Looker vs Bold BI

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Our analysts compared Looker vs Bold BI based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Embedded Analytics 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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Bold BI is an analytics platform with advanced embedded analytics. It consists of a web designer, viewer and widgets to perform operations without writing code. Leverage an interactive designer to build custom dashboards, pull metrics and visualize KPIs. Configure data connections and customize widget appearance with a drag-and-drop interface.

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$2,900 Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
$495 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Assistance

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Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
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24/7 Live Support

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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  • Improved Decision-Making: Access to real-time data and analytics enables more informed and timely business decisions.
  • Enhanced User Experience: Seamless integration with existing applications provides a consistent and intuitive user interface.
  • Increased Efficiency: Automated data processing and reporting reduce the time and effort required for manual data handling.
  • Scalability: Easily scale analytics capabilities as your business grows without significant additional investment.
  • Customization: Tailor dashboards and reports to meet specific business needs and preferences, ensuring relevant insights.
  • Data Security: Robust security features protect sensitive information, ensuring compliance with industry standards.
  • Cost Savings: Reduce the need for multiple analytics tools and associated costs by consolidating functionalities into one platform.
  • Collaboration: Share insights and reports easily across teams, fostering a collaborative environment for data-driven strategies.
  • Real-Time Monitoring: Keep track of key performance indicators (KPIs) in real-time, allowing for quick adjustments and proactive management.
  • Actionable Insights: Transform raw data into actionable insights that drive business growth and operational improvements.
  • Integration Capabilities: Connect with various data sources and third-party applications to create a unified analytics ecosystem.
  • Reduced IT Dependency: Empower business users to create and manage their own reports, reducing the burden on IT departments.
  • Flexibility: Adapt to changing business requirements with flexible deployment options, including on-premises and cloud solutions.
  • Performance Optimization: Optimize business processes by identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies through detailed analytics.
  • Competitive Advantage: Gain a competitive edge by leveraging advanced analytics to uncover market trends and opportunities.
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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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  • Data Preparation: Connect to different data sources and perform actions like joins, filters and more to preview data through a visual editor. Add calculated fields at a data source level. 
  • Data Connectivity: Access data from various sources, including relational and NoSQL databases, data warehouses, big data systems, REST API services and more. 
  • Data Visualization: Create intuitive visualizations to uncover trends and patterns. Manipulate and interact with data using filters and parameters. Drill down into data to discover valuable insights. Explore information through built-in data exploration capabilities. 
  • Predictive Analytics: Identify seasonal changes and forecast trends with time series analysis. Recognize business risks and gauge trends using robust predictive models. 
  • Security: Host product information on private data centers or public cloud accounts with robust security measures. Leverage row-level security to filter based on specific criteria. Offer trusted authentication to verify user identity. 
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Product Ranking

#1

among all
Embedded Analytics Tools

#35

among all
Embedded Analytics Tools

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

88
76
85
49
96
77
80
22
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Embedded Data Visualization
Embeddability
Security
Embedded Reporting
Platform Capabilities
Embedded Data Visualization
Embedded Reporting
Platform Capabilities

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Looker
Bold BI
+ Add Product + Add Product
Data Management Embeddability Embedded Analytics Embedded Data Visualization Embedded Reporting Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities 85 96 80 99 91 62 91 49 77 22 98 97 62 90 0 25 50 75 100
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86%
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

88%
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12%
85%
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15%
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86%
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 1836 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 10 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.

94%
of users recommend this product

Bold BI has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 94% when considering 10 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (20)
n/a
4.4 (1070)
n/a
4.6 (141)
4.83 (6)
4.4 (371)
n/a
4.1 (234)
4.5 (4)

Awards

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Bold BI 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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Intuitive Interface: Users praise Bold BI's drag-and-drop interface, finding it easy to create dashboards and reports without coding experience. This is particularly helpful for embedding analytics where technical expertise may be limited.
Customization Options: Bold BI offers a high degree of customization, allowing users to tailor the look and feel of dashboards to match their application's branding. This is crucial for embedded analytics, ensuring a seamless user experience.
Extensive Data Connectivity: Users appreciate Bold BI's ability to connect to a wide range of data sources, including databases, spreadsheets, and cloud services. This flexibility is essential for embedded analytics, which often involves integrating data from various sources.
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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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Limited Customization: Users have expressed frustration over the limited ability to customize the look and feel of embedded dashboards, making it challenging to match the branding of their own applications.
Complex Integration: Some users have reported difficulties with the technical aspects of embedding Bold BI, finding the process complex and requiring significant development effort.
Performance Issues: A subset of users have mentioned experiencing performance issues, particularly with larger datasets or complex dashboards, leading to slow loading times and a less than optimal user experience.
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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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Want to make a bold move with your data and know if this is the right solution to accomplish this? User reviews from the last year suggest Bold BI is a solid choice for embedding analytics, but it's not without its quirks. Users praise its drag-and-drop interface and extensive data source compatibility, making dashboard creation a breeze, even for non-techies. They also appreciate the JavaScript SDK, which allows for seamless integration with existing applications. However, some users have voiced concerns about the level of support provided and occasional bugs encountered. What sets Bold BI apart is its modern data architecture, which avoids the use of proprietary cubes, unlike some competitors like Microsoft Power BI. This translates to greater flexibility and control over your data. Users also highlight the platform's scalability and "no-surprises" licensing as major pluses, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes. Overall, Bold BI seems best suited for companies looking for a user-friendly embedded analytics platform with robust integration capabilities and a transparent pricing model. However, potential users should be aware of the reported support issues and occasional bugs before taking the plunge.

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