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Business Intelligence · head to head

Amazon QuickSight vs Google Sheets

Amazon QuickSight logo

Amazon QuickSight

Business Intelligence

Scalable, serverless BI by AWS

From
$3/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Google Sheets logo

Google Sheets

Spreadsheets

Cloud spreadsheet, free for a personal Google account and bundled into paid Google Workspace for organisations

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Google Sheets 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 Sheets performance degrades noticeably on very large or formula-heavy spreadsheets compared with desktop Excel, particularly with complex array formulas.
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine, Google Sheets covers Real-time collaboration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Amazon QuickSight and Google Sheets differ
AttributeAmazon QuickSightGoogle Sheets
Starting price$3/monthFree
Pricing modelper-userFree personally, bundled into paid Google Workspace for organisations
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsAWSWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceSpreadsheets
Founded2006Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Sheets

  • Real-time collaboration
  • Formulas and pivot tables
  • Apps Script automation
  • Excel compatibility
  • Offline mode
  • Connected Sheets

What people use each for

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

Amazon QuickSight

  • Business intelligencenot Google Sheets
  • Dashboard creationnot Google Sheets
  • Data visualizationnot Google Sheets

Google Sheets

  • A freelancer or small team wanting real-time spreadsheet collaboration without installing softwarenot Amazon QuickSight
  • A school or nonprofit already using free or discounted Google Workspace for Educationnot Amazon QuickSight
  • A company standardising on Google Workspace for email and file storage that gets Sheets includednot Amazon QuickSight
  • A team building lightweight internal tools with Apps Script rather than a dedicated databasenot 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 Sheets

  • Performance degrades noticeably on very large or formula-heavy spreadsheets compared with desktop Excel, particularly with complex array formulas.
  • Its charting and pivot table features are less capable than Excel for advanced statistical or financial analysis.
  • Offline editing requires the Chrome browser or a specific offline-enabled setup, so it is not as seamless as a native desktop application.
  • The free personal tier has no admin controls, audit logging or data loss prevention, so it is not appropriate for regulated business data on its own.
  • Apps Script has execution time limits and quota restrictions that make it unsuitable for heavier automation workloads a dedicated backend would handle better.

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon QuickSight

$3/month
  • Reader$3/month
    • Dashboard viewing only
  • Reader Pro$20/month
    • Enhanced reader capabilities
  • Author$24/month
    • Dashboard creation and editing
  • Author Pro$40/month
    • Advanced authoring features

Google Sheets

Free
  • Personal Google accountFree
    • Full Sheets functionality
    • 15GB shared Drive storage across Gmail, Drive and Photos
    • No admin controls
  • Google Workspace Business Starter$7/month
    • Sheets bundled with Gmail, Drive and Meet
    • Admin console and centralised management
    • 30GB pooled storage per user

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon QuickSight if

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

Choose Google Sheets if

  • You need real-time collaboration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want formulas and pivot tables.
Google Sheets review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon QuickSight or Google Sheets better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon QuickSight starts at $3/month and Google Sheets at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon QuickSight or Google Sheets?
Google Sheets has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3/month for Amazon QuickSight and Free for Google Sheets.
Does Amazon QuickSight or Google Sheets run on more platforms?
Amazon QuickSight runs on AWS. Google Sheets runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Google Sheets for free?
Yes. Google Sheets has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Amazon QuickSight starts at $3/month.
What is Amazon QuickSight best used for?
Amazon QuickSight is most often used for business intelligence, dashboard creation, data visualization. Of those, business intelligence and dashboard creation are not what Google Sheets is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon QuickSight do that Google Sheets cannot?
Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine, ML Insights, Natural Language Queries, Embedded Analytics. Google Sheets covers Real-time collaboration, Formulas and pivot tables, Apps Script automation, Excel compatibility.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon QuickSight: What does Amazon QuickSight cost per user?

QuickSight pricing varies by user role. Readers start at $3/month, Reader Pro at $20/month, Authors at $24/month, and Author Pro at $40/month. All prices are per user per month.

Source
Google Sheets: Is Google Sheets really free?

Yes, for a personal Google account with full functionality, subject to the 15GB Drive storage limit shared across Google services.

Amazon QuickSight: Does QuickSight charge an infrastructure fee?

Yes, QuickSight charges an infrastructure fee of $250/month per account if the account has at least one Pro user, has Q&A enabled via topics, or has dashboard Q&A enabled.

Source
Google Sheets: Why would a business pay for something that is free?

Businesses pay for Google Workspace, which bundles Sheets with admin controls, larger storage, audit logs and support that a personal account lacks.

Amazon QuickSight: What are QuickSight's session capacity pricing options?

Session capacity pricing starts at $250/month for 500 sessions. Annual plans range from $20,000/year for 50,000 sessions to $258,000/year for 1,600,000 sessions, with volume discounts reducing unit costs from $0.50 to $0.16 per additional session.

Source
Google Sheets: Does Google Sheets work with Excel files?

Yes, it opens, edits and exports Microsoft Excel format files directly.

Amazon QuickSight: How much does additional SPICE storage cost?

Additional SPICE storage beyond the included 10 GB costs $0.38 per GB per month. Authors receive 10 GB included, but Readers do not.

Source
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