Business Intelligence · head to head
Google Data Studio vs Amazon QuickSight
Google Data Studio
Business Intelligence
Free data visualization by Google
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Amazon QuickSight
Business Intelligence
Scalable, serverless BI by AWS
- From
- $3/month per user
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Google Data Studio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: 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.; Amazon QuickSight reader and Reader Pro roles charged separately at $3 and $20/month
- They diverge on capability: Google Data Studio covers Free Platform, Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Google Data Studio and Amazon QuickSight actually diverge.
| Attribute | Google Data Studio | Amazon QuickSight |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $3/month per user |
| Pricing model | free | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web | AWS |
| Founded | 1998 | 2006 |
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 Google Data Studio
- Free Platform
- Real-time Collaboration
- Custom Visualizations
- Data Blending
- Sharing
- Google Analytics
- BigQuery
- Google Sheets
Only in Amazon QuickSight
- SPICE In-memory Engine
- ML Insights
- Natural Language Queries
- Embedded Analytics
- Pay-per-session
- Redshift
- S3
- Athena
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
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
Amazon QuickSight
- Business intelligence dashboards and analyticsnot Google Data Studio
- Scalable embedded analytics for applicationsnot Google Data Studio
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Google Data Studio
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited Reports
- Data Connectors
- Collaboration
Amazon QuickSight
$3/month per userNo published plan breakdown. See the Amazon QuickSight review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Google Data Studio if
- You need free platform.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want real-time collaboration.
Choose Amazon QuickSight if
- You need spice in-memory engine.
- You work on AWS.
- You also want ml insights.
Questions people ask
- Is Google Data Studio or Amazon QuickSight better?
- Neither clearly leads. Google Data Studio starts at Free and Amazon QuickSight at $3/month per user, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Google Data Studio or Amazon QuickSight?
- Google Data Studio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Google Data Studio and $3/month per user for Amazon QuickSight.
- Does Google Data Studio or Amazon QuickSight run on more platforms?
- Google Data Studio runs on Web. Amazon QuickSight runs on AWS.
- 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 Google Data Studio best used for?
- Google Data Studio is most often used for self-service analytics, data exploration, ad-hoc reporting, collaborative analysis. Of those, self-service analytics and data exploration are not what Amazon QuickSight is typically brought in for.
- What can Google Data Studio do that Amazon QuickSight cannot?
- Google Data Studio covers Free Platform, Real-time Collaboration, Custom Visualizations, Data Blending. Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine, ML Insights, Natural Language Queries, Embedded Analytics. Both handle Web support.