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Business Intelligence · head to head

IBM Cognos Analytics vs Redash

IBM Cognos Analytics logo

IBM Cognos Analytics

Business Intelligence

AI-powered business intelligence

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Redash logo

Redash

Spreadsheet & Data

Connect and visualize your data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Redash 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; Redash a basic self-hosted deployment needs a minimum of 4GB of RAM, and more RAM and CPU as background workers and API processes grow
  • They diverge on capability: IBM Cognos Analytics covers AI Assistant, Redash covers SQL Query Editor.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where IBM Cognos Analytics and Redash differ
AttributeIBM Cognos AnalyticsRedash
Starting price$15/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, Mobile, CloudWeb, Self-hosted, Cloud
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceSpreadsheet & Data
Founded19112013

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 IBM Cognos Analytics

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

Only in Redash

  • SQL Query Editor
  • Multiple Data Sources
  • Visualizations
  • Dashboards
  • Alerts
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • BigQuery

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 analyticsnot Redash
  • Data explorationnot Redash
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Redash
  • Collaborative analysisnot Redash
  • Embedded analyticsnot Redash

Redash

  • Self-hosted SQL query editor and dashboarding over existing databasesnot IBM Cognos Analytics
  • Sharing scheduled query results with a team without buying a BI licencenot IBM Cognos Analytics

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

Redash

  • A basic self-hosted deployment needs a minimum of 4GB of RAM, and more RAM and CPU as background workers and API processes grow
  • The official Docker images were not updated for V10, so the documented route is to deploy a V8 instance and then upgrade it
  • Anyone not using a provided cloud image has to configure the environment variables and secrets by hand

Pricing, plan by plan

IBM Cognos Analytics

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

Redash

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full Features
    • Self-hosted
    • Community Support
  • Cloud$49/month
    • Managed Hosting
    • Automatic Updates
    • Support

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 Redash if

  • You need sql query editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud.
  • You also want multiple data sources.
Redash review

Questions people ask

Is IBM Cognos Analytics or Redash better?
Neither clearly leads. IBM Cognos Analytics starts at $15/month and Redash at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IBM Cognos Analytics or Redash?
Redash has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for IBM Cognos Analytics and Free for Redash.
Does IBM Cognos Analytics or Redash run on more platforms?
IBM Cognos Analytics runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Cloud. Redash runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud.
Can I use Redash for free?
Yes. Redash 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. Of those, self-service analytics and data exploration are not what Redash is typically brought in for.
What can IBM Cognos Analytics do that Redash cannot?
IBM Cognos Analytics covers AI Assistant, Natural Language Queries, Automated Insights, Story Telling. Redash covers SQL Query Editor, Multiple Data Sources, Visualizations, Dashboards. Both handle Web support, Cloud support.
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