kitio.aiTableau vs Looker
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Tableau starts at $15/mo and Looker starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Drag-and-drop visualizations
- Tableau Agent
- Tableau Pulse metrics
- Data preparation
- Wide connector support
- LookML semantic model
- Gemini conversational analytics
- Dashboards and explores
- Embedded analytics
- API access
| Feature | Tableau | Looker |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Salesforce's BI and visual analytics platform with AI agents | Google Cloud's semantic-layer BI with Gemini conversational analytics |
| Category | Data & analytics | Data & analytics |
| Pricing model | Free trial | Paid |
| Starting price | $15/mo | See pricing page |
| Free plan | No, 14-day trial | No |
| Made by | Salesforce | |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Tableau starts at $15/mo and Looker starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
4 plans
Viewer
$15/mo
- Per user, billed annually
- View and interact with dashboards
Explorer
$42/mo
- Per user, billed annually
- Self-service analytics on existing data
Creator
$75/mo
- Per user, billed annually
- Tableau Desktop and Prep
- At least one required per deployment
Tableau Cloud+
Contact sales
- Tableau Agent and Pulse
- Premier Success, 50 sites
3 plans
Standard
Contact sales
- Entry edition for smaller teams
- Semantic modeling layer
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Advanced security and governance
- For larger internal BI deployments
Embed
Contact sales
- Embedded analytics in your apps
- For external-facing deployments
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Tableau
- Excellent visualization depth
- Large user community
- Works with many data sources
- Costly per-user licenses
- Takes time to master
Looker
- Consistent governed metrics
- Strong for embedded analytics
- Native BigQuery integration
- LookML requires developers
- Pricing only through sales
Which one should you choose?
Choose Tableau if you want:
- Excellent visualization depth
- Large user community
- Works with many data sources
Watch out: costly per-user licenses.
Choose Looker if you want:
- Consistent governed metrics
- Strong for embedded analytics
- Native BigQuery integration
Watch out: lookml requires developers.
Tableau vs Looker FAQ
What is the difference between Tableau and Looker?
Tableau: Salesforce's BI and visual analytics platform with AI agents. Looker: Google Cloud's semantic-layer BI with Gemini conversational analytics. Both are data & analytics tools.
Is Tableau or Looker cheaper?
Tableau starts at $15/mo and Looker starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Tableau and Looker have free plans?
Tableau: No, 14-day trial. Looker: No.
Who makes Tableau?
Tableau is made by Salesforce, based in United States.
Who makes Looker?
Looker is made by Google, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Tableau or Looker?
Choose Tableau if you value excellent visualization depth and large user community. Choose Looker if you value consistent governed metrics and strong for embedded analytics.