Exploring ThoughtSpot, Qlik Sense & Visivo

ThoughtSpot vs. Qlik Sense vs. Visivo

Compare key features, capabilities, and differentiators between ThoughtSpot, Qlik Sense, 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

Feature	ThoughtSpot	Qlik Sense	Visivo
Deployment Model	Cloud (SaaS), On-prem appliance, Private cloud	Client-managed (Windows), Client-managed (Kubernetes), Qlik Cloud (SaaS)	Open-source, Cloud Service, Self-hosted
Pricing	Commercial (Proprietary); enterprise pricing (by user and/or data volume)	Commercial. Qlik Sense Enterprise is subscription (by user or capacity). Qlik Sense Desktop free for personal use.	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.

ThoughtSpot

Business users (especially C-suite)Data teams for scalable analyticsSearch-driven analytics users

Qlik Sense

Enterprise BI usersData analystsGoverned self-service users

Visivo

Analytics EngineersData teamsBusiness usersEngineers

Ease of Development & Deployment

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

ThoughtSpot

4/5

Qlik Sense

4/5

Visivo

5/5

Key Integrations & Ecosystem

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

ThoughtSpot

Cloud data warehousesdbt metadata syncEmbedding API for apps

Qlik Sense

Multiple data sources via connectorsPython/R Server Side ExtensionsWeb APIs and databases

Visivo

dbt coreAll major databasesCustom connector frameworkSlack for alertsGithub

Visualization Capabilities

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

ThoughtSpot

Search-driven analytics UI: users type questions in natural language and ThoughtSpot generates charts/tables as answers. Dashboards (pinboards) can be created from these answers. Visualizations are generally standard (bar, line, scatter, etc.) and auto-chosen by the engine (with ability to change chart type). Emphasis on simplicity – limited custom formatting beyond basic styling.

Qlik Sense

Powerful interactive visuals with unique associative filtering: all charts update with each selection, and show gray 'excluded' values to encourage discovery. Chart types cover most needs, and extension mechanism allows custom charts. Good formatting control but primarily via UI (no raw HTML/CSS editing).

Visivo

Highly custom UI with easy defaults

Detailed Differentiators

Each platform's unique strengths and limitations.

ThoughtSpot

Natural language search interface – Googling your data. Extremely scalable architecture (built to handle billions of rows). Strong AI analytics capabilities (SpotIQ automatically finds anomalies/patterns).

Requires well-modeled data and user training to ask the right questions. Expensive at scale. Limited chart customization; not meant for pixel-perfect reports.

Qlik Sense

The Associative Engine is Qlik's hallmark – users can freely explore data without query limitations (no SQL needed when using the app). Great for uncovering relationships in data.

Requires data to be loaded into memory for full power, which can be heavy. Learning Qlik's script and the "set analysis" syntax for expressions has a learning curve.

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.

ThoughtSpot

DB Access: If using live query (Embrace), it requires direct read access to the DB. If using imported data, queries hit the in-memory engine (no external DB access needed at query time). Virtualization: Yes – Embrace is essentially virtualization (no data copy, live query on external DB). Push: With imported mode, data is pushed into TS's storage from source on a schedule. Other: Robust security – row and column-level security, user and group permissions, and audit logs. Supports SSO and OAuth.

Qlik Sense

DB Access: Typically Qlik imports data into its engine (so not needed at runtime). The new Direct Query option (in Qlik Cloud) allows leaving data in DB and querying on interaction for huge data sets. Virtualization: Qlik's standard method is not virtualization but in-memory copies. However, with Direct Query it behaves virtually. Push: Data is pushed into Qlik via load scripts (you schedule reloads). Other: Strong security – Section Access to implement row-level security inside Qlik apps, and robust user access control on the server.

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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