Looker Vs Looker Studio
Following their acquisition of Looker. In the winter of 2022, Google announced the rebranding of Data Studio to Looker Studio.
And with it, has come a lot of questions from users of both platforms and people considering them for their data visualization needs.
In this article, we’ll aim to put an end to the noise of Looker vs Looker Studio debate and outline the differences between the two once and for all.
What Is Looker?
Looker is a cutting-edge BI tool that enables businesses to define, access, and explore their data in a meaningful way. It’s flexible, powerful, and integrates seamlessly with SQL-based databases.
Notably, it features a robust data modeling layer, LookML, that enables users to define business metrics and facilitate data exploration via an intuitive user interface.
What Is Looker Studio?
Looker Studio, on the other hand, is a free, easy-to-use data visualization tool, well known by marketers for its drag-and-drop functionality and seamless integration with marketing data sources such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Hubspot and more.
Features
Data Integration
Data Integration In Looker
Looker integrates directly with your SQL database making it ideal for teams that already have a data warehouse set-up or have the resources to build and sustain one.
Data Integration In Looker Studio
Looker Studio’s excels at integrating with marketing data sources.
It comes with free, built-in connectors to Google products such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Sheets, etc., and offers an extensive range of third-party connectors allowing users to instantaneously connect to platforms like CRMs, non-Google ad platforms, and more with very minimal user-friendly set up.
Eliminating the need for data warehouses and complex data pipelines alike.
If there isn’t a third-party community connector for your data source and you’re familiar with Apps Script, Looker Studio offers you the option of creating your own community connector.
Granting you full control over how your data extracts, transforms, and loads into Looker Studio.
Data Modelling
Data Modelling In Looker
Looker is the clear stand out in this category, with its strong data modeling layer LookML (Looker Modeling Language).
LookML allows users to create a semantic model of their data.
A semantic model is essentially a map of an organization’s data that enables businesses to define metrics uniformly across their organization.
It provides a view of data that can be easily understood in business terms rather than technical. Ensuring that business metrics are consistently derived and interpreted across different teams within an organization.
Data is defined and organized based on its meaning or context, rather than it’s raw format or connections within it’s database.
In the context of LookML, the semantic model transforms complex database schemas into a business-friendly virtual data model.
Thus, allowing users like data analysts, business intelligence analysts, or even non-technical users to gain insights from data in a consistent manner. With the aim of translating this to better decision making across their organization.
Alleviating common data discrepancies and misinterpretations, offering the highly sought-after ‘single source of truth’.
Data Modelling In Looker Studio
Whilst not as comprehensive as LookML, Looker Studio allows you to create simple calculations via calculated fields to transform your data using SQL functions and/or operators.
For example, if you wanted to calculate the average spend per customer. You’d use the AVG function with the parameters as the total spend field and the count of customers.
Looker Studio also allows you to blend data from up to 5 different data sources into a single chart using a common field, such as campaign name or date.
If you’re interested in learning more about data blending in Looker Studio, take a look at our comprehensive guide with diagrams.
Data Visualization
Data Visualization In Looker
Whilst Looker offers more in terms of customization, it also requires users to overcome a much steeper learning curve.
Looker provides a wider variety of chart types but also enabling users to create custom visualizations via Looker’s SDK (software development kit).
For example, users can employ JavaScript libraries like D3 to craft bespoke visualizations without the confines of pre-defined charts and graphs like in Looker Studio.
Additionally, Looker grants users the power to perform detailed analysis through deep drill-downs. Allowing you to interact with your raw data on a micro-scale.
Moreover, Looker distinguishes itself with its real-time data visualization capabilities.
By integrating it with a SQL database, you can get real-time insights. In contrast, Looker Studio visualizations can only update every 15 minutes at most.
A noteworthy feature of Looker that Looker Studio also shares is its an extensive public library of third-party custom visualizations to choose from.
Data Visualisation In Looker Studio
Looker Studio shines in its simplicity. Users with non-technical backgrounds can quickly pick up the tool and create reports in no time, especially whilst utilizing a Looker Studio Template.
A unique feature of Looker Studio is the ability to create and manage reports collaboratively. Users can set permissions and share a link easily and collaborate with others seamlessly, much like in Google Docs or Google Sheets.
Looker Studio’s robust filtering options stand out too. Users can filter data by dimensions, metrics, or even custom parameters. Allowing viewers to interact dynamically with dashboards at multiple levels.
Finally, similar to Looker, Looker Studio visualizations can be shared externally, but with an added advantage – visualizations can be scheduled to be emailed at regular intervals as PDFs, keeping stakeholders updated without requiring direct access to the platform.
And with Looker Studio Pro, users can now share their reports via Google Chat too. Users can add up to 20 schedules per report, select up to 50 recipients for Gmail delivery and a maximum of 10 for Google Chat. You’re also able to append a custom subject and message too, for added context, analysis, or commentary.
Scalability
Looker Scalability
Looker performs well in the arena of scalability. It is designed to handle large data loads, aligning well with the needs of larger organizations with heavier datasets. However, it takes a lot longer to set up.
Looker Studio Scalability
Whilst Looker Studio’s free version has its limitations in this department, Looker Studio Pro’s enterprise-level features like advanced delivery schedules and asset management via team workspaces give it a horse in this race. But in terms of ‘big data’, Looker certainly has it beat.
Customer Support
Looker Customer Support
Looker provides comprehensive customer support, with resources including webinars, forums, live chat, email, and extensive documentation.
Looker Studio Customer Support
Looker Studio’s (free version) customer support understandably does not not match up to Looker’s. Though it offers support via guides, documentation, etc. it lacks robust, direct customer support like Looker.
That was until, Looker Studio Pro, users can now get access to that very same level of support Looker boasts via Google Cloud for a fraction of the cost.
Looker Studio also has a larger community too, there’s more forums, posts and articles covering common issues, how to’s and more.
Pricing
Looker Pricing
Looker’s pricing starts at a whopping $60,000 annually (approximately €55,000, £50,000), which breaks down to about $5,000 (€4600, £4166) per month.
Additional costs include $30 for those viewing dashboards, $60 for those designing dashboards, and $120 for developers (LookML access).
Notably, there have been reports suggesting that it may be possible to secure a discount via negotiation with a Looker sales representative. However, this isn’t guaranteed and is just speculation.
Looker Studio Pricing
Looker Studio on the other hand has a free version with all the essential features making it far more accessible for businesses without large budgets and individuals alike.
Its premium subscription, Looker Studio Pro costing just $9 (approximately €8 or £7) per user, per month, offers users the ability to scale their environments with enterprise-level features.
Pros & Cons
Pros & Cons Of Looker
Pros:
• Advanced data modeling with LookML
• Seamless integration with SQL-based databases
• Robust API for custom applications
Cons:
• Steeper learning curve, especially for LookML
• Expensive
Pros & Cons Of Looker Studio
Pros:
- Ease of use, even for non-technical users
- Free or $9 per user for Looker Studio Pro
- Integrates seamlessly with Google products (free) and other marketing data sources (paid)
Cons:
- Limited data modeling capability
- Unable to customize data visualizations to the same level as Looker
- Inability to handle very large datasets
Conclusion
In summary, both tools cater to different use cases and needs.
Looker is perfect for large organizations with financial muscle that have the resources to create complex data structures and visualizations.
Looker Studio on the other hand is a great choice for just about everybody else.
It’s free, easy to use, seamlessly integrates with the Google eco-system and has a wide array of pre-built community connectors.
Both are brilliant tools, so your choice should depend on which best fits your goals.