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Looker Studio pros and cons

Vendor: Google
3.8 out of 5

Pros & Cons summary

Buyer's Guide

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Looker Studio offers advanced integrated analysis and easy implementation, enhancing data exploration capabilities.
It provides seamless integration with a variety of data sources, including Excel and Google Sheets, which simplifies data access and visualization.
The tool's scheduling and refresh mechanisms, combined with its diverse chart options, enhance reporting efficiency.
The initial setup is simple, and Looker Studio being free makes it highly accessible for users.
It allows for easy sharing of information and dashboards online, backed by Google’s extensive documentation and community support.

CONS

It's not yet a replacement for a complete BI tool and lacks features like data modeling layer present in other products.
There are issues with integration, limits, and warnings with pivot table size and scalability improvements are needed.
Security challenges require improvements and the tool has room for improvement in professional calculations and customization options.
Performance needs enhancement, particularly in report loading time and live data integration for quicker reflections.
It did not fit scalability needs and improvements in data modeling features are necessary for analytics professionals.
 

Looker Studio Pros review quotes

OJ
Docente at U.E.N Aime Bonpland
Jul 6, 2018
Valuable features include advanced integrated analysis and easy implementation.
NP
Electronic Engineer at InvenSense
Jul 25, 2018
The ability to integrate with a great variety of data sources.
JP
Cloud Data Architect at Burwood Group
Aug 14, 2019
This has improved our organization by allowing people to see their data and develop visualizations themselves.
Learn what your peers think about Looker Studio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
FabianoMachado - PeerSpot reviewer
Financial Specialist at Grupo Boticário
May 31, 2022
Data Studio integrates seamlessly with other Google products, and we can use it with other APIs if we like.
SD
Cloud Architect at Techolution
Jun 12, 2023
I am impressed with the tool's scheduling mechanism, refresh mechanism, and different types of charts.
Thee Sritabtim - PeerSpot reviewer
CTO at a sports company with 11-50 employees
Aug 23, 2023
The solution is free so that is a good feature.
SM
IT Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Nov 10, 2023
I find it favorable regarding speed of development, ease of building, and flexibility.
reviewer2387007 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Analyltics Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Apr 4, 2024
The company dashboard is useful because we could share it via a link as a reminder for everyone to check it weekly. We observed the progress of our portfolio from last week to the current week, allowing us to compare revenues.
Srini-Dhanaraj - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder & CEO at imfine.club
May 28, 2024
The product's initial setup phase is very simple.
Dmitriy Yugin - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Data/Web Analyst at Raiffeisen Bank
Jul 8, 2024
The best thing about the tool is that it allows you to share information easily and dashboards with colleagues and teammates because it's all online. No matter where you are, as long as you have the Internet, you can connect and use these dashboards. Google made good documentation for this tool. There are many examples of how to use and create dashboards and videos on YouTube. So, I think it's easy to learn.
 

Looker Studio Cons review quotes

OJ
Docente at U.E.N Aime Bonpland
Jul 6, 2018
Panels are not as easy to use as other data extraction UIs.
NP
Electronic Engineer at InvenSense
Jul 25, 2018
Insisting on forums, blogs and community outreach in communications, and posting videos on an established calendar would be useful.
JP
Cloud Data Architect at Burwood Group
Aug 14, 2019
There is a significant degree of sophistication required to compete with Tableau or Cognos.
Learn what your peers think about Looker Studio. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
FabianoMachado - PeerSpot reviewer
Financial Specialist at Grupo Boticário
May 31, 2022
When you physically install a product on one machine instead of the cloud, you have a better visibility, best icon quality, etc.. It's more of an issue with how we are adapting to the transition. We are still in the early moments of using this tool, and we need to go deeper to discover some improvements.
SD
Cloud Architect at Techolution
Jun 12, 2023
The tool should come up with data modeling layer features that are present in other products like Power BI.
Thee Sritabtim - PeerSpot reviewer
CTO at a sports company with 11-50 employees
Aug 23, 2023
Stability and scalability an be improved for a full ten.
SM
IT Consultant at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Nov 10, 2023
There are issues with integration and I encountered limits and warnings, especially with my pivot table size.
reviewer2387007 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Analyltics Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Apr 4, 2024
Other tools might be worth considering if you need more advanced features or support for a larger user base.
Srini-Dhanaraj - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder & CEO at imfine.club
May 28, 2024
The challenges with Google Data Studio are associated with the security part, making it an area where improvements are required.
Dmitriy Yugin - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Data/Web Analyst at Raiffeisen Bank
Jul 8, 2024
The tool has a lot of room for improvement. It's not very professional and allows for only simple tasks like indicating KPIs or quick calculations. It lacks a good calculation-based language like Power BI's DAX, making it less suitable for professional use. Additionally, the variety of visualization tools is limited, and customization options are restricted.