Exploring Looker (Google), Preset & Visivo

Looker (Google) Vs. Preset Vs. Visivo

In this article, we'll compare the key features, capabilities, and differentiators between Looker (Google), Preset, Visivo. This comprehensive comparison will help you make an informed decision about which platform best suits your data visualization and analytics needs.

Quick Comparison

A high-level overview of key features and capabilities across these BI tools. This comparison helps you quickly identify which platform best matches your needs.

Feature	Looker (Google)	Preset	Visivo
Deployment Model	Cloud-hosted (Google Cloud)	Cloud (multi-tenant), Cloud (VPC), Managed service	Open-source, Cloud Service, Self-hosted
Pricing	Commercial (Proprietary); enterprise pricing (no free tier)	Managed service (subscription per creator & usage). Underlying Superset is Apache-licensed.	Open source (GPL-3.0)
Cost	$$$$$	$$$	$
Git Integration	✔️	❌	✔️
CI/CD & Testing	❌	❌	✔️
Real-time	❌	❌	❌
AI	❌	❌	✔️
Visual to Code	❌	❌	✔️
DAG-Based	❌	❌	✔️

Deployment & Pricing

Understanding the deployment options and pricing structure is crucial for making an informed decision. Here's how each platform handles deployment and what you can expect in terms of costs.

Tool	Deployment Model	Pricing	Cost
Looker (Google)	Cloud-hosted (Google Cloud)	Commercial (Proprietary); enterprise pricing (no free tier)	$$$$$
Preset	Cloud (multi-tenant), Cloud (VPC), Managed service	Managed service (subscription per creator & usage). Underlying Superset is Apache-licensed.	$$$
Visivo	Open-source, Cloud Service, Self-hosted	Open source (GPL-3.0)	$

Target Users & Use-Cases

Each BI tool is designed with specific user personas in mind. Understanding the target audience helps ensure you choose a platform that aligns with your team's skills and needs.

Looker (Google)

Enterprise OrganizationsGoogle Cloud Accounts

Preset

Data teams wanting managed SupersetOrganizations without resources to self-hostEnterprise analytics teams

Visivo

Analytics EngineersData teamsBusiness usersEngineers

Ease of Development & Deployment

The development experience can significantly impact your team's productivity. This section compares how easy it is to build, deploy, and maintain dashboards in each platform.

Looker (Google)

Preset

Visivo

Key Integrations & Ecosystem

A robust ecosystem of integrations is essential for modern BI tools. Here's how each platform connects with other tools in your data stack.

Looker (Google)

Google CloudGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Sheets

Preset

Same database integrations as Supersetdbt Cloud for metadataOAuth connections to popular DBs

Visivo

dbt coreAll major databasesCustom connector frameworkSlack for alertsGithub

AI & Advanced Features

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we interact with data. Compare the AI capabilities and advanced features offered by each platform.

Tool	AI Features
Looker (Google)	❌
Preset	❌
Visivo	✔️

Visualization Capabilities

The ability to create compelling and insightful visualizations is a key differentiator between BI tools. Here's how each platform handles data visualization.

Looker (Google)

Robust web dashboards and exploratory interface. Good selection of chart types; custom visualizations via plugins or custom code. Highly customizable via LookML for data logic, but visual formatting is UI-driven (some limitations vs. Tableau).

Preset

Identical visualization capabilities to Apache Superset (Preset is built on Superset) – plus a nicer UI/UX and theme. Custom visualizations can be added via Preset's marketplace.

Visivo

Highly custom UI with easy defaults

Detailed Differentiators

Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses. Here's a detailed breakdown of what sets each tool apart, including both advantages and limitations.

Looker (Google)

+ LookML semantic layer – centralized metrics definitions ensure a 'single source of truth'. Strong governance (row-level security, permissions) and embedded analytics support.

− Requires upfront modeling (learning LookML); expensive. Visual customization and ad-hoc analysis flexibility less than Tableau/PowerBI.

Preset

+ Easiest way to use Superset – fully managed infrastructure and support from Superset experts. New features and custom connectors often available.

− Still catching up to feature parity with mature BI tools in terms of collaboration (Git, fine-grained content permissions).

Visivo

+ BI-as-code approach enables version control, collaboration, and CI/CD workflows. DAG-based architecture provides powerful data transformation capabilities and dependency management. Seamless visual-to-code workflow allows both technical and non-technical users to build dashboards effectively.

− Requires understanding of data concepts; not a pure drag-and-drop tool like Tableau. Initial setup requires technical knowledge for optimal configuration.

Security & Architecture

Security and architecture are critical considerations for enterprise deployments. Here's how each platform handles data security and system architecture.

Looker (Google)

DB Access: Yes (direct read queries to DB with cached results). Virtualization: No internal engine – relies on source DB ('in-database' analytics). Push: No, pull-based queries (though persistent derived tables can be pushed into DB). Other: Fine-grained RBAC; row-level security; SSO/SAML support.

Preset

DB Access: Yes (your databases' credentials are stored in Preset; it queries them directly). Virtualization: No, live queries on sources (with optional result caching). Push: No – you supply data to your DB, Preset pulls on viz. Other: Managed security – SSO integration, teams/roles setup in UI. Data stays in your cloud DB; Preset does not persist data (aside from cached query results).

Visivo

No db access required. Very strong security features due to the DAG-based access controls and the push based deployment model.

Why Visivo Stands Out

While each platform has its strengths, Visivo offers unique advantages that make it an excellent choice for modern data teams.

DAG-Based Architecture: Enables complex data transformations and dependencies
Visual to Human-readable Code: Seamlessly switch between visual and code-based development
Ease of Development: Multiple approaches to build for both technical and non-technical users
AI-Powered Development: Leverage AI to accelerate dashboard creation
Git Integration: Full version control and collaboration capabilities

Ready to experience the power of modern BI? Try Visivo today and see how it compares to other tools in your stack.

$pip install visivo


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