Comparison

Microsoft Power BI vs Looker

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Microsoft Power BI

Access and analyze your business data from anywhere with powerful mobile tools. Visualize key metrics, filter information, and share insights on the go. Get real-time notifications and ask questions of your data with a virtual analyst.

Highlights
  • View data in one place
  • Explore, filter, and focus data
  • Annotate and share reports
  • Set data alerts and notifications
  • Q&A virtual analyst for insights
  • Secure on-premises data access
  • Scan barcodes/QR codes for data
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Access your data from anywhere. Get notifications, annotate and share, and dive deep into your data with powerful features for decision making on the go.    Highlights:    • View all your important data in one place    • Tap to explore, filter, and focus on what’s most important     • Easily annotate and share reports and visualizations      • Set data alerts and get real-time notifications     • Ask questions in your own words and get meaningful insights into your data with the Q&A virtual analyst    • Securely access your on-premises data     • Scan barcodes and QR codes to easily track inventory and get real-world data in context    • Start exploring your Power BI data instantly, with no setup needed    Get the full Power BI suite and never miss a beat with Power BI Desktop, the Power BI web service, and Power BI Mobile! By installing this app, you agree to the terms at: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2178902

About

Looker

Access and interact with your business intelligence dashboards and reports from anywhere. Seamlessly navigate between data sources and collaborate with your team on insights.

Highlights
  • Seamless Google OAuth login
  • Access Looker instance on mobile
  • View, share, and collaborate on dashboards
  • Mobile-friendly report viewing
  • Access reports shared with you
  • Collaborate within team workspaces
Read full description

Access all your Looker content while on the go! The new Looker app enables seamless navigation between Looker and Looker Studio Pro content, providing a unified view of your data. With Looker you can: - Login seamlessly with Google OAuth or 3PIDP - All Looker customers can access their instance via mobile app - View, Share and Collaborate on your Looker dashboards, Looks and boards on-the-go With Looker Studio Pro: - View your reports in a mobile-friendly format - View and access reports shared with you and within team workspaces - Share your reports with others Download the Looker app today and take informed actions on your data! By using this app you are agreeing to Terms of Service (https://cloud.google.com/terms/looker/msa?e=48754805&hl=en) and Privacy Notice (https://cloud.google.com/terms/cloud-acquisitions-privacy-notice?hl=en&e=48754805) for Looker (Original) Terms of Service (https://cloud.google.com/terms/) and Privacy Notice (https://cloud.google.com/terms/cloud-privacy-notice) for Looker (Google Cloud core) and Looker Studio Pro

Screenshots

Microsoft Power BI4 screens
Looker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Microsoft Power BI at 46% against Looker's 0%. Microsoft Power BI also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.8) and ratings volume (98K vs 12). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Microsoft Power BI holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Power BI has 98K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Microsoft Power BI's written reviews are positive against 0% of Looker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Microsoft Power BI ships an update fortnightly, Looker every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Microsoft Power BI versus Looker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMicrosoft Power BILooker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (98K ratings) — better3.8 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews46.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings98K — better12
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#140 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size214 MB65 MB
Age rating+417+
DeveloperMicrosoft CorporationGoogle

Customer experience

Microsoft Power BI

All ratings97,437 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews370 reviews
Positive46.5%
Neutral10.8%
Negative42.7%

Looker

All ratings12 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative90.0%

Bugs and requests

Microsoft Power BI

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent login issues and SSO problems
  • Visualizations not rendering correctly
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between reports
  • Drill-through functionality not working as expected
  • Scaling and layout issues on iPad and larger devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to refresh data and reports remotely
  • Enhanced navigation and bookmarking features
  • Improved support for touch-based interactions
  • Better optimization for smaller mobile screens
  • Integration with other Microsoft 365 apps

Looker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Microsoft Power BI

No in-app purchases

None

Looker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Microsoft Power BI free?
Microsoft Power BI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Looker free?
Looker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Microsoft Power BI or Looker?
Microsoft Power BI is rated higher. Microsoft Power BI averages 4.7 out of 5 from 98K ratings, while Looker averages 3.8 from 12 ratings.
Do Microsoft Power BI or Looker have ads?
Neither Microsoft Power BI nor Looker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Microsoft Power BI or Looker?
Microsoft Power BI ships an update fortnightly, and Looker every 6 weeks. Most recently, Microsoft Power BI was updated on October 29, 2026 and Looker on October 27, 2026.

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