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Business Intelligence · head to head

Amazon QuickSight vs Google Data Studio

Amazon QuickSight logo

Amazon QuickSight

Business Intelligence

Scalable, serverless BI by AWS

From
$3/month per user
Rated
-
Google Data Studio logo

Google Data Studio

Business Intelligence

Free data visualization by Google

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Google Data Studio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Amazon QuickSight reader and Reader Pro roles charged separately at $3 and $20/month; Google Data Studio google Data Studio has been renamed Looker Studio; the vendor's own landing page states it is free to use ("It's easy and free"), with no enterprise pricing tier visible on the consumer product itself.
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine, Google Data Studio covers Free Platform.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon QuickSight and Google Data Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon QuickSight and Google Data Studio differ
AttributeAmazon QuickSightGoogle Data Studio
Starting price$3/month per userFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsAWSWeb
Founded20061998

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Business Intelligence).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Amazon QuickSight

  • SPICE In-memory Engine
  • ML Insights
  • Natural Language Queries
  • Embedded Analytics
  • Pay-per-session
  • Redshift
  • S3
  • Athena

Only in Google Data Studio

  • Free Platform
  • Real-time Collaboration
  • Custom Visualizations
  • Data Blending
  • Sharing
  • Google Analytics
  • BigQuery
  • Google Sheets

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Amazon QuickSight

  • Business intelligence dashboards and analyticsnot Google Data Studio
  • Scalable embedded analytics for applicationsnot Google Data Studio

Google Data Studio

  • Self-service analyticsnot Amazon QuickSight
  • Data explorationnot Amazon QuickSight
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Amazon QuickSight
  • Collaborative analysisnot Amazon QuickSight
  • Embedded analyticsnot Amazon QuickSight

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Amazon QuickSight

  • Reader and Reader Pro roles charged separately at $3 and $20/month
  • Author and Author Pro roles charged at $24 and $40/month
  • $250/month infrastructure fee required if Pro users or Q&A enabled
  • SPICE storage charged at $0.38/GB monthly (10 GB included)
  • Pixel-perfect reports start at $500/month for 500 monthly units
  • Alerts charged at $0.05-$0.50 per 1,000 metrics evaluated

Google Data Studio

  • Google Data Studio has been renamed Looker Studio; the vendor's own landing page states it is free to use ("It's easy and free"), with no enterprise pricing tier visible on the consumer product itself.

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon QuickSight

$3/month per user

No published plan breakdown. See the Amazon QuickSight review.

Google Data Studio

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited Reports
    • Data Connectors
    • Collaboration

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon QuickSight if

  • You need spice in-memory engine.
  • You work on AWS.
  • You also want ml insights.

Choose Google Data Studio if

  • You need free platform.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want real-time collaboration.

Questions people ask

Is Amazon QuickSight or Google Data Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon QuickSight starts at $3/month per user and Google Data Studio at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon QuickSight or Google Data Studio?
Google Data Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3/month per user for Amazon QuickSight and Free for Google Data Studio.
Does Amazon QuickSight or Google Data Studio run on more platforms?
Amazon QuickSight runs on AWS. Google Data Studio runs on Web.
Can I use Google Data Studio for free?
Yes. Google Data Studio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Amazon QuickSight starts at $3/month per user.
What is Amazon QuickSight best used for?
Amazon QuickSight is most often used for business intelligence dashboards and analytics, scalable embedded analytics for applications. Of those, business intelligence dashboards and analytics and scalable embedded analytics for applications are not what Google Data Studio is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon QuickSight do that Google Data Studio cannot?
Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine, ML Insights, Natural Language Queries, Embedded Analytics. Google Data Studio covers Free Platform, Real-time Collaboration, Custom Visualizations, Data Blending. Both handle Web support.

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