Exploring Sisense, Deepnote & Visivo

Sisense Vs. Deepnote Vs. Visivo

In this article, we'll compare the key features, capabilities, and differentiators between Sisense, Deepnote, 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.

FeatureSisenseDeepnoteVisivo
Deployment ModelWindows/Linux on-prem, Sisense Cloud (managed), Private cloudCloud (browser-based), Enterprise deployment, Private cloudOpen-source, Cloud Service, Self-hosted
PricingCommercial (Proprietary). Pricing by seat and consumption.Free tier (limited projects); paid for premium features. Closed-source.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.

ToolDeployment ModelPricingCost
SisenseWindows/Linux on-prem, Sisense Cloud (managed), Private cloudCommercial (Proprietary). Pricing by seat and consumption.$$$$$
DeepnoteCloud (browser-based), Enterprise deployment, Private cloudFree tier (limited projects); paid for premium features. Closed-source.$$$
VisivoOpen-source, Cloud Service, Self-hostedOpen 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.

Sisense

Product teams (embedded analytics)Enterprise analystsOEM partners

Deepnote

Data science teamsEducatorsAnalysts collaborating on notebooks

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.

Sisense

Deepnote

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.

Sisense

SQL and cloud data warehousesSaaS applicationsJS embedding SDK

Deepnote

SQL databases (PostgreSQL, BigQuery, etc.)Cloud storage (Google Drive, S3)dbt workflow integration

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.

ToolAI Features
Sisense
Deepnote
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.

Sisense

Two flavors merged: traditional dashboard builder (drag-drop charts, with advanced widget for custom UI via scripting) and a notebook-style interface (from acquired Periscope Data) for SQL/Python. Visualizations include a wide range of widgets and the special Sisense BloX for custom coded infographic-like blocks. Highly customizable via JavaScript (for those inclined).

Deepnote

Jupyter-like notebooks with collaborative editing. Supports interactive visualizations by writing code (Python, R, SQL blocks). Has a GUI for basic charts: you can switch a SQL cell's results into a chart view (bar/line) quickly. Can arrange outputs into a dashboard layout for sharing. Custom viz requires coding (e.g., Plotly, seaborn).

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.

Sisense

+ Strong embedding and customization – you can integrate analytics into your product with full control (white-label). Now with modern DevOps support (Git, CI/CD) making it enterprise-friendly.
− Can be complex to administrate; the full platform (with Elasticube manager, etc.) has a learning curve. Some legacy vs new UI inconsistencies after merging Periscope.

Deepnote

+ Real-time collaboration on notebooks (like Google Docs for Jupyter) – multiple users can work simultaneously. Great for mixed code-and-text narratives and then turning into lightweight dashboards for stakeholders.
− Still requires coding for most analysis; not a drop-in replacement for tools like Tableau for a pure business user.

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.

Sisense

DB Access: Depending on setup – Live mode: Sisense queries your DB on the fly (needs access); Elasticube mode: data is extracted into Sisense's proprietary in-memory cube (so queries don't hit source DB at runtime). Virtualization: Allows combining multiple sources in one view via its cubes (not exactly virtualization, more like federation into a single cache). Push: In Elasticube mode, data is essentially pushed into Sisense's storage on a refresh schedule. Other: Robust security – single sign-on, row-level security in Elasticubes, and extensive admin controls.

Deepnote

DB Access: Yes, uses direct credentials to query databases in SQL cells. Virtualization: No separate layer – it's a client executing queries or code. Push: No (though you could push data via Python in a notebook to an external system). Other: Deepnote runs in cloud with project-specific isolation; offers Google SSO. Not designed for role-based consumption – notebooks can be shared via link with view/edit rights.

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.

$ 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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