Exploring Tableau (Salesforce), Looker (Google) & Visivo

Tableau (Salesforce) Vs. Looker (Google) Vs. Visivo

In this article, we'll compare the key features, capabilities, and differentiators between Tableau (Salesforce), Looker (Google), 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	Tableau (Salesforce)	Looker (Google)	Visivo
Deployment Model	Desktop + Tableau Server, Desktop + (on-prem) Tableau Server, Desktop + Tableau Cloud (SaaS)	Cloud-hosted (Google Cloud)	Open-source, Cloud Service, Self-hosted
Pricing	Commercial (Proprietary); ~$70/user/mo for Creator. Public edition free (cloud, limited)	Commercial (Proprietary); enterprise pricing (no free tier)	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
Tableau (Salesforce)	Desktop + Tableau Server, Desktop + (on-prem) Tableau Server, Desktop + Tableau Cloud (SaaS)	Commercial (Proprietary); ~$70/user/mo for Creator. Public edition free (cloud, limited)	$$$$$
Looker (Google)	Cloud-hosted (Google Cloud)	Commercial (Proprietary); enterprise pricing (no free tier)	$$$$$
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.

Tableau (Salesforce)

Enterprise OrganizationsData analysts & business users (self-service BI)

Looker (Google)

Enterprise OrganizationsGoogle Cloud Accounts

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.

Tableau (Salesforce)

Looker (Google)

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.

Tableau (Salesforce)

Major SQL and cloud data warehousesPython/R via TabPydbt through published data sources

Looker (Google)

Google CloudGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Sheets

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
Tableau (Salesforce)	❌
Looker (Google)	❌
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.

Tableau (Salesforce)

Best-in-class drag-and-drop visualization. Wide variety of chart types and mapping; highly refined visual customization. Dashboards with interactive actions. Limited custom theming without extensions, but very flexible analytically.

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

Tableau (Salesforce)

+ + Renowned for its ease of use and visual analytics power – users can explore data fluidly. Strong community and support. AI: 'Ask Data' (NL queries) and 'Explain Data' insights in newer versions.

− Licensing cost; less programmable (proprietary formulas, no Git). Large deployments require governance to avoid 'spreadmarts.'

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

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

Tableau (Salesforce)

DB Access: Optional – can import data into Tableau's Hyper engine or query live. Virtualization: Live query leaves data at source (virtualized access). Push: Extracts are pull-based (scheduled). Other: Row-level security via data source filters; fine-grained user permissions on Server; supports SAML/OAuth for auth.

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 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