Looker vs Power BI: Which is Best?

Business Intelligence (BI) tools enable organizations to make data-driven decisions.

As businesses increasingly rely on BI platforms for quick data analysis, the demand for real-time data has grown.

These tools help with data visualization and interpretation, making complex information more accessible. 

Looker and Power BI are two leading BI solutions, each offering robust analytics. However, they differ in approach, pricing, and target users.

And, choosing the right BI tool is essential for maximizing insights, improving efficiency, and ensuring scalability. 

In this blog, we will examine Looker vs Power BI, focusing on their features, pricing, ease of use, and suitability for different business needs.

By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of which BI tool best fits your business.

Looker vs Power BI: Quick Comparison Table

To help you quickly understand the key differences between Looker and Power BI, here’s a side-by-side comparison of their core features, pricing, and ideal use cases.

If you see, 

Looker is best suited for companies that require advanced data modeling and cloud-based scalability, 

while Power BI is ideal for organizations seeking an affordable, easy-to-use BI solution with strong visualization capabilities.

What Is Looker?

Looker is a cloud-based business intelligence (BI) platform acquired by Google Cloud in 2020. 

It enables businesses to explore, analyze, and share data efficiently, helping them make better, data-driven decisions.

It is designed for organizations that require scalable, real-time analytics, Looker offers advanced data modeling capabilities that enhance data consistency and accuracy.

Unlike other BI tools, Looker uses LookML, a proprietary modeling language that allows analysts to define data relationships and calculations before visualization.

This structured approach ensures reliable and standardized reporting across teams.

Pros of Looker:

• Looker offers a clean, easy-to-use interface, making it simple to create reports and build dashboards.
  
  

• Users can create interactive and customizable dashboards tailored to various team needs.
  
  

• It provides seamless integration with multiple data sources, allowing users to easily access and analyze data.

Cons of Looker:

• Looker has a steep learning curve, especially with LookML, which may be challenging for non-technical users.
  
  

• It can be slow when handling very large datasets, impacting overall performance.

What Is Power BI?

Power BI is a business intelligence (BI) tool developed by Microsoft that allows businesses to analyze, visualize, and share data through interactive dashboards and reports.

It is known for its drag-and-drop functionality and user-friendly interface and Power BI makes data analytics accessible to both technical and non-technical users.

As part of the Microsoft ecosystem, it integrates seamlessly with Excel, Azure, and SQL Server, making it a preferred choice for businesses. 

It also supports cloud and on-premise deployment, making it flexible for organizations to store and process their data.

Pros of Power BI:

• It has affordable pricing with a free version and cost-effective plans for small businesses.
  
  

• Its User-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality make it easy to report building.
  
  

• Power BI has strong data visualization capabilities, offering a wide range of charts and graphs.
  
  

• Seamless integration with other Microsoft products, enhancing workflow efficiency.

Cons of Power BI:

• Limited customization in visuals compared to other BI tools.
  
  

• Performance issues when handling extremely large datasets.

Looker vs Power BI: Detailed Feature Comparison

When choosing between Looker and Power BI, it's essential to compare their key features. While both are powerful BI tools, they differ in ease of use, data integration, customization, pricing, and scalability.

Below, we break down these differences to help you make the right choice.

1. Ease of Use

• Looker requires SQL knowledge and LookML, making it more suitable for data analysts and technical users. Its interface is clean but has a steeper learning curve for beginners.
  
  

• Power BI is more user-friendly, featuring a drag-and-drop interface that allows non-technical users to create reports and dashboards easily.

Verdict: Power BI is better for beginners, while Looker is more suited for data teams with SQL expertise.

2. Data Integration & Connectivity

• Looker integrates seamlessly with cloud-based databases like BigQuery, Snowflake, and Redshift but lacks native support for on-premise databases.
  
  

• Power BI offers extensive data source connectivity, supporting cloud, on-premise, and Microsoft SQL Server integrations. It is ideal for businesses using Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Verdict: Power BI offers broader integration options, while Looker is better for cloud-native analytics.

3. Customization & Flexibility

• Looker provides deep data modeling through LookML, ensuring consistency and control over data structures but requires technical expertise.
  
  

• Power BI allows quick visualization but has limited customization for complex data modeling compared to Looker.

Verdict: Looker is better for organizations that require highly customized, structured data models, while Power BI is easier for general reporting needs.

4. Pricing & Licensing

• Looker follows a custom pricing model, which varies based on the number of users and data volume, making it expensive for small teams.

  You can read here about the detailed Looker pricing breakdown.

  
  

• Power BI offers a free version, with Pro plans starting at $10 per user/month and Premium plans for larger businesses.

Verdict: Power BI is more cost-effective, while Looker is better for enterprises needing advanced BI capabilities.

5. Scalability & Performance

• Looker is built for cloud scalability, handling large datasets efficiently but may require strong technical expertise for optimization.
  
  

• Power BI performs well for small to mid-sized datasets but may struggle with performance issues on very large datasets.

Verdict: Looker is better for large-scale, cloud-based analytics, while Power BI is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses.

Both Looker and Power BI have their advantages and limitations, but the right choice depends entirely on your needs and intended use.

Now, let’s explore the scenarios where Looker or Power BI would be the better fit.

When to Choose Looker or Power BI?

Both Looker and Power BI serve different business needs, so choosing the right tool depends on your priorities. Here’s when you should pick each:

Choose Looker if:

• Your business needs advanced data modeling with LookML for structured and scalable analytics.
  
  

• You work with cloud-based databases like BigQuery, Snowflake, or Redshift.
  
  

• Your team has SQL expertise and prefers a developer-friendly approach to BI.
  
  

• You need a highly customizable, API-driven BI tool for embedding analytics into applications.

Choose Power BI if:

• You want an affordable, user-friendly BI tool with a drag-and-drop interface.
  
  

• Your organization relies on Microsoft products like Excel, Azure, and SQL Server.
  
  

• You need quick insights with strong data visualization tools.
  
  

• You prefer an on-premise or hybrid solution rather than a fully cloud-based tool.

While you see both Looker and Power BI have strong capabilities, but they also come with limitations.

Looker requires technical expertise, and Power BI can be restrictive outside the Microsoft ecosystem.

This is where Upsolve AI stands out as a better alternative, offering seamless user-facing analytics, no-code integration, and scalability without the complexity of traditional BI tools.

Upsolve AI: A Better Alternative to Looker & Power BI

Upsolve AI is a modern business intelligence (BI) platform designed to help you create and embed customer-facing analytics dashboards directly into your product.

Unlike Looker and Power BI, it prioritizes fast deployment, seamless integration, and easy customization, enabling businesses to deliver real-time insights to their customers without complex development work.

Key Features of Upsolve AI

• Effortless Dashboard Creation: Build and embed dashboards using a drag-and-drop interface. With AI-powered charting, you can visualize data faster and more effectively.
  
  

• Self-Serve Customization: Your customers can customize dashboards to fit their needs without relying too much on your support teams.
  
  

• Seamless Data Connections: Connect to popular databases and data warehouses like Snowflake, Google BigQuery, and AWS Redshift.
  
  

• Guided Actions with AI: AI-powered guided actions help users explore data deeper and get smart recommendations, making analytics easier to act on.
  
  

• Fast Deployment: Embed dashboards into your product using prebuilt iFrame or React components, reducing development time and effort.

Upsolve AI Pricing

Upsolve AI offers pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes:

• Zero to One Plan ($500/month): Ideal for startups needing quick dashboard integration. Includes templates, iFrame embedding, and Slack support.
  
  

• One to N Plan (Starting at $1,000/month): Designed for growing businesses, adding customization options and support for multiple tenants.
  
  

• Enterprise Plan (Custom Pricing): Tailored for large organizations, offering unlimited templates, advanced analytics, and dedicated support.

Why Choose Upsolve AI Over Looker & Power BI?

• Lower Costs: Get enterprise-grade analytics without the high pricing of Looker or Power BI.
  
  

• Faster Time-to-Market: Deploy customer-facing analytics in days, not months.
  
  

• Scalability: Whether you’re a startup or an enterprise, Upsolve AI grows with your needs.
  
  

• Ease of Use: Its no-code interface ensures that even non-technical teams can create and manage dashboards effortlessly.

Upsolve AI is the best choice for companies looking for a modern, embedded analytics solution that prioritizes speed, usability, and cost-effectiveness over traditional BI tools.

Tableau vs Looker: Which Is Best?

Looker vs Power BI – Which BI Tool Wins?

From my take, both Looker and Power BI are powerful BI tools, but the best choice will always depend on your needs.

Looker excels in advanced data modeling and cloud-based scalability, making it ideal for enterprises and data teams whereas Power BI is more affordable, user-friendly, and great for Microsoft users, making it a solid choice for SMBs.

However, if you need a faster, more flexible, and cost-effective business intelligence platform, Upsolve AI is a better alternative.

It offers easy embedding, AI-driven insights, and seamless data connectivity without the complexity of Looker or Power BI.

👉 Start with a 30-day free trial of Upsolve and get ahead in your BI insights.