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You’re not alone. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>I scoured Reddit threads and community forums and one thing is clear – everyone’s frustrated with Looker Studio's slow load times, broken charts, and dashboards that freeze at the worst possible time. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>But we’re here to help. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In this article, you’ll find 6 different reasons why your Looker Studio dashboard might be slow and how to fix each issue. \u003C/p>","\u003Ch2>Why is Looker Studio slow? \u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Looker Studio is slow because of these key reasons:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>You have large datasets.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You’re using live connections to bring Google data into Looker Studio.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You’re using finicky third-party connectors to bring non-Google data into Looker Studio.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You’re then manipulating the data like creating data blends and calculated fields inside of Looker Studio.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You have too many components or pages in a report.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>It's not you, it's Looker Studio's system issues.\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>These issues aren’t standalone either – usually two or more are happening at the same time. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In the next sections, we’ll go through each reason why Looker studio loading slow and recommended fixes for each. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Reason 1: You’re working with large and complex datasets.\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Looker Studio has a 6-minute limit on handling queries, and large data requests can cause your report to load slowly or time out. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In fact, Tanja Keglić, Performance Marketing Manager at Achtzehn Grad agency, \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/case-studies/achtzehn-grad\">ran into this exact issue\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Before she became a Whatagraph customer, she was using Looker Studio to create reports for a large automotive client with multiple data sources and platforms, which made Looker Studio very slow. She shared:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"2\"]\u003Cbr>We wanted to see our data quickly, but Looker Studio took so long to load. \u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This made it difficult to optimize campaigns, answer ad-hoc client questions, and work at the pace her team needed.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>✅ How to fix this: Reconfigure your data setup\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Keeping your data tight and focused is key to speed up Looker Studio. You can do so in four ways: \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Shorten date ranges: \u003C/strong>Only show recent data unless you \u003Ci>really\u003C/i> need long-term views.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Filter out unneeded rows:\u003C/strong> Don’t pull in every campaign or ad set, just the top performers or key segments.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Remove unused fields:\u003C/strong> Only include the dimensions and metrics you actually use in your visuals.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Adjust the data freshness rate: \u003C/strong>Each type of data source in Looker Studio has its own default data freshness threshold, but you can adjust this to be less frequent – e.g. daily refresh instead of hourly. This means you won’t get up-to-date data all the time, but your reports would load faster.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Alternatively, you can switch to a much faster and stable platform like \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/\">Whatagraph\u003C/a> which can handle 10 sources and 100 widgets without slowing down, and has an uptime of 99.95%. This means it can handle large datasets and system-wide outages are very, \u003Ci>very\u003C/i> rare. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>When Tanja switched to Whatagraph, she appreciated how fast the platform was. She said:  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"1\"]\u003Cbr>Whatagraph is very, very quick when loading the data. Even when I change a source in the report, it’s super quick and I barely ever have to wait.\u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Plus, you won’t have to trade-off your data freshness. Whatagraph offers a consistent 30-min refresh rate across all your sources, blends, and platforms.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Reason 2: You’re using live connections.\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Live data is great, until it starts dragging your dashboard down.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>By default, Looker Studio connects live to your data source. This means every time a user loads or filters the report, Looker fetches fresh data directly from the platform: Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, Google Ads, e.t.c. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>If your dashboard has multiple data sources (and most do), that’s several real-time queries firing at once.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>The issue worsens when those data sources are external or under load. Public cloud APIs, custom connectors, or self-hosted databases (like Redshift or PostgreSQL) can add extra network latency, timeout errors, or fail to respond altogether.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And when your dashboard depends on live data, any hiccup on the source side breaks the whole experience.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>✅ How to fix this: Use extracted or cached data\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Instead of live data, use a snapshot of your data - also known as extracted data source. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can do this through Looker Studio’s “Extract Data” connector. Instead of querying live data every time someone opens the report, Looker pulls from a preloaded subset of your data. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What it does:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Lets you choose specific fields, filters, and date ranges to limit the amount of data loaded\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Works with any data source\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Allows you to apply your own aggregations (e.g., Sum, Average) for more flexible analysis\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How to do it:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Go to Looker Studio → \u003Ci>Create\u003C/i> → \u003Ci>Data Source\u003C/i> → Select Extract Data.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Pick your existing data source.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Choose only the metrics and dimensions you need.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>(Optional) Add filters or apply a date range to limit the data further.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>(Optional) Turn on Auto update and set a refresh schedule.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Click Save and Extract—then connect this source to your report.\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Keep in mind:\u003C/strong> Extracts have a 100 MB limit, and the data is static unless you enable auto-refresh.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For more information, you can check out \u003Ca href=\"https://cloud.google.com/looker/docs/studio/extract-data-for-faster-performance#:~:text=On%20the%20Looker%20Studio%20home,targets%2C%20or%20by%20clicking%20Add.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google’s documentation\u003C/a>.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This approach is ideal when you don’t need real-time data but want a dashboard that loads fast. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>The other option is to pull your data into Google Sheets or Google BigQuery first, and then connect Looker to that source. It’s more reliable and way faster. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>But then this also means the process would still be quite manual, you’d still be lost in different spreadsheets and tools, and there’s a lot of room for human error in your data. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Reason 3: You’re manipulating data inside of Looker Studio. \u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Looker Studio was built for data visualization, not data transformation. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>When you manipulate your data, like creating custom dimensions, calculated fields, complex filters, or do data blending inside Looker, it slows down the platform. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This is because every time you open a dashboard or change a filter, Looker has to:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Pull raw data from each data source\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Apply your calculations and transformations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Then render the visual\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>That’s a lot of processing happening in-browser, especially if you have large datasets. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Also, these transformations are not \u003Cstrong>not reusable\u003C/strong> across dashboards, which means you'll need to recreate logic every time, increasing maintenance overhead and report load time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In fact, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/analyticsnerd/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Himanshu Sharma\u003C/a>, Founder at OptimizeSmart, GA4 and GTM agency says:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"3\"]\u003Cbr>Looker Studio is not meant for data manipulation. It is neither a spreadsheet nor a data warehouse. When you manipulate data in Looker Studio, it slows down your report.\u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/analyticsnerd_99-of-looker-studio-users-make-these-activity-7333451901188890626-G4UL?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAB_2pacB6ApCphtgRXXVvJfGAji3nZdMx8g\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>✅ How to fix this: Manipulate your data in Google Sheets, BigQuery, or Whatagraph\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>The better alternative is to\u003Cstrong> \u003C/strong>clean and prepare your data \u003Ci>before\u003C/i> it hits Looker Studio.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can do so in two key ways: \u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Google Sheets\u003C/strong> works well for small to medium datasets. You can structure your tables, apply formulas, and only pass in what you actually need.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>BigQuery\u003C/strong> is a better option for large datasets. You can pre-aggregate data with SQL, and if you enable BI Engine, it can return query results almost instantly.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Whatagraph\u003C/strong> works for all kinds of datasets. You can connect all the data you need using our native, plug-and-go connectors and transform it any way you want through no-code flows. Then, pick metrics and dimensions, preview your data table, and \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/data-transfer/looker-studio\">start an automated transfer to Looker Studio\u003C/a>. \u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>Or, you can just use Whatagraph for the entire data flow from connection → transformation → visualization.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>While Looker Studio is limited to 5 data sources per blend, with Whatagraph, you can create blends from unlimited sources.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And you won’t need to tinker with spreadsheets or BigQuery to manipulate your data – you can simply set everything up in no-code workflows.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For instance, say you want to see the total ad spend across three paid-per-click (PPC) channels – Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads. You can simply create what we call a “Source Group” in literal seconds like so:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png\" alt=\"Source Groups on Whatagraph - Channel selection interface with social media, PPC, SEO, and analytics sources.\">Then, you can select the report types, sources, and currencies you want to see your data in, and save this as a template you can re-use the next time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In your report, you can then add a widget, choose this Source Group, and visualize any metrics you want from these three channels combined. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png\" alt=\"Total Ad Spend - Dashboard widget showing ad spend of €17,462.37 from Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn ads.\">See that \u003Ci>“Apply quick changes here…”\u003C/i> box? \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can ask AI to edit that widget for you however you want. For example, say you want to change the metric to “Impressions” instead of “Spend” . You don’t need to do it manually – you can just ask AI and it’ll be done in seconds. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Reason 4: You have too many components or pages in your reports.\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Every visual element on your Looker Studio dashboard, scorecards, charts, tables, filters, sends its own query to the data source. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>That means if you’ve got 15 charts, 3 filters, and a date selector, Looker is sending 20+ queries all at once. Multiply that by live data connections and large datasets, and your dashboard slows down significantly. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Even if your data sources are small, the sheer volume of visual components can overwhelm the platform, especially when users scroll or interact with filters.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Another thing is, if you have over 20 pages in one Looker Studio report, it’ll take a long time for you to export them. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In fact, a Looker Studio user in \u003Ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleDataStudio/comments/1fkkk34/looker_studio_being_incredibly_slow/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this Reddit thread\u003C/a> says “the heavier your report is, the nastier they would be.” \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png\" alt=\"\">\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>✅ How to fix this: Use fewer components and split reports into pages\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>This might seem obvious but the solution is to use fewer charts and components on each page.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here are three ways you can do so:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Combine metrics:\u003C/strong> Instead of having different scorecards, use one table to show your metrics together (e.g. clicks, impressions, CTR). For instance, MeasureSchool combined 3 scorecards into one table with 3 metrics and it reduced API calls by 66% and noticeably sped up performance.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Avoid duplicate charts:\u003C/strong> If two charts show similar data, use filters instead of creating both.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Split your dashboard into pages:\u003C/strong> Don’t put everything on one screen. Break it up into tabs so it loads faster.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch2>Reason 5: You’re using third-party data connectors.\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>If you’re using third-party data connectors like Supermetrics or \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/funnel-io\">Funnel.io\u003C/a> to pull in data from non-Google platforms, they’re going to slow down your reports.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Each third-party connector adds an extra step between Looker and your data. So instead of one system talking directly to another, it’s:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Source platform → Third-party connector → BigQuery or spreadsheets→ Looker Studio\u003C/p>\u003Cp>That means:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>More API calls\u003C/li>\u003Cli>More chances for delays or errors\u003C/li>\u003Cli>And a lot more waiting when loading your report\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>For instance, Tanja, Performance Marketing Manager at Achtzehn Grad, was using \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/supermetrics\">Supermetrics\u003C/a> to pull non-Google data into Looker Studio. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/supermetrics-connectors\">Supermetrics connectors\u003C/a> frequently broke, sources failed to load properly, and she had to either waste time fixing them herself or contacting Support for help. She said: \u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"2\"]\u003Cbr>It’s such a pain to reconnect a lot of sources and accounts, and it takes so much time, which you don’t have when you want a quick report.\u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>✅ How to fix this: Use an all-in-one marketing intelligence platform\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>The best solution is to upgrade to an all-in-one marketing intelligence platform that allows you to connect to BOTH Google and non-Google platforms natively.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>That's exactly what Whatagraph is. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>We’ve got 55+ \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/integrations\">native integrations\u003C/a> to popular and niche marketing platforms, including Meta, LinkedIn, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Amazon Ads, and more. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>That means no more unstable middlemen, broken third party connectors, or having to google “Why is Google data studio slow?”. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png\" alt=\"Whatagraph Integrations - A grid of logos for SEO and analytics tools.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Whatagraph’s integrations are also fully-managed, which means our Product engineers regularly maintain them so you don’t have to. And if there are bugs, they can resolve them quickly without having a third-party company involved.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This is what Tanja, Performance Marketing Manager at Achtzehn Grad loves about us. She said:   \u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"1\"]\u003Cbr>We don’t have any connection issues on Whatagraph at all. We just connected the platforms once, and that was it.\u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And once your data is in Whatagraph, you can do everything else in there:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Transform your data without touching a spreadsheet or BigQuery\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Create data blends from unlimited sources (Looker Studio is limited to 5)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Build internal dashboards and client-facing reports\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Automate reports to go out to specific people at specific days and times\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Get AI to write out performance summaries in each report, and use the chatbot to extract insights from your campaigns\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>Soon, you won’t even need to build your own reports. With AI, you’ll be able to:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Build reports from a prompt\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Edit widgets and troubleshoot issues\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Apply custom themes from images or prompts (e.g. “make the report look like a Batman movie)\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png\" alt=\"Whatagraph vs Looker Studio - The old way to connect data to Whatagraph.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>But apart from Whatagraph, some other options for all-in-one marketing reporting platforms include: \u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/agencyanalytics\">\u003Cstrong>AgencyAnalytics\u003C/strong>\u003C/a>\u003Cstrong> \u003C/strong>- Best for SEO and content marketing agencies\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/dashthis\">\u003Cstrong>DashThis\u003C/strong>\u003C/a> - Best for freelancers and small businesses \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/geckoboard\">\u003Cstrong>Geckoboard\u003C/strong>\u003C/a> - Best for small to medium e-commerce businesses\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Ch2>Reason 6: You're facing platform-wide performance issues.\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Most of the time, it’s not you. It’s Looker Studio itself. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you scroll through \u003Ca href=\"https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/forums/searchpage/tab/message?advanced=false&allow_punctuation=false&filter=location&location=category:looker&q=looker%20studio%20slow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Looker Studio community forum\u003C/a>, you’ll see loads of users complaining about platform-wide slowdowns, timeouts, or system errors, especially at the start of the month or following product updates.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For example, this is what one user posted in the forum: \u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png\" alt=\"Here's my attempt at generating alt text for the image:\n\nLooker Studio Slow In Loading - A screenshot of a community forum post.\">\u003C/figure>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Looker-Studio/Looker-Studio-slow-in-loading-sometimes-can-t-show-charts/m-p/828833\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And even if you voice out your issue in the community forum, there's no guarantee that a Looker Studio representative would see it, or even then you’d still be left to fix it yourself. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You could log and track issues in this \u003Ca href=\"https://issuetracker.google.com/savedsearches/5492224?p=1&q=componentid:196095%20status:(open%20%7C%20new%20%7C%20assigned%20%7C%20accepted)%20votecount%3E0&s=vote_count:desc&pli=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Issue Tracker\u003C/a>, but even then, it can take weeks or months to get your issues fixed (and there's no guarantee that they will be fixed). \u003C/p>\u003Cp>With all these issues combined, it’s not a surprise that many are looking for \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/google-data-studio-alternatives\">Looker Studio alternatives\u003C/a> that are faster and more reliable, like this user: \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png\" alt=\"Looker Studio - Forum post about Looker Studio's reliability with user profile and reply options.\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Looker-Studio/Why-has-Looker-Studio-become-so-unreliable/m-p/857654\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>If that's what you're looking for, there's no better choice than Whatagraph. Here's why. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>The Easiest Fix: Use Whatagraph for Faster, Smoother Marketing Intelligence \u003C/h2>\u003Cp>We built Whatagraph to solve the exact problems Looker Studio users face, without the hacks, workarounds, or trade-offs. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Unlike Looker Studio, Whatagraph is \u003Cstrong>all-in-one, fast, and stable\u003C/strong>. You can: \u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Connect to 55+ marketing platforms through native, plug-and-go connectors\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Transform and clean your data without spreadsheets or BigQuery\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Create unlimited data blends, metrics, and dimensions – then reuse them everywhere\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Build stunning, accurate, and stable reports and dashboards \u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Automate reports to go out at specific dates and times \u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Ask AI to write out performance summaries or extract insights from your marketing data\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Set up goals and automatic alerts through email, Slack, or on the dashboard\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Plus, you'll get access to \u003Cstrong>your very own Customer Success Manager\u003C/strong> and 18/5 \u003Cstrong>live chat support\u003C/strong> that replies within 1 minute and resolves most issues within 4 hours. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>And marketers who switched to us from Looker Studio are loving it. Here’s what Kim Strickland, Digital Marketing Specialist at Peak Seven agency said in \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/case-studies/peak-seven\">this case study\u003C/a>:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"3\"]\u003Cbr>With Looker Studio, everything was muddled, but Whatagraph has opened up transparency and communication. It allowed us to see clearly how our campaigns are performing and took us to the next level with our clients and team. \u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>We hope this guide was helpful in making your Looker Studio report load faster.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>But if you’ve had enough of Looker Studio and want some peace of mind, don't hesitate to \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/book-a-call\">reach out to our team\u003C/a>. \u003C/p>","2023-06-07T14:56:29.893Z","2025-06-24T04:06:37.129Z","2023-06-07T18:17:31.405Z","2025-06-16",{"id":424,"name":425,"alternativeText":426,"caption":31,"width":427,"height":428,"formats":429,"hash":437,"ext":292,"mime":293,"size":438,"url":439,"previewUrl":31,"provider":296,"provider_metadata":31,"createdAt":440,"updatedAt":441},14941,"Why is Looker Studio slow and how to make it faster.png","Why Is Looker Studio Slow - Dashboard with graphs displaying web analytics data.",3199,1800,{"thumbnail":430},{"ext":292,"url":431,"hash":432,"mime":293,"name":433,"path":31,"size":434,"width":435,"height":436},"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/thumbnail_Why_is_Looker_Studio_slow_and_how_to_make_it_faster_1a8a501299.png","thumbnail_Why_is_Looker_Studio_slow_and_how_to_make_it_faster_1a8a501299","thumbnail_Why is Looker Studio slow and how to make it faster.png",25.33,245,138,"Why_is_Looker_Studio_slow_and_how_to_make_it_faster_1a8a501299",1099.07,"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Why_is_Looker_Studio_slow_and_how_to_make_it_faster_1a8a501299.png","2025-06-16T11:44:03.825Z","2025-06-16T11:44:10.246Z",{"id":319,"title":443,"slug":444,"subheading":445,"createdAt":446,"updatedAt":447,"publishedAt":448},"Marketing analytics & reporting","marketing-analytics-and-reporting","A neverending collection of marketing tips & tricks","2023-05-16T15:41:47.823Z","2025-06-04T14:37:57.786Z","2023-05-18T13:29:41.243Z",[450,455],{"id":62,"tagName":451,"slug":452,"createdAt":453,"updatedAt":454},"Looker Studio","looker-studio","2024-08-29T07:40:11.680Z","2025-06-27T12:13:17.690Z",{"id":101,"tagName":456,"slug":457,"createdAt":458,"updatedAt":458},"Marketing reporting","marketing-reporting","2024-09-02T08:06:24.659Z",{"id":460,"name":461,"about":462,"email":463,"createdAt":464,"updatedAt":465,"publishedAt":466,"slug":467,"linkedin_url":468,"avatar":469},134,"Yamon","Yamon is a Senior Content Marketing Manager at Whatagraph. \n\nPreviously a Head of Content at a marketing agency, she has led content programs for 5+ B2B SaaS companies in the span of three years. \n\nWith an eye for detail and a knack for always considering context, audience, and business goals to guide the narrative, she's on a mission to create genuinely helpful content for marketers. \n\nWhen she’s not working, she’s hiking, meditating, or practicing yoga.","yamon@whatagraph.com","2024-10-04T13:36:17.539Z","2024-10-14T07:16:18.850Z","2024-10-04T13:43:50.159Z","yamon","https://www.linkedin.com/in/yamon-y-57371212b/",{"id":470,"name":471,"alternativeText":31,"caption":31,"width":472,"height":473,"formats":474,"hash":484,"ext":476,"mime":479,"size":485,"url":486,"previewUrl":31,"provider":296,"provider_metadata":31,"createdAt":487,"updatedAt":487},13120,"Professional Headshot_Yamon.jpg",1358,1527,{"thumbnail":475},{"ext":476,"url":477,"hash":478,"mime":479,"name":480,"path":31,"size":481,"width":482,"height":483},".jpg","https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/thumbnail_Professional_Headshot_Yamon_f62a036135.jpg","thumbnail_Professional_Headshot_Yamon_f62a036135","image/jpeg","thumbnail_Professional Headshot_Yamon.jpg",7.84,139,156,"Professional_Headshot_Yamon_f62a036135",563.48,"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Professional_Headshot_Yamon_f62a036135.jpg","2024-10-14T07:15:02.160Z",{"id":489,"metaTitle":415,"metaDescription":490,"addNoIndex":31,"canonicalURL":31,"metaImage":491},1696,"Get concise answers to your question: \"Why is Looker Studio slow?\" and find 6 ways to make Looker Studio faster. ",{"id":424,"name":425,"alternativeText":426,"caption":31,"width":427,"height":428,"formats":492,"hash":437,"ext":292,"mime":293,"size":438,"url":439,"previewUrl":31,"provider":296,"provider_metadata":31,"createdAt":440,"updatedAt":441},{"thumbnail":493},{"ext":292,"url":431,"hash":432,"mime":293,"name":433,"path":31,"size":434,"width":435,"height":436},{"id":495,"description":496,"items":497},378,"Have more questions about Looker Studio? We answered them here.",[498,502,506,510,514],{"id":499,"question":500,"answer":501},1492,"Why is Looker Studio so slow?","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">Here are the key reasons for slow Looker Studio performance:\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">1. You're working with large amounts of data, which can hit Looker Studio’s 6-minute query limit.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">2. You're using live data connections for every chart, with no cache to speed things up.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">3. Your reports include too many charts, scorecards, filters, or date comparisons—each one sends its own request.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">4. You're doing data processing and transformations (like calculated fields or data blending) inside Looker instead of upstream.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">5. You're using third-party connectors (like Supermetrics), which add delays or break entirely.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">6. You're running complex functions that Looker has to calculate in-browser every time the report loads.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>",{"id":503,"question":504,"answer":505},1493,"How to make Looker Studio faster?","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">Here are the key solutions to improve Looker Studio performance:\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">1. Use the Extract Data connector to create a cached snapshot of your data.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">2. Keep pages lean: group metrics in one chart, split long reports across tabs, and avoid unnecessary widgets.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">3. Move heavy data processing to Google Sheets or BigQuery before it hits Looker Studio.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">4. Avoid using too many functions, filters, and blended data inside reports.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">5. Cut down on external or unstable third-party connectors whenever possible.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">6. Limit how much formatting you apply to each chart, it adds rendering time\u003C/span>\u003C/p>",{"id":507,"question":508,"answer":509},1494,"What are the limitations of Looker Studio?","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">Looker Studio is a great free tool, but it has a few notable constraints:\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">- No support for complex data processing or custom logic across dashboards.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">- You can only add 5 data sources per data blend.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">- Calculated fields and blended data aren’t reusable and slow things down.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">- Reports rely heavily on live queries, which means slow loading and risk of timeouts.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">- Permissions and sharing settings can get messy, especially across teams or clients.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">- Limited formatting options and control over layout responsiveness.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">- Relies on external connectors, many of which require separate subscriptions and can break without warning.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>",{"id":511,"question":512,"answer":513},1495,"What is the Extract Data connector?","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">The Extract Data connector allows you to pull a static snapshot of your dataset into Looker Studio, drastically improving report speed by reducing live API calls. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">You can apply filters, date ranges, and aggregation during extraction, making it easier to explore your data without overloading the platform. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">According to Google Cloud documentation, this connector is ideal for performance optimization and reducing slow performance caused by large or complex live data queries.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>",{"id":515,"question":516,"answer":517},1496,"What is the Microsoft equivalent of Looker Studio?","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">The Microsoft counterpart to Looker Studio is Power BI. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">Both tools are used for business intelligence and reporting, but Power BI tends to offer more advanced data processing capabilities and tighter integration with Microsoft services. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">Power BI also includes built-in options for cache management, better formatting tools, and granular permissions, making it a strong alternative for agencies looking to scale or manage large amounts of data efficiently.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>","\u003Ch2 id=\"why-is-looker-studio-slow-\">Why is Looker Studio slow? \u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Looker Studio is slow because of these key reasons:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>You have large datasets.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You’re using live connections to bring Google data into Looker Studio.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You’re using finicky third-party connectors to bring non-Google data into Looker Studio.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You’re then manipulating the data like creating data blends and calculated fields inside of Looker Studio.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You have too many components or pages in a report.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>It's not you, it's Looker Studio's system issues.\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>These issues aren’t standalone either – usually two or more are happening at the same time. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In the next sections, we’ll go through each reason why Looker studio loading slow and recommended fixes for each. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2 id=\"reason-1-youre-working-with-large-and-complex-datasets\">Reason 1: You’re working with large and complex datasets.\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Looker Studio has a 6-minute limit on handling queries, and large data requests can cause your report to load slowly or time out. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In fact, Tanja Keglić, Performance Marketing Manager at Achtzehn Grad agency, \u003Ca href=\"/case-studies/achtzehn-grad\">ran into this exact issue\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Before she became a Whatagraph customer, she was using Looker Studio to create reports for a large automotive client with multiple data sources and platforms, which made Looker Studio very slow. She shared:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cblockquote class=\"quote quote--variant-2 py-6 px-6 !my-2 rounded-2xl !max-w-full md:text-lg lg:text-xl text-base-dark\">\n          \u003Cdiv class=\"flex gap-4\">\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"\">\n              \u003Csvg\n                xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"\n                width=\"28\"\n                height=\"26\"\n                viewBox=\"0 0 28 26\"\n                fill=\"none\"\n              >\n                \u003Cpath\n                  opacity=\"0.15\"\n                  d=\"M10.5428 4.65271C8.26599 5.08169 6.66559 6.73158 5.74165 9.60241C5.27967 11.0213 5.04869 12.4237 5.04869 13.8096C5.04869 13.9746 5.04869 14.1231 5.04869 14.2551C5.08169 14.3541 5.11468 14.6016 5.14768 14.9976H10.5428V25.7879H0V15.839C0 10.9553 0.97344 7.19356 2.92032 4.55372C4.8672 1.91388 7.40804 0.395976 10.5428 0V4.65271ZM27.2233 4.65271C25.4084 4.94969 24.0225 5.97263 23.0656 7.72152C22.1416 9.47042 21.6797 11.4833 21.6797 13.7602C21.6797 13.9581 21.6797 14.1561 21.6797 14.3541C21.7127 14.5521 21.7622 14.7666 21.8282 14.9976H27.2233V25.7879H16.631V15.839C16.631 11.9123 17.4559 8.41448 19.1058 5.34567C20.7557 2.24386 23.4616 0.461971 27.2233 0V4.65271Z\"\n                  fill=\"#7171F2\"\n                />\n              \u003C/svg>\n            \u003C/div>\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"italic\">\n              We wanted to see our data quickly, but Looker Studio took so long to load.\n\n              \u003Cfooter class=\"text-right font-bold !mt-3 text-wrap-balance not-italic [&_a]:font-bold\">\n                \n              \u003C/footer>\n            \u003C/div>\n          \u003C/div>\n        \u003C/blockquote>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This made it difficult to optimize campaigns, answer ad-hoc client questions, and work at the pace her team needed.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3 id=\"-how-to-fix-this-reconfigure-your-data-setup\">✅ How to fix this: Reconfigure your data setup\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Keeping your data tight and focused is key to speed up Looker Studio. You can do so in four ways: \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Shorten date ranges: \u003C/strong>Only show recent data unless you \u003Ci>really\u003C/i> need long-term views.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Filter out unneeded rows:\u003C/strong> Don’t pull in every campaign or ad set, just the top performers or key segments.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Remove unused fields:\u003C/strong> Only include the dimensions and metrics you actually use in your visuals.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Adjust the data freshness rate: \u003C/strong>Each type of data source in Looker Studio has its own default data freshness threshold, but you can adjust this to be less frequent – e.g. daily refresh instead of hourly. This means you won’t get up-to-date data all the time, but your reports would load faster.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Alternatively, you can switch to a much faster and stable platform like \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com\">Whatagraph\u003C/a> which can handle 10 sources and 100 widgets without slowing down, and has an uptime of 99.95%. This means it can handle large datasets and system-wide outages are very, \u003Ci>very\u003C/i> rare. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>When Tanja switched to Whatagraph, she appreciated how fast the platform was. She said:  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cblockquote class=\"quote quote--variant-1 py-6 px-6 !my-2 rounded-2xl !max-w-full md:text-lg lg:text-xl text-base-dark\">\n          \u003Cdiv class=\"flex gap-4\">\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"\">\n              \u003Csvg\n                xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"\n                width=\"28\"\n                height=\"26\"\n                viewBox=\"0 0 28 26\"\n                fill=\"none\"\n              >\n                \u003Cpath\n                  opacity=\"0.15\"\n                  d=\"M10.5428 4.65271C8.26599 5.08169 6.66559 6.73158 5.74165 9.60241C5.27967 11.0213 5.04869 12.4237 5.04869 13.8096C5.04869 13.9746 5.04869 14.1231 5.04869 14.2551C5.08169 14.3541 5.11468 14.6016 5.14768 14.9976H10.5428V25.7879H0V15.839C0 10.9553 0.97344 7.19356 2.92032 4.55372C4.8672 1.91388 7.40804 0.395976 10.5428 0V4.65271ZM27.2233 4.65271C25.4084 4.94969 24.0225 5.97263 23.0656 7.72152C22.1416 9.47042 21.6797 11.4833 21.6797 13.7602C21.6797 13.9581 21.6797 14.1561 21.6797 14.3541C21.7127 14.5521 21.7622 14.7666 21.8282 14.9976H27.2233V25.7879H16.631V15.839C16.631 11.9123 17.4559 8.41448 19.1058 5.34567C20.7557 2.24386 23.4616 0.461971 27.2233 0V4.65271Z\"\n                  fill=\"#5667FC\"\n                />\n              \u003C/svg>\n            \u003C/div>\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"italic\">\n              Whatagraph is very, very quick when loading the data. Even when I change a source in the report, it’s super quick and I barely ever have to wait.\n\n              \u003Cfooter class=\"text-right font-bold !mt-3 text-wrap-balance not-italic [&_a]:font-bold\">\n                \n              \u003C/footer>\n            \u003C/div>\n          \u003C/div>\n        \u003C/blockquote>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Plus, you won’t have to trade-off your data freshness. Whatagraph offers a consistent 30-min refresh rate across all your sources, blends, and platforms.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2 id=\"reason-2-youre-using-live-connections\">Reason 2: You’re using live connections.\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Live data is great, until it starts dragging your dashboard down.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>By default, Looker Studio connects live to your data source. This means every time a user loads or filters the report, Looker fetches fresh data directly from the platform: Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, Google Ads, e.t.c. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>If your dashboard has multiple data sources (and most do), that’s several real-time queries firing at once.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>The issue worsens when those data sources are external or under load. Public cloud APIs, custom connectors, or self-hosted databases (like Redshift or PostgreSQL) can add extra network latency, timeout errors, or fail to respond altogether.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And when your dashboard depends on live data, any hiccup on the source side breaks the whole experience.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3 id=\"-how-to-fix-this-use-extracted-or-cached-data\">✅ How to fix this: Use extracted or cached data\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Instead of live data, use a snapshot of your data - also known as extracted data source. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can do this through Looker Studio’s “Extract Data” connector. Instead of querying live data every time someone opens the report, Looker pulls from a preloaded subset of your data. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What it does:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Lets you choose specific fields, filters, and date ranges to limit the amount of data loaded\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Works with any data source\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Allows you to apply your own aggregations (e.g., Sum, Average) for more flexible analysis\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How to do it:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Go to Looker Studio → \u003Ci>Create\u003C/i> → \u003Ci>Data Source\u003C/i> → Select Extract Data.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Pick your existing data source.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Choose only the metrics and dimensions you need.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>(Optional) Add filters or apply a date range to limit the data further.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>(Optional) Turn on Auto update and set a refresh schedule.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Click Save and Extract—then connect this source to your report.\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Keep in mind:\u003C/strong> Extracts have a 100 MB limit, and the data is static unless you enable auto-refresh.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For more information, you can check out \u003Ca href=\"https://cloud.google.com/looker/docs/studio/extract-data-for-faster-performance#:~:text=On%20the%20Looker%20Studio%20home,targets%2C%20or%20by%20clicking%20Add.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google’s documentation\u003C/a>.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This approach is ideal when you don’t need real-time data but want a dashboard that loads fast. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>The other option is to pull your data into Google Sheets or Google BigQuery first, and then connect Looker to that source. It’s more reliable and way faster. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>But then this also means the process would still be quite manual, you’d still be lost in different spreadsheets and tools, and there’s a lot of room for human error in your data. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2 id=\"reason-3-youre-manipulating-data-inside-of-looker-studio-\">Reason 3: You’re manipulating data inside of Looker Studio. \u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Looker Studio was built for data visualization, not data transformation. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>When you manipulate your data, like creating custom dimensions, calculated fields, complex filters, or do data blending inside Looker, it slows down the platform. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This is because every time you open a dashboard or change a filter, Looker has to:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Pull raw data from each data source\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Apply your calculations and transformations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Then render the visual\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>That’s a lot of processing happening in-browser, especially if you have large datasets. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Also, these transformations are not \u003Cstrong>not reusable\u003C/strong> across dashboards, which means you'll need to recreate logic every time, increasing maintenance overhead and report load time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In fact, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/analyticsnerd/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Himanshu Sharma\u003C/a>, Founder at OptimizeSmart, GA4 and GTM agency says:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cblockquote class=\"quote quote--variant-3 py-6 px-6 !my-2 rounded-2xl !max-w-full md:text-lg lg:text-xl text-base-dark\">\n          \u003Cdiv class=\"flex gap-4\">\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"\">\n              \u003Csvg\n                xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"\n                width=\"28\"\n                height=\"26\"\n                viewBox=\"0 0 28 26\"\n                fill=\"none\"\n              >\n                \u003Cpath\n                  opacity=\"0.15\"\n                  d=\"M10.5428 4.65271C8.26599 5.08169 6.66559 6.73158 5.74165 9.60241C5.27967 11.0213 5.04869 12.4237 5.04869 13.8096C5.04869 13.9746 5.04869 14.1231 5.04869 14.2551C5.08169 14.3541 5.11468 14.6016 5.14768 14.9976H10.5428V25.7879H0V15.839C0 10.9553 0.97344 7.19356 2.92032 4.55372C4.8672 1.91388 7.40804 0.395976 10.5428 0V4.65271ZM27.2233 4.65271C25.4084 4.94969 24.0225 5.97263 23.0656 7.72152C22.1416 9.47042 21.6797 11.4833 21.6797 13.7602C21.6797 13.9581 21.6797 14.1561 21.6797 14.3541C21.7127 14.5521 21.7622 14.7666 21.8282 14.9976H27.2233V25.7879H16.631V15.839C16.631 11.9123 17.4559 8.41448 19.1058 5.34567C20.7557 2.24386 23.4616 0.461971 27.2233 0V4.65271Z\"\n                  fill=\"#F8AA52\"\n                />\n              \u003C/svg>\n            \u003C/div>\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"italic\">\n              Looker Studio is not meant for data manipulation. It is neither a spreadsheet nor a data warehouse. When you manipulate data in Looker Studio, it slows down your report.\n\n              \u003Cfooter class=\"text-right font-bold !mt-3 text-wrap-balance not-italic [&_a]:font-bold\">\n                \n              \u003C/footer>\n            \u003C/div>\n          \u003C/div>\n        \u003C/blockquote>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/analyticsnerd_99-of-looker-studio-users-make-these-activity-7333451901188890626-G4UL?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAB_2pacB6ApCphtgRXXVvJfGAji3nZdMx8g\" target=\"_blank\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Ch3 id=\"-how-to-fix-this-manipulate-your-data-in-google-sheets-bigquery-or-whatagraph\">✅ How to fix this: Manipulate your data in Google Sheets, BigQuery, or Whatagraph\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>The better alternative is to\u003Cstrong> \u003C/strong>clean and prepare your data \u003Ci>before\u003C/i> it hits Looker Studio.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can do so in two key ways: \u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Google Sheets\u003C/strong> works well for small to medium datasets. You can structure your tables, apply formulas, and only pass in what you actually need.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>BigQuery\u003C/strong> is a better option for large datasets. You can pre-aggregate data with SQL, and if you enable BI Engine, it can return query results almost instantly.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Whatagraph\u003C/strong> works for all kinds of datasets. You can connect all the data you need using our native, plug-and-go connectors and transform it any way you want through no-code flows. Then, pick metrics and dimensions, preview your data table, and \u003Ca href=\"/data-transfer/looker-studio\">start an automated transfer to Looker Studio\u003C/a>. \u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>Or, you can just use Whatagraph for the entire data flow from connection → transformation → visualization.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>While Looker Studio is limited to 5 data sources per blend, with Whatagraph, you can create blends from unlimited sources.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And you won’t need to tinker with spreadsheets or BigQuery to manipulate your data – you can simply set everything up in no-code workflows.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For instance, say you want to see the total ad spend across three paid-per-click (PPC) channels – Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads. You can simply create what we call a “Source Group” in literal seconds like so:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png\" srcset=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=350 350w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=700 700w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=420 440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=840 880w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=768 768w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=1536 1536w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=992 992w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=1984 1984w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=600 1200w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=1200 2400w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=720 1440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Source_groups_on_Whatagraph_b25e17a9ad.png?width=1440 2880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 350px, (max-width: 440px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 768px, (max-width: 992px) 992px, (max-width: 1200px) 1200px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 350px) 700px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 420px) 840px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 768px) 1536px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 992px) 1984px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 1200px) 2400px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) 2880px, 1440px\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Source Groups on Whatagraph - Channel selection interface with social media, PPC, SEO, and analytics sources.\">Then, you can select the report types, sources, and currencies you want to see your data in, and save this as a template you can re-use the next time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In your report, you can then add a widget, choose this Source Group, and visualize any metrics you want from these three channels combined. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png\" srcset=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=350 350w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=700 700w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=420 440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=840 880w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=768 768w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=1536 1536w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=992 992w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=1984 1984w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=600 1200w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=1200 2400w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=720 1440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Total_ad_spend_with_AI_widget_55271a4e08.png?width=1440 2880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 350px, (max-width: 440px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 768px, (max-width: 992px) 992px, (max-width: 1200px) 1200px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 350px) 700px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 420px) 840px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 768px) 1536px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 992px) 1984px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 1200px) 2400px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) 2880px, 1440px\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Total Ad Spend - Dashboard widget showing ad spend of €17,462.37 from Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn ads.\">See that \u003Ci>“Apply quick changes here…”\u003C/i> box? \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can ask AI to edit that widget for you however you want. For example, say you want to change the metric to “Impressions” instead of “Spend” . You don’t need to do it manually – you can just ask AI and it’ll be done in seconds. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2 id=\"reason-4-you-have-too-many-components-or-pages-in-your-reports\">Reason 4: You have too many components or pages in your reports.\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Every visual element on your Looker Studio dashboard, scorecards, charts, tables, filters, sends its own query to the data source. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>That means if you’ve got 15 charts, 3 filters, and a date selector, Looker is sending 20+ queries all at once. Multiply that by live data connections and large datasets, and your dashboard slows down significantly. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Even if your data sources are small, the sheer volume of visual components can overwhelm the platform, especially when users scroll or interact with filters.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Another thing is, if you have over 20 pages in one Looker Studio report, it’ll take a long time for you to export them. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In fact, a Looker Studio user in \u003Ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleDataStudio/comments/1fkkk34/looker_studio_being_incredibly_slow/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this Reddit thread\u003C/a> says “the heavier your report is, the nastier they would be.” \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png\" srcset=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=350 350w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=700 700w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=420 440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=840 880w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=768 768w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=1536 1536w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=992 992w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=1984 1984w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=600 1200w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=1200 2400w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=720 1440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_export_times_39e201f412.png?width=1440 2880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 350px, (max-width: 440px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 768px, (max-width: 992px) 992px, (max-width: 1200px) 1200px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 350px) 700px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 420px) 840px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 768px) 1536px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 992px) 1984px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 1200px) 2400px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) 2880px, 1440px\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\">\u003C/p>\u003Ch3 id=\"-how-to-fix-this-use-fewer-components-and-split-reports-into-pages\">✅ How to fix this: Use fewer components and split reports into pages\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>This might seem obvious but the solution is to use fewer charts and components on each page.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here are three ways you can do so:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Combine metrics:\u003C/strong> Instead of having different scorecards, use one table to show your metrics together (e.g. clicks, impressions, CTR). For instance, MeasureSchool combined 3 scorecards into one table with 3 metrics and it reduced API calls by 66% and noticeably sped up performance.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Avoid duplicate charts:\u003C/strong> If two charts show similar data, use filters instead of creating both.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Split your dashboard into pages:\u003C/strong> Don’t put everything on one screen. Break it up into tabs so it loads faster.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch2 id=\"reason-5-youre-using-third-party-data-connectors\">Reason 5: You’re using third-party data connectors.\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>If you’re using third-party data connectors like Supermetrics or \u003Ca href=\"/reviews/funnel-io\">Funnel.io\u003C/a> to pull in data from non-Google platforms, they’re going to slow down your reports.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Each third-party connector adds an extra step between Looker and your data. So instead of one system talking directly to another, it’s:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Source platform → Third-party connector → BigQuery or spreadsheets→ Looker Studio\u003C/p>\u003Cp>That means:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>More API calls\u003C/li>\u003Cli>More chances for delays or errors\u003C/li>\u003Cli>And a lot more waiting when loading your report\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>For instance, Tanja, Performance Marketing Manager at Achtzehn Grad, was using \u003Ca href=\"/reviews/supermetrics\">Supermetrics\u003C/a> to pull non-Google data into Looker Studio. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"/blog/articles/supermetrics-connectors\">Supermetrics connectors\u003C/a> frequently broke, sources failed to load properly, and she had to either waste time fixing them herself or contacting Support for help. She said: \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cblockquote class=\"quote quote--variant-2 py-6 px-6 !my-2 rounded-2xl !max-w-full md:text-lg lg:text-xl text-base-dark\">\n          \u003Cdiv class=\"flex gap-4\">\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"\">\n              \u003Csvg\n                xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"\n                width=\"28\"\n                height=\"26\"\n                viewBox=\"0 0 28 26\"\n                fill=\"none\"\n              >\n                \u003Cpath\n                  opacity=\"0.15\"\n                  d=\"M10.5428 4.65271C8.26599 5.08169 6.66559 6.73158 5.74165 9.60241C5.27967 11.0213 5.04869 12.4237 5.04869 13.8096C5.04869 13.9746 5.04869 14.1231 5.04869 14.2551C5.08169 14.3541 5.11468 14.6016 5.14768 14.9976H10.5428V25.7879H0V15.839C0 10.9553 0.97344 7.19356 2.92032 4.55372C4.8672 1.91388 7.40804 0.395976 10.5428 0V4.65271ZM27.2233 4.65271C25.4084 4.94969 24.0225 5.97263 23.0656 7.72152C22.1416 9.47042 21.6797 11.4833 21.6797 13.7602C21.6797 13.9581 21.6797 14.1561 21.6797 14.3541C21.7127 14.5521 21.7622 14.7666 21.8282 14.9976H27.2233V25.7879H16.631V15.839C16.631 11.9123 17.4559 8.41448 19.1058 5.34567C20.7557 2.24386 23.4616 0.461971 27.2233 0V4.65271Z\"\n                  fill=\"#7171F2\"\n                />\n              \u003C/svg>\n            \u003C/div>\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"italic\">\n              It’s such a pain to reconnect a lot of sources and accounts, and it takes so much time, which you don’t have when you want a quick report.\n\n              \u003Cfooter class=\"text-right font-bold !mt-3 text-wrap-balance not-italic [&_a]:font-bold\">\n                \n              \u003C/footer>\n            \u003C/div>\n          \u003C/div>\n        \u003C/blockquote>\u003C/p>\u003Ch3 id=\"-how-to-fix-this-use-an-all-in-one-marketing-intelligence-platform\">✅ How to fix this: Use an all-in-one marketing intelligence platform\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>The best solution is to upgrade to an all-in-one marketing intelligence platform that allows you to connect to BOTH Google and non-Google platforms natively.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>That's exactly what Whatagraph is. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>We’ve got 55+ \u003Ca href=\"/integrations\">native integrations\u003C/a> to popular and niche marketing platforms, including Meta, LinkedIn, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Amazon Ads, and more. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>That means no more unstable middlemen, broken third party connectors, or having to google “Why is Google data studio slow?”. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png\" srcset=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=350 350w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=700 700w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=420 440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=840 880w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=768 768w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=1536 1536w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=992 992w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=1984 1984w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=600 1200w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=1200 2400w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=720 1440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_integrations_296e8025b2.png?width=1440 2880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 350px, (max-width: 440px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 768px, (max-width: 992px) 992px, (max-width: 1200px) 1200px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 350px) 700px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 420px) 840px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 768px) 1536px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 992px) 1984px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 1200px) 2400px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) 2880px, 1440px\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Whatagraph Integrations - A grid of logos for SEO and analytics tools.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Whatagraph’s integrations are also fully-managed, which means our Product engineers regularly maintain them so you don’t have to. And if there are bugs, they can resolve them quickly without having a third-party company involved.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This is what Tanja, Performance Marketing Manager at Achtzehn Grad loves about us. She said:   \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cblockquote class=\"quote quote--variant-1 py-6 px-6 !my-2 rounded-2xl !max-w-full md:text-lg lg:text-xl text-base-dark\">\n          \u003Cdiv class=\"flex gap-4\">\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"\">\n              \u003Csvg\n                xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"\n                width=\"28\"\n                height=\"26\"\n                viewBox=\"0 0 28 26\"\n                fill=\"none\"\n              >\n                \u003Cpath\n                  opacity=\"0.15\"\n                  d=\"M10.5428 4.65271C8.26599 5.08169 6.66559 6.73158 5.74165 9.60241C5.27967 11.0213 5.04869 12.4237 5.04869 13.8096C5.04869 13.9746 5.04869 14.1231 5.04869 14.2551C5.08169 14.3541 5.11468 14.6016 5.14768 14.9976H10.5428V25.7879H0V15.839C0 10.9553 0.97344 7.19356 2.92032 4.55372C4.8672 1.91388 7.40804 0.395976 10.5428 0V4.65271ZM27.2233 4.65271C25.4084 4.94969 24.0225 5.97263 23.0656 7.72152C22.1416 9.47042 21.6797 11.4833 21.6797 13.7602C21.6797 13.9581 21.6797 14.1561 21.6797 14.3541C21.7127 14.5521 21.7622 14.7666 21.8282 14.9976H27.2233V25.7879H16.631V15.839C16.631 11.9123 17.4559 8.41448 19.1058 5.34567C20.7557 2.24386 23.4616 0.461971 27.2233 0V4.65271Z\"\n                  fill=\"#5667FC\"\n                />\n              \u003C/svg>\n            \u003C/div>\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"italic\">\n              We don’t have any connection issues on Whatagraph at all. We just connected the platforms once, and that was it.\n\n              \u003Cfooter class=\"text-right font-bold !mt-3 text-wrap-balance not-italic [&_a]:font-bold\">\n                \n              \u003C/footer>\n            \u003C/div>\n          \u003C/div>\n        \u003C/blockquote>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And once your data is in Whatagraph, you can do everything else in there:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Transform your data without touching a spreadsheet or BigQuery\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Create data blends from unlimited sources (Looker Studio is limited to 5)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Build internal dashboards and client-facing reports\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Automate reports to go out to specific people at specific days and times\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Get AI to write out performance summaries in each report, and use the chatbot to extract insights from your campaigns\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>Soon, you won’t even need to build your own reports. With AI, you’ll be able to:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Build reports from a prompt\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Edit widgets and troubleshoot issues\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Apply custom themes from images or prompts (e.g. “make the report look like a Batman movie)\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png\" srcset=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=350 350w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=700 700w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=420 440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=840 880w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=768 768w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=1536 1536w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=992 992w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=1984 1984w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=600 1200w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=1200 2400w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=720 1440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_vs_Looker_Studio_ff51383399.png?width=1440 2880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 350px, (max-width: 440px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 768px, (max-width: 992px) 992px, (max-width: 1200px) 1200px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 350px) 700px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 420px) 840px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 768px) 1536px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 992px) 1984px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 1200px) 2400px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) 2880px, 1440px\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Whatagraph vs Looker Studio - The old way to connect data to Whatagraph.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>But apart from Whatagraph, some other options for all-in-one marketing reporting platforms include: \u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"/reviews/agencyanalytics\">\u003Cstrong>AgencyAnalytics\u003C/strong>\u003C/a>\u003Cstrong> \u003C/strong>- Best for SEO and content marketing agencies\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"/reviews/dashthis\">\u003Cstrong>DashThis\u003C/strong>\u003C/a> - Best for freelancers and small businesses \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"/reviews/geckoboard\">\u003Cstrong>Geckoboard\u003C/strong>\u003C/a> - Best for small to medium e-commerce businesses\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Ch2 id=\"reason-6-youre-facing-platform-wide-performance-issues\">Reason 6: You're facing platform-wide performance issues.\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Most of the time, it’s not you. It’s Looker Studio itself. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you scroll through \u003Ca href=\"https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/forums/searchpage/tab/message?advanced=false&allow_punctuation=false&filter=location&location=category:looker&q=looker%20studio%20slow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the Looker Studio community forum\u003C/a>, you’ll see loads of users complaining about platform-wide slowdowns, timeouts, or system errors, especially at the start of the month or following product updates.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For example, this is what one user posted in the forum: \u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png\" srcset=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=350 350w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=700 700w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=420 440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=840 880w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=768 768w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=1536 1536w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=992 992w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=1984 1984w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=600 1200w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=1200 2400w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=720 1440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_slow_in_loading_community_forum_bfa186ff93.png?width=1440 2880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 350px, (max-width: 440px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 768px, (max-width: 992px) 992px, (max-width: 1200px) 1200px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 350px) 700px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 420px) 840px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 768px) 1536px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 992px) 1984px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 1200px) 2400px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) 2880px, 1440px\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Here's my attempt at generating alt text for the image:\n\nLooker Studio Slow In Loading - A screenshot of a community forum post.\">\u003C/figure>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Looker-Studio/Looker-Studio-slow-in-loading-sometimes-can-t-show-charts/m-p/828833\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And even if you voice out your issue in the community forum, there's no guarantee that a Looker Studio representative would see it, or even then you’d still be left to fix it yourself. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You could log and track issues in this \u003Ca href=\"https://issuetracker.google.com/savedsearches/5492224?p=1&q=componentid:196095%20status:(open%20%7C%20new%20%7C%20assigned%20%7C%20accepted)%20votecount%3E0&s=vote_count:desc&pli=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Issue Tracker\u003C/a>, but even then, it can take weeks or months to get your issues fixed (and there's no guarantee that they will be fixed). \u003C/p>\u003Cp>With all these issues combined, it’s not a surprise that many are looking for \u003Ca href=\"/blog/articles/google-data-studio-alternatives\">Looker Studio alternatives\u003C/a> that are faster and more reliable, like this user: \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png\" srcset=\"https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=350 350w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=700 700w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=420 440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=840 880w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=768 768w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=1536 1536w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=992 992w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=1984 1984w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=600 1200w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=1200 2400w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=720 1440w, https://media.whatagraph.com/Why_has_Looker_Studio_became_so_unreliable_16aa333664.png?width=1440 2880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 350px, (max-width: 440px) 440px, (max-width: 768px) 768px, (max-width: 992px) 992px, (max-width: 1200px) 1200px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 350px) 700px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 420px) 840px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 768px) 1536px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 992px) 1984px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) and (max-width: 1200px) 2400px, (min-resolution: 192dpi) 2880px, 1440px\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Looker Studio - Forum post about Looker Studio's reliability with user profile and reply options.\">\u003Ca href=\"https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Looker-Studio/Why-has-Looker-Studio-become-so-unreliable/m-p/857654\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>If that's what you're looking for, there's no better choice than Whatagraph. Here's why. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2 id=\"the-easiest-fix-use-whatagraph-for-faster-smoother-marketing-intelligence-\">The Easiest Fix: Use Whatagraph for Faster, Smoother Marketing Intelligence \u003C/h2>\u003Cp>We built Whatagraph to solve the exact problems Looker Studio users face, without the hacks, workarounds, or trade-offs. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Unlike Looker Studio, Whatagraph is \u003Cstrong>all-in-one, fast, and stable\u003C/strong>. You can: \u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Connect to 55+ marketing platforms through native, plug-and-go connectors\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Transform and clean your data without spreadsheets or BigQuery\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Create unlimited data blends, metrics, and dimensions – then reuse them everywhere\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Build stunning, accurate, and stable reports and dashboards \u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Automate reports to go out at specific dates and times \u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Ask AI to write out performance summaries or extract insights from your marketing data\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Set up goals and automatic alerts through email, Slack, or on the dashboard\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Plus, you'll get access to \u003Cstrong>your very own Customer Success Manager\u003C/strong> and 18/5 \u003Cstrong>live chat support\u003C/strong> that replies within 1 minute and resolves most issues within 4 hours. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>And marketers who switched to us from Looker Studio are loving it. Here’s what Kim Strickland, Digital Marketing Specialist at Peak Seven agency said in \u003Ca href=\"/case-studies/peak-seven\">this case study\u003C/a>:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cblockquote class=\"quote quote--variant-3 py-6 px-6 !my-2 rounded-2xl !max-w-full md:text-lg lg:text-xl text-base-dark\">\n          \u003Cdiv class=\"flex gap-4\">\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"\">\n              \u003Csvg\n                xmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/2000/svg\"\n                width=\"28\"\n                height=\"26\"\n                viewBox=\"0 0 28 26\"\n                fill=\"none\"\n              >\n                \u003Cpath\n                  opacity=\"0.15\"\n                  d=\"M10.5428 4.65271C8.26599 5.08169 6.66559 6.73158 5.74165 9.60241C5.27967 11.0213 5.04869 12.4237 5.04869 13.8096C5.04869 13.9746 5.04869 14.1231 5.04869 14.2551C5.08169 14.3541 5.11468 14.6016 5.14768 14.9976H10.5428V25.7879H0V15.839C0 10.9553 0.97344 7.19356 2.92032 4.55372C4.8672 1.91388 7.40804 0.395976 10.5428 0V4.65271ZM27.2233 4.65271C25.4084 4.94969 24.0225 5.97263 23.0656 7.72152C22.1416 9.47042 21.6797 11.4833 21.6797 13.7602C21.6797 13.9581 21.6797 14.1561 21.6797 14.3541C21.7127 14.5521 21.7622 14.7666 21.8282 14.9976H27.2233V25.7879H16.631V15.839C16.631 11.9123 17.4559 8.41448 19.1058 5.34567C20.7557 2.24386 23.4616 0.461971 27.2233 0V4.65271Z\"\n                  fill=\"#F8AA52\"\n                />\n              \u003C/svg>\n            \u003C/div>\n            \u003Cdiv class=\"italic\">\n              With Looker Studio, everything was muddled, but Whatagraph has opened up transparency and communication. It allowed us to see clearly how our campaigns are performing and took us to the next level with our clients and team.\n\n              \u003Cfooter class=\"text-right font-bold !mt-3 text-wrap-balance not-italic [&_a]:font-bold\">\n                \n              \u003C/footer>\n            \u003C/div>\n          \u003C/div>\n        \u003C/blockquote>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>We hope this guide was helpful in making your Looker Studio report load faster.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>But if you’ve had enough of Looker Studio and want some peace of mind, don't hesitate to \u003Ca href=\"/book-a-call\">reach out to our team\u003C/a>. \u003C/p>",[520,555,582,607,645,688],{"id":521,"dateReorder":522,"title":523,"slug":524,"summary":525,"body":526,"read_time":21,"createdAt":527,"updatedAt":528,"publishedAt":527,"errors":529,"table_of_contents":32,"cover_image":530,"author":547,"article_category":548},2233,"2025-09-23","8 Best Looker Studio Alternatives in 2025: Reviews & Pricing","google-data-studio-alternatives","\u003Cp>Frustrated with Looker Studio? We get it. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>We've talked to dozens of marketers who say Looker Studio \u003Ci>“drives them insane”\u003C/i> and honestly, we don’t blame them. Looker Studio is slow, clunky, and riddled with data inconsistencies and breakages. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In this article, we'll be sharing “insider” insights on what these marketers say about Looker Studio and what tools they consider when looking for an alternative. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You'll read:  \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>The shortcomings of Looker Studio\u003C/li>\u003Cli>8 best Looker Studio alternatives\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Features, pricing, and reviews for each tool\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>","\u003Cp>Looker Studio gives you the illusion of being “easy to use” and “free” but the reality is quite different. Here are the biggest complaints we hear about Looker Studio from marketers:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌   Hidden costs: \u003C/strong>While it’s true that Looker Studio is free for their 21 native integrations (which are Google-based platforms), you’ll need to buy 3rd party connectors if you want to connect to non-Google-based tools. The total cost can come down to 1000s of dollars a month if you’re a large agency.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And if you want necessary features like “automated report sharing” (which is free on Whatagraph), you’ll need to opt for Looker Studio Pro, which costs $9/user/project. Check out our \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/google-data-studio-pricing\">Looker Studio pricing\u003C/a> guide to learn more.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌   Connection breakages: \u003C/strong>Looker Studio relies on\u003Cstrong> \u003C/strong>third-party connectors to bring in data from non-Google platforms, and users online say they break very often. These connectors also have different refresh times and different levels of integration, which can lead to data inconsistencies in your reports. You can read more about \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-connectors\">Looker Studio connectors\u003C/a> here.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌   Slow:\u003C/strong> Looker Studio has a 6-minute limit on handling queries, which means reports with large volumes of data, widgets, and charts \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-slow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">take a long time to load\u003C/a>. This not only makes report editing a hassle for your team but also frustrates clients who need to review these reports. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌   Difficult to use:\u003C/strong> Looker Studio’s report-building interface is clunky and confusing with different widgets and menu items that can be intimidating to first-time users. Many users online say it’s difficult to get all your data connected properly and create charts and graphs on Looker.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Most marketers we’ve talked to had to hire dedicated data engineers or an implementation agency to create and maintain reports.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌ No AI insights: \u003C/strong>In Looker Studio, you need to summarize each report manually to unearth actionable insights and next steps. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌   No customer support: \u003C/strong>Unless you pay more for Looker Studio Pro, you’re left to online discussion forums and Google’s unwieldy help documentation, which is often difficult for a non-technical person to understand.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>—\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Sounds like a lot? That’s what we’re here for. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In this article, we’ll take you through 8 best Looker Studio alternatives that are easier to use, faster, and more stable. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>8 Best Looker Studio Alternatives in 2025\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>In a nutshell, here are the 8 best Looker Studio alternatives we’ll review in this article:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Whatagraph\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Klipfolio\u003C/li>\u003Cli>DashThis\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Tableau\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Databox\u003C/li>\u003Cli>PowerBI\u003C/li>\u003Cli>AgencyAnalytics\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Geckoboard\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>Don’t want to read through walls of text? Here’s a summary table:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>[table id=4]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Let’s dive into each of these tools.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>1. Whatagraph\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Most suitable for: \u003C/strong>Marketing agencies and in-house teams that need fast, accurate, and stunning reports without relying on data engineers\u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"media\">\u003Cdiv data-oembed-url=\"https://youtu.be/HedKBWSQTqI?si=M-5lrWXj8cUNI9m3\">\u003Cdiv style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/HedKBWSQTqI\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you’re looking for an easier, faster, and more stable Looker Studio alternative, \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/\">Whatagraph\u003C/a> is the best choice.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>It's an all-in-one data platform that makes it refreshingly easy to connect, organize, and visualize your data in one place. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Unlike Looker Studio, you don’t need to hire a data scientist or spend hours creating reports on Whatagraph. Anyone from your organization—whether that’s an Account Manager or an intern—can simply log into Whatagraph and start using it right away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In a nutshell, here’s how Whatagraph works:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Connect to \u003C/strong>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/integrations\">55+ marketing platforms\u003C/a> automatically via native, stable connectors that don’t break.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Easily organize your data\u003C/strong>—create custom blends, metrics, and dimensions using no-code workflows or AI.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Ask AI to create reports\u003C/strong> by just telling it what you want it to build. Or use drag-and-drop widgets or \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/templates\">ready-made templates\u003C/a> to build one from scratch.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Customize reports \u003C/strong>by just uploading a screenshot of your (or your client’s) brandbook or putting in a prompt. Host and share reports on your own domain.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Get actionable insights instantly\u003C/strong> by just asking AI any questions about your connected data. Get it to write performance summaries directly in your reports in four different formats (Summary, Recommendations, Wins, and Issues) and 18 languages. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Share reports\u003C/strong> as live links, PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, or automated emails. You can also transfer your data to \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/google-bigquery\">BigQuery\u003C/a> data warehouse or \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/data-transfer/looker-studio\">Looker Studio\u003C/a>.\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_report_d56e275462.png\" alt=\"Whatagraph Report - Dashboard view showing Google Analytics data with charts and key metrics.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp style=\"margin-left:0px;\">All this on one marketing intelligence platform means:\u003C/p>\u003Cp style=\"margin-left:0px;\">\u003Cstrong>✅ \u003C/strong>You don’t need to spend hours compiling data from different sources and tools and pushing it to more tools.\u003C/p>\u003Cp style=\"margin-left:0px;\">\u003Cstrong>✅ \u003C/strong>You can see marketing performance under one roof and stay on top of all your campaigns.\u003C/p>\u003Cp style=\"margin-left:0px;\">\u003Cstrong>✅ \u003C/strong>You get clean, organized, and white-labeled reports in minutes and share them instantly with teams or clients. No need to hire a data scientist to maintain them either.\u003C/p>\u003Cp style=\"margin-left:0px;\">\u003Cstrong>✅ \u003C/strong>There are less chances of data inconsistencies and breakages.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>But how does Whatagraph compare against Looker Studio exactly? Let’s take a look:\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Looker Studio vs. Whatagraph: Head-to-Head Comparison\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Our Product team did extensive research on how Whatagraph compares against Looker Studio and you can find \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/alternatives/google-data-studio\">the full breakdown here\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In a nutshell, here are five key ways Whatagraph outperforms Looker:\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>1. Stable, fast, and all-in-one platform \u003C/h3>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Homepage_Hero_Section_Static_Image_DESKTOP_e5d9b2d286.png\" alt=\"Homepage Hero Section Static Image - Dashboard interface with charts, graphs, and data tables.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Looker Studio relies on \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/marketing-data-connectors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">third-party connectors\u003C/a> to pull data from channels and sources that are not in the Google ecosystem (e.g. Facebook Ads, Salesforce, Shopify).\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Third-party connectors are unstable, finicky, and prone to data breakages and inconsistencies. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Looker Studio also comes with a 6-minute limit on handling queries, which means if your reports have large volumes of data or widgets, they’ll take up a long time to load.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In fact, slowness and connection breakages are the two biggest complaints we hear about Looker Studio. Here’s \u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/looker-studio/reviews/looker-studio-review-10260381\">a review from G2.com\u003C/a>: \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Screenshot_2024_10_22_at_5_11_11_PM_a57dba80d8.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of Looker Studio Review - Whatagraph\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Whatagraph eliminates these two pain points. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Our data integrations are \u003Cstrong>fully-managed\u003C/strong>, which means they’re more seamless, stable, and reliable. And our Product engineers regularly maintain these integrations so there would be less breakages and outages. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Fully-managed integrations also mean if there are bugs, our Product team can resolve them quickly without having a third-party company involved. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In terms of speed, you can work with 10 sources and 100 widgets at the same time without slowing down the platform. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Our users love how seamless, stable, and fast the platform is. Tanja Keglić, Performance Marketing Manager at \u003Ca href=\"https://www.achtzehngrad.at/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Achtzehn Grad\u003C/a>, says:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"1\"]\u003Cbr>We don’t have any connection issues on Whatagraph at all. We just connected the platforms once, and that was it. Whatagraph is also very, very quick when loading the data.\u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/case-studies/achtzehn-grad\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>2. Easier to use\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-slow\">Looker Studio is slow\u003C/a>, clunky, and incredibly difficult to use for non tech-savvy users, taking you anywhere from 1-3 hours to create a report from scratch. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Marketers we’ve talked to say they needed to hire a dedicated data engineer to create and edit Looker Studio reports. This means extra costs, and if the engineer leaves, you're left with complicated reports that are hard to manage. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here’s what one user said on \u003Ca href=\"https://www.capterra.com/p/169053/Looker/reviews/Capterra___3309801/\">Capterra\u003C/a>:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_studio_con_data_engineers_a41602e979.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of review for Looker Studio - Whatagraph\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This is mainly due to Looker Studio’s clunky and confusing user interface. For instance, this is what a report “canvas” looks like as you start building one—I don’t know about you but this immediately overwhelmed me as a non-tech savvy person. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_report_canvas_3808a72875.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of Looker Studio report canvas - Whatagraph\">\u003Cbr>\u003Ci>Source: \u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://digitalculturenetwork.org.uk/knowledge/getting-started-with-google-looker-studio/\">\u003Ci>Digital Culture Network\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Looker Studio reports are also very static. You’ll need to go through complicated steps to resize widgets, graphs, and charts, or to add images and shapes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>All in all, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.capterra.com/p/169053/Looker/reviews/Capterra___6254576/\">this review\u003C/a> really captures how difficult it is to create reports on Looker:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_con_difficult_to_use_cfa0623b28.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of review for Looker Studio - Whatagraph\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In contrast, we built Whatagraph so that any marketer—not just data engineers—can create professional, client-ready reports in seconds.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Thanks to \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/whatagraph-iq\">Whatagraph IQ\u003C/a>, you no longer have to manually drag widgets, tweak filters, or fight clunky layouts:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>IQ Report Creation\u003C/strong> – Just type what you need (“Build me a GA4 performance dashboard” or “Show ROAS by channel”) and Whatagraph instantly generates a full report. Need a specific chart? Ask, and IQ builds the exact visualization for you.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp style=\"text-align:center;\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_features_079cef57b3.gif\" alt=\"Whatagraph Features - A web dashboard with a sidebar menu and search bar at the top.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>IQ Summary\u003C/strong> – Get plain-language insights automatically written for you, instead of manually writing them.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Explain_performance_in_plain_language_dekstop_2_e5e80a6c63.jpg\" alt=\"Explain Performance In Plain Language - Dialog box with text editor displaying campaign summary.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>IQ Chat – \u003C/strong>Ask questions about your data in plain language and get instant answers right inside your report.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cfigure class=\"image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/ask_anything_get_instant_answers_desktop_39c3fbc5c3.jpg\" alt=\"Ask Whatagarph IQ Anything and Get Instant Answers\">\u003C/figure>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>IQ Themes\u003C/strong> – Brand your reports in seconds. Upload a logo or image and IQ generates a matching theme, complete with fonts and HEX codes.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cfigure class=\"image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/brand_reports_in_seconds_desktop_0b3786396e.jpg\" alt=\"Brand Reports - Screenshot of a report creation interface showing revenue and branding options.\">\u003C/figure>\u003Cp>For teams that want immediate answers, the Insights Space provides out-of-the-box reports for key channels such as Facebook Ads. Each space highlights:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Account health and performance\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Audience and ad sets\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Ad creatives and placements\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Funnel activity and conversion paths\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>These reports also feature AI-driven insights: summaries of performance, detected changes, and recommendations surfaced directly inside the dashboard.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/AI_Insights_fff437ef8c.png\" alt=\"AI Insights - Dashboard interface with Facebook Ads insights, summary, and account performance.\">Compare this to Looker Studio, where every chart, filter, and style tweak is manual and time-consuming.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And the difference shows in the numbers:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Agencies like \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/case-studies/maatwerk-online\">\u003Cstrong>Maatwerk Online\u003C/strong>\u003C/a> save 100+ hours per month by automating reporting with Whatagraph.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/case-studies/wise-pirates\">\u003Cstrong>Wise Pirates\u003C/strong>\u003C/a> scales reporting across 500+ reports and says Whatagraph is “perfect for marketing teams with limited technical knowledge.”\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/case-studies/dtch-digitals\">\u003Cstrong>Dtch. Digitals\u003C/strong>\u003C/a> cut client churn by 50% after switching from Looker Studio, calling Whatagraph “much smoother”.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://live.whatagraph.com/auth/register\">\u003Ci>Get started with Whatagraph for free.\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>3. Powerful, but easy data organization features\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>If you’ve ever tried to organize data in Looker Studio, you know the pain:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>❌ You’re limited to 5 data sources and 10 dimensions in a data blend. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>❌ You can’t save and reuse custom metrics and blends in two different widgets without recreating them from scratch. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>❌ Many actions are limited to the widget level, with no way to scale them.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>What’s more, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/looker-studio/reviews/looker-studio-review-9059447\">users online\u003C/a> also complain about data breakages when creating blends, adding to the frustration.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_con_data_blend_8b7bf4b879.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of review for Looker Studio - Whatagraph\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>With Whatagraph, there are no limits to:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>How many data sources you can blend together\u003C/li>\u003Cli>How many custom metrics and dimensions you can create\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>You can also save these custom blends, metrics, and dimensions and re-use them across all your reports and dashboards. No need to start from scratch. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>For instance, say you want to report on the total number of “Add to Cart” from both Facebook Ads and TikTok Ads. You can set up a custom metric on Whatagraph, like so:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Screenshot_2024_09_11_at_8_40_22_PM_776c3e47a7.png\" alt=\"How to create custom metrics on Whatagraph - Whatagraph\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And with \u003Cstrong>IQ Dimensions\u003C/strong> (available on \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/pricing\">more advanced plans\u003C/a>), you don’t even have to do the heavy lifting yourself. It will:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Create custom blends automatically.\u003C/strong> Just describe what you need—like “combine all spend from Meta, TikTok, and Google Ads into one unified Paid Media metric”—and IQ builds the blend for you.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Build custom metrics on the fly.\u003C/strong> Want ROAS across channels? Or a funnel KPI like Add-to-Cart conversions? IQ can generate them instantly, without formulas or coding.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Standardize messy data.\u003C/strong> For example, if you’ve got campaign names like “FB_US_SpringSale_23” and “MetaUSA_Spring23,” you can tell IQ: “Group by Campaign Type: Spring Sale”. IQ creates a brand-new dimension that neatly categorizes everything, and you can reuse it across reports.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Normalize any dimension at scale.\u003C/strong> Group campaigns by objective, products by category, or reviews by language—whatever fits your reporting needs. IQ makes sense of inconsistent data and saves hours of manual clean-up.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_IQ_dimensions_bef3bef70a.webp\" alt=\"Whatagraph IQ Dimensions - Prompt to group and label data with Facebook Ads and campaign names.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Powerful and easy data organization on Whatagraph means: \u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Your reports are easier to read, neat, and tidy.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Your clients clearly see the value you’re delivering rather than being stuck interpreting data.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ You can analyze and compare performance any way you want, and use these insights to deliver better results for clients. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>4. Easy white-labeling \u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Branding reports in Looker Studio is painful. You need to manually design every widget, chart, and header, and even then, you can’t save a report as a template. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>That means every time you want consistent branding, colors, logos, fonts, you’re starting from scratch.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>On Whatagraph, white-labeling is as easy as 1-2-3 (and actually fun).\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here’s how it works:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Instant Brand Matching\u003C/strong> – Upload your client’s logo or an image (like a product shot or website screenshot), and IQ automatically generates a full theme: fonts, HEX colors, background styles, and even icon sets that match the brand identity.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Prompt-Based Styling\u003C/strong> – Want something bold or seasonal? Just type it in (“Give this report a sleek fintech look” or “Make it a Halloween theme”), and IQ transforms the design instantly.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Full Customization\u003C/strong> – After IQ builds your theme, you can fine-tune fonts, add additional brand colors, and adjust layouts as much as you like.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Reusable Global Themes\u003C/strong> – Once you’ve nailed the look, save it as a Global Theme. Apply it to any future report in one click, across all clients and campaigns.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>This means you’ll always get stunning, professional, and fully-branded reports your clients or execs will actually want to read.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here’s an example of a \u003Ca href=\"https://reports.live/shared/7dplW6gZmYqwvaN9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shopify report template\u003C/a>:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Shopify_report_template_6936c07ccb.png\" alt=\"Shopify Report Template - Sales report with graphs, charts, and summary data.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>And here’s an example of a \u003Ca href=\"https://reports.live/shared/xLMRV5bEkMx8GYoO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">social media report template\u003C/a>:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Social_media_report_template_2_9501e2a32d.png\" alt=\"Social Media Report Template - A social media report with data visualizations and metrics.\">When the time comes for sharing these reports, you can either:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Send automated emails to specific people at specific times, days, and cadence. Customize the email subject lines, body copy, and even domains. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Send instant live links to anyone.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Download PDFs or Excel spreadsheets.\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>(To send automated emails on Looker Studio, you’ll need to pay for the Pro plan.)\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>5. Straightforward pricing with Customer Success and Support included \u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Looker Studio can look “free,” but the moment you need non-Google data you’ll need to buy third-party connectors (like \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/funnel-io\">Funnel\u003C/a> or \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/supermetrics\">Supermetrics\u003C/a>). \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This can be anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month to a few thousand, depending on how many extra connectors you need, and how much each cost. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>On top of this, Customer support is only included in the Looker Studio Pro plan which starts from $9/user/project. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>All this means you need to deal with different invoices and third-party companies which can be very time-consuming and frustrating.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In comparison, \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/pricing\">\u003Cstrong>Whatagraph’s pricing\u003C/strong>\u003C/a>\u003Cstrong> is straightforward\u003C/strong>. Here’s a breakdown:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Forever-free \u003C/strong>– lets you get started at no cost, with 5 source credits, Whatagraph IQ basics, templates, and live chat support.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Start ($229/mo billed annually)\u003C/strong> – includes 20 source credits and essential integrations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Boost ($579/mo billed annually)\u003C/strong> – jumps up to 60 source credits, adds advanced integrations, custom transformations, white-labeling, performance overview, and a dedicated CSM.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Max (custom pricing)\u003C/strong> – for enterprise/complex teams, with 100+ source credits, premium integrations,\u003Cstrong> \u003C/strong>advanced aggregations, Whatagraph IQ+, SSO, tailored onboarding, and priority support.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Whatagraph_pricing_b0915dcd79.png\" alt=\"Whatagraph Pricing - Pricing table with three tiers: Start, Boost, and Max.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Key Features\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>55+ stable native integrations across paid ads, social, SEO, email, and more\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Custom integrations via API, Google Sheets, or BigQuery\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Whatagraph IQ – AI-powered reporting tools\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Versatile drag-and-drop widgets for reports and dashboards\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Custom metrics, dimensions, and data blends\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Performance monitoring overview\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Library of pre-made dashboard and report templates\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Insights – automatic audits of connected data, anomaly detection, and recommendations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Spaces – organize reports with descriptions, colors, and better team alignment\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Custom branding and white labeling\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Automated report sharing via email or live dashboard links\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Exports: PDF, Excel, CSV, or transfer directly to BigQuery/Looker Studio\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Whatagraph Reviews from Real Users\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“To me, Whatagraph is like the Tesla or Mercedes of digital analytics tools, their clean and simple way to present complex marketing data. I highly recommend it to anyone working with marketing analytics who values efficiency and clarity in their reporting.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/whatagraph/reviews/whatagraph-review-9795186\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Whatagraph has a simple user interface that is easy to navigate even for those who don't have analytical skills.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/whatagraph/reviews/whatagraph-review-8605558\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“What I like best about Whatagraph is having the ability to create reports fast and easy. No more spreadsheets to do reports, they have a great variety of templates.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/whatagraph/reviews/whatagraph-review-8142673\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pros and Cons\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Pros:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>All-in-one marketing performance monitoring and reporting solution\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Easy to use by anyone on your team\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Fast campaign performance and insights\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Stunning visual reports\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Makes results easy to interpret\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Excellent live chat customer support\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Forever-free plan\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Cons:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Just one data warehouse destination, BigQuery, is available so far (We’re adding more destinations before the end of 2024!)\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pricing\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Whatagraph keeps pricing transparent and flexible, with plans based on source credits (how many platforms you connect and how much data you move) and the level of customization you need.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here’s the breakdown:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Forever Free\u003C/strong> – Get started at no cost with 5 source credits, Whatagraph IQ basics, pre-made templates, and live chat support. Perfect for testing reporting workflows without commitment.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Start \u003C/strong>–\u003Cstrong> $229/month (billed annually)\u003C/strong> – 20 source credits, essential integrations, Whatagraph IQ, pre-made templates & transformations, unlimited dashboards/reports, and live chat support.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Boost \u003C/strong>–\u003Cstrong> $579/month (billed annually)\u003C/strong> – 60 source credits, everything in Start plus advanced integrations, custom data transformations, white-labeling, performance overview dashboards, and a dedicated Customer Success Manager.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Max \u003C/strong>–\u003Cstrong> Custom pricing\u003C/strong> – 100+ source credits, everything in Boost plus premium integrations, advanced data aggregations, Whatagraph IQ+, SSO, tailored onboarding, and priority support.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://live.whatagraph.com/auth/register\">Start free with Whatagraph.\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>2. Klipfolio \u003C/h2>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Most suitable for:\u003C/strong> Large data teams at companies and large agencies\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Klipfolio_report_7a7296329f.png\" alt=\"Klipfolio report - Whatagraph\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/alternatives/klipfolio\">Klipfolio\u003C/a> is a data analytics and a business intelligence tool in one. It offers two key products:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>PowerMetrics: \u003C/strong>Suitable for data teams at large companies, this is a data analytics solution to centralize, standardize, and share accurate metrics throughout the organization. Non-data teams can then use these certified metrics for their dashboards and reporting needs.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Klips: \u003C/strong>These are your regular data visualization dashboards and reports. Klips integrates with 130+ platforms and you can also use a Rest/URL option for custom integrations. \u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How Klipfolio is better than Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Easy to use: \u003C/strong>Klipfolio is known for its user-friendly interface and rapid deployment capabilities, making it easy for marketers and business users to create and share dashboards without extensive technical expertise. The platform offers pre-built dashboard templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and a library of pre-configured data connectors, enabling users to get started with their reporting quickly.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>​​\u003Cstrong>Real-time data refresh\u003C/strong>: This BI platform supports real-time data refresh capabilities, enabling marketers to monitor key metrics and KPIs in real-time and make timely decisions based on up-to-date information.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Customer support\u003C/strong>: Klipfolio has customer support to offer the best reporting practices and solve any bugs that occur. Looker Studio does not have any customer support.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>White-label options\u003C/strong>: Klipfolio enables agencies and in-house teams to create custom-branded dashboards for client reporting purposes, with white-labeling options available to showcase reports under their own branding.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Flexible pricing plans\u003C/strong>: Klipfolio offers flexible pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes, with options for monthly subscriptions or pay-as-you-go pricing based on usage. The platform provides scalability and cost-effectiveness, allowing marketers to access advanced reporting features and capabilities without breaking the budget.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Where Looker Studio beats Klipfolio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>More integrations\u003C/strong>: To begin with, Klipfolio only has 300 integrations, whereas Looker Studio provides 600.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Free with Google products\u003C/strong>: Secondly, Looker Studio can be free if the products provided by Google are used.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>More report templates\u003C/strong>: Lastly, Looker Studio provides 50+ templates. On the other hand Klipfolio - only 12.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Key Features\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>130+ integrations including warehouses, SQL databases, and file-sharing services\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Data blending, unifying, aggregating\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Custom metrics and dimensions\u003C/li>\u003Cli>AI insights\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Custom dashboards and reports\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Export dashboards as PDF or image files. Export only individual clips as CSV\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Scheduled reports\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Klipfolio Reviews from Real Users\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Klipfolio has a user-friendly interface. It can be easily connected with databases, Excel sheets, and Google sheets which makes data integration very smooth and easy.”\u003Ci> (\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/klipfolio/reviews/klipfolio-review-8171459\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“I love the full range of capabilities that are possible when building a Klipfolio dashboard (specifically with their Klips product).” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/klipfolio/reviews/klipfolio-review-6924085\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Every time I contact support I get the impression that I am bothering them. I will not be renewing this platform because I do not feel valued as a customer.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/klipfolio/reviews/klipfolio-review-10028175\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pros and Cons\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Pros:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Easy to use and set up\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Powerful data analytics and organization options\u003C/li>\u003Cli>AI insights to help make data-driven decisions\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Cons:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Expensive with important features only available as add-ons or in Enterprise plans\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Limited customization for dashboards and templates\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Unhelpful customer support\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pricing\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Klipfolio offers three pricing plans for two of their products: PowerMetrics and Klips.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>As of October 2024, here are the plans for PowerMetrics:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>30-day free trial\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Professional:\u003C/strong> $300/month for 10 users and unlimited metrics. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Enterprise:\u003C/strong> Custom pricing for 10 users, unlimited metrics, and priority support.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>It’s also important to note that important features like data warehouse integrations, AI insights, and custom domains are only available as add-ons, unless you purchase the Enterprise plan.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Klips’ pricing is further divided into plans for businesses and for agencies.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>As of October 2024, here are the plans for businesses:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Grow:\u003C/strong> $190/month for 15 dashboards and 1 hr data refresh rate. No priority support or custom onboarding available.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Team:\u003C/strong> $350/month for 30 dashboards and 15 min data refresh rate. No priority support or custom onboarding available.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Team+:\u003C/strong> $690/month for 60 dashboards and up to the minute data refresh rate. Includes priority support and custom onboarding\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>As of October 2024, here are the plans for agencies:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Agency Lite: \u003C/strong>$190/month for 20 dashboards, 20 clients, and 1 hr data refresh rate. No priority support or custom onboarding available.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Agency Pro:\u003C/strong> $420/month for 40 dashboards, 40 clients, and 30-min data refresh rate. No custom onboarding available. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Agency Premier:\u003C/strong> $1025/month for 70 dashboards, 70 clients, and 30-min data refresh rate.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Side note: On Whatagraph, you can get unlimited dashboards, unlimited clients, 30-min data refresh rate, priority support, and custom onboarding \u003Cstrong>on ALL our plans.\u003C/strong> \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/book-a-call\">Reach out to us\u003C/a> for a pricing plan just for you. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>3. DashThis\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Most suitable for: \u003C/strong>Small businesses and freelancers\u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"media\">\u003Cdiv data-oembed-url=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OMcEE3p2Io\">\u003Cdiv style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/2OMcEE3p2Io\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/dashthis-alternatives-and-competitors\">DashThis\u003C/a> is a simple marketing reporting tool that connects to 30+ marketing platforms and visualizes KPIs on dashboards.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you don’t see a built-in integration you need, you can also upload your own data using a nifty CSV file or a Google sheet. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Once your data is connected, you can visualize it using three key dashboards:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Periodic dashboards\u003C/strong>: These are dashboards based on specific time periods and cadence, like daily, weekly, monthly, semi-annually, and annually.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Campaign dashboards\u003C/strong>: These dashboards are used to isolate and highlight a specific campaign for a custom date range.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Rolling dashboards\u003C/strong>: These dashboards show trends of metrics for three different date ranges.\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How DashThis is better than Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Easy multi-channel reporting\u003C/strong>: DashThis supports reporting across multiple marketing channels and platforms, allowing users to consolidate data from sources such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and more into one unified dashboard. This enables marketers to gain a comprehensive view of their marketing performance and track cross-channel metrics in one place.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>White-labeling and client reporting features\u003C/strong>: DashThis provides features for client reporting and white labeling, allowing marketers to create custom-branded reports for their clients. Users can add their own logos, branding elements, and custom styling to reports, as well as schedule automated email delivery to clients, enhancing professionalism and client satisfaction.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Customer support\u003C/strong>: DashThis offers dedicated customer support and training resources to assist users with setup, customization, and troubleshooting. Users can access help articles, video tutorials, and live chat support to get answers to their questions and resolve issues quickly, ensuring a smooth and seamless reporting experience.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Where Looker Studio wins\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>More integrations\u003C/strong>: Firstly, DashThis has 34 integrations, whereas Looker Studio provides 600.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Free with Google products\u003C/strong>: Secondly, Looker Studio can be free if the products provided by Google are used.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>More report templates\u003C/strong>: Lastly, Looker Studio provides 50+ templates. On the other hand, DashThis provides 37 out of the box.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Key Features\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>30+ integrations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Custom data upload via CSV file or Google sheets\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Visualization dashboards\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Automatic data refreshes\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Upload client or band logos\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Create custom widgets, domains, color schemes, and email addresses\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Library of report templates\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Report sharing via email, URL, or PDF\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>DashThis Reviews from Real Users\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“DashThis is super user friendly. I am someone who doesn't know too much about Data Dashboards, but this platform was super easy to use.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/dashthis/reviews/dashthis-review-8756509\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“There are some limitations to what you can bring in and they don't yet offer custom calculations.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/dashthis/reviews/dashthis-review-7988697\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“It is a little annoying to move things around in a dashboard. You have to move each individual widget to a new section rather than moving an entire section in a dashboard.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/dashthis/reviews/dashthis-review-8756509\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pros and Cons\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Pros:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Easy to use and set up\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Many templates and dashboard examples available \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Relatively inexpensive \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Cons:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Limited data organization and customization features\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Limited data integrations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Basic-looking reports\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pricing\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>As of October 2024, DashThis offers four pricing plans:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Individual: \u003C/strong>$49/mo or $42/mo, paid yearly. Includes 3 dashboards. No white-labeling features, personalized onboarding, or priority support.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Professional: \u003C/strong>$149/mo or $127/mo, paid yearly. Includes 10 dashboards. No personalized onboarding or priority support.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Business: \u003C/strong>$289/mo or $246/mo, paid yearly. Includes 25 dashboards, white-labeling, personalized onboarding, and priority support.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Standard:\u003C/strong> $449/mo or $382/mo, paid yearly. Includes 50 dashboards, white-labeling, personalized onboarding, and priority support. \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch2>4. Tableau\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Most suitable for: \u003C/strong>Data teams at large enterprises\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Tableau_630d75f1a8.png\" alt=\"Tableau marketing dashboard - Whatagraph\">\u003Cbr> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Tableau is an AI-powered business intelligence and \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/best-marketing-analytics-tools\">marketing analytics tool\u003C/a>. It offers business forecasts, analyzes strategies, and allows for data-driven decisions.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How Tableau is better than Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Ease of use\u003C/strong>: Tableau is known for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for marketers to create interactive dashboards and reports without extensive technical expertise. The drag-and-drop interface and visual query builder simplify data analysis and visualization, allowing marketers to generate insights quickly and share them with stakeholders.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Interactive dashboards\u003C/strong>: This Looker Studio alternative offers extensive customization options for designing visually appealing and interactive dashboards and reports. You can choose from various chart types, color palettes, and formatting options to create custom visualizations that resonate with their audience and effectively communicate key insights. On the other hand, Looker Studio has very limited customization options.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Advanced analytics\u003C/strong>: The charting and data exploration features are more sophisticated than Looker Studio, as \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/tableau-reporting-tools\">Tableau\u003C/a> provides robust analytics capabilities, including support for advanced calculations, statistical functions, and predictive modeling. Marketers can perform complex data analysis, uncover trends, and identify opportunities for optimization using features such as trend lines, forecasting, and clustering.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Community and customer support\u003C/strong>: Tableau has a large and active user community, with a wealth of resources, forums, and online training materials available to help marketers learn and troubleshoot issues. Additionally, Tableau offers comprehensive customer support services, including training, consulting, and technical support, to assist users with implementation and optimization.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Where Looker Studio wins\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>More integrations\u003C/strong>: Tableau has 60 integrations, whereas Looker Studio provides 600.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Easier to learn\u003C/strong>: G2 reviews say that Looker Studio is easier to understand and use than Tableau, which requires expert knowledge. \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Key Features\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>90+ integrations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Custom metrics and dimensions\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Data blending\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Drag-and-drop dashboard interface\u003C/li>\u003Cli>AI-powered insights\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Tableau Reviews from Real Users\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Tableau allows me to create my own structured data from a lot of unstructured data.”\u003Ci> (\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/tableau/reviews/tableau-review-8779662\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Tableau has an uncanny ability to transform complex data into visually stunning and easily understandable representations.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/tableau/reviews/tableau-review-10000770\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Tableau can be costly, particularly for startups.”\u003Ci> (\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/tableau/reviews/tableau-review-10178593\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pros and Cons\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Pros: \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Powerful data analytics and visualization\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Easy to use and implement\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Seamless data integrations\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Cons:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Can be expensive if you need advanced features\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Takes a lot of time to load for large datasets\u003C/li>\u003Cli>All the preprocessing of the data (data cleaning) has to be done beforehand. Data cleaning cannot be done in Tableau\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pricing\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>As of October 2024, Tableau offers three pricing plans: \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Viewer: \u003C/strong>$35/user/month, billed annually \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Explorer:\u003C/strong> $70/user/month, billed annually\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Creator:\u003C/strong> $115/user/month, billed annually\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch2>5. Databox\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Most suitable for: \u003C/strong>Boutique agencies and small businesses\u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"media\">\u003Cdiv data-oembed-url=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgTaU9QZ5vQ\">\u003Cdiv style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/VgTaU9QZ5vQ\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\u003Cp>\u003Cbr>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/databox-alternatives-and-competitors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Databox\u003C/a> is a data reporting and analytics platform for growing businesses. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can integrate with 100+ software tools, and bring in custom data through Google Sheets or Excel. Then, you can visualize this data directly on Databox using pre-built metrics and templates. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How Databox is better than Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>User-friendly interface\u003C/strong>: Databox offers a user-friendly interface and intuitive dashboard builder that make it easy for marketers to create, customize, and share dashboards without extensive technical expertise. The drag-and-drop interface, pre-built templates, and visual query builder streamline the reporting process, enabling marketers to quickly generate insights and communicate results effectively.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Mobile support\u003C/strong>: This alternative to Looker Studio supports iPhone, Android and web-based apps, whereas Looker Studio only has web-based apps. Users can access their custom dashboards and reports directly from the Databox mobile app, allowing them to view real-time data and track performance metrics from their mobile devices. Databox mobile app also supports push notifications, allowing users to receive alerts and updates on important metrics and KPIs in real time. Users can set up custom alerts and notifications to stay informed about changes and trends in their data.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Dedicated dashboard feature\u003C/strong>: Databox provides 140+ pre-built dashboard templates that cover the most common metrics for every department. Looker Studio, on the other hand, only allows users to create dashboards by resizing Reports canvas to a single page. You can easily share your dashboards via link, email, Slack, or even stream them to your TV. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>White-labeling options\u003C/strong>: Databox provides client reporting and white labeling features, allowing agencies and consultants to create custom-branded reports for their clients. Users can add their own logos, branding elements, and custom styling to reports and dashboards. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>AI features\u003C/strong>: Databox allows you to spot trends, growth opportunities and set more realistic goals for your clients using Metric Forecasts.  \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>However, Databox users online say the platform is clunky and has an unappealing user interface. For instance, in the screenshot below, you’ll see that your data is visualized in a “box” format and the metrics look “squished” together and hard to read.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Databox_s_dashboard_template_347fa7e690.png\" alt=\"Databox's dashboard template\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Where Databox loses to Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Fewer integrations\u003C/strong>: Databox offers access to 70 integrations, whilst Looker Studio - offers 600.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Limited trial\u003C/strong>: Second, both Databox and Looker Studio offer free trials. However, Databox’s free trial is extremely limited as you can only get access to 3 panels. With Looker Studio, you get access to all panels for free, for as long as you want. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Complicated custom mapping\u003C/strong>: Last, users complain that it is fairly difficult to do custom mapping within Databox. Whereas with Looker Studio, this is is quite easy.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Key Features\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>100+ integrations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Native visualization dashboards and reports\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Dashboard and report templates\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Slack, email, or in-app alerts\u003C/li>\u003Cli>KPI benchmark groups\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Databox Reviews from Real Users\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Databox makes it simple to interact with data in ways you never thought possible.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/databox-inc-databox/reviews/databox-review-9589243\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“I'm not sure what has happened with the customer support team at Databox but they are fairly unresponsive these days.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/databox-inc-databox/reviews/databox-review-7852264\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\"After 2 years I left. Templates always break, individual metrics always break, lack of good support.\" \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/databox-inc-databox/reviews/databox-review-9826095\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pros and Cons\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Pros:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Easy to use\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Wide variety of integrations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Interactive data\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Cons:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Slow customer support\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Bugs and lag issues\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Broken metrics and templates\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Databox Pricing\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Databox offers five different pricing plans as of October 2024:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Free:\u003C/strong> Limited to 3 users, data sources, and dashboards. No custom metrics, data calculations, or report automation available. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Starter:\u003C/strong> $341/month for 50 data sources, 5 users, and unlimited dashboards.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Professional: \u003C/strong>$451/month for 50 data sources, 15 users, and unlimited dashboards. Includes custom metrics and data calculations.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Growth:\u003C/strong> $681/month for 50 data sources, and unlimited users and dashboards. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Premium: \u003C/strong>$999/month for 100 data sources, and unlimited users and dashboards. \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>White-labeling and “guided onboarding” is also only available as an add-on on Databox ($250 and $500 per month respectively). In contrast, these are included in all of Whatagraph’s pricing plans.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>6. Power BI\u003C/h2>\u003Cfigure class=\"media\">\u003Cdiv data-oembed-url=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKTSLffVGbk\">\u003Cdiv style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/yKTSLffVGbk\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\u003Cp>Microsoft PowerBI is a business intelligence software suite that includes apps, services, and \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/marketing-data-connectors\">data connectors\u003C/a>. It is a cloud-based solution that allows marketers to combine data from multiple sources into a single data set.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How PowerBI is better than Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Advanced visualization options\u003C/strong>: The first-way PowerBI is better than Data Studio is that it offers a range of attractive visualizations. When you look at \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-report-dashboard-examples\">Looker Studio reports\u003C/a> and provided templates, they look rather Excel-like. PowerBI, on the other hand, creates beautiful visualizations, including interactive charts, graphs, maps, and custom visuals from the Power BI community. Marketers can create visually appealing and interactive reports that effectively communicate insights and trends to stakeholders.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Scalability and performance\u003C/strong>: This business intelligence tool is highly scalable and can handle large volumes of data and complex analytics workloads. With its cloud-based architecture and support for in-memory processing, Power BI offers fast performance and responsiveness, enabling marketers to analyze and visualize data in real time. Another thing worth mentioning would be the auto-refresh of data of a cloud-based data source. This is a significant thing because Data Studio needs to be updated manually.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Wide Range of Data Sources\u003C/strong>: Power BI offers broad connectivity to a wide range of data sources, including Microsoft products (such as Dynamics 365 and Azure), databases (SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, etc.), cloud services (Google Analytics, Salesforce, etc.), and many others. This extensive connectivity allows marketers to consolidate data from multiple sources into one unified dashboard for comprehensive reporting.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Great customer service\u003C/strong>: PowerBI comes with a 24/7 customer support service help desk, which is helpful when bugs occur. On the other hand, there is no one at Google to answer your questions because there is no customer support for Data Studio as a product.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Natural language querying\u003C/strong>: Power BI offers natural language querying capabilities, allowing users to ask questions about their data using plain language and receive relevant visualizations and insights. This feature can make it easier for marketers to explore data and uncover insights without the need for complex queries or technical expertise.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/power_BI_e36692be43.png\" alt=\"PowerBI dashboard\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Where PowerBI loses to Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Fewer integrations\u003C/strong>: To begin with, PowerBI connections are limited to 59 apps. To add, most users notice that the tool works the best with other Microsoft platforms such as Microsoft Edge and Office 365.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Even steeper learning curve\u003C/strong>: The second thing worth knowing is that according to GetApp reviews, Looker Studio is way easier to use than PowerBI. Apparently, it takes a long time to properly understand how to use the tool and it has a steep learning curve.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Fewer sharing options\u003C/strong>: Lastly, when it comes to sharing your marketing reports or real-time dashboards, keep in mind that with a PowerBI Desktop licence, you will only be able to share them via email or drive. If you are deciding between the two tools, sharing with Looker Studio might be easier as you can generate a link and manage permissions. \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Key Features\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>100+ integrations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>AI-powered insights and “Co-pilot”\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Data transformation and unification\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Native visualization dashboard and reports\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Shareable reports with other Microsoft services, including Teams, PowerPoint, Excel, and Power Platform\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Power BI Reviews from Real Users\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“For anyone already used to the Microsoft ecosystem, PowerBI delivers a combination of a user-friendly interface and powerful analytics.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-microsoft-power-bi/reviews/microsoft-power-bi-review-10255453\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Power bi has a eye catchy user interface and tons of customizing options.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-microsoft-power-bi/reviews/microsoft-power-bi-review-9387350\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“The DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) which is used to creating complex calculations in Power Bi need a deep learning curve for the new users.”\u003Ci> (\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-microsoft-power-bi/reviews/microsoft-power-bi-review-10307792\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pricing\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>As of October 2024, Power BI offers three pricing plans:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Pro: \u003C/strong>$10/user/month\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Premium: $20/user/month\u003C/strong>\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Power BI in Microsoft Fabric:\u003C/strong> Custom pricing\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch2>7. AgencyAnalytics\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/agencyanalytics-alternatives-and-competitors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AgencyAnalytics\u003C/a> is an all-in-one robust client reporting tool. It allows marketers to manage their team workflows, collaborate with them effectively and monitor their work progress. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Additionally, it is also an excellent data reporting tool that creates beautiful reports and offers many great marketing features that we will mention above.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How AgencyAnalytics is better than Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>SEO analytics options\u003C/strong>: AgencyAnalytics is a solution that can work as a keyword research tool. They offer keyword suggestions, relevant terms, and metrics to measure them. If your strategies aim to improve your client’s SERPs, or any other SEO-related experiment, then getting this tool may be more beneficial than Looker Studio, as they simply don't offer this option.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Pre-built templates and dashboards\u003C/strong>: This alternative to Looker Studio offers a wide range of pre-built report templates and dashboards tailored to different marketing channels and platforms, including SEO, PPC, social media, email marketing, and more. These pre-built templates can save time and effort for marketing agencies by providing ready-made reports that can be customized to meet client needs. Moreover, AgencyAnalytics provides 350+ templates. That’s more than 300 extra compared to what Looker Studio offers.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Client communication and collaboration features\u003C/strong>: AgencyAnalytics offers features for client communication and collaboration, including client portals, email reports, and live dashboards. These features enable agencies to share reports with clients, collaborate on campaign strategies, and provide ongoing support and insights, fostering strong client relationships and loyalty.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>White-labeling\u003C/strong>: Lastly, AgencyAnalytics reports can be white-labeled and automated. This is significant for marketing agencies or marketers who want to improve client reporting. Users can add their own logos, branding elements, and custom styling to reports, as well as schedule automated email delivery to clients, enhancing professionalism and client satisfaction.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/agencyanalytics_33574bc567.png\" alt=\"AgencyAnalytics dashboard\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How AgencyAnalytics is worse than Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Not so intuitive\u003C/strong>: According to G2 reviews, current AgencyAnalytics users are dissatisfied with how unintuitive the tool is. Especially when looking for metrics to include in reports. Some of the namings are odd and unusual, making it difficult for them to find metrics quickly. The same problem was not discovered among Looker Studio users.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>No custom metrics\u003C/strong>: Moreover, depending on the metrics you need to track, not all tools will have all of them. However, some of the tools allow you to create and customize metrics. If you have this requirement, keep in mind that AgencyAnalytics does not offer this feature, whereas Looker Studio does.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Key Features\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>80+ integrations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Ready-made report templates\u003C/li>\u003Cli>White-labeling \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Client and staff management\u003C/li>\u003Cli>SEO tools\u003C/li>\u003Cli>AI insights\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>AgencyAnalytics Reviews from Real Users\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“AgencyAnalytics helps me create quick, automated, and clean reports for our clients which saves me a ton of time.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/agencyanalytics/reviews/agencyanalytics-review-9776835\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“It can sometimes be a little buggy and take time to load. Adding new integrations can sometimes be challenging because of this.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/agencyanalytics/reviews/agencyanalytics-review-10240765\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“I would like the capability of merging data from different platforms in graphs and metrics (e.g. using data from Google Ads with GA4) in the same section. I also don't like that some platforms aren't yet available (e.g. Reddit).” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.g2.com/products/agencyanalytics/reviews/agencyanalytics-review-10045351\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pros and Cons\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Pros:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Easy to set up and use\u003C/li>\u003Cli>A wide library of ready-made report templates \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Cost-effective\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Cons:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Buggy \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Lack of advanced data calculations and organization features\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Limited integrations\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pricing\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>As of October 2024, AgencyAnalytics offers three plans: \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Freelancer:\u003C/strong> $79/month for 5 client campaigns\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Agency: \u003C/strong>$179/month for 10 client campaigns\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Custom: \u003C/strong>For established agencies with 50+ clients \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch2>8. Geckoboard\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Most suitable for: \u003C/strong>Medium to large businesses in the Customer Service, Sales, and eCommerce sectors\u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"media\">\u003Cdiv data-oembed-url=\"https://youtu.be/_dW8vkjvzaI\">\u003Cdiv style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/_dW8vkjvzaI\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Last but not least, we have Geckoboard: an easy to use dashboard building tool for Customer Service, Sales, and eCommerce businesses.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>With it, you can connect to 90 data sources, design your dashboard, and share the dashboard with your team members or the C-Suite.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Geckoboard’s main advantage over DashThis is its wider variety of data sources (90 vs. 35). You can connect to major marketing platforms, as well as CRM, Sales, Finance, and eCommerce tools. Some examples include Shopify, Stripe, Dixa, Intercom, and Pipedrive.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>However, some of these integrations (like Safesforce and Zendesk) are only available on pricier “Pro” plans.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Once your data is connected, you can create three main types of dashboards:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>A blank dashboard (similar to Whatagraph’s)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>TV dashboards for internal presentations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Mobile dashboards\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Snapshots and reports \u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How Geckoboard is better than Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Customization and personalization\u003C/strong>: To begin with, Geckoboard offers customization options that allow marketers to tailor their dashboards to their specific reporting needs and branding requirements. Users can customize dashboard layouts, colors, fonts, and branding elements to create visually appealing and informative reports that align with their brand.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Alerts and notifications\u003C/strong>: Next, Geckoboard supports alerts and notifications, allowing marketers to set up custom alerts for key metrics and receive notifications when performance thresholds are met or exceeded. This feature helps marketers stay informed about changes in their data and take timely action to address issues or capitalize on opportunities. Moreover, for marketers who use Slack and want to introduce more automation - Geckoboard can deliver daily/weekly/monthly snapshots to your Slack channels, which Looker Studio cannot.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Focus on key metrics and KPIs\u003C/strong>: Geckoboard focuses on displaying key metrics and KPIs that are most relevant to marketers, enabling them to track performance across various marketing channels and campaigns. Geckoboard's dashboards provide at-a-glance visibility into important metrics, making it easy for marketers to monitor performance and make data-driven decisions.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Real-time data visualization\u003C/strong>: Lastly, Geckoboard specializes in real-time data visualization, allowing marketers to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics in real time. Geckoboard's dashboards provide live updates and visualizations that help marketers quickly identify trends, anomalies, and opportunities for optimization.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How Geckoboard is worse than Looker Studio\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Expensive\u003C/strong>: One of the most common reviews on G2 says that Geckoboard is too expensive. If you have a limited budget, you may be more linear towards the free version of Looker Studio.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Fewer integrations\u003C/strong>: Another thing we noticed was that Geckoboard doesn’t have enough integrations for the price they are paying. If you want to receive more value from your data reporting tool investments, Looker Studio may offer you more advantages.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Key Features\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>90+ integrations with Customer Service, Sales, Finance, and eCommerce channels\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Drag-and-drop dashboard builder\u003C/li>\u003Cli>KPI notifications\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Slack integration\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Automated email reports\u003C/li>\u003Cli>TV dashboards\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Mobile-friendly dashboards \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Dashboard examples for businesses\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Geckoboard Reviews from Real Users\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“I love how simple it is to use. That you can connect data from so many different sources in an easy way.”\u003Ci> (\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.capterra.com/p/153066/Geckoboard/reviews/Capterra___6199914/\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Connecting the dashboard with the Tv works like a charm.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.capterra.com/p/153066/Geckoboard/reviews/Capterra___6487252/\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>“Geckoboard could use more features and options for customization. Compared to other tools like Power BI or Tableau, Geckoboard didn't have as many advanced tools for analyzing data or changing how things looked. I wished I could make more complicated charts and do special calculations.” \u003Ci>(\u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.capterra.com/p/153066/Geckoboard/reviews/Capterra___6275638/\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>)\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pros and Cons\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Pros:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Easy to use and set up\u003C/li>\u003Cli>A wide variety of integrations\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Great customer service\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Cons:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Can be pricey if you want to add more dashboards\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Limited customization options for dashboards\u003C/li>\u003Cli>No advanced calculations, blends, and custom metrics and dimensions supported\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Pricing\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Geckoboard’s pricing is based on the number of dashboards. But unlike DashThis (which includes unlimited users), Geckoboard has limitations on the number of users. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>As of October 2024, Geckoboard offers three pricing plans:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Essential: \u003C/strong>$149/month for 5 dashboards, 3 users, 1 TV share, and core data sources\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Pro: \u003C/strong>$199/month for 5 dashboards, 10 users, 3 TV shares, and pro data sources\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Scale:\u003C/strong> $699/month for 30 dashboards, 25 users, 10 TV shares, pro data sources, and dedicated Support rep\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>","2022-09-21T16:45:26.000Z","2025-10-06T14:33:09.742Z","",{"id":531,"name":532,"alternativeText":533,"caption":31,"width":534,"height":535,"formats":536,"hash":542,"ext":292,"mime":293,"size":543,"url":544,"previewUrl":31,"provider":296,"provider_metadata":31,"createdAt":545,"updatedAt":546},15594,"Alternatives _ looker.png","Alternatives Looker - Five app icons on a blue background.",4368,2454,{"thumbnail":537},{"ext":292,"url":538,"hash":539,"mime":293,"name":540,"path":31,"size":541,"width":435,"height":436},"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/thumbnail_Alternatives_looker_e89a695884.png","thumbnail_Alternatives_looker_e89a695884","thumbnail_Alternatives _ looker.png",27.38,"Alternatives_looker_e89a695884",1474.4,"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Alternatives_looker_e89a695884.png","2025-10-06T13:23:49.000Z","2025-10-06T13:23:53.585Z",{"id":460,"name":461,"about":462,"email":463,"createdAt":464,"updatedAt":465,"publishedAt":466,"slug":467,"linkedin_url":468},{"id":50,"title":549,"slug":550,"subheading":551,"createdAt":552,"updatedAt":553,"publishedAt":554},"Alternatives","alternatives","Compare the best reporting and data platforms in the business","2024-09-30T12:31:40.776Z","2025-06-04T14:37:38.534Z","2024-09-30T12:31:53.048Z",{"id":556,"dateReorder":557,"title":558,"slug":559,"summary":560,"body":561,"read_time":50,"createdAt":562,"updatedAt":563,"publishedAt":564,"errors":31,"table_of_contents":32,"cover_image":565,"author":580,"article_category":581},2357,"2025-06-27","Your Guide to Looker Studio Connectors: Types, How-to & Issues","looker-studio-connectors","\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">If you’re looking to pull data from multiple platforms into Looker Studio, connectors are how you make it happen. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">But with so many Looker Studio connector types – and common issues like broken connections, API limits, and slow performance – it’s hard to know where to start.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>","\u003Cp>This is what we're here for.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In this guide, you’ll learn:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>What Looker Studio connectors are\u003C/li>\u003Cli>How to choose and set them up correctly\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Common connector problems to watch out for\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Practical solutions to keep your reports accurate and up-to-date\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch2>What are the different types of Looker Studio connectors?\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Not all Looker Studio connectors are created equal, and picking the wrong type can mean wasted hours troubleshooting broken reports, dealing with data delays, or paying for features you don’t need.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>To help you avoid that mess, we’ll give you a breakdown of the three key types of Looker Studio integrations: \u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Google connectors\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Partner connectors\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Community connectors\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Ch3>1. Google connectors: Best for Google-owned data sources\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_Google_connectors_6ab035f8a1.png\" alt=\"Looker Studio Google Connectors - A grid of icons representing various Google data connectors.\">Looker Studio offers 21 native connectors, built and maintained by Google. This means they’re fast, stable, and free, and designed to work seamlessly with Looker Studio. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here’s a complete list of the free Looker Studio connectors – ranging from data warehouses to paid-per-click (PPC) platforms: \u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>BigQuery\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Campaign Manager 360\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Cloud SQL for MySQL\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Display & Video 360\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Google Ad Manager 360\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Google Ads\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Google Analytics\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Google Cloud Storage\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Google Search Console\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Google Sheets\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Google Surveys\u003C/li>\u003Cli>MySQL\u003C/li>\u003Cli>PostgreSQL\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Search Ads 360\u003C/li>\u003Cli>YouTube Analytics\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Amazon Redshift\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Microsoft SQL Server\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Google Analytics 4 (listed separately from Universal Analytics)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Google Cloud Spanner\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Google Cloud Bigtable\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Why use them: \u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>If your reporting stack lives inside the Google ecosystem, these connectors are hands-down your best bet. They’re reliable, easy to set up, and don’t require any third-party subscriptions or complex configurations.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>You also get access to more advanced features like:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Custom dimensions and metrics\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Field mapping and calculated fields\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Native support for blended data\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Who it’s best for:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Agencies reporting on GA4 + Google Ads performance for multiple clients\u003C/li>\u003Cli>BI teams pulling data from BigQuery for executive dashboards\u003C/li>\u003Cli>SEO specialists using Search Console + YouTube to track organic performance\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Things to watch out for:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>While Google connectors are the easiest to use, they still have a few limitations:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>They only support Google-owned data sources (no Meta, LinkedIn, HubSpot, etc.)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Some (like BigQuery) can run into API quota limits if you’re pulling large volumes of data without caching\u003C/li>\u003Cli>They lack transformation features – what you see is what you get\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>That said, for most marketers and analysts working with Google tools, these connectors will get the job done fast, with minimal maintenance.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>2. Partner connectors: Best for non-Google platforms and automation\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_partner_connectors_523e7e05ec.png\" alt=\"Looker Studio Partner Connectors - A grid of connector options with logos and descriptions.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you need to bring marketing data from outside of the Google ecosystem, like Meta Ads, LinkedIn, or HubSpot, you’ll need a partner connector.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Partner connectors are built by third-party vendors like Supermetrics, \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/funnel-io\">Funnel.io\u003C/a>, and Windsor.ai, and are designed to fill the gaps that Google’s native connectors can’t cover.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>They’re usually subscription-based, with pricing tied to factors like number of data sources, frequency of refreshes, or connected accounts.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>There are 1179 connectors available and we can’t list all of them. But here’s a partial Looker Studio connectors list built by third-party vendors:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Facebook Ads by Supermetrics\u003C/li>\u003Cli>LinkedIn Ads by Supermetrics\u003C/li>\u003Cli>HubSpot by Funnel.io\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Shopify by Power My Analytics\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Twitter Ads by Windsor.ai\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Mailchimp by Porter Metrics\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Amazon Ads by Adverity\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Klaviyo by Coupler.io\u003C/li>\u003Cli>TikTok Ads by Improvado\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Salesforce by CData\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Why use them:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>These data connectors shine when you need to automate multi-channel reporting or pull in data from platforms that Looker Studio doesn’t support natively. Most of them offer:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>A wide range of integrations (social, CRM, eCommerce, etc.)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Built-in data transformation and field renaming\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Support for calculated metrics, blending, and filters\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Customer support and active documentation\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>They’re especially useful for agencies and performance marketers who report on multiple platforms regularly and can’t afford to spend hours managing spreadsheets or fixing broken DIY setups.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Who it’s best for:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Agencies creating client reports that combine Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and Google Ads in one dashboard\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Marketing managers syncing CRM data from HubSpot with campaign performance\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Analysts who want to blend revenue from Shopify with traffic from Google Analytics\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Things to watch out for:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Cost adds up fast—especially if you manage lots of accounts or need frequent refreshes\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Some data connectors (like \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/supermetrics\">Supermetrics\u003C/a>) require separate subscriptions per platform\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You still might run into API limits if the source platform enforces strict quotas\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Performance can vary depending on how well the connector is maintained and updated\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>If your business depends on multi-channel data, partner connectors can save you serious time and headaches. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>But they’re best used when you need scale, automation, and support – not just a one-off report.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>3. Community connectors: Best for custom, niche, or internal data sources\u003C/h3>\u003Cfigure class=\"media\">\u003Cdiv data-oembed-url=\"https://youtu.be/040sV2ZDQEI\">\u003Cdiv style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/040sV2ZDQEI\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>When no official connector exists – or when your data lives in a niche platform or internal system – community connectors step in.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>These connectors are built using \u003Ca href=\"https://developers.google.com/apps-script\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Apps Script\u003C/a> and can connect Looker Studio to virtually any internet-accessible data source, including custom APIs, internal databases, or public datasets. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Some are published in the \u003Ca href=\"https://developers.google.com/looker-studio/connector\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Looker Studio Community Connector Gallery\u003C/a>, while others are deployed privately within organizations.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Why use them:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Community connectors give you maximum flexibility. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can build your own connector from scratch or use one created by an independent developer. They’re ideal when:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>The platform you need isn’t supported by Google or partner connectors\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You need a very specific data structure or API call\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You want to build a connector for internal use or testing\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You want full control over the connector\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Once set up, they behave just like any other connector in Looker Studio – except you’re in control of the logic, fields, and update schedule.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Who it’s best for:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>In-house teams connecting to a custom CRM or proprietary database\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Analysts visualizing data from a public API (e.g., Kaggle, Census, or GKE Usage Metering)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Developers building and maintaining internal dashboards across departments\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Things to watch out for:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Technical setup required\u003C/strong>: You’ll need to write or manage Apps Script code and handle authentication manually\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Limited support\u003C/strong>: No official documentation or customer service unless the developer provides it\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Maintenance burden\u003C/strong>: If the API changes, you’ll need to update the connector yourself\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Not all connectors are reliable\u003C/strong>: Some community-built ones can break or become outdated quickly\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>For technical teams or companies with niche data needs, community connectors offer unmatched flexibility. But they do require more effort, and ideally someone on your team who’s comfortable working with code.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>With that being said, how do you choose the right type of connector you need? \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>How to choose the right Looker Studio connector\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>To make the right choice for you, consider these three key aspects of Looker Studio connectors:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>The type of platform you need to connect to \u003Ci>(Google vs. non-Google)\u003C/i>\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Team skill level \u003Ci>(data engineers vs. digital marketers)\u003C/i>\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Budget \u003Ci>(free vs. paid)\u003C/i>\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>Here’s a simple framework to help you decide:\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Step 1: Is your data in a Google product?\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>If you're using Google Ads, GA4, BigQuery, YouTube, or Search Console—go with a Google connector. It's free, fast, and requires almost no setup.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Step 2: Do you need to connect to a third-party platform?\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>If your data lives in Facebook Ads, HubSpot, LinkedIn, Shopify, or similar, you’ll need a partner connector like Supermetrics or Funnel.io. These cost money, but they’re reliable and save hours of manual work.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Step 3: Is your source unsupported or internal?\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>If your data is in a custom CRM, internal database, or public API – go with a community Looker Studio API connector. You can either build it yourself or use one shared by another developer.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Step 4: What’s your technical comfort level?\u003C/h3>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Non-technical teams\u003C/strong>: Stick with Google or partner connectors.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Developer resources available\u003C/strong>: Community connectors open up powerful custom options.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch3>Step 5: What’s your budget?\u003C/h3>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Free only?\u003C/strong> Google connectors and some community ones will do the job.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Willing to invest?\u003C/strong> Partner connectors bring speed, automation, and broader platform coverage.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Check out this breakdown of \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/google-data-studio-pricing\">Looker Studio pricing\u003C/a> to plan your budget wisely. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here’s a simple connector comparison table:\u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"table\">\u003Ctable>\u003Ctbody>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Feature\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Google connectors\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Partner connectors\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Community connectors\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Built by\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Google\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Third-party vendors (e.g., Supermetrics)\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Independent developers\u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Cost\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Free\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Paid (subscription or usage-based)\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Free or custom-built\u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Best for\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Google tools\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Non-Google platforms\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Niche, custom, or internal tools\u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Ease of setup\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Very easy\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Moderate\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Technical (requires scripting)\u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Maintenance & support\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Google-supported\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Vendor-supported\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">DIY or community-supported\u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Flexibility & customization\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Low to medium\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">Medium to high\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:1pt solid #000000;padding:5pt;vertical-align:top;\">High\u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003C/tbody>\u003C/table>\u003C/figure>\u003Ch2>How to connect data sources in Looker Studio? Step-by-step guides\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Once you know which connector you need, the next step is connecting data sources to Google Data Studio.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>While the overall workflow is similar for all connectors, the steps – and complexity – vary depending on the type you’re using.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>1. Setting up Google connectors\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Google connectors are the simplest to set up – especially if you’re already logged into the right Google account.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How to do it:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Open your Google Data Studio report (or create a new one).\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Click “Add data” > Browse the gallery > Select your Google data source (e.g., Google Ads, GA4).\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Authorize access using your Google account.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Select the account/property/table you want to connect.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Review the fields, configure any options, and click “Add to report”.\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>That’s it – you’re live.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Tips:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>For GA4 or BigQuery, you can customize your setup by selecting specific fields, applying filters, or writing queries.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>For ongoing access, ensure the connector uses an account with long-term permissions.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch3>2. Setting up partner connectors\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Partner connectors require a few more steps, but the process is still straightforward with a little prep.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How to do it:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Go to “Add data” > Search for the specific connector (e.g., \u003Ci>Facebook Ads by Supermetrics\u003C/i>).\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Click “Authorize”, and log in using the platform credentials (e.g., Facebook, HubSpot).\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Depending on the vendor, you may also need to enter an API key or link a subscription.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Choose the accounts/properties and configure your reporting fields.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Click “Add to report” to start using the data.\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Tips:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Most partner connectors offer filtering, transformation, and field renaming options—use them to clean your data before it hits your dashboard.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Watch for quota or subscription limits tied to your pricing tier.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch3>3. Setting up community connectors\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Community connectors are the most flexible – but they come with a technical setup curve.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>How to do it:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Click “Add data” > Search for a connector, or select “Community Connectors” in the gallery.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Enter the deployment ID if it’s a private connector.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Authorize access, and configure the connector settings—this could include:\u003Cul>\u003Cli>API key\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Endpoint URL\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Query parameters or headers\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Once set up, review field mappings and click “Add to report.”\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Tips:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>If you're building your own, use Google Apps Script and follow Google’s connector development guide.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Keep documentation and error-handling in your script to make troubleshooting easier.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Use this for custom internal systems, niche APIs, or public datasets.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>But are all of these connectors always smooth sailing? Or are there issues you need to be aware of? \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>5 key issues with Looker Studio connectors\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>I scoured Google’s official documentations, \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/looker-studio\">Looker Studio reviews\u003C/a> online, and talked to marketers who’ve previously used the tool. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here are the key issues you’ll likely encounter with connectors according to them. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>❌ Issue: Partner connectors break often \u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Google-native connectors that Looker Studio offer are stable and reliable enough, but third-party connectors built by vendors like Supermetrics or Funnel are notorious for breaking often – making the data on your reports inaccurate or late. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Tanja Keglić, Performance Marketing Manager at \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/case-studies/achtzehn-grad\">Achtzehn Grad agency\u003C/a>, experienced this firsthand when she used Supermetrics to pull in non-Google data into Looker Studio. She explained:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"1\"]\u003Cbr>Looker Studio is fine if you’re only using Google data, but it gets tricky when you need to connect to other channels. You have to pay extra for Supermetrics, and then there are all these connection issues.\u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Supermetrics connectors frequently broke, sources failed to load properly, and Tanja had to either waste time fixing them herself or contact Support for help.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"2\"]\u003Cbr>It’s such a pain to reconnect a lot of sources and accounts – and it takes so much time, which you don’t have when you want a quick report.\u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>✅ Solution: Switch to an all-in-one marketing intelligence platform\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This issue was solved when Tanja switched to Whatagraph – an all-in-one marketing intelligence platform. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Whatagraph comes with\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/integrations\"> 55+ native, stable connectors\u003C/a> for both Google and non-Google marketing platforms. This meant Tanja didn’t need to pay for or use third-party connectors and fix connection issues. She raved:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"3\"]\u003Cbr>We don’t have any connection issues on Whatagraph at all. We just connected the platforms once, and that was it.\u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Want to see if Whatagraph is the right fit for you? \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/book-a-call\">Talk to our team\u003C/a> and we’ll help you make a decision.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>❌ Issue: Connectivity and authorization errors\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Connection failures are a recurring pain point with Looker Studio connectors. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Users often run into errors like “Missing data source,” “Database connection error,” or “No data set access” due to expired authorizations, missing user permissions, or admin restrictions blocking connector use.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This means you lose access to critical data mid-report, forcing teams to scramble before client meetings.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>✅ Solution: Reauthorize and check permissions\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>According to\u003Ca href=\"https://cloud.google.com/looker/docs/studio/troubleshooting-guide\"> Google’s troubleshooting guide\u003C/a>, the fastest way to resolve these issues is to reauthorize the connector under \u003Cstrong>Resource > Manage added data sources > Edit > Authorize\u003C/strong>. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Make sure the connected account still has the right permissions, and check admin settings if access to connectors is restricted for your organization.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>❌ Issue: API quota and rate limit errors\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Many Looker Studio connectors depend on APIs with strict quotas, like Google Analytics 4’s hourly request limits. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you hit these quotas – especially when multiple team members pull data simultaneously – your dashboards stop refreshing, leaving reports outdated until the quotas reset.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This is particularly painful for agencies managing high-volume accounts or frequent automated reporting.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>✅ Solution: Optimize refresh scheduling and data usage\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Google recommends three solutions:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>reducing refresh frequency\u003C/li>\u003Cli>scheduling refreshes during off-peak hours\u003C/li>\u003Cli>and limiting the volume of data requested by refining filters or date ranges. \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>You can also monitor quota usage to avoid hitting limits repeatedly.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>❌ Issue: Data blending and join issues\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Blending data from multiple Looker studio data sources is one of the platform’s most powerful features, but it’s also prone to errors like “One or more join configurations is incomplete” or “Join key incomplete.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp>These issues often result in missing or mismatched data in your charts.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For agencies that rely on blended performance dashboards, these issues can create misleading insights if unnoticed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>✅ Solution: Verify join keys and blend logic\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Google recommends ensuring each data source used in a blend has valid join keys and checking that all join conditions are complete. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Avoid blending unnecessary fields and test blended charts incrementally to identify join configuration problems early.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Another solution (probably a better one) is to aggregate your data outside of Looker Studio – as suggested by \u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/analyticsnerd/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Himanshu Sharma\u003C/a>, Founder at OptimizeSmart, GA4 and GTM agency. He said:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>[quote color-variant=\"1\"]\u003Cbr>Looker Studio is not meant for data manipulation. It is neither a spreadsheet nor a data warehouse. When you manipulate data in Looker Studio, it slows down your report.\u003Cbr>[author][/author]\u003Cbr>[/quote]\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Instead, manipulate your data in Google Sheets, Google BigQuery, or even in Whatagraph – and then send it to Looker Studio for data visualization. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This eliminates the connector errors and speeds up your Looker Studio dashboard.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>❌ Issue: Extract data connector issues\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://cloud.google.com/looker/docs/studio/extract-data-for-faster-performance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Extract Data connector\u003C/a> helps improve Looker Studio’s performance by caching data, but it can sometimes fail to display data even when the source is correctly connected. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This leaves reports blank or outdated, negating the speed benefits the connector is meant to provide.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>✅ Solution: Reconfigure or rebuild extract data sources\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>If your Extract Data connector fails, Google advises reconfiguring the connector, ensuring all necessary fields are included, and rebuilding the extract if necessary. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Keeping your extracts lean – only pulling essential data – can also reduce the chance of failures.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For more solutions on how to fix connector issues and speed up your dashboard, check out this article on “\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-slow\">Why is Looker Studio slow?\u003C/a>”.\u003C/p>","2025-06-27T11:38:16.115Z","2025-06-27T12:03:06.023Z","2025-06-27T11:59:17.493Z",{"id":566,"name":567,"alternativeText":568,"caption":31,"width":427,"height":428,"formats":569,"hash":575,"ext":292,"mime":293,"size":576,"url":577,"previewUrl":31,"provider":296,"provider_metadata":31,"createdAt":578,"updatedAt":579},15019,"Looker Studio connectors.png","Looker Studio Connectors - Website interface with connectors, including Google Analytics, Shopify, and Facebook.",{"thumbnail":570},{"ext":292,"url":571,"hash":572,"mime":293,"name":573,"path":31,"size":574,"width":435,"height":436},"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/thumbnail_Looker_Studio_connectors_3b18542e22.png","thumbnail_Looker_Studio_connectors_3b18542e22","thumbnail_Looker Studio connectors.png",30.31,"Looker_Studio_connectors_3b18542e22",1524.5,"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_connectors_3b18542e22.png","2025-06-27T11:34:31.538Z","2025-06-27T11:34:39.708Z",{"id":460,"name":461,"about":462,"email":463,"createdAt":464,"updatedAt":465,"publishedAt":466,"slug":467,"linkedin_url":468},{"id":319,"title":443,"slug":444,"subheading":445,"createdAt":446,"updatedAt":447,"publishedAt":448},{"id":583,"dateReorder":557,"title":584,"slug":585,"summary":586,"body":587,"read_time":50,"createdAt":588,"updatedAt":589,"publishedAt":588,"errors":529,"table_of_contents":32,"cover_image":590,"author":605,"article_category":606},2220,"Looker Studio Pricing in 2025: What You’re Really Paying For","google-data-studio-pricing","\u003Cp>If you're evaluating Looker Studio, the biggest question you're probably asking is: How much is Looker Studio, really? \u003C/p>\u003Cp>The answer depends entirely on which version of Looker Studio you’re considering, whether you need data from non-Google platforms, or if you need extra features like Customer Support. \u003C/p>","\u003Cp>In this guide, we’ll break down the real cost of Looker Studio Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans, explain where hidden fees come from (like third-party connectors), and help you decide whether to upgrade or explore alternatives.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>What is the Looker Studio pricing in 2025?\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Looker Studio offers three different pricing tiers: \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Free\u003C/strong>\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Pro:\u003C/strong> $9/user/month\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Enterprise:\u003C/strong> $35,000–$60,000 per year for basic setups but can go up to $1M+ per year for large-scale use cases\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Let’s look into more details for each of them. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Looker Studio Free Version\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_free_version_1237f94848.png\" alt=\"\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Is Looker Studio free? Technically yes, and that’s a big part of its appeal. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>The free version of Looker Studio is widely used by solo marketers, small businesses, and early-stage startups because it gives you access to core data visualization tools at no cost.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>All you need is a Google account to start building reports using native Google data sources like Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, and BigQuery.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What’s included:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Unlimited \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-report-dashboard-examples\">dashboards and reports\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Access to Google-owned \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-connectors\">data connectors\u003C/a> (GA4, Ads, Sheets, etc.)\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Basic report editing and sharing\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Simple data blending and calculated fields\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For basic reporting, especially if you’re only using Google tools, the free version works well.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Limitations to watch out for:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌ No multi-user collaboration\u003C/strong>: Only one person can edit a report at a time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌ No advanced automation\u003C/strong>: No scheduled or triggered report deliveries.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌ No technical support\u003C/strong>: You’re on your own if something breaks.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌ No enhanced permissions or roles\u003C/strong>: You can’t control user access beyond basic sharing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>❌ No integration with third-party platforms\u003C/strong>: Want to pull in Facebook, LinkedIn, or HubSpot data? You’ll need a third-party connector, and those aren’t free.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The verdict:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>The Looker Studio free plan might be enough for individual users or internal reporting where non-Google data sources, advanced data blending, dedicated customer support, or full-service automation aren’t priorities. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>But if you’re an agency or large team managing both Google and non-Google sources, and you need accurate and holistic marketing reports, it’s not ideal. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Looker Studio Pro\u003C/h3>\u003Cfigure class=\"image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_pro_pricing_03d6bc3576.png\" alt=\"\">\u003C/figure>\u003Cp>Looker Studio Pro pricing starts at \u003Cstrong>$9 per user per month\u003C/strong>, but that number only tells part of the story. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>While the base price looks affordable on paper, the actual cost depends on how many users and projects you're working with, and whether you’re using third-party data sources.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Let’s break down what you actually get (and don’t get) with the Pro plan.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What’s included:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>At a glance, the Pro tier adds key features that teams and agencies care about:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Real-time team collaboration (multiple editors at once)\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Automated report delivery (schedule sends or use “Send Now”)\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Advanced role management (assign viewer/editor roles at scale)\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Enterprise-grade security (data encryption, enhanced access control)\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Performance boosts for complex dashboards\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Access to Google technical support\u003C/p>\u003Cp>These upgrades are essential for scaling teams that need to collaborate smoothly, automate client reporting, and manage permissions across multiple stakeholders.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What you still need to pay for:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here’s where it gets tricky: Looker Studio Pro cost doesn’t include everything.\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Third-party connectors aren’t included.\u003C/strong> You’ll still need tools like Supermetrics or \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/funnel-io\">Funnel.io\u003C/a> to bring in non-Google data – and those often run \u003Cstrong>$20 to $350 per month per connector\u003C/strong>.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>You’re billed per user, per Google Cloud project.\u003C/strong> This confuses a lot of users, especially when managing multiple clients. A team with 10 users working across 3 projects might end up with 30 billable seats – not 10.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>What starts as a manageable $9/user/month setup can turn into hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month when you account for users, connectors, and project sprawl.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For example, here’s how costs can add up over time:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Team growth\u003C/strong>: A 5-person team becomes 10, and your user fees double overnight.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Multiple clients or departments\u003C/strong>: If each account is structured as its own Google Cloud project, and each user touches multiple projects, you’re paying for the same user more than once.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>More data sources\u003C/strong>: Each new platform your clients use — from TikTok to Mailchimp — means another connector subscription, often billed per source.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Extra overhead\u003C/strong>: Admin time to manage licenses, manually blend data, or fix broken connectors also adds operational cost — even if it’s not on your invoice.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Okay, but what’s the difference between Looker Studio free vs. paid versions? Here’s a breakdown:\u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"table\">\u003Ctable>\u003Ctbody>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:6pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Feature\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:6pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Looker Studio (Free)\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:6pt;vertical-align:top;\">\u003Cstrong>Looker Studio Pro (Paid)\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Pricing\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Free\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">From $9/user/month (additional costs for third-party connectors) \u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Data Connectors\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">20 free connectors (mainly Google platforms); third-party connectors cost extra \u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Expanded connector options, but most third-party connectors still cost extra \u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Collaboration\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Single-user editing; basic sharing \u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Real-time multi-user editing, team workspaces, assign roles, org-wide content ownership\u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Report Delivery\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Manual sharing via links, Google Drive, PDF export \u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Automated/scheduled report delivery, embed reports in sites \u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Security\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Basic security \u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Enterprise-grade security, encryption, compliance features \u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Support\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Community forums \u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Priority/Google technical support, SLAs \u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Automation\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Manual data refresh \u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Scheduled/automated updates \u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Customization\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Full dashboard templates, white-labeling \u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Advanced team permissions, more granular access controls \u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Mobile Access\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">View reports in app \u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Enhanced mobile app integration, report editing on mobile \u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Performance\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">May struggle with large/complex datasets \u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Slight performance improvements, but not always significant \u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">\u003Cstrong>Ideal For\u003C/strong>\u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Individuals, freelancers, small businesses, simple reporting needs \u003C/td>\u003Ctd style=\"border:0.68181825pt solid #000000;padding:5pt 6pt;\">Agencies, enterprises, teams with complex needs, advanced security/collab\u003C/td>\u003C/tr>\u003C/tbody>\u003C/table>\u003C/figure>\u003Ch3>Looker (Enterprise)\u003C/h3>\u003Cfigure class=\"image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_enterprise_version_89c939a3b8.png\" alt=\"Looker Enterprise Version - Google Cloud interface with Looker features and product highlights\">\u003C/figure>\u003Cp>If you’re evaluating Looker Studio cost for a growing or enterprise-level organization, be aware: the enterprise version is a completely different product with a different pricing model and technical scope. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>It’s not just “Pro, but bigger” – it’s a full-stack BI platform that’s priced and built for companies with serious data infrastructure.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Unlike Looker Studio or Pro, the enterprise platform doesn’t have a flat monthly rate. Pricing is quote-based, complex, and varies significantly based on your team size, usage volume, and how many data sources or workflows you need.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here’s what companies typically pay:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>$35,000–$60,000 per year\u003C/strong> for basic setups (small teams, limited users)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>$50,000–$150,000+ per year\u003C/strong> for mid-sized companies with broader usage\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>$1M+ per year\u003C/strong> for large-scale enterprise deployments\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Costs can escalate quickly, especially with add-ons like user seats, APIs, embedded dashboards, and support contracts.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What’s included:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Full-featured BI suite with custom data modeling\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Native connections to BigQuery and other cloud warehouses\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Advanced access controls and user permissions\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ API access for embedded dashboards or applications\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Dedicated Google support and professional services\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Governance and compliance tools for large orgs\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This tier is aimed at data-mature companies that need complete control over their analytics stack — and have technical teams to manage it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Additional costs to consider:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Per-user pricing: dashboard viewers alone can cost \u003Cstrong>~$400/year\u003C/strong>\u003C/li>\u003Cli>API limits, with overage fees\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Implementation support and onboarding fees\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Annual renewal escalations (5–7% increases are common)\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Who this plan is for:\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Enterprises with internal data engineering and analytics teams\u003C/li>\u003Cli>SaaS platforms and tech companies needing embedded analytics\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Teams with the budget and bandwidth for deep customization\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>If you’re just looking for a scalable way to automate marketing reporting, this version is likely overkill. You’re not just paying more – you’re also signing up for complexity that many agencies and marketing teams don’t need.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>What are real users saying about Looker Studio pricing?\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>It’s great to understand the “official” pricing, but what are some nuances and pitfalls that you should be aware of before you commit to Looker Studio?\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For this, we scoured user reviews on G2, Capterra, and Reddit, and compiled the key sentiments here. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>✅ Great for basic use\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Users appreciate that for basic reporting, Looker Studio is entirely free and that they can get great functionality like interactive dashboards, drag-and-drop feature, and detailed graphs and charts. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>For example, Mara, Head of Marketing from the UK, says Google Data Studio is a “good product if you are looking for a free data visualization tool.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_pricing_review_Mara_b5d0e5b7d6.png\" alt=\"Looker Studio Pricing Review - A customer review of the product.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.capterra.com/p/169053/Looker/#Capterra___6793051\">\u003Ci>Source\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>❌ Extra third-party connectors cost build up\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">But Mara also mentioned that “extra connectors need to be paid” and honestly, it's a huge drawback of Looker Studio.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">Looker Studio is only free for Google-based channels, but if you need data outside of the Google ecosystem, you'll hit a brick (pay) wall, like this user – \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-me%C5%A1kutavi%C4%8Dius/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1155cc;\">\u003Cu>Tomas Meškutavičius\u003C/u>\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">, Co-Founder and CPO at Karšta.lt.\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">Tomas was happy with Looker Studio for visualizing their Google-data, but then quickly realized they needed to pay for Meta Business Marketing data. \u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_pricing_brickwall_f4661059c6.png\" alt=\"Looker Studio Pricing Brickwall - Social media post with user comments.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7343915075478433792?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A7343915075478433792%2C7343944918937042945%29&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3A%287343944918937042945%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7343915075478433792%29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1155cc;\">\u003Ci>\u003Cu>Source\u003C/u>\u003C/i>\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\">In such a case, you'll need to pay for third-party connectors like \u003C/span>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/reviews/supermetrics\">\u003Cspan style=\"color:#1155cc;\">\u003Cu>Supermetrics\u003C/u>\u003C/span>\u003C/a>\u003Cspan style=\"color:#000000;\"> or Adverity to get data from non-Google platforms like:\u003C/span>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Facebook Ads\u003C/li>\u003Cli>LinkedIn\u003C/li>\u003Cli>HubSpot\u003C/li>\u003Cli>TikTok Ads\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Shopify\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Mailchimp\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Most connectors are billed separately on a monthly basis, and pricing varies widely depending on the provider, number of sources, and data refresh frequency:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Entry-level plans\u003C/strong>: ~$20–$50/month per connector\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Mid-tier packages\u003C/strong>: ~$100–$200/month for multiple sources\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Enterprise-level plans\u003C/strong>: $350+/month, especially with real-time syncing or advanced features\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>For example, if you're running client campaigns across five platforms and need data updated daily, connector costs alone could add $300–$500 to your monthly bill – on top of Looker Studio Pro’s user fees.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>In fact, one agency told us they were spending \u003Cstrong>$100,000 per year\u003C/strong> on a Looker Studio + Adverity setup. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Only one department was actually using it – but because of connector licensing, reporting delays, and the lack of centralized client monitoring, they were stuck with a bloated stack that felt too big to replace, but too clunky to justify.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you’d like to dig deeper on how much a third-party connector can cost, you can check out this \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/supermetrics-pricing\">Supermetrics pricing\u003C/a> article.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>❌ Confusing pricing\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/googlecloud/comments/1jo48xf/looker_studio_pro_price_confusion/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">On Reddit\u003C/a> and across conversations we’ve had with Looker Studio users, the sentiment is that the Looker Studio pro pricing is extremely confusing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>The official docs say “per user per project per month,” but it’s often unclear how “project” is defined, leading to cautious adoption or unexpected charges.\u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"image\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_pro_pricing_confusion_5214903abd.png\" alt=\"Looker Studio Pro Pricing Confusion - A Reddit post discussing Looker Studio pricing.\">\u003C/figure>\u003Ch3>❌ Charges for inactive users\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Some teams also worry about being charged for\u003Cstrong> inactive users, \u003C/strong>since removing or managing seats isn’t as intuitive as it should be.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/Looker/comments/1ahc24e/comment/komtnbp/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This Redditor\u003C/a> warns that with Looker Studio, you’d need to pay for “every user regardless if they are active or if you even disable them.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_pricing_charges_for_inactive_users_1fe49e88d7.png\" alt=\"Looker Studio Pricing Charges For Inactive Users - A comment on Reddit discussing Looker pricing policy.\">\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>❌ Hidden costs \u003C/h3>\u003Cp>But apart from the actual Looker Studio pricing per month, you also need to be aware of the hidden costs and limitations that come with it:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-slow\">Looker Studio is incredibly slow\u003C/a> and be prepared to stare at the loading screen for up to 20 minutes.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Data blending is limited to 5 sources per blend.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>The interface looks like it’s from the 80s - you need a dedicated data scientist to build reports.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Third-party connectors break all the time - making your reports inaccurate.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>There aren’t any AI features that will make your life easier. \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>In fact, our CEO, Justas Malinauskas, wrote a post on\u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7343915075478433792-Jdn2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAB_2pacB6ApCphtgRXXVvJfGAji3nZdMx8g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> the hidden costs of Looker Studio on LinkedIn\u003C/a>:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/The_Hidden_Costs_of_Looker_Studio_bb20dc3901.png\" alt=\"Looker Studio - Iceberg diagram showing hidden costs of Looker Studio.\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>So what does this all mean? Here’s a handy checklist to help you decide which Looker Studio plan to choose (or if at all). \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>How to choose the right Looker Studio plan (or alternative)\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Not sure if you need the free version, Pro, or something else entirely? The right choice depends on your team size, reporting complexity, and the types of data sources you work with.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Here’s how to evaluate your options:\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Stick with Looker Studio Free if:\u003C/h3>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>You’re a solo marketer or analyst\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Your data lives entirely in Google tools (e.g., GA4, Google Ads, Sheets)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You don’t need automated reports or multi-user editing\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You’re okay working around limitations (no support, manual processes)\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>This version is perfect for basic internal dashboards or lightweight projects.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Upgrade to Looker Studio Pro if:\u003C/h3>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>You need collaboration (multiple team members editing reports)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You’re running client reports or managing multiple stakeholders\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You want automation — scheduled email reports, real-time updates\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You already use or are willing to pay for third-party connectors\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Just be ready to manage user licenses carefully and budget for connector costs.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Consider alternatives if:\u003C/h3>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>You report across multiple non-Google platforms (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Shopify)\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You need an all-in-one marketing reporting tool with built-in connectors and Customer support.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You want stunning, accurate, and easy-to-create reports.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>You don’t want to troubleshoot connector errors or get “shocker” invoices.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>One of the best \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/google-data-studio-alternatives\">Google Data Studio alternatives\u003C/a> is Whatagraph. Let’s see how the pricing compares. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>How Whatagraph pricing compares (and simplifies everything)\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Unlike Looker Studio, Whatagraph doesn’t claim to be free. \u003Cstrong>But our pricing is also straightforward, simple, and all-in-one. \u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>All our plans include:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ 55+ native integrations (not third-party connectors)\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Custom integrations via APIs, Google Sheets, and BigQuery\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Unlimited dashboards and reports\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Unlimited data blends, custom metrics, and dimensions \u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ AI features – AI performance summary writer, AI chatbot, AI report and widget generator\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Data transfer to BigQuery and Looker Studio\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Dedicated Customer Success Manager\u003C/p>\u003Cp>✅ Live chat support that replies within 4 minutes and resolves most issues with 4 hours\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Your CSM will help you with:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Migrating data from your current platform\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Connecting to channels and data sources\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Organizing your data\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Creating reports\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Anything else you need\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>There are no surprise add-ons, no third-party connectors required, and no juggling with different invoices.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Whether you’re reporting on 3 platforms or 30, your price stays the same. You don’t get punished for growing your client list or trying new ad platforms.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>That predictability makes it easier to budget, scale, and actually focus on delivering insights, not fighting with billing dashboards or broken connectors.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Want to learn more? \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/book-a-call\">Talk to our team\u003C/a> and we’ll answer all your questions.\u003C/p>","2022-07-20T15:19:55.000Z","2025-07-07T14:28:17.345Z",{"id":591,"name":592,"alternativeText":593,"caption":31,"width":427,"height":428,"formats":594,"hash":600,"ext":292,"mime":293,"size":601,"url":602,"previewUrl":31,"provider":296,"provider_metadata":31,"createdAt":603,"updatedAt":604},15011,"Looker Studio pricing.png","Looker Studio Pricing - Analytics dashboard with charts, filters, and user statistics on a blue interface.",{"thumbnail":595},{"ext":292,"url":596,"hash":597,"mime":293,"name":598,"path":31,"size":599,"width":435,"height":436},"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/thumbnail_Looker_Studio_pricing_5ba781f97f.png","thumbnail_Looker_Studio_pricing_5ba781f97f","thumbnail_Looker Studio pricing.png",26.92,"Looker_Studio_pricing_5ba781f97f",1570.96,"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Looker_Studio_pricing_5ba781f97f.png","2025-06-27T09:03:43.004Z","2025-06-27T09:03:51.418Z",{"id":460,"name":461,"about":462,"email":463,"createdAt":464,"updatedAt":465,"publishedAt":466,"slug":467,"linkedin_url":468},{"id":319,"title":443,"slug":444,"subheading":445,"createdAt":446,"updatedAt":447,"publishedAt":448},{"id":608,"dateReorder":609,"title":610,"slug":611,"summary":612,"body":613,"read_time":21,"createdAt":614,"updatedAt":615,"publishedAt":614,"errors":529,"table_of_contents":32,"cover_image":616,"author":634,"article_category":644},2219,"2025-01-02","Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) 2025 Full Review: Everything You Need to Know","google-data-studio-review","\u003Cp>Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) is a popular marketing reporting tool that many marketing agencies use. It's free and combines and visualizes data from all of Google's platforms. If you're considering using Looker Studio, this article is for you. It will answer all of your GDS questions and discuss the platform's strengths and weaknesses.\u003C/p>","\u003Cp>But first, let's go over some GDS basics.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>What is Looker Studio?\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>In a nutshell, Looker Studio is a free tool that assists marketing agencies by transforming data into simple, informative, and customizable reports they can send to clients.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Looker Studio is a cloud platform offered by Google, along with Google Analytics, Google ads, Excel, Google Sheets and BigQuery. It is a cloud-based data reporting BI tool that enables marketers to convert massive amounts of complex data from needed data sources and apps into visually customized \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-report-dashboard-examples\">reports and dashboards\u003C/a>.\u003Cbr>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Google_20_Data_20_Studio_20report_cb11d6fd21.png\" alt=\"Google Data Studio report\">\u003Cbr>\u003Ca href=\"https://datastudio.google.com/u/0/reporting/1im01Jl0AP0t3rZH87YU3sXwi2rXNo1oG/preview\">Source.\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>The Looker Studio business intelligence tool provides real-time dashboards with automated data updates and support for \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/data-blending-looker-studio\">data blending\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Note: In October 2022, Google rebranded this product and it is now called Looker Studio. Everything remains the same, for now. In the upcoming months, they plan to release Looker Studio Pro, a paid version of the app for enterprise customers.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>The Looker Studio Connectors - The Good and Bad\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Do you know the main reason why marketing agencies use Looker Studio? \u003Ca href=\"https://datastudio.google.com/data\">Their official website\u003C/a> states that they provide access to clients' data from 800+ data sets from more than 620 connectors. Keep in mind that around 600 of them are paid, and what's left - is free.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Looker Studio Connectors - The Good\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>One of the most significant advantages of \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-connectors\">Looker Studio connectors\u003C/a> is that they integrate seamlessly with other Google products. We read Looker Studio reviews on G2 and discovered that marketers who use this tool appreciate how fast, accurate, and simple reporting is with any Google data sources.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Google_20data_20sources_c8571f8e7e.png\" alt=\"Google data sources\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Second, because it runs off the cloud, it needs no maintenance hassles. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Lastly, as of 2022, it has more than 630 connectors built by Data Studio Partners. The majority of those connections are content, marketing, and media related. Some of those many data sources are SEMRush, Supermetrics, Shopify, Facebook ads, etc. This feature helps digital marketing agencies easily leverage and oversee multiple platforms' performance and ad campaigns. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Data_20_Studio_20_Partners_65343cb451.png\" alt=\"Data Studio Partners\">\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Looker Studio Connector - The Bad\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>First, you need to be connected to the internet just to work in Looker Studio. You must be online to create a report, and there is no option to work offline.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Google_20_Data_20_Studio_20_Connector_bbc94ec2c4.png\" alt=\"Google Data Studio Connector\">\u003Cbr>Furthermore, you must pay for most connectors, which can be expensive. For example, although Google My Business is a Google product, it is not natively available to Looker Studio. You'd have to \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/integrations/google-my-business\">pay for a connector to get data from GMB\u003C/a> or other cloud-based data sources like HubSpot. This feature may not be an option for a busy marketing agency because it would necessitate additional resources - money and time.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Some examples of the paid connectors pricing:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Supermetrics for Data Studio start at $39 per month;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Porter would charge you $15 per month;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Reporting Ninja would cost you $20 per month.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/paid_20connectors_20pricing_575f392978.png\" alt=\"paid connectors pricing\">Finally, Looker Studio does not integrate well with third-party platforms. We found numerous complaints about loading issues when pulling data from multiple platforms or from non-Google tools. Some Looker Studio users experience significant lag, errors, and bugs. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This may not be ideal when creating a report quickly, nor would it be preferable when creating a cross-channel report.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Google_20_Data_20_Studio_20_Connector_20_Limitations_03a48e1fb6.png\" alt=\"Google Data Studio Connector Limitations\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>While Looker Studio has a lot of connectors, the quality isn't great and can be expensive if many paid connectors are used (for example, AgencyaAnalytics costs $15 per month; Zapier costs around $20 per month and HubSpot $41 per month).\u003C/p>\u003Cp>These extra investments should be considered if a client-agency relationship is one of the priorities. Client reporting may require different connectors depending on their specific requirements. If you don't want to pay for certain connectors, or if it takes ages to pull data from them, you might lose credibility with your clients.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Google_20_Search_20_Console_f89608c63e.png\" alt=\"Google Search Console\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>While Data Studio is undeniably powerful regarding the Google Suite, it falls behind with \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/google-data-studio-alternatives\">third-party tools\u003C/a>. And let's face it, your agency probably uses more than Google Analytics and Google Search Console for your client work.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>On the other hand, \u003Cstrong>Whatagraph supports 40+ marketing integrations and data sources\u003C/strong>. There are no lagging issues, and all 40+ integrations are included in all plans. Sure, Whatagraph is a paid tool, but you know that you get 40+ sources with one subscription, which is effectively cheaper than Looker Studio, which \u003Ci>claims\u003C/i> to be free.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Looker Studio Visualization\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Now let's talk about one of the main reasons why marketing agencies use reporting tools - data visualization. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>When it comes to Looker Studio's visualization, there are a few things to know:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>   1. You can only add 20 conditional formatting rules to a chart. \u003C/strong>'This may sound like a lot, but considering that you can only apply your conditional formatting to one metric at a time, I have hit the limit several times and had to rework my original vision for a chart design'.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>   2. You can only have 50 charts or boxes on a single page. \u003C/strong>This means you can't use more widgets if you have already applied too many elements to a report.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>   3. It is easy to create a report but tricky to understand. \u003C/strong>Sometimes it takes time for a customer to understand what the report is telling and your progress.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ci>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Google_20_Data_20_Studio_20_Visualization_3ebc399e63.png\" alt=\"Google Data Studio Visualization\">\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ci>The screenshot was taken from \u003C/i>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.optimizesmart.com/google-data-studio-report-tutorial/\">\u003Ci>here\u003C/i>\u003C/a>\u003Ci>.\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>   4. Depending on the visualization you need, you may find creating a report easy or challenging. \u003C/strong>It all comes down to one thing - whether you need an advanced or a simple report. According to the reviews, developing a report with simple graphics is pretty easy. However, when it comes to advanced visualizations - it gets tricky. Moreover, when using those advanced visualizations, reports seem to have loading speed issues. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>See the review below:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/advanced_20visualization_716181e4f4.png\" alt=\"GDS advanced visualization\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>   5. 'There is a limit on the number of data points you can have on one Looker Studio dashboard or report. \u003C/strong>So if you report on many numbers, you quickly run out of the opportunity to present more data in a graph. Some comparison periods take time to get used to but are very flexible'. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This means that an agency would have difficulty properly and efficiently monitoring, tracking and measuring their performance. More importantly, because the number of data points is limited, client reporting can become even more challenging.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Google_20_Data_20_Studio_20dashboard_20or_20report_3d2ee9aade.png\" alt=\"Google Data Studio dashboard or report\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>   6. Lastly, you can use 12 widgets per dashboard in a report. \u003C/strong>This can be too little if you want to create a cross-channel report for your clients.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>On the positive side, Looker Studio allows you to customize things like logos, icons and notes. The notes widget on GDS is especially useful when explaining graphs and numbers to a client. They also have a few fonts available, but that's about it. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/GDS_20report_20sample_985671be99.png\" alt=\"GDS Google Discovery Performance Insights\">\u003Ca href=\"https://datastudio.google.com/u/0/reporting/81ddda85-ced6-4465-8c3d-00b5115833b8/page/AceZB/preview\">Source.\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>But what if you want fully customizable data visualizations?\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Whatagraph\u003C/strong> is a popular \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/alternatives/google-data-studio\">Looker Studio alternative\u003C/a> that provides automated, visually-engaging KPI reports for all your digital marketing channels. Unlike Data Studio, \u003Cstrong>Whatagraph pushes the limits of report customization. \u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>We give you full control of how your reports should look, from branded colours to custom report domains, individual templates, custom date ranges, comment boxes, widgets, and more. Connect all your social media, PPC, and email marketing channels and easily build dedicated or cross-channel reports your clients will actually read.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/GDS_20alternative_04744ba614.jpeg\" alt=\"GDS alternative Whatagraph\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>We almost forgot to mention! Not only can you customize everything, but you can also create new report elements within Whatagraph. Need new widgets and templates? No problem. In a couple of steps, create custom elements and use them in the future for other reports or dashboards.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Looker Studio Reports & Dashboards\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Looker Studio is a powerful reporting solution. No one can deny that. However, there are a couple of things to consider (that other GDS users complain about) when creating reports with GDS. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>We've noticed a trend in G2 reviews: people experience \u003Cstrong>long rendering and pulling data times. \u003C/strong>This especially can happen if 2-3 people are working on the same report. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/GDS_20users_20complaints_efdf594ded.png\" alt=\"GDS users complaints\">Second, when starting to create Looker Studio reports, \u003Cstrong>first-time users find it overwhelming and complex to use\u003C/strong>. It takes a long time to understand how Looker Studio works, some people need to watch multiple tutorial videos and some feel like they are 'scratching the surface of everything this tool can do'. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This powerful tool requires a bit of data analytics knowledge, without a doubt. However, it is doable and spending weeks learning how to 'properly' use the tool is worth it for some. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>On the other hand, if one person in the marketing team wants to get comfortable and familiar with Looker Studio, it can get difficult to train them. And unfortunately, there is no beginner's guide available for these cases. \u003Cimg class=\"image_resized\" style=\"width:686px;\" src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Google_20_Data_20_Studio_20reports_a5314dc16b.png\" alt=\"Google Data Studio reports\">\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>How Whatagraph is different\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>For beginners, we provide customer onboarding and support for at least half an hour. We walk you through the whole process of creating a report and adding accounts and platforms. AND we give you the best practices of how you should approach reporting in general!\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Whatagraph also provides another solution - a help centre. It has walkthroughs, use cases, tips & tricks, and everything you may need to start reporting. BUT, we notice that people aren't usually using them because of how easy and simple it is to create a dashboard or a report with us. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>We've got a huge \u003Ca href=\"/templates\">pre-made templates gallery\u003C/a> to help you start and give you inspiration on how your report could look like. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>The user-friendly interface directly pulls data from the most popular and commonly used data sources without errors. We've even got a 1-minute Smart Builder feature - a 2-step process where we've taken the most popular marketing channels and the most sought-after metrics. All you have to do is pick and choose which ones you need, and you'll get your report generated FOR YOU.  \u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Whatagraph_20_Smart_20_Builder_20feature_c1739ae39a.png\" alt=\"Whatagraph Smart Builder feature\">\u003Cbr>One of the weakest aspects of Looker Studio is the fact that they do not provide its users with an efficient way to share reports and dashboards.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Looker Studio users can't:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Export reports to PDFs to email their clients;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Generate a report URL;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Send frequent automated report emails;\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>On the other hand, Looker Studio users can:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>View reports online;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Share a report with only other Looker Studio users (you can only set permissions in the same way you would with a Google Doc, so it's far from ideal);\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Get a paid enterprise subscription to share reports in the cloud.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>Agency reporting is a multifaceted task. You need client reports to keep them informed and in-house reports to track your performance. \u003Cstrong>Whatagraph offers flexible report automation\u003C/strong> with downloadable PDFs, live and embeddable links, report scheduling, and more.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Looker Studio Support and Onboarding\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Because Looker Studio is free, you literally cannot expect any \u003Ca href=\"/blog/articles/google-data-studio-support\">customer support\u003C/a> or onboarding. If you have an issue, an error, or want to ask questions, you'd first be guided to FAQs, then various guides and videos, and, lastly, to a Help Community. They do provide a support email. However, it's been noticed in the G2 and Capterra reviews that they take ages to reply.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/Google_20_Data_20_Studio_20_Support_20and_20_Onboarding_c324127969.png\" alt=\"Google Data Studio Support and Onboarding\">Whatagraph, on the other hand, provides 24/5 customer support. Whenever you create a report, you'll get a live Chat support pop-up on the right-hand side where you can report an issue or contact one of our team members. To make solving bugs and answering questions even more efficient, we dedicate account managers to each customer to troubleshoot and advise on demand.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Looker Studio Pricing\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Usually, data reporting tools are expensive. However, Looker Studio is completely free. Of course, the only thing marketing agencies need to purchase is data storage, paid connectors, and data processing. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Another thing to mention is that the above-mentioned connector prices add up. And because marketing agencies usually use a couple of them to develop a proper comprehensive report, using GDS to create a report ends up being - not at all free. So, add up the costs of data storage, paid connectors, and data processing, and you get a pretty expensive reporting tool. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Alternatively, you'd want a reporting tool that easily pulls, gathers and aggregates data.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For example, Whatagraph does exactly that. All packages allow you to connect to any 45+ platforms Whatagraph integrates with and create an unlimited number of reports. All pricing options are customizable and flexible to accommodate marketing agencies of different sizes and needs. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Current tiers consist of the Essential, Advanced, and Custom plans, based on the amount of “source credits” and access to customization and data organization capabilities. You can use “source credits” to connect data sources, send data from a source to a warehouse, and blend cross-channel data together.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you need more information about pricing, we have an entire article dedicated to \u003Ca href=\"/blog/articles/google-data-studio-pricing\">Looker Studio pricing\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Looker Studio Limitations\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Long story short, these are the limitations of the Looker Studio:\u003C/p>\u003Col>\u003Cli>No API for automation;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Lack of real-time updates;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Limits to the number of charts ;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Lack of white-label options;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>No support;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-slow\">Slow speed when using live connection\u003C/a>.\u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>If you want to learn more about these, we have an entire article on GDS limitations. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Looker Studio Pros and Cons\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/GDS_Table_20_1_fca84d073c.png\" alt=\"GDS cons and pros\">\u003C/p>\u003Ch2>A More Powerful Looker Studio Alternative - Whatagraph\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>So much more than Looker Studio - Whatagraph. \u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you want to save time, scale reporting for your clients and clearly set, easily trackable KPIs without grey areas, then we might be your solution. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you constantly want to have a right hand, assisting you at any time of the day; If you want to create a report in less than 5 minutes; If you want to automate your reports - then we are definitely a solution for you.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>We are proudly a cross-channel marketing reporting, monitoring and data visualization tool. Or in other words, a tool that connects different data sources and marketing tools into one place and makes a good-looking report. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Yes, you'd need to do a little investment and get a plan, but what you'll get is invaluable:\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Time gains:\u003C/strong> dedicate less time to data analysis and more time to revenue-generating activities;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Allows you to quickly create a report \u003C/strong>because of a fast learning curve (for example, to prepare for a meeting with a client) = saves time, and reduces stress;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Customers can sell \"their\" branded reports and look professional. \u003C/strong>Customers are pleased because they receive well-readable reports in their mailbox;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Customers can view what is happening across all of their channels\u003C/strong> in one place;\u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Excellent ROI \u003C/strong>- Saves time and money on labour. - Automation - ease of use - more visualization than theory, bespoke tool - excellent customer and personalized service.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch2>Bottom Line\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>While Looker Studio is popular too, it has many drawbacks, one of the major ones - it claims to be free while, as proven above, it isn't. We want to offer you a monthly subscription plan to meet all your marketing agency's needs. From highly rated 24/5 support to a user-friendly interface, and from report delivery automation to customer-based platform updates. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://live.whatagraph.com/auth/register\">Sign up and start reporting for free for 7 days!\u003C/a> It's time to devote your time to the tasks that truly matter, and let us handle your marketing analytics.\u003C/p>","2022-07-20T13:55:04.000Z","2025-07-07T14:32:46.843Z",{"id":617,"name":618,"alternativeText":619,"caption":31,"width":620,"height":621,"formats":622,"hash":629,"ext":292,"mime":293,"size":630,"url":631,"previewUrl":31,"provider":296,"provider_metadata":31,"createdAt":632,"updatedAt":633},10026,"lookerstudio-review.png","Looker Studio Full Review: Everything You Need to Know",1880,1058,{"thumbnail":623},{"ext":292,"url":624,"hash":625,"mime":293,"name":626,"path":627,"size":628,"width":435,"height":436},"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/thumbnail_lookerstudio_review_7e03f0d134.png","thumbnail_lookerstudio_review_7e03f0d134","thumbnail_lookerstudio-review.png","strapi_blog_files",12.17,"lookerstudio_review_7e03f0d134",75.2,"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/strapi_blog_files/lookerstudio_review_7e03f0d134.png","2023-02-14T17:33:22.418Z","2024-03-14T09:23:58.019Z",{"id":635,"name":636,"about":637,"email":638,"createdAt":639,"updatedAt":640,"publishedAt":641,"slug":642,"linkedin_url":643},127,"Dominyka Vaičiūnaitė","Dominyka is a copywriter at Whatagraph with a background in product marketing and customer success. Her degree in Mass Communications/Media Studies helps her to use simple words to explain complex ideas. In addition to adding value to our landing pages, you can find her name behind numerous product releases, in-app notifications, and guides in our help center. ","dominyka.v@whatagraph.com","2023-01-20T11:02:43.938Z","2023-08-22T15:46:29.592Z","2023-01-20T11:02:43.934Z","dominyka-vaiciunaite","https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominyka-vaiciunaite/",{"id":319,"title":443,"slug":444,"subheading":445,"createdAt":446,"updatedAt":447,"publishedAt":448},{"id":646,"dateReorder":647,"title":648,"slug":649,"summary":650,"body":651,"read_time":21,"createdAt":652,"updatedAt":653,"publishedAt":654,"errors":31,"table_of_contents":32,"cover_image":655,"author":671,"article_category":681},2315,"2024-07-09","How to Know That You’ve Outgrown Looker Studio as a Marketing Agency","how-to-know-you-have-outgrown-looker-studio","\u003Cp>Manual reporting, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint slides are behind you. You’ve grown as a marketing agency. Looker Studio (former Google Data Studio) is your reporting tool of choice. It works fine with Google data sources, and you can always purchase third-party connectors for any scattered data. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>But over the years of use, you’ve also learned its shortcomings. \u003C/p>","\u003Cp>No software is perfect, as there are always features that could be improved. But if a tool is preventing you from scaling your process or keeps your team spending extra hours every week preparing reports, maybe it’s time for a change. \u003Cbr> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>We’ve rounded up five main scenarios that indicate you may have outgrown Looker Studio as a reporting tool in your agency. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>5 signs that you’ve outgrown Looker Studio\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>The “Looker Studio + \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/data-integration-platform\">data integration tool\u003C/a>” combo is a popular reporting solution for many marketing agencies. However, this setup falls short in many critical aspects, from a lagging interface to providing only surface-level analysis. In this guide, we explore the dark side of Looker Studio, which prevents marketing agencies from streamlining their data management and reporting. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>1. Dashboards take several minutes to load… or crash\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Looker Studio dashboards can load slowly for various reasons, which we will list here. However, any of these reasons may ultimately cause bad UX and frustration on the client side. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Users on G2 and other review sites regularly cite data caching issues, where data gets refreshed every 15 minutes. If there’s a problem with a data connection for a specific chart or table, there’s no way to purge the cache manually, but you have to wait for it to re-fetch the data itself.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Large data volumes\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Dashboards with large datasets can slow down loading times because Looker Studio must process and render significant amounts of data. The high number of rows and columns in your data sources can also impact performance. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>The number of visualizations\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Looker Studio dashboard with many charts, tables, and other visual elements can take longer to render. Interactive components like filters, controls, and dynamic elements can also slow the report's rendering. Another common cache-related issue is that Looker Studio dashboards get slower the longer you work with them or simply crash.   \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Connector performance\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>The connection speed to your data sources affects how quickly data can be retrieved. The performance of underlying databases or APIs can influence how fast queries are executed, and data is fetched. In other words, the dashboard loading speed depends on the processing speed of third-party connectors that you use to integrate data sources outside the Google platform.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Complex calculations\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Multiple joins between data sources can increase the loading time for dashboards. Looker Studio is known to slow down even if you use just two data sources to create a blend. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In Whatagraph, on the other hand, you can have a dashboard with 10 sources and 100 widgets running simultaneously and never skip a beat. Another thing that slows down Looker Studio's performance is using many calculated fields, complex formulas, or custom queries. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>2. You run into data limits\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>In addition to slow performance, partly caused by the amount of data your dashboards must process, Looker Studio also has several data limitations that may pass unnoticed until you need to connect and report on client data from a large number of sources. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Data volume and complexity limits\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Looker Studio may struggle with large datasets, preventing you from performing comprehensive analyses. For example, you can only have up to 5 sources in a data blend. You can’t save and reuse custom metrics in two different widgets unless you re-create them from scratch. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Many other data actions are limited to the widget level, and there is no way to scale them. Limitations like these can prevent agencies from fully exploiting big data for insights. On the other hand, limits on the complexity of queries restrict the ability to perform detailed data analyses, such as advanced segmentation or predictive modeling. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Connector limits\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Looker Studio natively integrates with many data sources from the Google Marketing Platform. However, it may not support all data sources that your clients use. To avoid incomplete data views, you need to purchase third-party connectors for those platforms. The tool’s inability to integrate scattered data sources seamlessly can cause fragmented insights, reducing the effectiveness of your multi-channel marketing strategies. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Performance issues with large data sets\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>As already illustrated, as the data volume increases, performance may degrade, leading to slow dashboard loading times. Working with large or complex data sets can cause the system to crash, disrupting the workflow and delaying reporting. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Customization and advanced feature limits\u003C/strong>: Looker Studio may not offer advanced customization options that help you meet specific client requirements. This can further limit your ability to tailor reports and dashboards to the client's needs. A lack of support for advanced analytics features can limit your team's ability to provide deep insights.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Marketing agencies that use Whatagraph as their \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/\">performance monitoring and reporting platform\u003C/a> never experience data limitations like those described above. Users can blend as many data sources as needed, and there’s no need to purchase additional connectors, as Whatagraph has direct integrations with 50+ popular marketing platforms.  \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>3. You need more advanced visualizations\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Looker Studio visualizations are limited in multiple ways compared to those of dedicated marketing reporting solutions. These limitations can affect the quality of data analysis, client satisfaction, and the overall efficiency of marketing operations. Here are some specific ways in which limited visualizations can impact marketing agencies:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Limited data representation\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>The limited choice of visualization types can make it difficult to represent complex data relationships and trends effectively. This can lead to oversimplified insights and potentially overlook important patterns.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Less impressive reports\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Outdated, Google Sheets-style visualizations also produce less visually appealing reports. This impacts the agency’s ability to impress clients and effectively demonstrate the value of its services. Clients may have specific requirements or branding guidelines that Looker Studio reports may not deliver. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Operational efficiency\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Marketing agencies might need to apply manual workarounds, such as exporting data to other tools for more advanced visualization. Frequent switching between Looker Studio and other BI tools to compensate for visualization limitations leads to increased workload, operational complexity, and costs.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>While Looker Studio users need to create every visualization widget from scratch, Whatagraph has pre-made visualization blocks that you can drag and drop into your dashboard out of the box. Edit them, save them, and reuse them as your custom visualization for every new report you create. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>When it comes to making group changes, Whatagraph allows you to link even hundreds of reports to a master template and edit them simultaneously, while in Looker Studio, you must change every report individually. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>4. You don’t have time to debug issues yourself\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Looker Studio doesn’t provide customer support, so users are expected to onboard themselves and discover how to use all the features, connectors, and design elements.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>On paper, there is an email address that you can use to reach out not to support but to developers and ask them to help you with your issues. However, based on our own experience and judging from users at G2 reviews, it's not the most responsive support channel. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Another option is to try and find the fix online or browse through the Looker Studio Support Community forum, but even there, there are many more questions than answers.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This lack of live or at least responsive customer support in Looker Studio can significantly impact marketing agencies that rely on it for reporting. Here are the specific ways this shortcoming affects agencies:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Longer downtimes\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>If you experience a technical issue, the lack of live support can lead to prolonged downtime, disrupting and delaying the reporting process. As a result, client relationships and satisfaction can suffer. Trying to find a solution via email support or community forums can take days in a row, which causes missed deadlines and frustration among team members.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Strained internal resources\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>To solve problems fast, an agency may need to allocate internal resources such as IT or analytics staff to troubleshoot issues. This diverts valuable time and resources away from other important tasks and reduces overall productivity. Alternatively, agencies may need to invest more in training non-technical staff to handle technical issues independently, which also demands time and financial resources and adds to the operational costs. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Communication breakdowns\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>An agency’s inability to address client concerns and questions about reports can damage its credibility. Clients may become disillusioned with the service, which could lead to churn and negative reviews. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Whatagraph, on the other hand, offers live chat support round the clock on workdays to promptly resolve any user question about the platform and remove blockers to smooth and seamless data collecting and reporting. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>5. You start to question cost vs. value\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Finally, you’ve started to evaluate the financial investment in Looker Studio against the tangible and intangible benefits it provides:\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Cost considerations\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>As you know, Looker Studio is free to use, but only if you use data from Google platforms. Depending on the tier and connectors you need, the subscription fee can be a major expense for the agency. Agencies, however, need to balance the budget allocation between Looker Studio and other essential tools and services.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Learning curve and usability\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>A steep learning curve can delay the effective use of Looker Studio, reducing its immediate value. Costs associated with training new team members and ongoing support can add to the total cost of ownership. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>User role limitations\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Limited user roles and permissions can complicate collaboration, reducing team efficiency and the ability to manage projects effectively. Agencies may need to use additional collaboration tools to compensate for these limitations, increasing costs. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Impact of Looker Studio limitations on marketing agency operations\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Slow performance, data limitations, inadequate visualizations, and the lack of proper customer support in Looker Studio can negatively impact marketing agencies. Here are some specific ways these shortcomings can affect operations and the overall effectiveness of your marketing agency. \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Manual workarounds\u003C/strong>: Your team may need manual processes or additional tools to overcome Looker Studio data limitations, reducing overall efficiency. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Incomplete reporting\u003C/strong>: The inability to integrate all necessary data sources without unreliable third-party connectors can lead to incomplete reports and possible client dissatisfaction. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Growth challenges\u003C/strong>: As your agency grows and takes on more clients, Looker Studio's limitations can become more evident, blocking you from scaling efficiently. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Service expansion\u003C/strong>: Limitations in advanced analytics and customization can even prevent you from expanding service offerings to meet evolving client needs. \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Ci>“I highly recommend agencies to adapt every single day by continuously learning about new marketing technologies and strategies - clients value agencies that evolve with the landscape.”\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp style=\"text-align:right;\">\u003Cstrong>Dylan Hey - CEO @\u003C/strong>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.heydigital.co/\">\u003Cstrong> Hey Digital\u003C/strong>\u003C/a>\u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Reduced competitive edge\u003C/strong>: Your agency may fall behind competitors who use more advanced reporting platforms that offer more scalability and better data performance. Performance issues can undermine innovation by limiting your agency’s ability to experiment and apply new data-driven strategies quickly. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Missed opportunities\u003C/strong>: The inability to perform advanced data manipulation or real-time analysis can end in missed campaign optimization and improvement opportunities. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Client dissatisfaction\u003C/strong>: Your clients rely on timely insights to make informed decisions. Slow dashboards can cause delays, leading to client frustration. Persistent performance issues can create a perception of inefficiency, where deficiencies of your reporting tool are translated to your agency’s work and potentially damage your reputation. \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch2>What can you do to mitigate Looker Studio limits?\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Optimize data queries and use data extracts where possible\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This may work if you have a dedicated data person on the team. Or can afford to hire an outside data specialist to optimize your datasets regularly. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Simplify dashboards\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This is an often-cited remedy. However, a growing marketing agency needs more, not less, data-driven insights, so limiting the number of visualizations and calculations or using simpler data representations is probably not an option. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Consider alternatives\u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>At the point when you realize you’ve outgrown Looker Studio as a reporting solution in your agency, the best course of action is to look for a replacement — a fast \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/marketing-agencies\">marketing agency reporting platform\u003C/a> that allows you to connect and organize data without limitations, has stunning visualizations and responsive live support, and can scale with your agency. \u003C/p>","2024-07-08T23:34:54.764Z","2025-04-10T10:38:07.719Z","2024-07-08T23:35:04.427Z",{"id":656,"name":657,"alternativeText":658,"caption":31,"width":659,"height":660,"formats":661,"hash":667,"ext":292,"mime":293,"size":668,"url":669,"previewUrl":31,"provider":296,"provider_metadata":31,"createdAt":670,"updatedAt":670},12687,"How_to_know_you_ve_outgrown_Looker.png","How to Know That You’ve Outgrown Looker Studio",2381,1339,{"thumbnail":662},{"ext":292,"url":663,"hash":664,"mime":293,"name":665,"path":31,"size":666,"width":435,"height":436},"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/thumbnail_How_to_know_you_ve_outgrown_Looker_842b61b9ca.png","thumbnail_How_to_know_you_ve_outgrown_Looker_842b61b9ca","thumbnail_How_to_know_you_ve_outgrown_Looker.png",33.83,"How_to_know_you_ve_outgrown_Looker_842b61b9ca",340.54,"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/How_to_know_you_ve_outgrown_Looker_842b61b9ca.png","2024-07-08T23:26:34.198Z",{"id":672,"name":673,"about":674,"email":675,"createdAt":676,"updatedAt":677,"publishedAt":678,"slug":679,"linkedin_url":680},131,"Nikola Gemes","Nikola is a content marketer at Whatagraph with extensive writing experience in SaaS and tech niches. With a background in content management apps and composable architectures, it's his job to educate readers about the latest developments in the world of marketing data, data warehousing, headless architectures, and federated content platforms.","nikola.g@whatagraph.com","2023-01-20T11:02:48.617Z","2023-08-22T15:37:25.199Z","2023-01-20T11:02:48.616Z","nikola-gemes","https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikola-gemeš-6175ba157/",{"id":42,"title":682,"slug":683,"subheading":684,"createdAt":685,"updatedAt":686,"publishedAt":687},"Agency guides","agency-guides","Industry expert insights from successful marketing agencies","2024-05-23T16:29:03.188Z","2025-06-04T14:37:19.267Z","2024-05-23T16:29:05.695Z",{"id":689,"dateReorder":690,"title":691,"slug":692,"summary":693,"body":694,"read_time":50,"createdAt":695,"updatedAt":696,"publishedAt":697,"errors":31,"table_of_contents":32,"cover_image":698,"author":713,"article_category":714},2307,"2024-03-06","How to Blend Data in Looker Studio [+ a Faster Way]","data-blending-looker-studio","\u003Cp>Data blending is a great way to combine data from multiple sources and gain more insights into your audience, campaigns, and overall marketing performance. In Looker Studio, however, this feature has limitations that could slow down your reporting and affect the accuracy of your data. \u003C/p>","\u003Cp>With data blending in Looker Studio, you can create charts, tables, and rules that combine data from several data sources. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>For example, you can blend customer information and order details and visualize the information in a one Looker Studio table. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can present combined data from your Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts in a single chart to see the unified performance of your marketing campaign.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can also blend data from different BigQuery tables.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>But before we go in more depth, let's quickly explain the difference between a blend and a data source. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>\u003Cstrong>Blends vs. Data Sources\u003C/strong>\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Blending data creates a resource known as a blend. Blends are similar to data sources because they also provide data for charts and tables, but they differ from data sources in several ways: \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Blends contain information from multiple data sources.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Blends in Looker Studio are always embedded into the report in which they're created. You can’t reuse a blend across reports. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Metrics in the underlying data source become unaggregated numeric dimensions. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Blends don’t have data freshness and credential settings of their own. These come from the underlying data sources. \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Ch2>How to Blend Data in Looker Studio?\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>We’ll start by creating a report in which we will connect Google Analytics 4 and YouTube to present data from both platforms in one place. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Then, we’re going to blend data from two different sources in a single chart.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmangold/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Benjamin Mangold\u003C/a>, Co-Founder of \u003Ca href=\"https://www.lovesdata.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Loves Data\u003C/a>, explains the process in his video:\u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"media\">\u003Cdiv data-oembed-url=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQfUwClQBPk\">\u003Cdiv style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/qQfUwClQBPk\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Let’s start by creating a report in Looker Studio. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Step 1: Create a report \u003C/h3>\u003Col style=\"list-style-type:decimal;\">\u003Cli>Open Looker Studio and click \u003Cstrong>Create\u003C/strong> > \u003Cstrong>Report\u003C/strong>.  \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Select Google Analytics 4 as a data source. Choose the account and property you want to connect. Click \u003Cstrong>Add\u003C/strong> > \u003Cstrong>Add to Report\u003C/strong>.\u003C/li>\u003Cli>To keep things simple, we’ll replace the default table widget with a scorecard. Click on the table and click on the scorecard type in the sidebar. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Change the scorecard metric to “Total users”. Now this scorecard shows us the total number of users on the website. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>To also include data from YouTube, we need to add another data source. Click \u003Cstrong>Add data\u003C/strong> button at the bottom of the interface. Select the YouTube account you want to connect and repeat the \u003Cstrong>Add\u003C/strong> > \u003Cstrong>Add to Report\u003C/strong> steps. We can now use this new data source in our dashboard. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>Click \u003Cstrong>Add a chart\u003C/strong> and pick a \u003Cstrong>Scorecard\u003C/strong> from the drop-down menu. Make sure that the YouTube source is selected in the sidebar Data Sources field. \u003C/li>\u003C/ol>\u003Cp>Change the metrics on the scorecard to show the total number of “Views”. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Done! We now have a dashboard that includes data from two data sources. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Screenshot_2024_12_02_at_15_55_34_fb83b12d16.png\" alt=\"Looker Studio Report - Data Blending in Looker Studio\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp> \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Now, we'll add another GA4 data source and create a blend\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>Step 2: Start blending data\u003C/strong>\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Click \u003Cstrong>Add data\u003C/strong> in the bottom corner and select Google Analytics 4. Choose the account and property you want to connect. Click \u003Cstrong>Add\u003C/strong> > \u003Cstrong>Add to Report\u003C/strong>.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>We can now add another chart to our report. Click \u003Cstrong>Add a chart\u003C/strong> and pick a \u003Cstrong>Time series. \u003C/strong>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Under the Setup tab, we can see that this chart uses the GA4 source we’ve just added. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Click \u003Cstrong>Blend Data \u003C/strong>to create a new blended data source. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>To make a blended data source, you’ll need a “key” also called a “joint condition” that is available in both sources. It’s a piece of information available in both data sets. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>For example, we can use the dimension of “Date” to combine data. We can then present the number of users from both data sources by the date. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>We can see our existing data source on the left. Click \u003Cstrong>Join another table\u003C/strong>. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Screenshot_2024_12_02_at_17_51_23_7256443023.png\" alt=\"Screenshot 2024-12-02 at 17.51.23.png\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Select the GA4 property you added first. Now, you need to choose the dimensions and metrics you want to combine. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>The “Date” is already selected as a dimension. For the metrics, we’ll add “Total users” and “Sessions” for both data sources.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ci>\u003Cstrong>Pro tip\u003C/strong>: Name each table used in your blended data source. This will help you if you decide to create any calculated fields in your report. Calculated fields let you create custom metrics and dimensions in Looker Studio. \u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>To name a table, select the default text at the top that says “Table Name”.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Every blend in Looker Studio can have up to 5 tables. This is definitely a limitation, but we'll get back to it in a bit. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>For now, let's finish our blend. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>Step 3: Join data from two sources\u003C/strong>\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>You can see the metrics and dimensions for our blended data source on the right, together with corresponding table names. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>The next thing you need to decide is how to join data from the tables.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Click \u003Cstrong>Configure join\u003C/strong> in the middle. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>There are five ways you can join tables.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>With these options, you can control what happens if data is missing from one of the tables. For example, if there is data for a particular day in one table but not the other. \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Left outer\u003C/strong>: If you use “Left Outer”, all the rows from the table on the left will be used, along with any of the matching rows from the table on the right. If there is a row missing in the table on the right, it won’t be combined in your blended source. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Right outer\u003C/strong>: If you use “Right Outer”, any missing rows from the table on the left won’t be used. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Inner\u003C/strong>: Only rows that are available in both tables will be used.  \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Full outer\u003C/strong>: All rows from both tables will be used. \u003C/li>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Cross\u003C/strong>: This option combines all available rows from both data sources. \u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>For our blended data source, let’s select “Full outer”. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Now, we need to select the \u003Cstrong>Join condition\u003C/strong> or data key to join the data together. Choose the “Date” dimension. Click \u003Cstrong>Save\u003C/strong>.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can now name the blended data source. For example, “GA4 Combined”. Click \u003Cstrong>Save\u003C/strong>.  \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>Step 4: Combine metrics\u003C/strong>\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>We can see our new blended data source is applied to our chart. Each metric is still separate. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>We have two metrics for “Sessions” and two metrics for “Total users”. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>To create a combined metric, we need to create a calculated field. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Under the \u003Cstrong>Setup\u003C/strong> tab, select \u003Cstrong>Add metric\u003C/strong> > \u003Cstrong>Create field\u003C/strong>. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Let’s call it “Total Users Combined”. For the formula start typing “Total users” and then select the metric from the first table. Enter a “\u003Cstrong>+\u003C/strong>” sign and search for “Total users” again and select the metric from the second table. Click \u003Cstrong>Apply\u003C/strong>. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can now see the total number of users combined from both GA4 properties in the time series.   \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>5 Limitations of Data Blending in Looker Studio\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>There’s no doubt that \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/data-blending\">data blending is a great feature\u003C/a>. Blended data can help you see the bigger picture behind your data and reveal underlying trends. However, there are several Looker Studio limitations that could slow down your report or make blended data in Looker Studio inaccurate.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>1. A limited number of blended sources\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Remember when we said that one blend can have up to 5 tables? That’s right. You can’t add more than five data sources and more than 10 dimensions from a single data source. Both numbers might seem reasonable, but they're not always enough. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Agencies often need to fetch data from many different client sources using \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/marketing-data-connectors\">multiple marketing data connectors\u003C/a>. For example, ad metrics from several PPC apps, sales data from an e-commerce platform, customer data from the CRM, and different information from several more spreadsheets. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>In any case, when you hit the limit, you must split the data into several reports, which makes it harder to get the full picture of your performance. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>2. Slow loading and processing times\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>You might have noticed that the platform sometimes takes more time to load your data, even without blending. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Indeed, \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/looker-studio-slow\">Looker Studio is slow\u003C/a> for several reasons, and it tends to get even slower when you start using it with multiple data sources, especially several sources at the same time. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Data_c8456a1b88.png\" alt=\"google extract data connector\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>For each source, Looker Studio needs to connect to a different API, which demands additional computing power that isn't always available. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Blending two sources usually works fine, but the more sources you add, the slower your dashboard gets. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>3. Blends are not reusable\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>In Looker Studio, blends are always embedded into the report in which they're created. There’s no way to make a blend reusable across reports. If you copy the report, the blends are copied into the new report, so your charts will continue to present the blended data. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>4. Depends on third-party connectors \u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Third-party connectors are necessary for integrating data from various sources. However, these connectors are sometimes too complex, unreliable, or have limited capabilities. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>An old adage says “A man is only as good as his tools”. In the case of Looker Studio, third-party tools can sometimes cause problems. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Google Analytics, Google Ads, and other data sources from the Google ecosystem have one connection per property, which includes all data fields. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>On the other hand, third-party connectors often let you choose between three different menus, each connecting to a different segment of the tool’s data. This complicates your data blending processes. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Reporting on an enterprise property or managing an agency portfolio of clients can become a nightmare. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>That's especially true if you need to connect or blend all data sources  – not to mention trying to replicate the report with blended data. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/thrid_party_connectors_87474828c6.png\" alt=\"Looker Studio Connectors\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp style=\"text-align:right;\">\u003Ci>Connectors from different vendors may not have the same performance\u003C/i>\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Also, third-party connectors may not be as reliable or consistent as native Looker Studio connectors. This can cause data errors, connectivity issues, or downtimes that disrupt your data analysis and reporting performance. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Ironically, clunky spreadsheets or BigQuery-hosted datasets are often the best way to connect non-Google data sources to Looker Studio. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This dependence on third-party connectors is not something that plagues Looker Studio alone. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Many \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/data-transformation-tools\">data transformation tools\u003C/a> use third-party connectors to connect data from scattered sources. To avoid this problem, consider using a tool with pre-built or native integrations. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>5. Steep learning curve\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Looker Studio is not one of those tools you can just pick up and use. Its unique modeling language requires that you have at least a basic understanding of coding — primarily languages like SQL. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This can be challenging for agencies or companies without technical expertise or a dedicated data team. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>And if you run into a problem or unknown, you’re pretty much left to yourself, as customer support only applies to users with a Google Cloud support plan and Looker Studio Pro subscription. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>How to Overcome Limitations of Data Blending in Looker Studio with Whatagraph\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Whatagraph is one platform to connect, \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/organize\">organize\u003C/a>, visualize, and share all your marketing data. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Designed to replace multiple complex data tools with one intuitive platform, Whatagraph also gives you the easiest way to blend your data. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>How?\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Once you connect your data sources, you have the option to organize your data before analyzing it further. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>No limits on blending data\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>With Whatagraph, there’s no limit on how many sources or dimensions you can blend. Even better, the accuracy and reliability of your blends don’t depend on third-party connectors. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Whatagraph has fully managed integrations with 55+ marketing platforms, including web analytics, social media, paid advertising, SEO, e-commerce, email marketing, and CRM tools. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This means that data in your blends is reliable, whether you use Google- or non-Google-based marketing apps. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>But that’s not all. Apart from these integrations, you can connect any data source via a Custom API or by using Google Sheets or BigQuery as a source. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Faster processing times\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>While Looker Studio can get very slow even with two data sources in a blend, Whatagraph easily handles dozens of report pages and unlimited widgets and sources. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Thanks to a recent update to \u003Ca href=\"https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Kubernetes Engine\u003C/a>, even very heavy widgets with 180 configurations now take less than 10 seconds to load. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Easily review your blends to make sure the report is accurate\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>In Whatagraph, you can quickly review the dimensions and metrics for each blend you’re creating or editing. This way, you can make sure there are no duplicates and that nothing goes into the blend that shouldn’t. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/blend_example_3_3fba888fa1.png\" alt=\"blend_example_3.png\">\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Save any blends to reuse and edit\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Everything you create in Whatagraph, from metrics to whole reports, can be saved and reused as a template. This also applies to data blending. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can easily reuse and edit all data blends, formulas, custom dimensions, and metrics.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Anyone on the team can handle advanced analytics tasks \u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Whatagraph has a user-friendly UX/UI across the whole platform, making any data management task easy without technical knowledge. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>How to Blend Data in Whatagraph\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Now, we’ll explain how to blend data effectively using Whatagraph’s no-code process.  \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Example 1: Blending sources\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>In this example, we’ll create a simple blend of Facebook Ads and Google Ads to get the number of impressions and clicks from both sources in one table. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 1:\u003C/strong> We start with a report with connected Facebook Ads and Google Ads. Without blended data, the report splits the performance of two sources into two tables. Now, we’ll blend these two sources.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 2:\u003C/strong> Click the \u003Cstrong>Sources\u003C/strong> tab and then \u003Cstrong>Add new data\u003C/strong>. Choose the \u003Cstrong>Blended sources\u003C/strong> tab and click \u003Cstrong>Crete a blended source\u003C/strong> button.  \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 3\u003C/strong>:  A blending window will appear. Start by selecting the channels and the specific data sources. Select Facebook Ads and Google Ads.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/data_blending_whatagraph_660538108a.png\" alt=\"Blending sources in Whatagraph\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 4\u003C/strong>: Choose \u003Ci>Year, month\u003C/i> as the dimensions for both sources and \u003Ci>Impressions\u003C/i> and \u003Ci>Clicks\u003C/i>/\u003Ci>Clicks (All)\u003C/i> as metrics.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 5:\u003C/strong> Select the join. For this blend, take the full outer join. Select \u003Ci>Year, month\u003C/i> as the join key for both sources and click \u003Cstrong>Save setup\u003C/strong>.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/select_join_key_b6d27b0318.png\" alt=\"Select join key\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 6:\u003C/strong> Give your blend a name and a short description. It’s a good practice to use a recognizable name so other users can easily find it. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Click \u003Cstrong>Create a blend,\u003C/strong> and your job is done. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You can use the blend you created as a source for any report. Select the newly created blend, drag a widget to the report, and pick the metrics from both sources. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This example is just one of many \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/data-blending\">data blending use cases\u003C/a> available in Whatagraph.     \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Example 2: Creating formulas on a blended source level\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>In this example, we’ll create a custom formula for total Impressions from Facebook Ads and Google Ads sources we just blended.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 1\u003C/strong>: Click on the widget with a connected blended source. Click \u003Cstrong>Add new\u003C/strong> in the metrics selection, and then \u003Cstrong>Create new metric\u003C/strong>.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 2\u003C/strong>: The Create metric view will open. Set the display name and description for your new metrics e.g. \u003Cstrong>Total Impressions\u003C/strong>. Since we want to use this new metric in a formula, under the rule type, select Formula. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 3\u003C/strong>: It immediately selects the data blend we used in this report. Now, we need to pick the individual metrics from the blend. Let’s say we want total impressions, so we’ll take Impressions from both channels.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/blend_example_4_844a7d2f38.png\" alt=\"blend_example_4.png\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 4\u003C/strong>: Type the formula \u003Cstrong>A+B\u003C/strong>, where A is the designated label for Facebook Ads and B for Google Ads. Click \u003Cstrong>Create metric\u003C/strong>.\u003C/p>\u003Cp>Your new formula will automatically appear under the Metrics selection for the widget. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Update the widget and your custom table now has Impressions from both channels as well as the column for total Impressions. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>You’ll find more data transformation use cases and ways to organize your marketing data in our \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/blog/articles/marketing-data-transformation\">marketing data transformation article\u003C/a>.  \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>More Reasons to Pick Whatagraph Over Looker Studio\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Looker Studio is a dashboarding tool created as a supplement to Looker – a much more complex platform for data modeling and governance. Although it lets users create visual reports of available data, Looker Studio lacks the advantages of an all-in-one marketing data platform. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Let’s consider a few more reasons to use Whatagraph to manage your marketing data.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Fully managed integrations\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Consistent experience and 30-minute refresh rate across all data sources you connect. More than 55 marketing platforms are supported, plus you can connect any data through Google Sheets, BigQuery, or Custom API.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Cross-channel reporting\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Add any marketing channel to your report and compare the performance of different channels in a few clicks. Easily blend data and combine metrics from multiple sources. Pick any metrics from the blended sources and use custom formulas to add, divide, multiply, and take parts of it. \u003C/p>\u003Cfigure class=\"media\">\u003Cdiv data-oembed-url=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPBSI3My-5s\">\u003Cdiv style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;\">\u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/jPBSI3My-5s\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; top: 0; left: 0;\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C/iframe>\u003C/div>\u003C/div>\u003C/figure>\u003Ch3>Pre-made widgets\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Save time visualizing your data with pre-made report building blocks. Drag and drop them to your report page. Resize them as needed, add more metrics, apply filters, and save them as widget templates. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Linked templates\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Link reports to one template to \u003Cstrong>edit them all at once \u003C/strong>by editing the template and saving hours in the process. Change sources, text widgets, images, and company logos through multiple client reports instead of doing it one by one. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Customization & white-labeling\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>You can effortlessly change the default design of your reports and dashboard and apply a different theme that matches your or your client’s branding. \u003C/p>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Remove Whatagraph’s logo,\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Choose a color scheme,\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Specify the company name,\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Enter the new domain name,\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Customize the reply-to-address,\u003C/li>\u003Cli>Specify who on your team is responsible for the report.\u003C/li>\u003C/ul>\u003Cp>\u003Cimg src=\"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/white_label_c3f037378e.png\" alt=\"white_label.png\">\u003C/p>\u003Cp>This effectively means an agency can \u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/white-label\">customize reports\u003C/a> for each of their clients.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Report automation & review step\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Once you create a report you can automate the way you deliver it. Choose the frequency, delivery days, time zone, and recipients, and automate the whole process. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>When the time comes for the next report, Whatagraph automatically refreshes the widgets with new data from connected sources and sends the next report on schedule. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>However, you can add the review step to double-check the report content before it gets sent. In this step, you can manually edit numbers, delete or add new widgets, change metrics, change media images, or add text comments. \u003C/p>\u003Ch3>No code data transfers\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Whatagraph has an intuitive, no-code workflow to transfer data from multiple marketing platforms to Google BigQuery data warehouse. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>This gives you complete ownership of the marketing data they collect. Instead of having data in different locations, use data transfer to copy it all to a managed data warehouse. This way, you protect your data from deprecation, sampling, or changing policies of individual platforms.\u003C/p>\u003Ch3>Responsive customer support\u003C/h3>\u003Cp>Unless you pay more for Looker Studio Pro, you’re left to online discussion forums and Google’s help docs that are often difficult for a non-technical person to understand.\u003C/p>\u003Cp style=\"margin-left:0px;\">All Whatagraph pricing plans come with a dedicated Customer Success Manager and live chat support who reply to your questions within 4 minutes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp style=\"margin-left:0px;\">Your dedicated CSM can help you migrate data from your current platform, connect to channels and data sources, organize your data, and everything else to ensure you have the smoothest experience with Whatagraph. \u003C/p>\u003Ch2>Wrapping up\u003C/h2>\u003Cp>Addressing common challenges in Looker Studio data blending one by one might take much of your precious time. So perhaps the best way to solve them is to use a marketing data platform that doesn’t have these issues and is much more intuitive to use. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>Whatagraph has a data blending feature that is fast, reliable, user-friendly, and 100% no-code. \u003C/p>\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://whatagraph.com/book-a-call\">Book a call\u003C/a> with us and find out how Whatagraph can help you organize and report data on a scale!\u003C/p>","2024-03-06T15:49:56.834Z","2024-12-10T11:22:44.274Z","2024-03-06T17:18:43.628Z",{"id":699,"name":700,"alternativeText":701,"caption":31,"width":620,"height":621,"formats":702,"hash":708,"ext":292,"mime":293,"size":709,"url":710,"previewUrl":31,"provider":296,"provider_metadata":31,"createdAt":711,"updatedAt":712},13532,"data_blending_in_looker_studio_1.png","Data Blending in Looker Studio – Here’s a Better Way",{"thumbnail":703},{"ext":292,"url":704,"hash":705,"mime":293,"name":706,"path":31,"size":707,"width":435,"height":436},"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/thumbnail_Data_Blending_in_Looker_Studio_b87588aa26.png","thumbnail_Data_Blending_in_Looker_Studio_b87588aa26","thumbnail_Data_Blending _in_Looker_Studio.png",19.08,"Data_Blending_in_Looker_Studio_b87588aa26",85.88,"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/whatagraph.com/Data_Blending_in_Looker_Studio_b87588aa26.png","2024-12-09T09:04:56.303Z","2024-12-09T09:05:09.804Z",{"id":672,"name":673,"about":674,"email":675,"createdAt":676,"updatedAt":677,"publishedAt":678,"slug":679,"linkedin_url":680},{"id":5,"title":715,"slug":716,"subheading":717,"createdAt":718,"updatedAt":719,"publishedAt":720},"Data analytics","data-analytics","Delve into a goldmine of marketing data","2023-05-16T15:39:58.211Z","2025-06-04T14:37:44.968Z","2023-05-18T13:29:47.959Z",{"id":5,"title":344,"subtitle":722,"createdAt":723,"updatedAt":724,"publishedAt":725,"text_banner":31,"bottom_banner":31},"\u003Cp>Dive into Whatagraph product updates, how-tos, company news, product reviews, and educational content to get the most out of your marketing data.\u003C/p>","2022-11-18T08:43:50.870Z","2025-07-03T08:13:56.278Z","2022-11-18T08:43:52.413Z",{"data":727,"meta":734},{"id":319,"title":443,"slug":444,"subheading":445,"createdAt":446,"updatedAt":447,"publishedAt":448,"toc_banner":728},{"id":270,"content":729,"cta":730,"cta_collection":31},"Learn how to implement AI successfully at your agency",{"id":731,"label":732,"url":367,"subtext":31,"style":733,"element_id":31,"color":31,"icon":31,"width":31},1611,"Get free playbook","button",{},1759916839159]