Looker Reviews & Product Details

I find Looker's LookML semantic model incredibly valuable because it allows users to use an intuitive drag and drop interface for reports without needing to worry about underlying SQL queries. I also like the advanced features such as liquid syntax, which provide flexibility for use cases like currency conversion or period over period analysis with dynamic lookup windows. It's also great that we could scale our embedded data product from 0 to 3500 users thanks to Looker's centralized governance and observability. The dashboarding experience being far easier to embed than to build ourselves is another aspect I appreciate. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The visualizations in Looker feel a little dated, as they have not kept up with the options provided by competitors for visualizing data. There is very little to no AI functionality out of the box, which feels like a miss. The pricing for our use cases grew significantly from 2022 onwards, increasing from mid-5 figures to 6-figures in GBP per year. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like Looker's ability to turn large amounts of data into clear and useful dashboards. The visual reports make it easier to understand trends and compare information without going through multiple spreadsheets. The centralized reporting, interactive dashboards, and filtering options are useful when reviewing student, examination, faculty, and institutional data. It helps me quickly get the required information and present it in a clear format. I use Looker alongside Microsoft Excel and Word, and it significantly enhances how I manage and analyze institutional data. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One area that could be improved is the learning curve for users who are not very familiar with data analytics tools. Some advanced features and dashboard configurations can take time to understand. I would also like simpler options for creating and customizing reports without depending too much on technical support. Better documentation, more user-friendly controls, and easier export and formatting options for official reports would make Looker more convenient for administrative users. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use Looker mainly for data analysis and business intelligence. It helps me bring data from different sources into one place, create dashboards and reports, and track important metrics. I find it useful for turning large amounts of data into visual insights that are easier to understand and use for decision-making. I like the way it makes complex data easier to explore and understand, particularly the interactive dashboards and the ability to drill down into the numbers instead of just looking at a static report. The data modeling helps keep reporting consistent, which makes me more confident that everyone is working with the same definitions and metrics. The interactive dashboards let me quickly move from a high-level overview to the details behind a number, and data modeling keeps the definitions and calculations consistent, reducing a lot of manual reporting work. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One thing I think could be improved is the learning curve. Looker is powerful, but some of the more advanced features can take time to understand, especially for someone who isn’t very familiar with data modeling or BI tools. Building or modifying dashboards can also feel a little complicated at first. I’d like to see a more beginner-friendly interface, clearer guidance within the product, and more flexibility for quickly customizing visualizations without needing technical knowledge. I think Looker could be more user-friendly for people who are new to BI tools. Better in-product guidance and more straightforward dashboard customization would help a lot. I’d also like more drag-and-drop options for creating visualizations, along with clearer explanations when something in the data model needs attention. Faster dashboard loading and more flexible formatting options would make the overall experience smoother, especially when working with larger datasets. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The best part about Looker is its centralized LookML semantic modeling layer, which creates a truly reliable single source of truth across the organization. By defining business logic, joins, and KPIs once in code with Git version control, a change to a metric in one file can cascade across every report, helping eliminate conflicting numbers between departments. That level of governance makes self-service analytics both safe and practical: business teams can slice and explore live data through an intuitive interface without writing SQL, while the direct in-database query architecture helps ensure dashboards reflect real-time warehouse data. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I dislike most about Looker is that it can feel overly rigid and technically heavy for everyday work. The learning curve for LookML is quite steep, so you end up relying on data engineers to model new fields before business users can explore them. That leaves very little room for quick, on-the-fly ad hoc analysis when you just want to answer a question in the moment. The visualization options also feel fairly basic and inflexible compared with tools like Tableau, which is frustrating when you’re trying to build polished dashboards with a high level of customization. On top of that, since Looker queries the data warehouse live, complex dashboards with lots of tiles can load painfully slowly, and they can also drive up cloud compute costs if performance isn’t continually tuned. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Dashboards are clean and the scheduled reports feature is something I set up for a few client and basically forget about. Every monday morning the right numbers land in the right inbox without anyone having to manually run anything. That kind of automation compounds over time, it sounds small but it removes a whole category of recurring tasks. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Performance on complex curious can be slowed pending on how the underlying data warehouse is setup. Looker itself isn't always the bottleneck but its hard to explain that two stakeholders steering at a spinning loading circle. pricing is also on the heavier site for a small operation its built for team with dedicated data infrastructure and the cost reflect that. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use Looker primarily for data visualization, dashboard creation, and business reporting. I love its ability to turn complex data into clear, interactive, and easy-to-understand dashboards. The interface is intuitive, making it easier for both technical and non-technical users to explore data without needing deep technical expertise. It integrates with different data sources and provides real-time insights. The customization options for reports and dashboards are very flexible, allowing teams to focus on the metrics that matter most to them. Looker has centralized data, making analysis much faster and more reliable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There are a few areas that could be improved. The learning curve can be challenging for new users, especially when working with advanced features or LookML modeling. Some customizations and configurations still require technical knowledge, which may not be ideal for all teams. Performance can also slow down when handling very large datasets or highly complex dashboards. Another area for improvement is pricing, as it can be expensive for smaller organizations or teams with limited budgets. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the fact I can see very quickly where the students I'm scheduling is at whether it be there class, there ride times, there clinicals, or even important files they are missing that would make there uploads unacceptable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

the only downside I would say is sometimes it takes a while to load and gives me a white screen but I do not think that is a looker problem just either internet status or my computer going slow Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I have used Looker Studio to make our patient reports, connecting ED and PE scores and personal details from Google Sheets to Looker Studio. It was very helpful for our patients to see their progress, and as an organization, it was super cool because we didn't have to worry about anything; Looker Studio managed it on its own. I find it visually user-friendly as it generates graphs showing patient progress. Connecting reports is pretty easy, and the user experience is good. It helped us to generate patient reports without any hassle. The initial setup was very easy. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sometimes if we mistakenly don't find any value from Google Sheet, then it won't show the graph. That is something you can work on. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like best about Looker is how it lets our entire team explore data without needing to write SQL every time. The LookML layer is the real game-changer — once the data model is set up, business users can build their own dashboards and pull reports on their own, which has drastically reduced the number of ad-hoc request tickets coming to our analytics team.

The reusable blocks and custom dimensions make it easy to maintain consistency across reports — everyone is looking at the same numbers calculated the same way, which has cut down on a lot of confusion during meetings.

The embedded analytics feature was an unexpected benefit — we've been able to share dashboards directly with external stakeholders without giving them full access to our platform, which has made client reporting much smoother and more professional. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Honestly, I don't have any major complaints. Looker does exactly what we need it to do and it works well for our use case.

If I had to nitpick, the initial setup and learning LookML does require some technical knowledge, so it's not something a non-technical person can just jump into on day one. But once it's set up properly, it runs smoothly and the value it delivers far outweighs any small learning curve. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use Looker to build reports and visualizations for supply chain and retail partners, and it has been very helpful for creating reports smoothly with Google BigQuery as the data source. I especially appreciate how easy it is to set up and the fact that it’s cloud-based, which makes it simple to use on any machine. Unlike tools like Power BI, Looker doesn’t require a high-end computer to run well or to get everything set up. Since I can access it through any browser, I’m able to get started quickly and focus on building reports right away. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Performance can be slow at times, especially when working with large datasets. I also find there’s limited flexibility for creating custom plots, and scheduling and refreshing reports should be easier going forward. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.