Spreadsheet & Data · head to head
Redash vs Looker
Looker
Spreadsheet & Data
Modern business intelligence platform by Google
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Redash has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: 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; Looker requires annual commitment with no month-to-month billing option
- They diverge on capability: Redash covers SQL Query Editor, Looker covers LookML Data Modeling.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Redash and Looker actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Spreadsheet & Data).
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 Redash
- SQL Query Editor
- Multiple Data Sources
- Visualizations
- Dashboards
- Alerts
- Presto
- MongoDB
- Self-hosted support
Only in Looker
- LookML Data Modeling
- Embedded Analytics
- API Access
- Version Control
- Data Actions
- Snowflake
- Salesforce
- Mobile support
Both cover
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- BigQuery
- Redshift
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Redash
- Self-hosted SQL query editor and dashboarding over existing databasesnot Looker
- Sharing scheduled query results with a team without buying a BI licencenot Looker
Looker
- Business intelligence and interactive dashboards for data-driven decision makingnot Redash
- Embedded analytics for integrating BI capabilities into third-party applicationsnot Redash
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Redash
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full Features
- Self-hosted
- Community Support
- Cloud$49/month
- Managed Hosting
- Automatic Updates
- Support
Looker
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Looker review.
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Looker if
- You need lookml data modeling.
- You work on Web, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform).
- You also want embedded analytics.
Questions people ask
- Is Redash or Looker better?
- Neither clearly leads. Redash starts at Free and Looker at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Redash or Looker?
- Redash has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Redash and On request for Looker.
- Does Redash or Looker run on more platforms?
- Redash runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud. Looker runs on Web, Cloud (Google Cloud Platform).
- Can I use Redash for free?
- Yes. Redash has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Looker starts at On request.
- What is Redash best used for?
- Redash is most often used for self-hosted sql query editor and dashboarding over existing databases, sharing scheduled query results with a team without buying a bi licence. Of those, self-hosted sql query editor and dashboarding over existing databases and sharing scheduled query results with a team without buying a bi licence are not what Looker is typically brought in for.
- What can Redash do that Looker cannot?
- Redash covers SQL Query Editor, Multiple Data Sources, Visualizations, Dashboards. Looker covers LookML Data Modeling, Embedded Analytics, API Access, Version Control. Both handle PostgreSQL, MySQL, BigQuery, Redshift.