Looker vs Tableau Pricing 2026
Complete pricing comparison between Looker and Tableau. Find out which business intelligence tool is right for you.
Looker pricing ranges from $3000–$5000/month, while Tableau ranges from $15–$75/user/month. Tableau is typically 99% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.
The right choice between Looker and Tableau depends on your specific requirements: team size, feature needs, and integration requirements all affect which option delivers better value.
See the tier-by-tier breakdown below to compare specific plans, or use our calculators to estimate costs: Looker calculator | Tableau calculator
Looker and Tableau represent two distinct approaches to enterprise business intelligence, with very different pricing models. Looker uses custom platform pricing starting around $3,000-$5,000/month, while Tableau charges per user from $15/user/month for Viewers up to $75/user/month for Creators. The right choice depends heavily on team size: Tableau's per-user pricing can become expensive at scale, while Looker's flat platform fee may be more economical for larger organizations.
Pricing Tier Comparison
| Tier | Looker | Tableau |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Free | $15 /user/month |
| Explorer | — | $42 /user/month |
| Creator | — | $75 /user/month |
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Our Verdict
Choose Looker if you need a data modeling layer (LookML), your team works primarily with SQL-based workflows, and you want platform-level pricing starting around $3,000/month that doesn't penalize you for adding users. Choose Tableau if you need industry-leading visualizations, prefer transparent per-user pricing from $15-$75/user/month, and want a tool that non-technical users can adopt quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Looker cheaper than Tableau?
It depends on team size. Looker's platform pricing starts around $3,000/month with custom quotes, while Tableau charges $15-$75/user/month. For a team of 10 Tableau Creators, you'd pay $750/month, making Tableau cheaper. But for 50+ users, Looker's platform model can become more cost-effective than Tableau's per-seat pricing.
02 Which is better for data-driven organizations?
Looker excels for organizations that want a governed, code-first analytics platform with its LookML modeling layer, making it ideal for data engineering teams. Tableau is better suited for visual-first exploration where business analysts need to create ad-hoc dashboards without writing code. Both are enterprise-grade, but they serve different workflows.
03 Can Looker replace Tableau?
Looker can replace Tableau for embedded analytics, governed metrics, and SQL-based reporting workflows. However, Tableau's drag-and-drop visualization capabilities and exploratory analytics are difficult to replicate in Looker. Many enterprises use both tools together, with Looker as the data modeling layer and Tableau for visual analysis.