Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) is an open source visualization and reporting tool developed by Google created after its $2.6 billion purchase, in 2020 of Looker. It allows users to connect to various data sources, develop templates with options to create dashboards and share interactive reports. This complete review of Looker Studio goes over all that is possible, the pros and cons and which type of business is best suited for it.
Key Features and Capabilities
Data Connectivity
Looker Studio enforces built-in and partner connectors with over 800 data sources:
- Google products (Analytics, Ads, BigQuery, Sheets)
- Social media platforms (Facebook, Reddit)
- Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL)
- Flat files (CSV uploads)
It enables data blending from any, and all sources and is thus a very holistic approach to the various streams available for analysis.
Visualization Options
Looker Studio has 36 chart types, providing rich visualization options:
- Tables and Pivot tables
- Scorecards and gauges
- The time series, line, area and scatter charts
- Bar, pie and treemap visualizations
- Mapping solving and geo charts in Google
- Bullet charts
Interactive segments like dynamic filtering, drill-down features, date range controls, and customer calculations boost data exploration and user experience.
Customization
Looker Studio comes with fine-tuned customization options:
- Extensive layout control
- Font and color customization
- Canvas size adjustments
- Brand matching capabilities
- Annotations, links and linkable images
- Product catalogs and video libraries
Collaboration and Sharing
The platform facilitates:
- Real-time collaboration
- Embed reports on webpages
- Scheduled email distribution
- Share with individuals, teams or the public
Strengths
Google Ecosystem Integration 9/10
Looker Studio works best when used as part of the Google ecosystem, where you benefit from effortless integration with Google Sheets, BigQuery, Google Analytics, and Google Ads. Setting up connections is simple with automatic and often real-time data updates.
Usability (8/10)
Using Google’s familiar design language, Looker’s user interface is intuitive and includes drag-and-drop functionality. Non-technical users like marketers and small business owners can use the template to build a basic dashboard without needing deep technical capability. The availability of templates further lowers the barrier to entry and allows for quicker report creation.
Customization and Flexibility (7/10)
The platform provides extensive customization options with dynamic filtering, drill-down capabilities, custom calculations to support countless business needs via interactive elements like date pickers or dropdowns.
Cost-Effectiveness (10/10)
It is free, requiring only a Google account, and the Pro option is around $9/user for some advanced features. This pricing model is a great value for startups, small business, and individuals compared to other paid platforms like Tableau or Power BI.
Real-Time Capabilities
Looker Studio presents a clear point of excellence in real-time data exploration and visualization, particularly when pulling from Google sources. It is perfect for measuring live metrics and continuing performance.
Weaknesses
Performance Issues with Large Datasets (4/10)
Looker Studio is often underpowered with large or complex datasets. Too many elements can make reports ‘laggy’, even slowing down when calling into non-Google connectors for your data. Users often quote long load times and occasional connection failures suggesting bad scalability for enterprise or data-heavy applications in un-optimized scenarios.
Limited Advanced Analytics Capabilities (3/10)
Compared to other commonly used tools like Tableau, Power BI, or even the full Looker BI platform, Look Studio lacks advanced features:
- Predictive analytics
- Statistical modeling
- Native machine learning integrations
Looker’s calculations and transformation functions can be restrictive, making it more suited for reporting and visualization rather than deep analytics.
Data Source and Connector Limitations (5/10 for non- Google)
Native Google services integration is great, but integration with non-Google is not. Most of the non-Google connectors require third-party service like Supermetrics or Funnel.io, which create an additional cost, causing more hidden fees for organizations outside the Google ecosystem.
Collaboration and Version Control (6/10)
Although real-time collaboration is possible, version control capabilities are basic. This makes it easy to accidentally overwrite changes and there is no real audit trail with it, unlike Git-based or enterprise BI systems. This is scary for big teams or industries that need thorough documentation.
Support Limitations
For free users, support is minimal and for Pro users report long wait times with Google Cloud Customer Care. This can be risky when technical issues arise.
Price Transparency
Even though the premium version is quite verbose, the full pricing structure for Pro isn’t public. Potential enterprise users would have to talk with Google sales, which can complicate things even more when determining budgets.
Comparison with Competitors
| Feature | Looker Studio | Power BI | Tableau | Advantage |
| Ecosystem Integration | Seamless with Google products | Seamless with Microsoft products | Salesforce products, SQL databases | Tie (depends on ecosystem) |
| User Interface | Intuitive, beginner-friendly | More complex, suits data analysts | User-friendly but complex for advanced use | Looker Studio |
| Data Sources | 800+ sources, Google-focused | 100+ sources, broader compatibility | 100+ sources, Salesforce-focused | Looker Studio |
| Data Manipulation | Limited, relies on pre-built models | Advanced with Power Query and DAX | Basic, often needs external tools | Power BI |
| Data Modeling | Basic capabilities | Advanced with DAX | Robust but requires expertise | Power BI |
| Real-Time Analysis | Strong, fast with Google data | Capable but slower with large datasets | Capable but complex setup | Looker Studio |
| Visualizations | 36 types, highly customizable | Robust but less intuitive customization | Broad range, includes animations | Tie |
| Customization | Custom layouts, embedded elements | Strong but more technical | Animations, filters, tooltips | Looker Studio |
| Learning Curve | Steeper for advanced features | Moderate to steep | User-friendly but complex for advanced use | Tie (between Looker and Tableau) |
| Collaboration | Real-time sharing and embedding | Strong simultaneous editing features | Good but less integrated | Power BI |
| Pricing | Free version, Pro at $9/user | Free (limited), from $9.99/user | User-based complex, often costlier | Looker Studio |
| Community/Support | Limited for free users, smaller community | Large community, extensive support | Strong community, good support | Power BI |
| Performance with Large Data | Struggles with very large datasets | Better handling of large data | Strong performance | Tableau |
User Feedback
Reviews from all platforms can give you really smart insights:
- Looker Studio users often praise its ease of use, Google integration, and affordability.
- High scores on pre-built visualization formats (9.6/10 on TrustRadius).
- Some of the common criticisms are lack of data manipulation, pivoting capabilities, and design flexibility.
- Users report slow loads times for large reports and inadequate documentation.
- Advanced users state that they cannot use custom fonts and are restricted on chart settings.
Ideal Use Cases
Looker Studio is perfect for:
- Small to Medium-Sized Businesses: Free version is super useful for startups and small teams with everyday reporting needs.
- Marketing teams: Integrates closely with Google Analytics and Google Ads for campaign performance tracking and building marketing dashboards.
- Agencies & Freelancers: Cost-effective for client reporting with a significant investment.
- Google Ecosystem Users: Well-suited for organizations already deeply invested in Google Cloud or Analytics products.
- Real-Time Monitoring: Strong real-time capabilities that are perfect for businesses that need live KPIs tracking and dashboard updates.
Is less ideal for:
- Large Enterprises with Complex BI Needs: Looker Studio may prove limiting for companies that call for advanced data modeling or enterprise-level performance.
- Advanced Data Scientists: If needing deep analytics, predictive modeling, or complex data transformations a more powerful tool may be required.
- Regulated Industries: The version control limitations may be problematic for organizations with a need for strong audit trails and thorough documentation.
Final Assessment
| Category | Score (out of 10) |
| Integrations with Google | 9 |
| Integrations not with Google | 5 |
| Ease of Use | 8 |
| Performance | 6 |
| Customization | 7 |
| Advanced Analytics | 3 |
| Cost | 10 |
| Collaboration | 6 |
| Overall Rating | 7/10 |
Conclusion
Looker Studio is presented as a solution for businesses with a desire to make data driven decisions without spending a large portion of their budget. It allows access to data visualization and excels at creating visually appealing, interactive dashboards, especially for those already in the Google ecosystem.
Its strength in easy to use, affordability, and Google integration make it a captivating choice for small to midsized business, marketing teams, and people who need fast, customizable visualizations without a big expense. The real-time capabilities and data connectivity options further enhance its allure for monitoring performance metrics.
Although Looker’s limitations in handling large datasets and advanced analytics capabilities may push data-intensive organizations toward a more robust alternative like Power BI or Tableau. In addition, organizations that are not part of the Google ecosystem can face hidden costs through third party connectors. In the end, Looker Studio provides an efficient blend of simplicity and functionality and is a useful tool for BI landscape, especially the businesses that align with its strengths and can worth with its limitations.
