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Business Intelligence · head to head

IBM Cognos Analytics vs Preset

IBM Cognos Analytics logo

IBM Cognos Analytics

Business Intelligence

AI-powered business intelligence

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Preset logo

Preset

Business Intelligence

Managed Apache Superset

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Preset has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: IBM Cognos Analytics listed on UK G-Cloud at £42.53 per user per month for IBM Cognos Analytics, via reseller Computacenter; Preset limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
  • They diverge on capability: IBM Cognos Analytics covers AI Assistant, Preset covers Managed Superset.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IBM Cognos Analytics and Preset actually diverge.

Attributes where IBM Cognos Analytics and Preset differ
AttributeIBM Cognos AnalyticsPreset
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, Mobile, CloudWeb, Cloud
Founded19112019

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 IBM Cognos Analytics

  • AI Assistant
  • Natural Language Queries
  • Automated Insights
  • Story Telling
  • Mobile Analytics
  • IBM Db2
  • Oracle
  • SQL Server

Only in Preset

  • Managed Superset
  • Auto-scaling
  • Enterprise Security
  • Custom Branding
  • API Access
  • Snowflake
  • BigQuery
  • Redshift

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

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

IBM Cognos Analytics

  • Self-service analytics
  • Data exploration
  • Ad-hoc reporting
  • Collaborative analysis
  • Embedded analytics

Preset

  • Self-service analytics
  • Data exploration
  • Ad-hoc reporting
  • Collaborative analysis
  • Embedded analytics

Both are used for self-service analytics, data exploration, ad-hoc reporting, collaborative analysis, embedded analytics, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

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

IBM Cognos Analytics

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud at £42.53 per user per month for IBM Cognos Analytics, via reseller Computacenter

Preset

  • Limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
  • Viewer licenses add substantial cost for embedded analytics deployments
  • Dataset-centric approach requires preprocessing by data teams for some use cases

Pricing, plan by plan

IBM Cognos Analytics

$15/month
  • Standard$15/month
    • Dashboards
    • Reporting
    • AI Insights
  • Plus$35/month
    • Advanced Analytics
    • Planning
    • Premium Support

Preset

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Preset review.

Which should you pick?

Choose IBM Cognos Analytics if

  • You need ai assistant.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Cloud.
  • You also want natural language queries.
IBM Cognos Analytics review

Choose Preset if

  • You need managed superset.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want auto-scaling.
Preset review

Questions people ask

Is IBM Cognos Analytics or Preset better?
Neither clearly leads. IBM Cognos Analytics starts at $15/month and Preset at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IBM Cognos Analytics or Preset?
Preset has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for IBM Cognos Analytics and Free for Preset.
Does IBM Cognos Analytics or Preset run on more platforms?
IBM Cognos Analytics runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Cloud. Preset runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use Preset for free?
Yes. Preset has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. IBM Cognos Analytics starts at $15/month.
What is IBM Cognos Analytics best used for?
IBM Cognos Analytics is most often used for self-service analytics, data exploration, ad-hoc reporting, collaborative analysis.
What can IBM Cognos Analytics do that Preset cannot?
IBM Cognos Analytics covers AI Assistant, Natural Language Queries, Automated Insights, Story Telling. Preset covers Managed Superset, Auto-scaling, Enterprise Security, Custom Branding. Both handle Web support, Cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Preset: Is Preset free?

Preset offers a free tier for small teams called Starter with 5 users and no credit card required. Paid plans start at $25 per user per month.

Source
Preset: Can I export my data from Preset?

Yes. Preset uses Apache Superset and the founders contribute over 75% of commits to the open-source project, enabling migration to Superset without vendor lock-in.

Source
Preset: Does Preset include embedded analytics?

Yes. Embedded dashboards are available on Professional and Enterprise plans, with viewer licenses starting at $500 per month for 50 licenses.

Source
Preset: What is the enterprise pricing for Preset?

Enterprise plans are custom quoted. The median buyer pays $35,495 per year.

Source
Preset: Does Preset support AI-powered analytics?

Yes. As of 2026, Preset includes an AI Chatbot and MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration for building charts and dashboards via natural language.

Source
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