Softwr

Business Intelligence · head to head

Periscope Data vs Sigma Computing

Periscope Data logo

Periscope Data

Business Intelligence

SQL and Python analytics platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sigma Computing logo

Sigma Computing

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet-style analytics that queries a cloud data warehouse directly with no extract layer

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Periscope Data the periscopedata.com domain now redirects to sisense.com, so Periscope Data is no longer sold as a standalone product; Sigma Computing every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
  • They diverge on capability: Periscope Data covers SQL Editor, Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Periscope Data and Sigma Computing actually diverge.

Attributes where Periscope Data and Sigma Computing differ
AttributePeriscope DataSigma Computing
Starting price$1000/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceSpreadsheets
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Periscope Data

  • SQL Editor
  • Python/R Integration
  • Version Control
  • Caching
  • Dashboards
  • Redshift
  • BigQuery
  • Snowflake

Only in Sigma Computing

  • Spreadsheet interface over SQL
  • No extract layer
  • Input tables and write-back
  • Workbooks
  • Embedded analytics
  • Version control and dbt awareness

What people use each for

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

Periscope Data

  • SQL-based analytics and dashboards over a data warehousenot Sigma Computing
  • Python and R analysis alongside SQL in one workflownot Sigma Computing
  • Shared dashboards for data teamsnot Sigma Computing

Sigma Computing

  • A finance or operations team that lives in spreadsheets and needs warehouse-scale data without exporting CSVsnot Periscope Data
  • An organisation that has consolidated on Snowflake or Databricks and wants one governed access layer rather than several desktop toolsnot Periscope Data
  • Planning and scenario work where users need to type assumptions back into governed tables rather than into a local filenot Periscope Data
  • Embedding customer-facing analytics into a product where each tenant must only see their own rowsnot Periscope Data

Where each one falls short

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

Periscope Data

  • The periscopedata.com domain now redirects to sisense.com, so Periscope Data is no longer sold as a standalone product
  • No Periscope Data pricing, plan or seat rate remains published at the original domain
  • Buyers must now purchase through Sisense, whose own pricing is not published as a rate card

Sigma Computing

  • Every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
  • It cannot work without a supported cloud data warehouse, so an organisation running analytics on an on-premises database or a plain application database has nothing to connect to.
  • Pricing is not published and seats are differentiated by capability, so budgeting requires a sales cycle and a headcount forecast before you can compare it with a tool you could simply buy.
  • Performance is only as good as the warehouse behind it, which means slow or badly modelled tables surface as a slow interface and the fix is a data engineering project, not a Sigma setting.
  • Statistical and scientific visualisation is limited compared with dedicated tools, so anything beyond standard business charting has to be done elsewhere and brought back in.

Pricing, plan by plan

Periscope Data

$1000/month
  • Team$1000/month
    • SQL Analytics
    • Python/R
    • Dashboards
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Advanced Features
    • Custom Integrations
    • Premium Support

Sigma Computing

On request
  • Sigma Computing$undefined/year
    • Quoted per organisation
    • Seat types are differentiated by whether a user views, explores or authors
    • Warehouse compute is billed separately by your cloud data warehouse vendor

Which should you pick?

Choose Periscope Data if

  • You need sql editor.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want python/r integration.
Periscope Data review

Choose Sigma Computing if

  • You need spreadsheet interface over sql.
  • You also want no extract layer.
Sigma Computing review

Questions people ask

Is Periscope Data or Sigma Computing better?
Neither clearly leads. Periscope Data starts at $1000/month and Sigma Computing at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Periscope Data or Sigma Computing?
Periscope Data starts at $1000/month and Sigma Computing at On request.
Does Periscope Data or Sigma Computing run on more platforms?
Periscope Data runs on Web, Cloud. Sigma Computing runs on Web.
What is Periscope Data best used for?
Periscope Data is most often used for sql-based analytics and dashboards over a data warehouse, python and r analysis alongside sql in one workflow, shared dashboards for data teams. Of those, sql-based analytics and dashboards over a data warehouse and python and r analysis alongside sql in one workflow are not what Sigma Computing is typically brought in for.
What can Periscope Data do that Sigma Computing cannot?
Periscope Data covers SQL Editor, Python/R Integration, Version Control, Caching. Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL, No extract layer, Input tables and write-back, Workbooks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Periscope Data: Does Sisense offer a free trial?

Yes. Sisense offers a free trial of their Self-Serve plan. You can try features like data warehouse connectivity, built-in AI for natural-language queries, auto-narratives, and customer assistant features.

Source
Sigma Computing: Does Sigma store a copy of my data?

No. Queries are executed on your warehouse and results are returned for display, which is why there is no extract refresh to manage.

Periscope Data: What is the difference between Sisense Self-Serve and Enterprise plans?

The Self-Serve plan is for startups and teams and includes basic connectivity and AI features with iframe embedding. The Enterprise plan is for regulated industries and includes multi-tenant architecture, HIPAA readiness, column-level security, single sign-on, on-premise deployment options, 99.99% SLA, and 30-day backups.

Source
Sigma Computing: What does it actually cost?

The vendor does not publish prices. Expect an annual contract priced by seat type, plus a warehouse compute increase you should model separately.

Periscope Data: How do I access the Sisense Enterprise plan?

The Enterprise plan requires contacting Sisense for a demo and custom quote. There is no self-service signup for this tier.

Source
Sigma Computing: Can business users break the warehouse?

They can run expensive queries. Warehouse sizing, query limits and materialised tables are the controls, and they need configuring before a wide rollout.

Sigma Computing: Is it a replacement for a modelling layer like dbt?

No. Sigma works best on top of modelled tables and is usually deployed alongside dbt rather than instead of it.

Share

Related pages

More on Periscope Data

More on Sigma Computing

Keep looking

Other head to heads