Looker vs Tableau
Looker and Tableau are both BI & dashboards tools. Looker is aimed at enterprise and developers, while Tableau is aimed at enterprise. Only Looker has a free plan.
Looker
Google Cloud's enterprise BI platform built on LookML
Tableau
Visual analytics leader, now Salesforce
| Pricing | Paid | Paid · $75 |
| Starting price | Not published | $75/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 30 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Enterprise, Developers | Enterprise |
| Platforms | web | web, windows, macos |
| Country | US · 2012 | US · 2003 |
| 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 Tableau if
Enterprises with dedicated analysts who need rich visual analysis.
- Best-in-class visualization depth
- Large community and resources
- Handles complex analysis
Look elsewhere if: Small teams on a budget (Metabase, Looker Studio) or Microsoft shops (Power BI).
Looker vs Tableau 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
Tableau
- Viewer$15/user/moBilled annually; Standard edition
- Explorer$42/user/moBilled annually; Standard edition
- Creator$75/user/moBilled annually; at least one Creator required
- Tableau+CustomEnterprise and AI bundle, quote only
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
Tableau · Key features
- Drag-and-drop visual analytics
- Live and extract connections to many sources
- Tableau Prep for data preparation
- Dashboards with interactivity and actions
- Pulse and Agent AI insights
- Cloud or self-hosted Server deployment
Cons
- Expensive per user
- Steeper learning curve for creators
- Power BI cheaper in Microsoft shops
Looker vs Tableau: FAQ
Do Looker and Tableau have a free plan?
Looker has a free plan. Tableau has no free plan, a 14-day free trial.