Looker Studio vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services comparison

Google and Microsoft are both solutions in the Reporting category. Google is ranked #11 with an average rating of 7.6, while Microsoft is ranked #6 with an average rating of 7.6. Google holds a 2.7% mindshare in RT, compared to Microsoft’s 3.4% mindshare. Additionally, 85% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Looker Studio

Read 12 Looker Studio reviews

1,002 Views
1,112 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

Microsoft SQL Server Report...

Read 20 Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services reviews

2,702 Views
1,727 Comparison Views

84% willing to recommend

Looker Studio

Microsoft SQL Server Report...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

Looker Studio and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services are both focused on data visualization and reporting. Looker Studio appears to have an advantage in cloud-based reporting, while Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services offers superior on-premises capabilities.

Features: Looker Studio offers rich visualization options, seamless integration with cloud services, and dynamic environment adaptability. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services provides in-depth reporting, strong SQL Server database integration, and powerful data manipulation.

Room for Improvement: Looker Studio could improve in handling complex legacy systems, enhance on-premises capabilities, and provide more robust offline features. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services may benefit from making its interface more intuitive, reducing deployment complexity, and improving cloud integration.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Looker Studio offers straightforward deployment with extensive online resources and effective cloud-based support. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services requires more technical expertise for on-premises deployment but provides extensive documentation and enterprise-level support.

Pricing and ROI: Looker Studio is competitively priced with flexible subscription models, offering attractive ROI for cloud-centric businesses. In contrast, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services might have higher upfront licensing and maintenance costs but provides excellent long-term value for enterprises using the Microsoft technology stack.

To learn more, read our detailed Looker Studio vs. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Looker Studio vs. Microsoft SQL Servering Services

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Looker Studio

Ranking in Reporting

11th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft SQL Server Report...

Ranking in Reporting

6th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Reporting category, the mindshare of Looker Studio is 2.7%, up from 2.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is 3.4%, down from 4.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Reporting

Featured Reviews

Srini-Dhanaraj

Founder & CEO at imfine.club

Available for free and can help businesses resolve their data migration problems

It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten. Google Data Studio is a cloud-based tool. With cloud-based tools, there can be two challenges, the first one being associated with the bandwidth of your data strength. If I run a report from my home because of the wi-fi connection, it may give an excellent response. When I run the reports, Google Data Studio develops reports from my home, and because of wi-fi, it works in an excellent manner. When I am on the road or at the wheel, if I use the internet data from my mobile to browse my reports, the performance may not be good, and this issue is not because of the product but because of the bandwidth. The second issue arises when you connect Google Data Studio to a source system to extract the data to do the visualization. If the source system is not responding as quickly as expected, it could be the reason why the report may be printed slowly. Considering the aforementioned aspects, the problem may not be because of Google Data Studio but because of the source system.

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MartinSimons

Senior Consultant at X1F

Ensures database access and monitoring have been manageable, but batch load analysis needs better support

There are occasions during maintenance runs when the Check Point monitoring system reports a lot of blocked sessions. This is typically due to system processes or maintenance processes that temporarily block themselves. Additionally, a tool within the studio for performing SQL analysis does not provide useful information for batch load processes, often advising not to use an index, which is expected with batch loads.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The company dashboard is useful because we could share it via a link as a reminder for everyone to check it weekly. We observed the progress of our portfolio from last week to the current week, allowing us to compare revenues."

"The integration with Excel and Google Sheets is a valuable feature, making it easy to access and visualize data."

"The best thing about the tool is that it allows you to share information easily and dashboards with colleagues and teammates because it's all online. No matter where you are, as long as you have the Internet, you can connect and use these dashboards. Google made good documentation for this tool. There are many examples of how to use and create dashboards and videos on YouTube. So, I think it's easy to learn."

"Looker's ability to perform aggregation before visualization allows for effective data slicing and dicing."

"I find it favorable regarding speed of development, ease of building, and flexibility."

"The ability to design complex data models and equations."

"The product's initial setup phase is very simple."

"Valuable features include advanced integrated analysis and easy implementation."

More Looker Studio pros

"We get good support from Microsoft."

"The stability of SSRS has been reliable, with minimal issues encountered during our usage."

"The solution's features are all just wrapped up in one nice easy package. I don't need a lot of toolsets to get everything I need done."

"I mainly use the solution for the ease of reporting and for executive dashboards."

"The solution is known for its robust security features."

"The initial setup is easy."

"The SQL Server Reporting Services makes it very easy to get the data whenever we need it."

"With SQL Server Reporting Services, I can create reports and printable reports, known as paginated reports."

More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services pros

Cons

"The performance of Looker needs improvement, particularly the report loading time, which is critical for business users."

"Insisting on forums, blogs and community outreach in communications, and posting videos on an established calendar would be useful."

"When you physically install a product on one machine instead of the cloud, you have a better visibility, best icon quality, etc.. It's more of an issue with how we are adapting to the transition. We are still in the early moments of using this tool, and we need to go deeper to discover some improvements."

"Other tools might be worth considering if you need more advanced features or support for a larger user base."

"The tool has a lot of room for improvement. It's not very professional and allows for only simple tasks like indicating KPIs or quick calculations. It lacks a good calculation-based language like Power BI's DAX, making it less suitable for professional use. Additionally, the variety of visualization tools is limited, and customization options are restricted."

"There is a significant degree of sophistication required to compete with Tableau or Cognos."

"Stability and scalability an be improved for a full ten."

"The challenges with Google Data Studio are associated with the security part, making it an area where improvements are required."

More Looker Studio cons

"We have had issues with the refresh interval since we have too many reports scheduled. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is also expensive."

"The solution's interface is old."

"We encounter some barriers while trying to build a report."

"The complex tuning for report performance is complicated. There is a lack of native support for source code control. We often need to use separate tools like VS Code or other software to manage version control and changes in the database. It would be beneficial if source code management were integrated directly into SSRS, thus eliminating the need to rely on external tools. While CLI-based operations are exemplary, the trend is towards GUI for a better user experience. Integrating both visualization and source code management within SSRS would simplify the process for users."

"It would be really nice to have better integration between the solution and Power BI."

"They could improve the scalability and stability of SQL Server Reporting Services."

"Tableau is more user-friendly because it doesn't need to do any extra programming. It has drag-and-drop functionality."

"It is not easy to integrate the product with other tools in the market."

More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I think the tool is cheap because you don't need to pay anything for using the tool. However, when connecting and analyzing other data sources, you should consider where to analyze this information because Google Data Studio doesn't handle much data well. You must also consider how you will connect this data to it. In this case, you might need to hire DevOps or a data team to help with these issues."

"The tool is free."

"The cost is quite affordable based on feature analysis."

"The product is available for free."

"The solution is free but the Google Looker is expensive."

"The solution is free to use for developers."

"The tool's licensing costs are expensive."

"Value-wise, the solution's pricing is good for the price that we pay."

"The solution is cheaper than its alternatives."

"The product pricing is reasonable in terms of suitable features for business."

"The pricing is high."

"The price is pretty good."

"The solution is expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

10%

University

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

11%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Data Studio?

The company dashboard is useful because we could share it via a link as a reminder for everyone to check it weekly. We observed the progress of our portfolio from last week to the current week, all...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Data Studio?

The tool should improve on live data integration for quicker data reflection. Currently, changes in Google Sheets take about three to five minutes to reflect in Looker Studio. Overall, the interfac...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Google Data Studio?

I use Looker Studio primarily for dashboard creation and data analytics. I have integrated it with Google Sheets, and I use it for project plan maintenance and data tracking.

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services?

I mainly use the solution for the ease of reporting and for executive dashboards.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services?

I don't recall the current pricing as it changes frequently.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services?

They could improve the scalability and stability of SQL Server Reporting Services. I haven't used it recently, so I can't provide detailed suggestions on improvements.

See all answers

Comparisons

Amazon QuickSight vs Looker Studio

Compared 44% of the time

Microsoft Power BI vs Looker Studio

Compared 19% of the time

Tableau vs Looker Studio

Compared 7% of the time

IBM Cognos vs Looker Studio

Compared 5% of the time

RStudio Connect vs Looker Studio

Compared 3% of the time

More Looker Studio Competitors

TIBCO Jaspersoft vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 18% of the time

Tableau vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 16% of the time

IBM Cognos vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 13% of the time

Oracle OBIEE vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 12% of the time

ComponentOne ActiveReports vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Looker Studio

May 2025

Download Looker Studio product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft SQL Servering Services

May 2025

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services report

Download Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services product report

Also Known As

Data Studio

SQL Server Reporting Services, Microsoft SSRS, SSRS, MS SQL Server Reporting Services

Overview

Google Looker Studio is a free tool designed to help users create visually appealing reports and dashboards, making data easier to understand. It allows you to connect to various data sources such as Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, and spreadsheets. With Looker Studio, you can create charts and graphs to showcase trends and comparisons, build comprehensive dashboards that provide an overview of your data, and customize reports to match your brand or preferences. Additionally, you can share your reports online or export them as PDFs for wider distribution.

Google

At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our mission is grounded in both the world in which we live and the future we strive to create. Today, we live in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, and the transformation we are driving across our businesses is designed to enable Microsoft and our customers to thrive in this world.

We do business in 170 countries and are made up of 114,000 passionate employees dedicated to fulfilling our mission of helping you and your organization achieve more.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Genesys, Shueisha

CMS Wire, The New York Times

Buyer's Guide

Looker Studio vs. Microsoft SQL Servering Services

April 2025

Free Report: Looker Studio vs. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

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