Exploring Looker Studio, Looker (Google) & Visivo

Looker Studio vs. Looker (Google) vs. Visivo

Compare key features, capabilities, and differentiators between Looker Studio, Looker (Google), Visivo. This comprehensive analysis will help you make an informed decision for your data visualization needs.

Quick Comparison

Key features and capabilities at a glance

FeatureLooker StudioLooker (Google)Visivo
Deployment ModelCloud (Google Cloud), Enterprise deployment, Private cloudCloud-hosted (Google Cloud)Open-source, Cloud Service, Self-hosted
PricingFree to use (with Google account); Pro version for enterprise (Looker Studio Pro) introduced with SLAs.Commercial (Proprietary); enterprise pricing (no free tier)Open source (GPL-3.0)
Cost$$$$$$$
Git Integration
CI/CD & Testing
Real-time
AI Features
Visual to Code
DAG-Based

Target Users & Use-Cases

Each BI tool is designed with specific user personas in mind.

Looker Studio

Business usersMarketersGoogle ecosystem users

Looker (Google)

Enterprise OrganizationsGoogle Cloud Accounts

Visivo

Analytics EngineersData teamsBusiness usersEngineers

Ease of Development & Deployment

Development experience directly impacts team productivity and time-to-value.

Looker Studio

2/5

Looker (Google)

2/5

Visivo

5/5

Key Integrations & Ecosystem

A robust ecosystem of integrations is essential for modern BI tools.

Looker Studio

500+ data connectorsGoogle products (Analytics, Ads)SQL databases via Simba drivers

Looker (Google)

Google CloudGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Sheets

Visivo

dbt coreAll major databasesCustom connector frameworkSlack for alertsGithub

Visualization Capabilities

The ability to create compelling visualizations is key to data storytelling.

Looker Studio

Drag-and-drop report editor. Offers charts like time series, bar, geo maps, tables. Customization is decent (colors, labels), though not as fine-grained as Tableau. Supports community visualizations (bring custom JS charts). Layout is canvas-style – good for dashboards and infographics.

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).

Visivo

Highly custom UI with easy defaults

Detailed Differentiators

Each platform's unique strengths and limitations.

Looker Studio

Completely free for most use-cases. Extremely easy for simple needs – non-tech users can create a shareable dashboard in minutes. Being Google, sharing and embedding is seamless.
Lacks advanced analytics (no calculated fields beyond basic formulas, limited data shaping). Performance can suffer on large data sets unless using aggregated extracts. No row-level security (one report = one set of credentials or extracted data).

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.

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

Critical considerations for enterprise deployments.

Looker Studio

DB Access: Yes, live connects to sources using provided credentials (or OAuth tokens). Option to cache query results in Google's cache for performance. Virtualization: Data remains in source or cache – Data Studio doesn't store data persistently (except cached). Push: No, it pulls data when rendering charts. Other: Uses Google account auth for access; you can manage view/edit permissions on reports. Lacks fine security on data level (you'd need separate reports or filters per audience).

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.

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 for modern data teams.

DAG-Based Architecture for complex data transformations
Visual to Human-readable Code conversion
Multiple development approaches for all skill levels
AI-Powered dashboard creation
Full Git integration and version control
Open-source with enterprise features

Ready to Experience Modern BI?

Try Visivo today and see how it transforms your data analytics workflow.

$ curl -fsSL https://visivo.sh | bash
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Jared Jesionek (co-founder)
Jared Jesionek (co-founder)
Jared Jesionek (co-founder)
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How can I help? This connects to our slack so I'll respond real quickly 😄
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