R vs. Tableau: What’s the Difference?

R and Tableau are two commonly used tools in data analysis and visualization. While R is a programming language focused on statistical computing and custom analytics, Tableau is a business intelligence tool designed for interactive dashboards and simplified data visualization. Each serves a distinct purpose and caters to different user needs. Understand these differences to choose the best tool for your projects and professional goals.

R

R is a programming language and environment for statistical computing, data analysis, and visualization created in the early 1990s by Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman, two statisticians at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. They aimed to develop a programming language inspired by S, an earlier programming language developed at Bell Labs.

The first official release of R was in 1995, and its source code was made freely available under the GNU General Public License. This open-source foundation caught the attention of a global community of engineers and data scientists, who contributed to and expanded upon R’s functionality. 

Established in 1997, the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) is the central repository for R packages. This helped solidify R’s reputation as a powerful, adaptable tool for data analysis, something it continues to be today. 

What is R used for?

R is widely used by statisticians, data scientists, and researchers for tasks such as:

• Statistical modeling: Creating regression models, time series analyses, and more.

• Data manipulation: Cleaning and transforming datasets using packages like dplyr.

• Data visualization: Leveraging libraries like ggplot2 to create custom graphs and charts.

• Machine learning: Building more advanced, intelligent workflows with ML algorithms.

Advantages of R

Some of R’s biggest draws are:

• R gives you customizable control over data visualizations.

• CRAN offers you an extensive package ecosystem for a ton of different tasks.

• R has an active, intelligent community where you can find packages, updates, and support.

Disadvantages of R

R’s downsides include the following:

• R is one of the more complex programming languages.

• You likely need a strong foundation in statistics to get the most out of the language.

• R language has a steep learning curve that new users have to overcome.

Tableau

Tableau is a business intelligence tool that simplifies data visualization and dashboard creation. It aims to help users analyze and present data in an interactive, user-friendly format. Tableau was first founded in 2003 by Christian Chabot, Pat Hanrahan, and Chris Stolte at Stanford University. 

Built upon VizQL (Visual Query Language), their project allowed users to transform data queries into visual representations, making complex data more accessible and intuitive. Tableau officially launched for desktop in 2004, priding itself on being one of the few data visualization tools that didn’t require advanced technical skills.

Salesforce acquired Tableau in 2019, further expanding its reach and integration capabilities. Today, Tableau remains one of the world's most popular business intelligence tools, simplifying data visualizations and business insights across all sorts of industries.

What is Tableau used for?

Some everyday use cases for Tableau include:

• Business intelligence: Building dashboards to monitor KPIs and performance

• Data visualization: Creating charts, graphs, maps, and more from business data

• Real-time analysis: Integrating with live data from Salesforce to get up-to-date insights

• Reporting: Generating insights for stakeholders from various data sources

Advantages of Tableau

Some of Tableau’s most appealing aspects include:

• A drag-and-drop design that lets you create professional visualizations with ease

• Interactive dashboards that make importing and visualizing data easy 

• Support for multiple data sources, including Excel, Salesforce, and cloud platforms

Disadvantages of Tableau

When choosing a business intelligence tool, consider the following gaps in Tableau’s capabilities:

• It may not offer the kind of statistical analysis you need.

• Because it’s a paid tool, Tableau might be too expensive for some organizations.

• The live dashboards need to be connected to data sources, which can be time-consuming.

R vs. Tableau: Other things to consider

When comparing R and Tableau, it helps to think beyond their differences in features and capabilities. Consider how the two differ in use cases, target audience, collaboration, and resources.

Use cases

R is ideal for statistical analysis and predictive modeling. Tableau, on the other hand, excels in both data visualization and business intelligence. Think about which of these use cases best aligns with your organization.

Target audience

R appeals to statisticians, data scientists, and researchers. Tableau is better suited for business analysts and nontechnical users. Keep in mind which target audience you fall under before making your choice.

Collaboration

Tableau Server and Tableau Online offer robust sharing and collaborative features, making it easier for teams to access and interact with dashboards compared to R. If collaboration is important to you, be sure to factor this into your decision.

Resources

R and Tableau have extensive documentation, tutorials, and online communities to help users learn and grow. R’s CRAN and RStudio offer tons of resources, as well. Tableau has forums of its own to help answer your questions, too.

Cost

Factor in your budget when contemplating R vs. Tableau. R is a free and open-source programming language. Popular R code editors, such as RStudio, are also free of charge. Comparatively, while Tableau does offer a free version (called Tableau Public), you can’t unlock the full power of the software unless you pay for it.

Discover more about R vs. Tableau with Coursera

R and Tableau are powerful tools, and choosing the right data analysis or visualization tool means considering their unique strengths: R is an excellent choice for statistical analysis and creating professional custom models, while Tableau works best as a way to create intuitive dashboards and other visualizations that draw from your business’s data sets. 

Consider the Tableau Business Intelligence Analyst Professional Certificate on Coursera to gain the essential skills necessary to excel in an entry-level business intelligence analytics role. You can try Microsoft's Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate on Coursera to learn more about business intelligence and how it applies to your career.