Item: Looker Studio
Rating: 5
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Currently, Google Data Studio is being used only by our organization's I.T. Dept. They initiated the analytics initiatives at our organization using Tableau Desktop then added the server. Google Data Studio is in an early phase with IT to compare against Tableau. Our organization is standardized on G Suite, so Google Data Studio would be a more natural fit compared to Tableau, plus it would save a significant amount of money on licensing.

Pros and Cons

Web-based, no local software to install.
Access control via existing G Suite accounts.
Processing all in the cloud, not locally.

Not as well developed/mature compared to other products.
Horrible marketing, not well advertised by Google. We found it by accident.
Room for improvement when connecting to data sources.

Return on Investment

Save significantly on licensing costs compared to other products.
Easy to learn, especially for existing G Suite users.
Vast range of data sources supported.

Alternatives Considered

Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server and Microsoft Power BI

Officially we are still on Tableau Desktop. We are nearing the end of our "exploration" phase with Google Data Studio. Tableau's products are expensive, especially for a small organization like us. There are many better uses of the software budget than Tableau. Google Data Studio continues to grow and mature, and at times the interface seems very similar to Tableau but web-based. I fully expect our organization to not renew its Tableau licenses and switch to Google Data Studio because it meets our analytics needs, is better with collaboration, and costs us nothing at all.

Support Rating

Google Data Studio is supported in the same way its other products are supported. In practice we have hardly needed support from Google because the products are so easy to use. The help available online is very useful and meets our needs. Long-term hopefully the user community will continue to grow, which will be even better for support.

Key Insights

Do you think Looker Studio delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Looker Studio's feature set?

Yes

Did Looker Studio live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Looker Studio go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Looker Studio again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

One year into use, Google Data Studio seems to be really well suited for organizations already in the G Suite ecosystem. It has a very similar feel/use to other Google tools like Drive and Sheets. Access control is also easy if the organization is already on Google. It is also affordable since it is free. That makes it within reach of small organizations who cannot afford products like Tableau.

Good challenger for Tableau

Overall Satisfaction with Google Data Studio