Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

IBM Cognos vs Zoho Analytics comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 1, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.2
Organizations benefit from IBM Cognos by saving costs, reducing delivery times, enhancing productivity, and improving data insights and decision-making.
Sentiment score
4.7
Zoho Analytics boosts decision-making, saves time, enhances sales, and offers great value with real-time data and positive feedback.
I have seen a return on investment, as I mentioned earlier about time saving and productivity gains, with a consistent governed data model that reduces the risk of errors.
Sr. Project Manager at GlaxoSmithKline
The integration with Zoho People is particularly important because I can access real-time data at any time, including what's happening in the last minute.
Associate Data Analyst at Monocept
After incorporating Zoho Analytics, now all our decisions come from its reviews.
Pricing Analyst at Transcend
Any time I've integrated customer data using Zoho, I've received great feedback and referrals, and Zoho has gotten me referrals and more customers.
Zoho Analyst BI Consultant at The Digital Monkeys
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.4
IBM Cognos support varies; online resources and knowledgeable staff assist, but complex issues lead to frustration with resolution times.
Sentiment score
5.4
Zoho Analytics offers generally effective customer service, though response times and solution completeness can vary based on user experiences.
Our systems team, operating on a lot of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and maintaining long-term relations with IBM, benefits from good support coverage.
EDW Manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
I rate technical support from IBM as eight out of ten, indicating a high quality of service.
head of commercial at Assimil8 Ltd.
I would love them to be proactive and responsive twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Sr. Project Manager at GlaxoSmithKline
The support team doesn't have full awareness of the system capabilities.
Senior people and systems analyst at B_labs & Mylo
Zoho support provides assistance through live chat to guide us.
Senior Zoho Developer at a cloud solution provider with self employed
If you need help with any issue you face, you can directly call them.
Senior Software Engineer at Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
IBM Cognos is praised for its scalability, though it requires correct hardware and configuration to optimize performance fully.
Sentiment score
6.3
Zoho Analytics is scalable, managing 1,000 to 2 million records, but needs improvements for better large-scale adaptability.
The scalability of IBM Cognos is very good, as it has continued growing with my organization's needs, allowing us to analyze and store a significant amount of data and handle our organization's growth efficiently.
Sr. Project Manager at GlaxoSmithKline
It can be scaled out to other teams, but requires building cubes and implementing policies.
head of commercial at Assimil8 Ltd.
Zoho Analytics can easily adapt to our needs when they grow, and you don't need much knowledge to adapt it; even basic Excel knowledge is sufficient.
Pricing Analyst at Transcend
You can utilize URL features to redirect users to their records in Zoho CRM or Zoho Desk with just a click.
Lead Software Engineer at Nexo Solutions Ltd
Zoho Analytics is scalable.
Data Analyst at Mobolution
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
IBM Cognos is reliable with correct setup, but complex tasks and high loads may cause occasional performance slowdowns.
Sentiment score
7.2
Zoho Analytics is stable and reliable, with minimal downtime, though some users report challenges with specific features.
I rate the stability of this solution as nine out of ten, indicating it is highly stable.
head of commercial at Assimil8 Ltd.
A major missing feature compared to Power BI is the ability to create multiple DAX measures or row-level context, which would be useful for showing custom profit and loss statements.
Data Analyst at Mobolution
The stability and reliability of Zoho Analytics have been good over time.
Lead Software Engineer at Nexo Solutions Ltd
The stability and reliability of the product is crucial for optimal performance.
Software Developer at Cloud Lion
 

Room For Improvement

IBM Cognos needs better data visualization, user interface, and integration improvements to compete effectively with Tableau and Power BI.
Zoho Analytics users seek enhanced visual tools, better support, improved AI, connectivity, and pricing, with faster sync times.
Integration with Azure login makes trouble.
Sr. Project Manager at GlaxoSmithKline
There is room for improvement in self-service analytics and predictiveness.
head of commercial at Assimil8 Ltd.
Since IBM Cognos is a futuristic platform with many robust features, it takes time to grasp all the features and how they work, so there is a learning curve.
Senior Data Engineer at LTI LATAM and Toubro Improtech
The collaborative features of Zoho Analytics have faced one issue: they have tried to reduce the sync time with most Zoho applications, but even with CRM, the sync still takes one hour.
Lead Software Engineer at Nexo Solutions Ltd
While Power BI uses Power Query, an intuitive and powerful tool that allows data manipulation in any way, Zoho Analytics has limitations.
Data Analyst at Mobolution
Having to pay for 25 users when only 11 are needed creates an issue with the pricing structure.
Senior Zoho Developer at a cloud solution provider with self employed
 

Setup Cost

IBM Cognos offers comprehensive features with competitive pricing, making it cost-effective for enterprises despite perceived high costs.
Zoho Analytics provides cost-effective pricing with flexible billing, competitive against Tableau and Power BI for budget-conscious enterprises.
I rate pricing as a four, meaning it is more expensive compared to other solutions.
head of commercial at Assimil8 Ltd.
The annual subscription cost of Zoho Analytics is equivalent to about half of the monthly cost of tools such as Tableau or Power BI.
Data Analyst at Mobolution
The pricing for Zoho Analytics is actually cheaper than the competitors for the kind of service they provide.
Senior Product Analyst at Bureau
 

Valuable Features

IBM Cognos excels in reporting, integration, security, and analytics, providing essential tools for data-driven enterprise decision-making.
Zoho Analytics enhances decision-making with customizable dashboards, AI-driven insights, seamless integration, and user-friendly reporting and visualization tools.
The AI features in IBM Cognos helped me gain deeper insights into our business processes, enabling me to make data-driven decisions easily and understand which points need our attention and which areas of our business are performing well.
Senior Data Engineer at LTI LATAM and Toubro Improtech
I love the seamless and efficient data integration capability of IBM Cognos Analytics, where it allows us easy merging of data from various sources such as customer feedback and sales figures.
Sr. Project Manager at GlaxoSmithKline
IBM Cognos is a robust governed platform with significant security features and provides excellent graphics and reporting.
head of commercial at Assimil8 Ltd.
The AI called Zia in Zoho Analytics is extremely useful. Whenever I build a chart or dashboard, I can generate a summary of insights using this AI tool, which is very convenient for both leadership and manager level teams to understand the data concepts.
Data Analyst at Mobolution
The best feature is that in the same tool, we can use SQL and business intelligence capabilities.
Associate Data Analyst at Monocept
Regarding integration capabilities, I have found Zoho Analytics' 100+ integrations very effective in consolidating data from various sources.
Business Analyst at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Cognos
Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
7th
Ranking in Reporting
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
137
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Zoho Analytics
Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
8th
Ranking in Reporting
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
Data Visualization (7th), Embedded BI (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Reporting category, the mindshare of IBM Cognos is 3.2%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zoho Analytics is 1.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Reporting Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM Cognos3.2%
Zoho Analytics1.7%
Other95.1%
Reporting
 

Featured Reviews

Christine Wanjiru - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Project Manager at GlaxoSmithKline
Reporting workflows have become faster and data-driven decisions are made confidently
The best features IBM Cognos offers include seamless data integration, AI-powered insights, and user-friendly dashboards that really make my job easier. The AI-powered insights help me automatically identify patterns and insights where they enhance analysis depth effortlessly, and this feature has been very instrumental in uncovering variable insights that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. When it comes to seamless data integration, I love the seamless and efficient data integration capability of IBM Cognos Analytics, where it allows us easy merging of data from various sources such as customer feedback and sales figures. The smooth integration process streamlines workflow efficiency and enhances overall data management practice. I also really love the user-friendly and intuitive dashboards where IBM Cognos Analytics enables quick creation of custom dashboards and an easy understanding of visual data presentation, allowing us to identify trends at a glance and enhance our analytical capabilities. IBM Cognos has positively impacted my organization since implementing this tool, as it has been very helpful with a particularly strong data analysis capability that helps us in business planning. Its strong data analysis capability helps us for business planning, and the great reporting capacity helps update all the leadership management about the business in one report. Auto-scheduling and report generation is a good feature that saves a significant amount of time. Specific outcomes that show how IBM Cognos has helped my organization include saving time, as we have been able to save forty to fifty percent of our time with its auto-scheduling and report generation functionality.
VR
Data Analyst at Mobolution
Has supported trend analysis and forecasting but needs major fixes in customization and reliability
There are some areas where Zoho Analytics needs improvement compared to Power BI. Uploading and interpreting data inside the interface needs enhancement. While Power BI uses Power Query, an intuitive and powerful tool that allows data manipulation in any way, Zoho Analytics has limitations. I usually prepare data in Excel before uploading it to Zoho Analytics. The charts in Zoho Analytics are not as customizable as in Power BI. While all chart types are available, they can only be modified at a basic level, not an advanced level. Though trend analysis features are provided, creating anything out of the box is challenging.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Reporting solutions are best for your needs.
881,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user79932 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager - BI Head with 5,001-10,000 employees
Feb 4, 2015
Comparison of SAP BO, Tableau, QlikView, Cognos, Microsoft, OBIEE and Pentaho
1. SAP BO/BI Enterprise scalability Security Ease of use Semantic layer 2. Tableau Visualization Data discovery Turnaround time 3. IBM Cognos Enterprise scalability Security In-memory feature 4. MS BI - Flexibility 5. Pentaho - Open source but still enterprise grade 6. QlikView Data…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Insurance Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
11%
Marketing Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business34
Midsize Enterprise23
Large Enterprise88
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

Seeking lightweight open source BI software
It depends on the Data architecture and the complexity of your requirement. Some great tools in the market are Qlik Sense, Power BI, OBIEE, Tableau, etc. I have recently started using Cognos Enter...
What do you like most about IBM Cognos?
The solution's most valuable feature is its ease of use, which makes it easily compatible with other tools.
What needs improvement with IBM Cognos?
Since IBM Cognos is a futuristic platform with many robust features, it takes time to grasp all the features and how they work, so there is a learning curve. The more I use this platform, the more ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoho Analytics?
Compared to other analytic tools, Zoho Analytics is cost-effective. The annual subscription cost of Zoho Analytics is equivalent to about half of the monthly cost of tools such as Tableau or Power ...
What needs improvement with Zoho Analytics?
For our strategic initiatives, the AI functionality is not useful because it cannot provide requirement-specific insights. It only gives an overview of the report. One major issue I face in Zoho An...
What is your primary use case for Zoho Analytics?
We are using an HRMS tool, Zoho People. We use automations for our people's convenience. We use automations in Zoho People. For insights regarding Zoho People data, we use Zoho Analytics. In the HR...
 

Also Known As

Cognos, Cognos Analytics, IBM Cognos Analytics
Zoho Reports
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

More than 23,000 leading organizations across multiple industries use Cognos. Some examples of Cognos customers include BMW Financial Services, Quinte Health Care, Troy Corporation, Michigan State University, and GKN Land System.
Suzuki, American Pacific Mortgage, KPMG, Air Canada, University of Michigan, BricozOr, WorldWide Express, The University of Melbourne, Novartis, SAIC
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cognos vs. Zoho Analytics and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.
881,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.