Softwr

Business Intelligence · head to head

Holistics vs Looker

Holistics logo

Holistics

Business Intelligence

Self-service BI for data teams

From
$800/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Looker logo

Looker

Spreadsheets

Modern business intelligence platform by Google

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Holistics the entry plan is $960 per month billed monthly, which is a high floor for a BI tool; Looker no pricing published on website; quote-based model requires contacting Google Cloud sales
  • They diverge on capability: Holistics covers Data Modeling, Looker covers LookML Data Modeling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Holistics and Looker actually diverge.

Attributes where Holistics and Looker differ
AttributeHolisticsLooker
Starting price$800/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform)
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceSpreadsheets
Founded20152008

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Holistics

  • Data Modeling
  • Scheduling
  • Caching
  • Embedding
  • SQL Server
  • Cloud support

Only in Looker

  • LookML Data Modeling
  • Embedded Analytics
  • API Access
  • Data Actions
  • Salesforce
  • Mobile support
  • Api support

Both cover

  • Version Control
  • BigQuery
  • Snowflake
  • Redshift
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Holistics

  • Modelling business metrics in a code-defined semantic layer with Git version controlnot Looker
  • Self-service exploration and dashboards for non-SQL usersnot Looker
  • Embedding analytics into a customer-facing productnot Looker

Looker

  • Business intelligence and interactive dashboards for data-driven decision makingnot Holistics
  • Embedded analytics for integrating BI capabilities into third-party applicationsnot Holistics

Where each one falls short

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

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

Looker

  • No pricing published on website; quote-based model requires contacting Google Cloud sales
  • Pricing typically based on user count, deployment type, and feature requirements with no transparency

Pricing, plan by plan

Holistics

$800/month
  • Entry$800/month
    • 100 reports
    • First 10 users included
    • Core self-service analytics
  • Standard$1000/month
    • Unlimited reports
    • First 10 users included
    • Custom charts
  • Security Compliance Suite$2000/month
    • Unlimited reports
    • First 10 users included
    • Granular access controls

Looker

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Looker review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Holistics if

  • You need data modeling.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want scheduling.
Holistics review

Choose Looker if

  • You need lookml data modeling.
  • You work on Web, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform).
  • You also want embedded analytics.
Looker review

Questions people ask

Is Holistics or Looker better?
Neither clearly leads. Holistics starts at $800/month and Looker at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Holistics or Looker?
Holistics starts at $800/month and Looker at On request.
Does Holistics or Looker run on more platforms?
Holistics runs on Web, Cloud. Looker runs on Web, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform).
What is Holistics best used for?
Holistics is most often used for modelling business metrics in a code-defined semantic layer with git version control, self-service exploration and dashboards for non-sql users, embedding analytics into a customer-facing product. Of those, modelling business metrics in a code-defined semantic layer with git version control and self-service exploration and dashboards for non-sql users are not what Looker is typically brought in for.
What can Holistics do that Looker cannot?
Holistics covers Data Modeling, Scheduling, Caching, Embedding. Looker covers LookML Data Modeling, Embedded Analytics, API Access, Data Actions. Both handle Version Control, BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Holistics: How much do additional Holistics users cost?

Additional users cost $12.50 per month (yearly billing) or $15 per month (monthly billing) for Entry/Standard plans, and $15-18 per month for Security Suite.

Source
Looker: How much does Looker cost?

Looker does not publish pricing on its website. The platform uses a custom quote model where organizations contact Google Cloud sales for personalized pricing. Pricing is typically based on factors including user count, deployment type (cloud-hosted versus self-hosted), and required feature set.

Source
Holistics: Can I purchase additional reports on Holistics?

Yes, additional 100-report blocks cost $100 per month (yearly) or $120 per month (monthly billing).

Source
Looker: What are Looker's pricing tiers?

Looker offers subscription-based tiers typically including Standard with core BI capabilities, Advanced with enhanced features and integrations, and Premium with enterprise-grade features. Specific pricing and feature distinctions require contacting Google Cloud sales.

Source
Holistics: Does Holistics support multiple data centers?

Yes, Holistics supports multiple data centers in US, EU, and APAC regions with pricing available for embedded analytics with unlimited dashboard viewers.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Holistics

More on Looker

Keep looking

Other head to heads