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Software · head to head

Looker vs Power BI

Looker logo

Looker

Software

Modern business intelligence platform by Google

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Power BI logo

Power BI

Software

Business analytics by Microsoft

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Power BI has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Looker requires annual commitment with no month-to-month billing option; Power BI free tier cannot publish or share reports; Pro tier required for collaboration
  • They diverge on capability: Looker covers LookML Data Modeling, Power BI covers AI-powered Insights.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Looker and Power BI actually diverge.

Attributes where Looker and Power BI differ
AttributeLookerPower BI
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform)Web, Desktop, Mobile
Founded20081975

Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), 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 Looker

  • LookML Data Modeling
  • Embedded Analytics
  • API Access
  • Version Control
  • Data Actions
  • BigQuery
  • Snowflake
  • Redshift

Only in Power BI

  • AI-powered Insights
  • Natural Language Queries
  • Real-time Dashboards
  • Paginated Reports
  • Mobile Apps
  • Excel
  • Azure
  • Dynamics 365

Both cover

  • Salesforce
  • Web support
  • Mobile support

What people use each for

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

Looker

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

Power BI

  • Self-service analyticsnot Looker
  • Data explorationnot Looker
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Looker
  • Collaborative analysisnot Looker
  • Embedded analyticsnot Looker

Where each one falls short

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

Looker

  • Requires annual commitment with no month-to-month billing option
  • Conversational analytics will incur token overage charges ($3.00 per 1M input tokens, $20.00 per 1M output tokens) after October 1, 2026

Power BI

  • Free tier cannot publish or share reports; Pro tier required for collaboration
  • Free tier cannot schedule automatic data refreshes
  • Offline capabilities limited to local Power BI Desktop; cloud service always requires internet
  • Data refresh capped at 8 times per day on Pro tier without Premium Per User

Pricing, plan by plan

Looker

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Looker review.

Power BI

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Local report creation in Power BI Desktop
    • Cannot publish or share
    • No scheduled refreshes
  • Power BI Pro$14/user/month
    • Publish and share reports
    • Up to 8 scheduled refreshes/day
    • Collaborate with other Pro users
  • Premium Per User$24/user/month
    • All Pro features
    • Up to 48 scheduled refreshes/day
    • Copilot integration

Which should you pick?

Choose Looker if

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

Choose Power BI if

  • You need ai-powered insights.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want natural language queries.
Power BI review

Questions people ask

Is Looker or Power BI better?
Neither clearly leads. Looker starts at On request and Power BI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Looker or Power BI?
Power BI has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Looker and Free for Power BI.
Does Looker or Power BI run on more platforms?
Looker runs on Web, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform). Power BI runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
Can I use Power BI for free?
Yes. Power BI has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Looker starts at On request.
What is Looker best used for?
Looker is most often used for business intelligence and interactive dashboards for data-driven decision making, embedded analytics for integrating bi capabilities into third-party applications. Of those, business intelligence and interactive dashboards for data-driven decision making and embedded analytics for integrating bi capabilities into third-party applications are not what Power BI is typically brought in for.
What can Looker do that Power BI cannot?
Looker covers LookML Data Modeling, Embedded Analytics, API Access, Version Control. Power BI covers AI-powered Insights, Natural Language Queries, Real-time Dashboards, Paginated Reports. Both handle Salesforce, Web support, Mobile support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Power BI: Can I use Power BI Desktop offline?

Power BI Desktop runs locally and can edit reports offline, but publishing to the service and refreshing cloud data sources requires internet connection. Offline reports show cached data from the last refresh.

Source
Power BI: What are the data refresh limits for each tier?

Power BI Premium Per User allows up to 48 scheduled refreshes per day, while Pro tier is limited to 8 scheduled refreshes per day. Free tier cannot schedule automatic refreshes.

Source
Power BI: Can I use Power BI Free with shared data sources?

Free tier users can create local reports in Power BI Desktop but cannot publish to the Power BI Service for collaboration. Publishing requires Power BI Pro ($14/user/month).

Source
Power BI: Is SSO available and on which plan?

SSO is available on Power BI Premium Per User ($24/user/month) and Fabric capacity plans through Azure AD integration.

Source
Power BI: What does Copilot require in Power BI?

Copilot for natural language queries and automatic report generation requires Power BI Premium Per User or Fabric capacity pricing, not available on Pro or Free tiers.

Source
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