Evidence vs Google Data Studio
Evidence and Google Data Studio are both BI & dashboards tools. Evidence is aimed at developers, while Google Data Studio is aimed at small businesses and agencies. Google Data Studio costs less, from $9/mo versus $2500/mo for Evidence. Both have a free plan.
BI as code: Markdown + SQL to reports
Free dashboards from Google data sources
| Pricing | Open source · $2500 | Freemium · $9 |
| Starting price | $2500/mo | $9/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | — |
| Built for | Developers | Small businesses, Agencies |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | CA · 2021 | US · 2016 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Evidence if
Analysts comfortable with code.
- Version-controlled reporting
- Beautiful output
- Developer workflow
Look elsewhere if: Business users wanting self-serve.
Choose Google Data Studio if
Marketers and agencies reporting on Google data.
- Free
- Seamless with Google marketing data
- Easy sharing like Google Docs
Look elsewhere if: Complex business intelligence across many systems (Power BI, Metabase).
Evidence vs Google Data Studio pricing
Evidence
- Open source$0MIT-licensed framework, self-build (GitHub)
- Team$2,500/moUnlimited users, 20K AI credits/mo, Analytics Agent
- EnterpriseCustomAnnual contract, SSO, SCIM, embedding, self-deploy
Google Data Studio
- Data Studio$0Self-service reports and dashboards, no charge
- Data Studio Pro$9/user/project/moTeam content management, Google Cloud support, CMEK
Evidence · Key features
- Markdown + SQL reports
- Components for charts and tables
- Git version control
- Static site builds
- Templated pages
- Cloud hosting
Cons
- Requires SQL and Markdown
- Not drag-and-drop
- Smaller community
Google Data Studio · Key features
- Native Google connectors (GA4, Ads, GSC, BigQuery)
- Drag-and-drop report builder
- Filters, date ranges and interactive controls
- Data blending across sources
- Scheduled email delivery
- Templates gallery
Cons
- Slow on complex reports
- Limited data modeling
- Third-party connectors often paid
Evidence vs Google Data Studio: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Evidence or Google Data Studio?
Google Data Studio starts at $9/mo and Evidence at $2500/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Evidence and Google Data Studio have a free plan?
Yes, both Evidence and Google Data Studio have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Evidence or Google Data Studio?
Google Data Studio lists small businesses as a core audience, while Evidence is aimed more at developers.