Business Intelligence & Dashboards
Google Data Studio (Looker Studio)
Rest of world Report an error0–5 in half steps. 5 means the rubric's top anchor is met on the evidence.
by Google Ireland Limited · cloud.google.com
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Google Data Studio (Looker Studio) at a glance
- Vendor
- Google Ireland Limited
- Headquarters
- Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026
- Data hosting
- Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026
- Free plan
- Yes, per the vendor’s own page source, captured 1 Nov 2026
- Panel verdict
- The AI panel rates Google Data Studio (Looker Studio) 2.5/5, the mean of 6 judges. Google Data Studio is a free report builder with a Pro edition at $9 per user per project per month. how scores are made
- As of
- Vendor pages captured 1 Nov 2026; evaluated by the panel 1 Nov 2026. all sources
Google Data Studio (Looker Studio) alternatives, European ones first →
Read this page as one judge. Each weighs the same scores by what they care about.
The panel's verdict
Google Data Studio is a free report builder with a Pro edition at $9 per user per project per month. Its strongest criterion is data connectivity, 6 to 7: the connector gallery claims over 1,470 connectors, including native PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, BigQuery and Amazon Redshift, and we found no public information on refresh intervals or on databases behind a firewall. Dashboards and visualization, and governance and portability, each held at 4; we found no public information on the chart library, row-level security, single sign-on or audit logs. Self-service and modelling reached a low of 3, while sharing and embedding ranged 4 to 5 on sharing, embedding and 200 delivery schedules. Sovereignty drew the widest spread, 4 to 6: EEA users contract with Google Ireland Limited in Dublin under a published processing addendum, but the privacy policy states servers are operated worldwide, UK users fall under Google LLC in Mountain View, and the subprocessor list carries no locations. Pricing transparency ranged 5 to 6; the free tier is plainly stated, but subscription-length variants and VAT treatment are unpublished.
Speaks for it
- Claims over 1,470 connectors, with native PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, BigQuery and Amazon Redshift plus partner connectors for Salesforce, Shopify, Stripe and HubSpot.
- Free tier available at no charge for creators and report viewers, with Pro published at $9 per user per project per month.
- 30-day Pro trial with no user limit that can be cancelled without charge.
- Pro edition adds data residency, customer-managed storage in your own Cloud Storage bucket and BigQuery dataset, and customer-managed encryption keys.
- Documented sharing with individuals, teams or the world, embedding on any web page, and up to 200 delivery schedules per report.
Held against it
- We found no public information on refresh intervals, incremental refresh, or a documented way to reach a database behind a firewall.
- We found no public information on the chart library, pivot tables, maps, drill-down, or localised number and date formats.
- We found no public information on row-level security, single sign-on, audit logs or development and production environments.
- The asset API is available only to Google Workspace or Cloud Identity organisations and cannot retrieve filters, sections or dimensions within a report.
- The Pro price varies depending on the length of the subscription with the variants unpublished, and technical support requires a separately purchased Google Cloud support plan.
Best for
- You want reporting at no charge for creators and report viewers, with a published Pro price when you need more.
- Your data sits in BigQuery, Google Sheets or Google Ads and you want native connectors plus a broad partner gallery.
- You publish reports to individuals, teams or the public and embed them on any web page or intranet.
- You want Pro controls for European data — data residency within a chosen geographical area, customer-managed storage and your own encryption keys.
Avoid if
- Your users are in the United Kingdom and you need a European controller — the privacy policy names Google LLC in Mountain View as controller for UK users.
- You must define metrics once in a governed semantic layer inside the product — the only semantic-model path shown is a connector to Looker.
- You depend on the API to migrate or audit full report definitions — it cannot retrieve filters, sections or dimensions within a report.
- Your distribution relies on scheduled email PDFs, Excel export or Slack and Microsoft Teams — the documented scheduled delivery channel is Google Chat.
The scores
| Criterion | Panel median |
|---|---|
| Data sources, connectors & refresh | 3.5 of 5 |
| Dashboards, charts & interactivity | 2 of 5 |
| Self-service analysis & shared metrics | 2 of 5 |
| Sharing, scheduled reports & embedding | 2.5 of 5 |
| Access control, administration & portability | 2 of 5 |
| European sovereignty | 2.5 of 5 |
| Pricing transparency | 3 of 5 |
Data sources, connectors & refresh
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How this is scored
Which data the product can reach and how it stays current: native connectors to databases and warehouses (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, BigQuery, Snowflake), to business applications (accounting, ERP, CRM, shop, help desk, ad platforms) and to files and spreadsheets (Excel, CSV, Google Sheets), live queries versus imported extracts, scheduled and incremental refresh with its minimum interval, joining data from several sources, light data preparation, access to databases behind a firewall (gateway, SSH tunnel, IP allow-list), and a generic REST or custom connector for what is not listed.
0 — Not a reporting product, or data can only be typed or pasted in by hand.
3 — Spreadsheet and file uploads plus a handful of named connectors; refresh schedules, live queries and blending sources are basic or not described.
5 — A published connector list covering the common databases, warehouses, spreadsheets and several named business applications, scheduled refresh with its interval stated, live queries or extracts at the customer's choice, data from two sources combined in one report, and a documented way to reach a database behind a firewall.
8 — Hundreds of maintained connectors or a full SQL layer over every major warehouse, incremental refresh and caching explained, a built-in data preparation or modelling step, a gateway or agent for on-premise sources, a generic REST or custom connector SDK, and connector limits (rows, API calls, history) stated per plan.
10 — Connectivity an organisation can standardise on: every source reachable live or by extract with the trade-offs documented, refresh down to minutes with lineage from report back to source, source changes detected and reported, and connector behaviour, quotas and failure handling published.
The Finance Controller
The connector gallery claims over 1470 connectors with native connectors for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Amazon Redshift, BigQuery with custom queries and Snowflake, plus partner connectors for Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify and Stripe; data blending and extracts are documented and a developer platform allows building more. For my month-end close, however, I find no DATEV or SAP among the connectors listed, and we found no public information on refresh intervals, incremental refresh or a documented way to reach a database behind our firewall. That breadth without refresh mechanics or on-premise access keeps it short of the strongest showing I could give. 1 2 3 4
The Managing Director
The connector gallery lists native connectors for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, BigQuery, Snowflake and Redshift plus partner connectors for HubSpot, Salesforce, Stripe and Shopify, and blending several sources into one report and a developer platform to build more are documented. The captured pages are silent on refresh intervals, incremental loading and reaching a database behind our firewall, which is what I would have to confirm before Monday. 1 2 3
The Data Analyst
The connector gallery is the strongest part: 1,470 connectors claimed with native PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Redshift, Snowflake and BigQuery with custom queries, plus partner connectors for Shopify, Stripe, Salesforce and the ad platforms we spend on, and a developer platform for custom connectors. Blending data from different sources is documented. We found no public information on refresh intervals, incremental refresh or how to reach a database behind our firewall, so the operational half of connectivity stays unconfirmed. 1 2 3 4
The IT Administrator
The connector gallery claims over 1,470 connectors and more than 1,400 data sources, including the databases we actually run — PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server — plus BigQuery with custom queries, Snowflake, Redshift, spreadsheets and named business applications such as Salesforce, Shopify and Stripe, with documented blending to combine sources in one report and a developer platform for custom connectors. What stops me going higher: we found no public information on a stated refresh interval, on a gateway, tunnel or allow-list for reaching a database behind our firewall, or on per-plan connector limits; the only extract storage detail documented is that Pro can keep extracts in our own BigQuery dataset. 1 2 3 4
The SaaS Product Lead
The connector gallery is broad and public: over 1,470 connectors claimed, with native PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, BigQuery, Amazon Redshift and Snowflake, plus Sheets, CSV upload and the ad and marketing platforms my fleet customers ask about, and a developer platform to extend it. Data blending across sources is stated. However, we found no public information on refresh intervals and incremental caching, a documented way to reach a database behind a customer firewall, or connector limits per plan. 1 2 3
The Skeptic
Native PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, BigQuery with custom queries, Redshift and Snowflake beside Google's own ads stack, a claimed 1,470 connectors, documented blending and a developer platform — breadth is proven. But the captured pages give no refresh schedules or minimum interval, no live-versus-extract trade-offs, no gateway or tunnel for databases behind a firewall and no per-plan connector quotas, and the business-application connectors beyond Google's own products come from third parties like Supermetrics and Windsor.ai, sold separately on their own trials. 1 2 3 4
Dashboards, charts & interactivity
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How this is scored
What can be built and how readers use it: the range of chart types, tables and pivot tables, maps, KPI tiles with targets and comparisons, dashboard layout, filters and date controls that apply across a dashboard, drill-down and drill-through, cross-filtering by clicking a chart, templates for common sources, mobile and TV display, theming to the company's design, number formatting and localisation (decimal comma, currencies, German date formats), and accessibility of the result.
0 — No charts or dashboards; the product only stores or moves data.
3 — Standard bar, line and pie charts and a table on a dashboard; filters, drill-down and mobile display are basic or not described.
5 — A broad chart library with pivot tables, maps and KPI tiles with comparison to a previous period or target, dashboard-wide filters and date ranges, drill-down, templates for common sources, a mobile view, and number and date formats localised.
8 — Cross-filtering and drill-through between dashboards, custom visuals or a chart SDK, conditional formatting and annotations, dashboards themed to a brand, TV and presentation modes, pixel-exact or paginated reports for print, and accessibility of charts documented.
10 — Dashboards that a whole organisation reads daily: every interaction (filter, drill, cross-filter, parameter) available to readers without editor rights, performance on large data stated, accessibility conformance (WCAG) published, and every chart reproducible from a documented query.
The Finance Controller
Interactive reports with filters, multiple pages, a drag-and-drop editor offering a pixel-perfect or snap-to-grid canvas and a mobile app are documented — the pixel-perfect canvas is what I would need for the advisory board printout. We found no public information on the chart library itself: pivot tables, maps, drill-down, templates, German number and date formats and accessibility are not described on the captured pages. So I score what is shown: interactive, filterable, mobile, but without evidence of the depth a controller relies on. 1 2 4
The Managing Director
Drag-and-drop reports with filters, multiple pages and a pixel-perfect canvas are confirmed, customisable visualisations are promised, and a mobile app lets me open reports on the go. Beyond that the pages describe no specific chart types, pivot tables, maps, drill-down or localised number and date formats, so how rich the dashboards really get is not publicly demonstrated. 1 2 4
The Data Analyst
A drag-and-drop editor with pixel-perfect or snap-to-grid canvas, reports with filters and multiple pages, customizable visualizations, a mobile app and alerts that fire when a chart meets criteria are all documented. We found no public information on the breadth of the chart library, pivot tables, drill-down, cross-filtering, templates or German number and date formats on the captured pages. 1 2 4
The IT Administrator
The pages document a drag-and-drop editor with a pixel-perfect or snap-to-grid canvas, interactive reports with filters and multiple tabs or pages, a mobile app, and alerts when a chart meets criteria — enough to build and read daily reports. We found no public information on the range of chart types, maps, KPI tiles, cross-filtering, brand theming, or accessibility and localised number and date formats, so I cannot place it higher. 1 2 4
The SaaS Product Lead
Interactive reports with filters, images, text and multiple pages, a drag-and-drop editor with pixel-perfect or snap-to-grid canvas, a mobile app and Gemini AI assistance are all documented. We found no public information on the chart library itself, drill-down, cross-filtering, templates, brand theming, or localised number and date formats, so I cannot verify the breadth that 600 customer views would need. 1 2 4
The Skeptic
Interactive reports with filters and multiple pages, a drag-and-drop editor with pixel-perfect or snap-to-grid canvas, real-time collaboration, a mobile app and chart alerts are all documented. We found no public information on the chart library itself, pivot tables, maps, drill-down, localised number and date formats, or accessibility of the charts — I score the interaction shell, not an imagined catalogue. 1 2 4
Self-service analysis & shared metrics
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How this is scored
Whether people outside the data team can answer their own questions and whether everyone gets the same answer: a visual query builder, a SQL editor for analysts, calculated fields and formulas, a semantic layer or data model where metrics such as revenue or churn are defined once and reused, metric definitions under version control (Git, dbt integration), questions in natural language with the generated query shown, forecasting and anomaly detection with the method stated, and notebooks or Python for deeper analysis.
0 — Dashboards can only be viewed; no one can ask a new question of the data.
3 — Charts are configured from a field list and simple calculated fields; shared metric definitions, SQL and a query builder are basic or not described.
5 — A visual query builder for business users and a SQL editor for analysts, calculated fields and formulas, saved questions reused across dashboards, a data model or dataset layer where joins and metrics are defined once, and natural-language questions that show the query they ran.
8 — A semantic layer with governed metrics and dimensions reused across every report, definitions in code under Git version control or synced with dbt, certified or endorsed datasets, forecasting and anomaly detection with the method stated, and Python or notebook analysis beside the dashboards.
10 — Self-service that stays consistent at scale: every metric defined once and traced to every chart that uses it, changes reviewed and tested before they reach readers, AI answers grounded in the semantic layer with their limits documented, and the model exportable in an open format.
The Finance Controller
Gemini in the Pro edition lets users ask questions about their data and create calculated fields from natural-language prompts, and there is a native connector to Looker semantic models — a route to defining a metric once, but through another product. We found no public information on a governed metric layer inside Data Studio itself, on definitions under version control, or on whether the AI answers show the query they ran. One contribution-margin definition on every page is what I need, and the evidence does not yet reach that. 1 3 4
The Managing Director
Pro users get Gemini assistance to ask questions of their data and create calculated fields from natural-language prompts, and analysts can run custom queries against BigQuery through the connector. We found no public information on a shared metric layer, version-controlled definitions, forecasting or notebooks, so defining revenue once for everyone is not something these pages demonstrate. 1 3 4
The Data Analyst
Gemini lets Pro users ask questions of their data and create calculated fields from natural-language prompts, BigQuery custom queries give analysts SQL in that one connector, and blending joins sources — but we found no public information on a visual query builder for colleagues, a shared metric layer, definitions in version control, or the query behind an AI answer, which is exactly the consistency problem I live with. The only semantic-model path shown is the Looker connector, which presupposes Looker. 1 3 4
The IT Administrator
Gemini assistance in the Pro edition lets users ask questions about their data and build calculated fields from natural-language prompts, blending joins sources into one report, and BigQuery connections accept custom queries, with notebooks and conversational agents reachable through the Data Cloud portal. We found no public information on a visual query builder, on a semantic layer where metrics are defined once inside this product, or on version-controlled definitions; the semantic models on offer are Looker's, reached through a connector, and nothing says the natural-language answers show the query they ran. 1 3 4
The SaaS Product Lead
Authors get drag-and-drop editing, blended data from several sources, calculated fields creatable through natural-language Gemini prompts on Pro, and custom queries at the BigQuery connector, and personal links let recipients edit and explore their own copy. We found no public information on a shared data model or semantic layer where metrics are defined once, a SQL editor inside the product, or saved questions reused across dashboards, so every customer view would stay hand-built. 1 3 4
The Skeptic
Gemini in the Pro edition takes natural-language questions and creates calculated fields, and analysts can write custom queries through the BigQuery connector — but nothing shows the query an AI answer ran, which is exactly where I stop trusting it. We found no public information on a shared metric layer, version-controlled definitions, certified datasets or forecasting with a stated method; semantic models appear only by connecting out to a separate Looker instance. 1 3 4
Sharing, scheduled reports & embedding
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How this is scored
How results reach the people who need them: sharing a dashboard with colleagues and with external parties, public or password-protected links, scheduled reports by email or chat (Slack, Microsoft Teams) as PDF, image or data, threshold alerts, comments and annotations, export to PDF, PowerPoint and Excel, embedding dashboards in an intranet, a website or the company's own software product, white-label options, and per-customer data separation for embedded use.
0 — Results cannot leave the editor; no sharing, export or embedding.
3 — Dashboards shared with other users of the account and exported to PDF or CSV; scheduled reports, alerts and embedding are basic or not described.
5 — Sharing with colleagues and by link, scheduled email reports with PDF or image, alerts when a metric crosses a threshold, export to PDF and Excel, and dashboards embedded in a website or intranet with an iframe or script.
8 — Reports delivered to Slack or Microsoft Teams, comments and annotations on dashboards, signed embedding with row-level filtering per viewer, an embedding SDK for a software product with white-label styling, client or guest portals, and an embedding licence model documented.
10 — Distribution as a product: multi-tenant embedded analytics with per-customer data isolation, theming and custom domains, end-user self-service inside the host application, every delivery channel automatable through an API, and usage of shared and embedded content reported to the customer.
The Finance Controller
Sharing with individuals, teams or the world, embedding in any web page or intranet, personal report links, alerts when a chart meets specified criteria, and up to 200 delivery schedules per report with delivery to Google Chat are all documented. We found no public information on scheduled email delivery as PDF or image, on Slack or Microsoft Teams, or on export to PDF, PowerPoint or Excel. That leaves me in the middle: colleagues can get the numbers, but the print path for the advisory board stays unclear. 1 2 4
The Managing Director
Sharing with individuals, teams or the world, personal links, alerts when a chart meets specified criteria, embedding in any web page or intranet, and up to 200 delivery schedules per report delivered to Google Chat are all confirmed. For my Monday-morning inbox summary the captured pages show only Google Chat as a delivery channel; scheduled email with a PDF, Excel export and Slack or Microsoft Teams delivery are not described. 1 2 4
The Data Analyst
Sharing with individuals, groups or the world, embedding in any web page or intranet, scheduled delivery with up to 200 schedules per report including Google Chat, chart-level alerts, and personal links that let recipients explore their own copy are all documented. We found no public information on email delivery with PDF attachments, export to Excel, Slack or Teams delivery, or signed embedding with row-level filtering per viewer. 1 2 4
The IT Administrator
Sharing with individuals, groups or the world, personal links that give each reader an editable copy, embedding on any web page or intranet, up to 200 delivery schedules per report with delivery to Google Chat, and chart alerts are all documented. We found no public information on scheduled delivery as PDF or image by email, export to Excel or PowerPoint, delivery to Slack or Microsoft Teams, or embedding with per-viewer row-level filtering and white-label styling. 1 2 4
The SaaS Product Lead
Sharing with individuals, teams or the world, embedding a report in any web page or intranet, up to 200 delivery schedules per report to Google Chat, alerts when a chart meets specified criteria, and real-time collaboration are documented. For my product-embedding use case that is not enough: we found no public information on white-label styling, per-viewer row-level filtering in embedded reports, an embedding SDK, an embedding licence model, or export formats such as PDF and Excel. 1 2 4
The Skeptic
Sharing with individuals, teams or the world, personal links giving each recipient an editable copy, embedding on any web page, up to 200 delivery schedules per report into Google Chat, and threshold alerts on charts are documented. We found no public information on email delivery as PDF or image, export of a report to PDF, Excel or PowerPoint, comments, white-label styling, row-level filtering per embedded viewer, or an embedding licence model. 1 2 4
Access control, administration & portability
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How this is scored
What a company needs before it gives the tool to everyone, and what leaving would cost: roles and folder or workspace permissions, row-level and column-level security, single sign-on (SAML, OpenID Connect) and user provisioning (SCIM), audit logs and usage analytics, content certification and lifecycle, environments for development and production, a public REST API for administration and content, export of dashboards and definitions in a reusable format, open-source code, and a self-hosted or on-premise edition the customer runs on its own servers.
0 — A single shared login with no permissions; dashboards cannot be exported or administered.
3 — Users with view and edit rights; row-level security, single sign-on, an API and export of definitions are basic or not described.
5 — Roles and folder or workspace permissions, row-level security documented, single sign-on on at least one stated plan, an audit log, a documented REST API, and dashboards and data exportable on termination.
8 — Column-level security and data permissions inherited from the source, SAML and SCIM provisioning, usage analytics for admins, development and production environments or content promotion, dashboards and definitions as code that can be versioned and moved, and a self-hosted or on-premise edition with its own documentation.
10 — Governance and an exit that can be verified: open-source code under a named licence that runs fully self-hosted with feature parity stated, every object (data model, dashboards, permissions) exportable in a documented format another instance imports, audit logs streamed to the customer's own systems, and deletion of every copy on termination documented.
The Finance Controller
Team workspaces with Manager, Content Manager and Contributor roles, project-level IAM permissions, organization-owned content, customer-managed encryption keys and an asset-management API for Google Workspace organizations are documented. We found no public information on row-level security, single sign-on, SCIM provisioning, audit logs or development and production environments, and the API documentation itself states that filters, sections and dimensions within a report cannot be retrieved — a hard limit if we ever wanted to move our reports out. Account-level export of content through the Google data export softens the exit question slightly. 4 5 9
The Managing Director
Team workspaces with Manager, Content Manager and Contributor roles, organisation-owned content tied to a Google Cloud project, IAM permissions and an asset-management API are documented, and Google account export of content exists. We found no public information on row-level security, single sign-on, audit logs or any self-hosted edition, so what leaving would cost is only half an answer. 4 5 9
The Data Analyst
Team workspaces with Manager, Content Manager and Contributor roles, project-level IAM, organisation-owned assets, customer-managed encryption keys and data residency are documented for Pro, and an API can search and manage assets — but it only surfaces metadata such as title and owner, not filters or dimensions, and requires Google Workspace or Cloud Identity. We found no public information on row-level security, audit logs, single sign-on, development and production environments, or a reusable export format for dashboards; the documented exit is a Google-account content export, so leaving would still mean rebuilding reports. 4 5 9
The IT Administrator
Team workspaces with Manager, Content Manager and Contributor roles, project-level IAM permissions, organisation-owned content, customer-managed encryption keys and a data residency control are documented for the Pro edition, alongside a REST API to search, manage and migrate assets. For what I need before a company-wide rollout, we found no public information on row-level or column-level security, single sign-on, user provisioning, an audit log, or a self-hosted edition we could run ourselves; the API is available only to Google Workspace or Cloud Identity organisations, deeper report metadata such as filters and dimensions cannot be retrieved through it, and the documented export is the account-wide content export from the Google account. 4 5 9
The SaaS Product Lead
Team workspaces with Manager, Content Manager and Contributor roles, project-level IAM permissions, organisation-owned content and a documented REST API for asset search and management give basic administration, though the API states that deeper report metadata such as filters and dimensions cannot be retrieved and is restricted to Google Workspace or Cloud Identity organisations. We found no public information on row-level security, single sign-on with SAML, audit logs, or separate development and production environments, which I would need before putting this in front of every customer account. 4 5 9
The Skeptic
Team workspaces with Manager, Content Manager and Contributor roles, project-level IAM permissions, organisation-owned assets, customer-managed encryption keys and data residency are documented for the Pro edition, and a content export at Google-account level exists. Against that, the management API reaches metadata only — the vendor's own documentation states filters, sections and dimensions within a report cannot be retrieved — and it is restricted to Google Workspace or Cloud Identity organisations; we found no public information on row-level security, single sign-on, SCIM, audit logs or development and production environments. 4 5 6 9
European sovereignty
panel opinion
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How this is scored
Who the contracting entity and the parent company are, where the connected business data is queried, cached, extracted and stored, and who the subprocessors are (hosting, query engine, AI model providers, email delivery of reports, support and payment tools). Independently sourced by the sovereignty pipeline; a BI tool reads revenue, customer and employee data from many systems, so every place a copy or cache lands counts, not only the account database. A self-hosted or open-source edition the customer runs on its own European servers counts as the customer's chain, whatever the vendor's seat.
0 — Non-EU vendor and contracting entity, hosting unstated, subprocessors unnamed, and no data processing agreement offered.
3 — A privacy policy and a data processing agreement exist, but hosting location is unstated or non-EU and the subprocessors are not listed.
5 — EU hosting available and an EU contracting entity or EU representative, but parts of the chain (query engine, extracts and caches, AI features, report emails, support, payment) run through non-EU providers without a stated safeguard.
8 — EU hosting on named infrastructure, EU contracting entity, subprocessors listed with their locations, a data processing agreement published, where extracts and caches are stored stated, and security certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2) stated — or a self-hosted edition documented that keeps every query and cache on the customer's own servers.
10 — Sovereign end to end and evidenced: European ownership, entity, hosting and every subprocessor including AI features, or a self-hosted open-source edition with no call home, data export and deletion documented, and certifications published with their scope rather than implied.
The Finance Controller
For users in the European Economic Area the data controller is Google Ireland Limited in Dublin, a Cloud Data Processing Addendum is published, and a Google Cloud subprocessor list is maintained. Against that, the privacy policy states that servers are operated worldwide, the same policy names Google LLC in Mountain View as controller for UK users, and we found no public information on security certifications or on where the Gemini features process data. The Pro edition's data residency and customer-managed storage for uploads and extracts are the one documented mitigation for keeping our figures where the auditors expect them. 4 6 7 8 9
The Managing Director
EEA users contract with Google Ireland Limited in Dublin, a Cloud Data Processing Addendum and a subprocessor list are published, and the Pro edition adds data residency plus storage of extracts in our own BigQuery dataset. Against that, the privacy policy states servers are operated worldwide, the parent is Google LLC in California, and the pages name no specific hosting region or security certifications. 4 6 7 8 9
The Data Analyst
The contracting entity for users in the European Economic Area is Google Ireland Limited in Dublin, with a published Cloud Data Processing Addendum and a subprocessor list, and AI-training processing for European services is controlled from Dublin; Pro adds data residency and customer-managed storage. But the privacy policy states servers are operated worldwide, users in the United Kingdom fall under Google LLC in Mountain View, and we found no public information on security certifications or per-subprocessor locations. 4 6 7 8 9
The IT Administrator
The contracting entity for users in the European Economic Area is Google Ireland Limited in Dublin, a Cloud Data Processing Addendum is published and incorporated into the customer agreement, and a subprocessor list is published — though we found no public information on the subprocessors' locations or on security certifications. The privacy policy states servers are operated worldwide with transfer frameworks invoked as the safeguard, while the Pro edition adds a data residency control, customer-managed storage for uploads and extracts in our own Cloud Storage bucket and BigQuery dataset, and customer-managed keys; we found no public information on a self-hosted edition, and the parent company sits in the United States. 4 6 7 8 9
The SaaS Product Lead
For users in the European Economic Area the contracting and controlling entity is Google Ireland Limited in Dublin, a Cloud Data Processing Addendum is published with version history, and a Google Cloud subprocessor list exists; the Pro edition adds data residency within a chosen geographical area, customer-managed storage for uploads and extracts, and customer-managed encryption keys. Against that, the privacy policy states servers are operated worldwide, the parent company is in the USA, and we found no public information on security certifications or the locations of individual subprocessors, so I could not confirm an end-to-end European chain for Austrian fleet data. 4 6 7 8 9
The Skeptic
For users in the EEA or Switzerland the controller is Google Ireland Limited in Dublin, a Cloud Data Processing Addendum is published and incorporated into the agreement, a Google Cloud subprocessor list exists, and Pro adds data residency with extracts storable in your own BigQuery dataset and uploads in your own Cloud Storage bucket. But the privacy policy states servers are operated worldwide, the parent company is Google LLC of Mountain View, the captured subprocessor entries carry no locations, and no ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification appears on these pages; the policy itself acknowledges delays between deletion and removal from active and backup systems, with no timeline published. 4 6 7 9
Pricing transparency
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How this is scored
Whether a buyer can compute the real annual cost from public pages alone: price per creator or editor seat and whether viewers are free or paid, capacity or usage pricing (rows, refreshes, queries, AI credits), which features (row-level security, SSO, embedding, API, more connectors, faster refresh) sit behind a higher tier or "contact sales", the price of embedding for external users, the self-hosted edition's licence, the free tier and its limits, minimum term and setup.
0 — No public prices at all; every customer is a sales call.
3 — A starting price or a free tier exists, but how cost scales with viewers, data volume or features is unclear.
5 — Tiers are public with their seat price and main inclusions, but at least one commonly needed piece (viewer seats, row-level security, SSO, embedding, extra connectors or refresh frequency) is unpriced or "on request".
8 — Every tier priced publicly with its scaling rule (creators, viewers, capacity, rows), viewer pricing stated, add-ons and usage overage priced, embedded and self-hosted pricing stated, minimum term and VAT treatment stated.
10 — Complete price computability: annual cost derivable for a given number of creators and viewers, data volume and feature set, with every add-on, embedding, setup, support and overage fee and the cancellation and data-return terms published.
The Finance Controller
The free tier is stated plainly — no charge for creators and report viewers — and Data Studio Pro is stated at $9 per user per project per month with a 30-day trial that can be cancelled without charge, upgradeable self-service from the website. But that per-user price varies with the length of the subscription without the variants published, VAT treatment and minimum term are unstated, and partner connectors such as Supermetrics carry their own separate pricing. I can budget the Google part of the bill; the connectors my colleagues would actually need are not computable from these pages. 1 3 4
The Managing Director
The free edition is "available at no charge for creators and report viewers" — my whole team can look without the price doubling — and Pro is published at "$9 per user per project per month" with a 30-day trial that can be cancelled free of charge. But that price "varies depending on the length of the customer's subscription" with no table published, VAT treatment is not stated, and partner connectors such as Supermetrics for HubSpot carry their own unlisted prices. 1 3 4
The Data Analyst
Both tiers are public — the base product at no charge for creators and report viewers, Pro at "$9 per user per project per month" with a 30-day trial of unlimited users that can be cancelled free — and upgrading is self-service. However, the Pro price "varies depending on the length of the customer's subscription" with no published scale, technical support requires a separately purchased Google Cloud support plan, and we found no public information on VAT treatment, Pro viewer licensing or the cost of partner connectors such as Supermetrics, so an annual total for our setup is not computable. 1 3 4
The IT Administrator
The free edition is stated at no charge for creators and report viewers, and Data Studio Pro is published at $9 per user per project per month with self-service upgrade and a 30-day trial with no user limit that bills automatically afterwards unless cancelled. What I cannot compute from these pages: the Pro price varies depending on the length of the subscription but those variations are not published, technical support requires a separately purchased Google Cloud support plan whose price is not stated, partner connectors carry their own vendor trials and plans, and we found no public information on VAT treatment or a minimum term. 1 3 4
The SaaS Product Lead
The free tier is explicitly available "at no charge for creators and report viewers", and Pro is published at "$9 per user per project per month" with a 30-day trial that is free if cancelled, but the same pages state the per-user price varies with subscription length without quantifying that variance. We found no public information on VAT treatment, minimum terms, or any price for embedding reports for external users, which is the number I would have to build into my own product price. 1 4
The Skeptic
The core is unusually clear: the free tier covers creators and report viewers alike, and Pro is $9 per user per project per month with a 30-day trial that bills automatically afterwards unless cancelled, and a self-service upgrade. We could not compute from the captured pages how "per project" scales across an organisation, the price for longer subscription lengths beyond the stated $9 figure, the cost of the separate Google Cloud support plan that technical support requires, or what partner connectors such as Supermetrics add to the bill; VAT treatment is not on these pages either. 1 4
European sovereignty — proven facts
0 of 6 dimensions provenBuilt only from facts shown on the vendor's own pages. A dimension we could not prove is left open, not scored as zero.
| Legal entity | Not determined ⚠ unverified | — | uncited Report an error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting location | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
| Hosting options | Not determined ⚠ unverified | — | uncited Report an error |
| Open source | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
| Data processing agreement | Not determined ⚠ unverified | — | uncited Report an error |
| Transfer impact assessment | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
Questions about Google Data Studio (Looker Studio)
Is Google Data Studio (Looker Studio) European?
No. whats-best.ai classifies Google Data Studio (Looker Studio) as Rest of world.
Where does Google Data Studio (Looker Studio) store data?
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026.
Does Google Data Studio (Looker Studio) have a free plan?
Yes. Google Data Studio (Looker Studio) has a free plan, per the vendor’s page captured 1 Nov 2026.
What are the best alternatives to Google Data Studio (Looker Studio)?
As of 1 Nov 2026, the panel rates Metabase (3.5/5), Preset (Apache Superset) (3.5/5) and Holistics (3/5) highest among the other 15 Business Intelligence & Dashboards products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is Luzmo (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: how scores are made. The full list, with European products first: Google Data Studio (Looker Studio) alternatives.
Where this could be wrong
- Evidence ages. The oldest capture behind this page is from 1 Nov 2026. Vendors change pricing and policies without notice; every fact reflects its source as of the capture date shown in the registry.
- Weak sourcing — Data processing agreement, Legal entity, Hosting options. Not confirmed on the vendor’s own pages as captured.
- AI can misread a source. Extraction and judgement are automated; a citation guarantees traceability, not infallibility. If something here is wrong, say so — no account needed, every report is decided within 5 business days, and accepted corrections are published.
What we left out
A claim that does not survive our checks costs us the claim, not the page. This is what was taken off this one.
- 2 compliance facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 1 data fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 1 product fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 3 sovereignty dimensions could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and are shown as unknown. Know more? Tell us
- 6 of the readings below were written against an earlier fact sheet — a fact has been corrected, added or pulled since. Until the panel next runs on this product you are reading the older judgement. Know more? Tell us
Sources (10)
The pages every claim on this page was read from — each one checked, dated, and kept verifiable.
- 1 Vendor product page (with pricing) cloud.google.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 2 Features page datastudio.google.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 3 Integrations page (connector gallery) datastudio.google.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 4 Documentation (Pro edition) docs.cloud.google.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 5 API documentation developers.google.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 6 Data processing agreement (dpa) cloud.google.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 7 Subprocessor list cloud.google.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 8 Legal notice www.google.de Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 9 Privacy policy policies.google.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 10 Self-hosting / on-premises installation docs — found from the homepage cloud.google.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →