Looker vs. Tableau: Differences and Use Cases Explained

Looker and Tableau are two of the most popular business intelligence (BI) tools. Whether you want to visualize a data set or build complex dashboards, these two data analytics platforms have you covered. 

But what’s the difference between Looker and Tableau? Which one best fits your business needs? 

Learn about Looker and Tableau, including their features, pricing, and use cases. In the end, you’ll clearly understand how the platforms differ, which platform is best for your business, and explore suggested cost-effective courses that can help you gain job-relevant data visualization skills today. 

Looker vs. Tableau

Looker and Tableau have many similarities, but they also have some key differences that might impact your choice. Consider these key differences and similarities. 

What is Looker? 

Looker is a data visualization tool part of Google’s Cloud Platform (GCP), which includes a large suite of interrelated tools like BigQuery, Cloud Storage, and CloudSQL. Organizations use Looker to create dashboards and reports that transform data into easy-to-understand graphs and charts, gaining actionable insights and making informed, data-driven decisions. 

Looker uses its own dependency language called Looker Modeling Language (LookML) that is built around Structured Query Language (SQL) to create semantic data models. This makes LookML relatively easy for data professionals with SQL experience to learn. It also allows technical users like data engineers to create bespoke data models that act like simple-to-use applications for the many non-technical Looker users who must reference data daily in their roles.  

Looker pricing varies based on the number of connected data sources, users, and scale of deployment. The technology is a significant investment. Google does not publish prices for a Looker subscription, which is obtained by requesting a custom quote. 

Looker features 

Looker is a powerful business intelligence tool that empowers both high-level executives and on-the-ground employees to make more informed business decisions. Some of Looker’s key features include: 

• Integrated platform. The Looker platform seamlessly integrates into pre-existing BI solutions so that business teams can easily incorporate them into their already established workflows.

• LookML. The Looker Modeling Language (LookML) allows data professionals to create custom applications and tools based on users’ needs. 

• Looker Blocks. Looker allows users to use pre-built pieces of code called “blocks” that can range from fully developed data models to custom visualizations. Looker users can search Looker Marketplace for different “blocks” to integrate into their own data analytics platform. 

• Embedded analytics. Looker includes embedded data analysis tools that provide users with real-time data and actionable insights. 

• Version control. Looker is unique because it provides version control, so users know what changes were made, by whom, and for what reason. 

What is Looker used for? Use cases

Looker is primarily used by businesses to create data visualizations. For example, a business might use Looker to transform its sales data into a series of graphs, charts, and maps that illustrate the fluctuations of its quarterly sales throughout the year, break down the different types of products it sold, and highlight the different regions where they were bought. 

Looker is also intentionally designed to be scalable so that it can grow with an organization. This allows companies to retain Looker as a BI tool rather than making the costly decision to change their workflow and architect a new solution once they’ve increased their footprint. 

Why is Looker so popular?

Looker is a popular business intelligence tool because of the way it integrates with Google Cloud and its impressive data modeling functions. Customers note the platform's easy-to-use interface, seamless integration with data sources, and drag-and-drop feature.

What is Tableau? 

Tableau is a data visualization tool that creates dashboards and reports based on an organization’s various data sources. It includes a desktop application (Tableau Desktop) that can be published to other users via a dedicated server (Tableau Server) or the cloud (Tableau Cloud).  

Tableau is a well-regarded BI tool because users can easily create visualizations by dragging and dropping pre-existing data fields into a sheet. The platform can interpret a data set and break it down into different dimensions and measurements, including existing ones and those generated by the application. This makes Tableau simple for non-technical users to both gain insights from data and share them with others.  

Tableau pricing varies based on the number and type of platform users. Tableau breaks down users into three types that each have their own monthly cost: Tableau Creators cost $115 per user each month; Tableau Explorers cost $70 per user each month; and Tableau Viewers cost $35 per user each month [1]. Each of these different types of users can perform different tasks on the platform, ranging from using the full spectrum of the platform’s capabilities (Creators) to those who can only view pre-existing visualizations (Viewers). 

Tableau features 

Tableau offers one of the easiest-to-use data visualization platforms on the market. Some of Tableau’s key features include: 

• Integrated platform. Tableau can work on-premises, in the cloud, or be natively integrated within the Salesforce CRM. It can also be embedded online or within Slack. 

• Data analytics. Tableau users can build visualizations, employ AI-driven statistical modeling, and even use natural language to ask the platform questions. The software also allows for real-time analytics so users have updated information at their fingertips. 

• Ease of use. Compared to some more involved BI tools, Tableau is generally considered an easy-to-use platform that allows users to create visualizations without much prior experience working with data.

• Sharing and collaboration. Tableau equips users to easily share their insights with their colleagues by simply publishing on their shared server or via the cloud. Mobile applications also allow users to access this material more easily. 

Tableau use cases

Like Looker, Tableau creates visualizations, dashboards, and reports so businesses can make more informed, data-driven decisions. For example, an SEO marketing team might use Tableau to create graphs illustrating the number of monthly site visitors to demonstrate traffic growth since starting the most recent marketing campaign. 

Where Tableau shines is through its ease of use, which allows non-technical users to make visualizations and convey their findings. This is particularly helpful to businesses that need to develop a data-driven culture but who lack a fully developed data team to create and manage their entire data operations. Tableau is also scalable and can grow alongside businesses.  

Tableau vs. Looker: Which should you use? 

Looker and Tableau are both powerful data visualization and analytics platforms that can provide organizations with the insights they need to make smart business decisions. So, how do you decide which is the right one for your business? There is no one right answer to this question. As a result, when deciding between Looker and Tableau, it’s important to consider the following: 

1. Price

2. Your use cases

3. The size of your existing data team 

As a rule, Tableau will be the cheaper option for smaller organizations because they’ll pay a variable rate based on the number and type of users. Tableau is also a good option for organizations with smaller data teams because it's easy to use for non-technical users. It’s important to note that the price can increase significantly as more and more users are added to the account. 

Looker, on the other hand, will likely be more cost-effective for larger organizations with a large number of users who will need to reference the platform routinely. It’s also a good option for organizations with a developed data team that can create bespoke dashboards for non-technical users through the use of LookML. 

If you’d like to find out more about the exact price you’ll pay for both solutions, reach out to their respective support teams to learn more so that you can know the exact amount each platform will cost you. 

Learn more about data and BI tools with Coursera. 

BI tools like Looker and Tableau empower users to make better, more informed decisions every day. To expand your BI and analytics capabilities, consider earning a Professional Certificate through Coursera to gain job-relevant skills today. 

In less than two months, you'll learn in-demand skills like data modeling, visualization, dashboarding, and reporting in the Google Business Intelligence Professional Certificate. For those looking to dive deeper into data, the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate teaches key analytical skills like data cleaning, analysis, and visualization and tools like spreadsheets, SQL, and Tableau.