Best Looker alternatives (2026)

What sets it apart purpose-built agent templates aimed at agency and ad workflows

Best for media agencies analyzing campaign data · Pricing model Custom enterprise pricing only. No public tiers or free plan; pricing is quoted after a sales call.

Akkio is an AI analytics platform that has narrowed its focus to media and advertising agencies. It offers a chat interface called Chat Explore, plus forecasting, generative reports, and predictive models on top of campaign and client data. Founded in 2019, it now sells as a custom enterprise platform rather than the self-serve tiers it once ran.

Sources akkio.com · akkio.com

What sets it apart pushes insights to Slack, email, and mobile before you ask

Best for metric monitoring for Tableau Cloud users · Pricing model Included with Tableau Cloud seats (Creator, Explorer, Viewer) at no extra fee. Requires a paid Tableau Cloud subscription.

Tableau Pulse tracks metrics you subscribe to and sends plain-language summaries when something moves, covering trends, drivers, and outliers. It launched in 2024 and runs its language generation on Salesforce's Einstein Trust Layer. Pulse is bundled with Tableau Cloud Creator, Explorer, and Viewer seats, so there is no separate charge for it.

Sources salesforce.com · help.tableau.com

What sets it apart Spotter agent runs multi-step reasoning over a governed semantic layer

Best for self-serve search analytics at scale · Pricing model Per-user tiers: Essentials from $25/user/month and Pro from $50/user/month billed annually, plus usage-based credits from $0.10 each and custom Enterprise. Free trials and a one-year free developer plan.

ThoughtSpot lets business users ask questions of governed data and get visual answers without building reports first. Its AI agent, Spotter, does multi-step reasoning against a semantic layer and can push actions into tools like Jira, Salesforce, and Slack. Founded in 2012, it prices from $25 per user per month billed annually, with a usage-based credit option and a free developer tier for embedding.

Sources thoughtspot.com · thoughtspot.com

What sets it apart generates DAX measures and full report pages from a single prompt

Best for Power BI teams already on Microsoft Fabric · Pricing model No standalone price. Requires a paid Microsoft Fabric capacity (F2 from about $262/month) or a Premium Per User license; billed as part of Fabric or Power BI Premium.

Power BI Copilot is Microsoft's generative AI assistant baked into Power BI, turning plain-English prompts into reports, DAX, and written summaries. It also lets end users query semantic models in natural language and auto-documents measures and synonyms. Since April 2025 it runs on any paid Microsoft Fabric capacity from F2 or on a Premium Per User license, and a tenant admin must switch it on first.

Sources learn.microsoft.com · blog.bismart.com

What sets it apart agentic notebooks that mix SQL, Python, and no-code in one document

Best for data teams building analysis and apps together · Pricing model Free Community tier for individuals. Professional from $36/editor/month, Team from $75/editor/month, and custom Enterprise; paid plans include monthly AI credits.

Hex is a collaborative workspace that blends SQL, Python, and no-code cells into notebooks and shareable data apps. Its Notebook and Threads agents let analysts and business users explore data with AI help, grounded in a semantic model. Founded in 2019 by former Palantir staff, it offers a free Community plan and paid Professional seats from $36 per month.

Sources hex.tech · research.contrary.com

What sets it apart MCP server lets any AI client query your data directly

Best for teams wanting AI dashboards fast · Pricing model 14-day free trial, no card required. Startup plan $1,000/month including AI credits for up to 25 users; custom Enterprise with self-hosting and SSO.

Basedash builds dashboards, automations, and daily data briefings from natural-language prompts, and connects to more than 750 data sources. It ships an AI data analyst, a semantic layer for reusable SQL metrics, and an MCP server that exposes your data to outside AI clients. Founded in 2020 through Y Combinator, it now sells a Startup plan at $1,000 per month plus AI usage, having moved on from its earlier database-editor roots.

Sources basedash.com · ycombinator.com

What sets it apart grew from a viral Excel formula generator into full data chat

Best for spreadsheet users and quick formula help · Pricing model Freemium. Free plan with 10 messages and 25 AI actions a month; Starter $18/month, Pro $29, Max $55, with credits and file-size limits rising per tier.

Formula Bot started as an Excel formula generator and grew into an AI data analysis tool where you upload files or connect data and ask questions in plain English. It returns insights, charts, and even predictive models without formulas or code. Founded in 2022 by David Bressler, it runs freemium, with a free plan of 10 messages a month and paid plans from $18.

Sources formulabot.com · capterra.com