Looker vs Microsoft Power BI
Looker and Microsoft Power BI are both BI & dashboards tools. Looker is aimed at enterprise and developers, while Microsoft Power BI is aimed at enterprise and small businesses. Both have a free plan.
Google Cloud's enterprise BI platform built on LookML
Enterprise BI in the Microsoft ecosystem
| Pricing | Paid | Freemium · $14 |
| Starting price | Not published | $14/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | 60 days |
| Built for | Enterprise, Developers | Enterprise, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web | web, windows, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2012 | US · 2015 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Looker if
Data teams on a modern cloud warehouse, especially BigQuery, that need governed metrics or embedded analytics at scale.
- Single source of truth for metrics across the whole company
- No data extracts: always queries live warehouse data
- Strong embedded analytics and API for customer-facing use
Look elsewhere if: Small teams that need a few dashboards on a budget (Data Studio, Metabase, Power BI).
Choose Microsoft Power BI if
Organizations on Microsoft 365 that want affordable, scalable BI.
- Low price per user
- Deep Microsoft integration
- Powerful modeling with DAX
Look elsewhere if: Mac-only teams or startups preferring lightweight tools (Metabase).
Looker vs Microsoft Power BI pricing
Looker
- StandardCustomUnder 50 users; incl. 10 standard + 2 developer users; annual
- EnterpriseCustomInternal BI at scale; 1 to 3 year commitments
- EmbedCustomExternal and customer-facing analytics at scale
- Trial$030 days; 5 viewer, 1 standard, 1 developer user
Microsoft Power BI
- Free$0Fabric free account, personal authoring
- Pro$14/user/moPaid yearly; publish and share reports
- Premium Per User$24/user/moPaid yearly; larger models, more refreshes
- Fabric capacityCustomVariable capacity pricing
Looker · Key features
- LookML semantic layer with Git version control for governed metrics
- In-database querying on BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift and Databricks
- Gemini conversational analytics across up to five Explores
- Explores for self-service drill-down without writing SQL
- Embedded analytics with signed embedding and APIs for customer apps
- Scheduled deliveries and alerts to email, Slack and webhooks
Cons
- No published prices; contracts are typically five figures and up
- Requires developers who know LookML
- Visualisation options are weaker than Tableau
Microsoft Power BI · Key features
- Power Query data preparation
- DAX data modeling and measures
- Interactive reports and dashboards
- Copilot for report and DAX generation
- Teams and SharePoint integration
- Microsoft Fabric for end-to-end data
Cons
- Desktop authoring is Windows-only
- DAX learning curve
- Licensing complexity with Fabric
Looker vs Microsoft Power BI: FAQ
Do Looker and Microsoft Power BI have a free plan?
Yes, both Looker and Microsoft Power BI have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, Looker or Microsoft Power BI?
Microsoft Power BI lists small businesses as a core audience, while Looker is aimed more at enterprise and developers.