Softwr

Spreadsheets · head to head

Looker vs Quadratic

Looker logo

Looker

Spreadsheets

Modern business intelligence platform by Google

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Quadratic logo

Quadratic

Spreadsheets

Infinite-canvas spreadsheet that runs Python, SQL and formulas in the same grid

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Quadratic has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Looker no pricing published on website; quote-based model requires contacting Google Cloud sales; Quadratic aI usage is metered as a dollar allowance rather than a flat entitlement, so a team that adopts the agent enthusiastically will exhaust 20 USD per user per month quickly and the true cost per seat becomes unpredictable.
  • They diverge on capability: Looker covers LookML Data Modeling, Quadratic covers Multi-language cells.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Looker and Quadratic actually diverge.

Attributes where Looker and Quadratic differ
AttributeLookerQuadratic
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelUnknownPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform)Web, macOS, Windows, Linux
Founded2008Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Spreadsheets).

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 Quadratic

  • Multi-language cells
  • Infinite canvas
  • Direct database connections
  • AI agent in the sheet
  • WebAssembly engine
  • Python package 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 Quadratic
  • Embedded analytics for integrating BI capabilities into third-party applicationsnot Quadratic

Quadratic

  • An analyst who wants a SQL result, a Python transformation and a set of manual assumptions visible in one file instead of three toolsnot Looker
  • Ad hoc modelling where part of the logic is genuinely code and part is a judgement call typed into a cellnot Looker
  • Sharing a reproducible analysis with a colleague who will only ever open a spreadsheet, not a notebooknot Looker
  • Prototyping a data pull against a warehouse before committing it to a scheduled pipelinenot Looker

Where each one falls short

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

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

Quadratic

  • AI usage is metered as a dollar allowance rather than a flat entitlement, so a team that adopts the agent enthusiastically will exhaust 20 USD per user per month quickly and the true cost per seat becomes unpredictable.
  • Self-hosting is available only on the Enterprise plan, so an organisation that cannot send data to the vendor cloud has to enter a sales negotiation rather than run a container.
  • Excel and Google Sheets compatibility is partial, so files with heavy conditional formatting, pivot tables or macros do not survive a round trip and have to be rebuilt.
  • The product is young and the connector list is short, covering the main relational databases and two warehouses, so anything else has to be reached through Python code you write and maintain yourself.
  • There is no real mobile editing experience, which matters more than it sounds for a spreadsheet because approvals and quick checks routinely happen on a phone.

Pricing, plan by plan

Looker

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Looker review.

Quadratic

Free
  • PersonalFree
    • Limited AI usage
    • Limited files and connections
    • Limited sharing
  • Pro$18/month
    • Billed annually
    • 20 USD of AI credits per month
    • Unlimited files
  • Business$36/month
    • Billed annually
    • 40 USD of AI credits per month
    • Advanced permissions
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Quoted
    • Self-hosting option
    • Custom AI usage

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 Quadratic if

  • You need multi-language cells.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
  • You also want infinite canvas.
Quadratic review

Questions people ask

Is Looker or Quadratic better?
Neither clearly leads. Looker starts at On request and Quadratic at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Looker or Quadratic?
Quadratic has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Looker and Free for Quadratic.
Does Looker or Quadratic run on more platforms?
Looker runs on Web, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform). Quadratic runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
Can I use Quadratic for free?
Yes. Quadratic 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 Quadratic is typically brought in for.
What can Looker do that Quadratic cannot?
Looker covers LookML Data Modeling, Embedded Analytics, API Access, Version Control. Quadratic covers Multi-language cells, Infinite canvas, Direct database connections, AI agent in the sheet.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Quadratic: Do I need to know Python to use it?

No, formulas work on their own, but the reason to choose Quadratic over Google Sheets is the code cells, so a team with no Python will not get the value.

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
Quadratic: What happens when the AI credits run out?

Prompting stops until the next monthly reset or until you move up a plan; the spreadsheet itself keeps working normally.

Quadratic: Can it replace a BI tool?

Not for scheduled distribution or governed metrics. It is for exploratory work by one person or a small team, not for dashboards a hundred people read.

Quadratic: Is my database query sent to the vendor?

Connections run through the vendor service on all plans except Enterprise self-hosting, which is the option to take if that is unacceptable.

Share

Related pages

More on Looker

More on Quadratic

Keep looking

Other head to heads