Business Intelligence · head to head
Google Data Studio vs Holistics
Google Data Studio
Business Intelligence
Free data visualization by Google
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- 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.; Holistics the entry plan is $960 per month billed monthly, which is a high floor for a BI tool
- They diverge on capability: Google Data Studio covers Free Platform, Holistics covers Data Modeling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Google Data Studio and Holistics actually diverge.
| Attribute | Google Data Studio | Holistics |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | free | subscription |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Cloud |
| Founded | 1998 | 2015 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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
- Google Sheets
- YouTube
Only in Holistics
- Data Modeling
- Version Control
- Scheduling
- Caching
- Embedding
- Snowflake
- Redshift
- PostgreSQL
Both cover
- BigQuery
- MySQL
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Google Data Studio
- Self-service analyticsnot Holistics
- Data explorationnot Holistics
- Ad-hoc reportingnot Holistics
- Collaborative analysisnot Holistics
- Embedded analyticsnot Holistics
Holistics
- Modelling business metrics in a code-defined semantic layer with Git version controlnot Google Data Studio
- Self-service exploration and dashboards for non-SQL usersnot Google Data Studio
- Embedding analytics into a customer-facing productnot 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.
Holistics
- The entry plan is $960 per month billed monthly, which is a high floor for a BI tool
- Every plan includes only the first 10 users, with additional users charged at $15 per month each on Entry and Standard and $18 on the Security Compliance Suite
- The Entry plan caps reports at 100, and each additional 100 reports costs $120 per month
- Google SSO requires the Standard plan at $1,200 per month; enterprise SSO with SAML and SCIM provisioning requires the Security Compliance Suite at $2,400 per month
- Row-based access control, IP whitelisting, pass-through authentication and user activity monitoring are all Security Compliance Suite features
- Connecting Git version control to your own repository requires Standard; Entry only gets Holistics-hosted Git
- White labelling, dynamic row-level permissions and unlimited dashboard viewers for embedded analytics are Custom Plan only, with no published price
- Bank payments and custom payment terms are Custom Plan only, and custom infosec or legal paperwork is Enterprise plan only
- The two months off discount requires yearly billing
Pricing, plan by plan
Google Data Studio
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited Reports
- Data Connectors
- Collaboration
Holistics
Free- FreeFree
- 3 Users
- Basic Features
- Community Support
- Standard$250/month
- Unlimited Users
- Advanced Features
- Email Support
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 Holistics if
- You need data modeling.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want version control.
Questions people ask
- Is Google Data Studio or Holistics better?
- Neither clearly leads. Google Data Studio starts at Free and Holistics at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Google Data Studio or Holistics?
- Google Data Studio starts at Free and Holistics at Free.
- Does Google Data Studio or Holistics run on more platforms?
- Google Data Studio runs on Web. Holistics runs on Web, Cloud.
- Can I use Google Data Studio for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Holistics is typically brought in for.
- What can Google Data Studio do that Holistics cannot?
- Google Data Studio covers Free Platform, Real-time Collaboration, Custom Visualizations, Data Blending. Holistics covers Data Modeling, Version Control, Scheduling, Caching. Both handle BigQuery, MySQL, Web support.