Software · head to head
IBM Cognos Analytics vs Yellowfin
The short version
- 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; Yellowfin the pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no per-user price; every model ends in a Get Pricing form
- They diverge on capability: IBM Cognos Analytics covers AI Assistant, Yellowfin covers Automated Analysis.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which IBM Cognos Analytics and Yellowfin actually diverge.
| Attribute | IBM Cognos Analytics | Yellowfin |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $15/month | $50/month |
| Platforms | Web, Desktop, Mobile, Cloud | Web, Mobile, Embedded |
| Founded | 1911 | 2003 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- SAP
- Hadoop
Only in Yellowfin
- Automated Analysis
- Data Stories
- Collaboration
- Signals
- Embedded Analytics
- Google Analytics
- MySQL
- PostgreSQL
Both cover
- Oracle
- SQL Server
- Salesforce
- Web support
- Mobile support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
IBM Cognos Analytics
- Self-service analyticsnot Yellowfin
- Data explorationnot Yellowfin
- Ad-hoc reportingnot Yellowfin
- Collaborative analysisnot Yellowfin
- Embedded analyticsnot Yellowfin
Yellowfin
- Embedding white-labelled dashboards and analytics into a software productnot IBM Cognos Analytics
- Enterprise reporting with automated business monitoring and alertingnot IBM Cognos Analytics
- Data storytelling and guided natural language querying for business usersnot 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
Yellowfin
- The pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no per-user price; every model ends in a Get Pricing form
- One of the three embedded models is a revenue share, so Yellowfin takes a cut of the revenue your analytics module earns
- Another model prices by server core, so scaling deployment hardware raises the licence cost independently of users
- Getting a quote requires submitting a form with a marketing consent checkbox and a user-count band rather than seeing a rate card
Pricing, plan by plan
IBM Cognos Analytics
$15/month- Standard$15/month
- Dashboards
- Reporting
- AI Insights
- Plus$35/month
- Advanced Analytics
- Planning
- Premium Support
Yellowfin
$50/month- Team$50/month
- Dashboards
- Stories
- Collaboration
- EnterpriseFree
- Advanced Features
- Embedding
- Custom SLA
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.
Choose Yellowfin if
- You need automated analysis.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Embedded.
- You also want data stories.
Questions people ask
- Is IBM Cognos Analytics or Yellowfin better?
- Neither clearly leads. IBM Cognos Analytics starts at $15/month and Yellowfin at $50/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, IBM Cognos Analytics or Yellowfin?
- IBM Cognos Analytics starts at $15/month and Yellowfin at $50/month.
- Does IBM Cognos Analytics or Yellowfin run on more platforms?
- IBM Cognos Analytics runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Cloud. Yellowfin runs on Web, Mobile, Embedded.
- 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 Yellowfin is typically brought in for.
- What can IBM Cognos Analytics do that Yellowfin cannot?
- IBM Cognos Analytics covers AI Assistant, Natural Language Queries, Automated Insights, Story Telling. Yellowfin covers Automated Analysis, Data Stories, Collaboration, Signals. Both handle Oracle, SQL Server, Salesforce, Web support.
Related pages
More on IBM Cognos Analytics
Keep looking
Other head to heads
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Amazon QuickSight
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Power BI
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Sisense
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs MicroStrategy
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Qlik Sense
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Domo
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs GoodData
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs ThoughtSpot
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Google Data Studio
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Mode
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Periscope Data
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Baremetrics
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Celonis
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Chartio
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs ChartMogul
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Cyfe
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Databox
- IBM Cognos Analytics vs Dundas BI
- Yellowfin vs Amazon QuickSight
- Yellowfin vs Power BI
- Yellowfin vs Sisense
- Yellowfin vs MicroStrategy
- Yellowfin vs Qlik Sense
- Yellowfin vs Domo
- Yellowfin vs GoodData
- Yellowfin vs ThoughtSpot
- Yellowfin vs Google Data Studio
- Yellowfin vs Mode
- Yellowfin vs Periscope Data
- Yellowfin vs Baremetrics
- Yellowfin vs Celonis
- Yellowfin vs Chartio
- Yellowfin vs ChartMogul
- Yellowfin vs Cyfe
- Yellowfin vs Databox
- Yellowfin vs Dundas BI


