Data is the lifeblood of any good business in some shape or form – properly analyzed insights can have real benefits for marketing, productivity, and risk mitigation, and may help differentiate the offering of one business from a competitor. Modern businesses realize the value of the data they create and have access to, but must ensure they also choose the best tools to help accurately analyze it; being able to visualize your data is vital for accurate and meaningful insights. It can be overwhelming to choose the best type of software for your business, but we have rounded up our favorites below to help make your decision easier.
Top 5 Real-Time Data Visualisation Tools
- Sisense – the best data visualization tool for forecasting and planning
- Google Analytics – the best budget data visualization tool
- Tableau – the best data visualization tool for growing businesses
- Microsoft Power BI – the best data visualization tool for businesses using Microsoft software
- Domo – the best data visualization tool for team collaboration
1. Sisense – the best data visualization tool for forecasting and planning
PRICING: Not advised online – must contact directly for a quote.
Leaning heavily into AI-driven analytics, Sisense is a popular cloud platform with considerable experience in supporting businesses to manage and analyze their data. Being able to combine data types whilst using drag-and-drop functionality allows for efficient analysis, forecasting, and planning.
KEY FEATURES:
- Can combine live and cached data
- Forecasting and segmentation functionality
- Embedded analytics
- Input data from multiple sources including QuickBooks, eBay, Facebook, reports, and even DBaaS platforms
- Impressive depth of visualization
REASONS TO USE:
- Visually appealing
- Able to customize your data usage when inputting from multiple sources for the optimal view
- Easy to onboard new users
- Extensive choice of Rest APIs
REASONS TO AVOID:
- An obscure pricing plan can make it difficult to compare options
- Elasticube functionality slow
- Can be difficult to learn how to use all the tools effectively
- Troubleshooting issues can cause delays
- It May require natural language queries to be used for effective analysis
2. Google Analytics – the best budget data visualization tool
PRICING: Free to use, however truly unlimited packages for corporations needing to work with vast datasets do not officially have a price yet, but are rumored to be in the vicinity of $150,000 per year. Businesses must contact Google directly for a quote.
The most popular analytics tool around, Google Analytics offers a great starting point for businesses of all sizes to begin thinking about proper visualization of their data. Whilst there are plenty of tutorials online, users have reported the customer service element to be lacking, so users needing extra support may need to consider this before committing to this platform. However, GA makes up for this by offering comprehensive and powerful free software to allow data input from multiple different sources as well as producing top-quality visualizations.
KEY FEATURES:
- Countless different ways to build and showcase data visualizations
- Custom reports tweaked to individual or company preference, and the ability to save these as templates
- Forecasting and planning capabilities
- Customize each user’s level of access by determining specific organizational roles
- Track industry-specific key metrics such as engagement, retention, productivity, and many more
REASONS TO USE:
- Affordability means users with little experience or new start-ups can access high-quality data visualisations whilst saving money
- Familiarity with and integration with widespread Google suite and products
- Some insights provided are unique and not usually tracked with similar software
- Large amounts of relevant, useful data were collected with smart suggestions on how best to display these sets
- Ease of sharing reports and visualizations across teams or with specific users
REASONS TO AVOID:
- A restricted number of input sources unless used in conjunction with Google Analytics 360 and/or Google BigQuery
- Data can only be refreshed every 24 hours
- Some complexity to be expected if wanting to use the open-source functionality
- Feature-heavy, so onboarding time may be needed to get all users up to speed
3. Tableau – the best data visualization tool for growing businesses
PRICING: Free trials are available for the varying licenses and levels of access from $70 per user/month, billed annually for a Creator license, to $12 per user/month for online training.
Founded in 2003, Tableau is a highly-regarded name in the data visualization space due to its maturity and impressive commitment to responding to customer feedback. Utilizing a subscription model for both its e-learning and data visualization tiers, Tableau is a sturdy and responsive platform committed to serving its users well resulting in a large repertoire of tools and input sources to improve user experience.
KEY FEATURES:
- Ability to connect to a vast amount of data sources
- Impressive processing power
- A large customer base and dedicated support team ensure that businesses looking to scale up are adequately supported
REASONS TO USE:
- Focus on live visuals allows for efficient trend tracking
- Wide range of input sources including PDFs
- Fast solutions – essential for all businesses working with fast-moving data
REASONS TO AVOID:
- More expensive than competitors, especially for smaller organizations
- Time-consuming to set up
4. Microsoft Power BI – the best data visualization tool for businesses using Microsoft software
Microsoft’s Power BI is a powerful suite of tools designed to aid with data analysis by offering customizable visualizations for your business insights. Both desktop and mobile versions are available as well as an online SaaS service, and you can input data from a wide range of sources, including the wider Microsoft suite which can be invaluable for enterprises already holding business licenses.
KEY FEATURES:
- Automatic integration with Microsoft systems and products
- Customizable dashboards and reports (including paginated reports)
- Options for real-time and automatic insights
REASONS TO USE:
- Affordable pricing and free tier available
- High level of functionality and customization
- 60-day trial for Pro tier
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Complex for less experienced users
- The platform may be slow and experience glitches
5. Domo – the best data visualization tool for team collaboration
PRICING: Free trial available – $83/month for the Standard package, $160/month for the Professional package.
Domo is a cloud-based BI software providing a strong dashboard of connectors and data leads to aiding your imports. Teams are encouraged to work together with increased data sharing capabilities, and less experienced users can benefit from custom e-learning content created by other team members, allowing for a truly unique collaborative team experience. Unlimited storage is also a bonus when working with large datasets.
KEY FEATURES:
- Internal hosting of more than 450 connectors and plug-ins
- Extensive e-learning content is available
- 80+ visualization options – a vast array of ways to view and communicate important business trends through data
REASONS TO USE:
- An internal messaging system allows for easy collaboration between teams and users
- No cap on data storage, ensuring large datasets and reports can be stored
- Easy to access the company database and see other team-generated visualizations to help with forecasting and strategizing
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Users have reported that the UI is difficult to engage with, so less experienced users may struggle to appreciate the full system capabilities
- Although a free trial is available, smaller businesses may find the paid plans to be tough on the budget
- Smaller businesses also may not need the entire array of collaborative features due to having a smaller workforce, so may end up paying for features that are not being used
References and Links
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/best-data-visualization-tools/
- https://uk.pcmag.com/cloud-services/83744/the-best-data-visualization-tools-for-2020