and set it up to deliver to employees across an entire organization.

Chartio is a SaaS BI tool that rates quite highly with its user base, thanks to a myriad of unique benefits and features that help companies save time and increase productivity. Most significantly, many reviews focused on its ease of use — not only is the platform user-friendly and intuitive, with a clean, drag-and-drop interface, but it’s also designed to help users build SQL queries without coding knowledge. Easy to pick up, it’s also easy to master, with a remarkably short learning curve due to built-in tools and tips, as well as an abundance of vendor-provided documentation, online resources and proactive customer support. Many users reported that this tool increased organization-wide data literacy and reduced reliance on their IT, R&D and analyst departments by providing truly self-service BI. In addition, it facilitates smooth collaboration and painless sharing of insights. Users also praised its data analysis functionality, which gives insight into overarching trends while inviting deeper exploration at a granular level through flexible filters, slice-and-dice tools and drill-down capabilities. This tool’s data visualization and dashboarding features, while lacking in some customization compared to competitors, help users track KPIs and see metrics from all of their data sources in one place. However, some reviews mentioned that this solution suffers from slow loading times and refresh rates, especially with larger data sets. Another con cited by several users is its cost: while some say that it’s affordable, others say that it’s too expensive for what it provides and that the price hike associated with adding embedding to pricing plans is too high. For businesses specifically looking for a mobile app, this tool may not be the right fit, as there is currently no mobile app. Though it lacks some advanced features needed by power users or provided by other alternatives, some reviews said that this is a trade-off for its ease of use with business users. Overall, Chartio is a great fit for businesses seeking to empower all their employees with data-driven decision making and encourage them to discover their own insights, while reducing the burden on their IT department.