Looker vs GraphPad Prism

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Our analysts compared Looker vs GraphPad Prism based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Business Intelligence Tools, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Looker Software Tool

Product Basics

Looker is a web-based analytics solution that offers businesses the ability to explore, discover, visualize and share data insights. Enterprises can view data sources and drill down into data to better understand their business and metrics.

Using a simple proprietary modeling language, this system helps define data relationships while bypassing SQL. It facilitates data literacy and accessibility, irrespective of technical skill levels. It was acquired by Google on June 6, 2019, for $2.9 billion.
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Graphpad Prism is a statistics, data analysis and graphing package that simplifies powerful statistics to help users analyze smarter, not harder. Though specialized for scientific research, it doesn’t require its users to have programming knowledge in order to tell stories with their data and create a wide variety of data visualizations with ease.

It can be installed on Windows or Mac devices and is available through a group or personal subscription, which comes with free updates during the subscription term and is billed on an annual basis, or through a perpetual license, which does not include upgrades and guaranteed support for future operating system updates. For short-term projects, individual users can get a monthly subscription. Students can receive a subscription at a discounted rate.
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$2,900 Monthly
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$142 Annually
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Insights

  • Real-Time Data: Keep up to date on the most recent numbers through real-time updates to dashboards and other visualizations.
  • Local Database: Uses an organization’s proprietary database to collect data — no need to rely on parallel data pipelines or data extracts.
  • Self-Service BI: Explore data through the self-serve function and then refine the automatically generated visualizations. Create custom dashboards to reflect specific KPIs based on the business’ specific needs.
  • Virtual Schema: Create live connections to over 35 SQL databases through a code-based virtual query-time schema. Keeps data visualizations secure and up-to-date.
  • Embedded Analytics: Embeddable through SSO, it can deploy into third-party solutions like a CRM or ERP as an embedded iframe or through Javascript. Empowers other software solutions with BI capabilities including reliable data, self-service analytics, actionable insights and intuitive dashboards.
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  • Perform the Right Analysis: With clear language and a checklist for each process, Prism helps users select the most suitable statistical analysis from its library while bypassing technical jargon.
  • Helps You Learn As You Go: At almost every step, users can access pages from Prism’s online help. Tutorial data sets help users understand how and why they should perform analyses, how to make graphs and how to interpret the results of their analyses.
  • Focus on Research: Because users can utilize the software and automate processes without coding, it allows them to spend more time researching and less time programming. The software also takes care of updating graphs and results, freeing up even more time for researchers.
  • Publish with Ease: The solution allows users to customize and save default settings to meet their publishing requirements so that they can export publication-quality graphics with one click.
  • Enhance Collaboration: All parts of a Prism project, including the raw data, analyses, results, graphs and layouts, are contained in a single file that users can share with others, who can then follow their work step-by-step and add value to their findings.
  • Educational Resources and Support: Graphpad provides extensive online help guides for doing statistical analyses with Prism, as well as video tutorials and sample data sets that users can practice analyzing with the platform. The vendor also provides online training center options and technical support for the product, offering users the assistance and tools they need to succeed.
  • Free Trial: Interested parties can try the platform with a free 30-day trial with no credit card or commitment necessary.
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  • Automated Modeling: Connects to relational databases and automatically generates models from the database schema.
  • Intuitive Visualizations: Generates visualizations in real time directly from the specified data source. Choose from an expansive library of visualization options like bar graphs, pie charts, Sankey diagrams, spider web charts, sunburst graphs, chord diagrams, heatmaps, funnels, treemaps and many more.
  • Time Zone Handling: Incorporates data seamlessly into the visualization, regardless of what time zone it is coming from.
  • LookML Data Modeling Language: Create scalable, reusable data models through the proprietary SQL-based data modeling language LookML.
  • Pre-Built Analytics Code: Use its Blocks feature as a starting point for building data analytics models with customizable code blocks. Includes optimized SQL patterns, custom visualization options, pre-built data models and more.
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  • Statistical Analysis: Prism offers a comprehensive library of statistical analyses, including nonlinear regression, t-tests, nonparametric comparisons, ANOVA, analysis of contingency tables, survival analysis and more. Users can confirm that they have chosen the appropriate test for their needs with a checklist that helps them understand the required statistical assumptions.
  • One-Click Regression Analysis: Prism allows users to select an equation and it will take care of the rest, including fitting the curve, displaying a table of results and function parameters, drawing the curve and interpolating unknown values.
  • Data Tables: Unlike spreadsheets or many other graphing programs, Prism has eight types of data tables that are specifically formatted for certain analyses, making it easier for users to enter data correctly and perform accurate analyses.
  • Real-Time Updates: When any changes are made to the data and analyses, those changes are reflected in the results, graphs and layouts instantaneously with updates in real time.
  • Customizable Data Visualization: Users can create a wide variety of visual representations of their data, including violin plots, box-whisker, bar graphs, subcolumn graphs, smoothing splines, scatter plots and more. They can also enhance these graphics with customization options that help them tell their data’s story in whatever way they desire; they can choose the type of graph, how the data is arranged, the style of the data points, labels, colors, fonts, look and more.
  • Prism Magic: Users can select one or more Prism graphs and apply a consistent look to the set with one-click simplicity, saving valuable time spent otherwise on standardizing the look of multiple graphics. 
  • Export Graphics: Users can export their graphs in high-quality and customize the file type, resolution, transparency, dimensions, color, space, etc. of their visualizations to meet the requirements of publication. To save time in the future, users can set their default export preferences.
  • Work Automation: Users can reduce the number of tedious steps needed to analyze data by setting up reproducible workflows that can create templates, duplicate families or clone graphs.
  • Tools for Teamwork: Prism allows for enhanced collaboration with other scientists, with all the information in a Prism project, including raw data, analyses, results, graphs and layouts, contained in a single, shareable file. Others can follow along with your work at every step, adding their insight and streamlining your collective research efforts.
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Product Ranking

#4

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Business Intelligence Tools

#70

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Business Intelligence Tools

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 1836 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 202 reviews
88%
of users recommend this product

Looker has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 1836 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

93%
of users recommend this product

GraphPad Prism has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 202 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (20)
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4.4 (1070)
4.6 (51)
4.6 (141)
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4.7 (143)
4.4 (371)
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4.1 (234)
4.1 (8)

Awards

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GraphPad Prism stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Reporting: Looker features strong reporting features that offer a degree of granularity and scheduling that 100% of users who mention reporting evaluate as a strong benefit.
Support: Of the users who say they’ve contacted customer support, 95% say the team’s quick and informative responses are a plus.
Data Accessibility: All users who mention accessibility to data say Looker does this well, distributing insights to employees across departments and teams with ease, with 100% of users mentioning this feature believing it is a benefit.
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Easy Data Entry: Users appreciate the intuitive interface that makes it simple to input and organize data, even for complex experiments. For example, users can easily import data from spreadsheets or directly enter data into the program.
Powerful Analysis: Prism offers a wide range of statistical tests and graphing options, allowing users to analyze data in depth and visualize results effectively. For example, users can perform t-tests, ANOVA, regression analysis, and more.
Customization: Users can customize graphs and reports to meet their specific needs, ensuring that data is presented clearly and effectively. For example, users can adjust colors, fonts, and labels to create visually appealing and informative graphs.
Collaboration: Prism allows users to share data and results with colleagues, facilitating collaboration and communication. For example, users can export data and graphs in various formats, including PDF, Excel, and PowerPoint.
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Learning Curve: About 74% of users who touch on the platform’s ease of use say that the confusing documentation, lack of training opportunities and difficulty of using programming language make Looker a tough tool to pick up as a beginner.
Setup: Of the users who mention implementation, 81% say that setting up the platform is difficult, with integrations not being as plug-and-play as competitors and assistance from IT necessary to the setup process.
Speed: Approximately 87% of users who comment on the platform’s speed say that it is slow to render certain queries and often takes a while to load.
Functionality: About 78% of users who talk about Looker’s features say that they are left wanting many functions and find the ones that it does have limited in customization or too complex to use easily.
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Steep Learning Curve: New users often find the interface and features overwhelming, requiring significant time investment to master. This can be a major hurdle for teams with tight deadlines or limited training resources.
Limited Data Handling: Prism struggles with large datasets, making it less suitable for complex analyses involving extensive data manipulation or integration with other tools. This can be a problem for businesses with large-scale data collection and analysis needs.
Lack of Collaboration Features: Prism lacks robust collaboration features, making it difficult for teams to work together on projects. This can be a significant drawback for businesses that rely on collaborative data analysis and reporting.
Costly Licensing: Prism's licensing model can be expensive, especially for larger teams or organizations. This can be a barrier for businesses with limited budgets or those looking for more cost-effective solutions.
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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.

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Is GraphPad Prism the real deal or just a statistical mirage? GraphPad Prism is a popular software choice for scientists who need to analyze and visualize their data. Users praise its ease of use, especially for those without a strong statistics background. They appreciate the intuitive interface and the clear explanations provided for each statistical test. The software's ability to generate publication-quality graphs is a major selling point, with users highlighting the wide range of customization options available. For example, one user mentioned using Prism to generate figures for publication in peer-reviewed journals, highlighting its ability to create professional-looking visuals. However, some users have expressed concerns about the software's performance, particularly on older or less powerful computers. One user noted that Prism can be resource-intensive, even on a computer with 8GB of RAM. This can be a significant drawback for researchers who need to analyze large datasets or work on machines with limited resources. Additionally, some users have suggested that the tutorials could be improved, particularly for specific analyses like IC50 calculations. They believe that more real-life examples and detailed explanations would be beneficial. Overall, GraphPad Prism is a powerful tool for scientists who need to analyze and visualize their data. Its ease of use, comprehensive statistical analysis capabilities, and ability to create publication-quality graphs make it a strong choice for researchers. However, its performance on older computers and the potential for improvement in its tutorials are areas that could be addressed in future updates. GraphPad Prism is most suited for scientists who are looking for a user-friendly software that can handle a wide range of statistical analyses and produce high-quality graphs for publications.

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