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Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services vs Plotly comparison

Microsoft and Plotly are both solutions in the Reporting category. Microsoft is ranked #6 with an average rating of 7.6, while Plotly is ranked #18 with an average rating of 7.7. Microsoft holds a 3.5% mindshare in RT, compared to Plotly’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 84% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Plotly users who would recommend it.
Microsoft SQL Server Report...
Read 20 Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services reviews
  • 2,819 Views
  • 1,843 Comparison Views
84% willing to recommend
Plotly
Read 3 Plotly reviews
  • 661 Views
  • 576 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 4, 2025

Plotly and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services are products competing in data visualization and reporting. Plotly stands out in terms of interactive graphics and user-friendliness, while Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is strong in its integration with Microsoft products and comprehensive reporting features.

Features: Plotly is known for its customizable dashboards, collaboration tools, and interactive graphics, providing a dynamic visualization experience. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services offers strong parameterization options, seamless integration with SQL Server, and extensive reporting capabilities. Plotly is favored for its contemporary design and flexibility, while Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services benefits from an enterprise-focused feature set.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services typically integrates easily into existing Microsoft infrastructures, making deployment smooth for current users, and its customer service is well-rated in enterprise contexts. Plotly's cloud-based nature allows for quicker deployment and efficient online support, catering well to teams needing rapid implementation. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services might need more configuration time initially, but it offers robust long-term support.

Pricing and ROI: Plotly's subscription pricing is cost-effective for smaller teams, delivering quick ROI with low setup costs. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services requires a higher initial investment, but it provides significant returns due to its capabilities in large, enterprise environments. Plotly's pricing model is attractive due to its flexibility, while Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services presents value through its extensive features.

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To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services vs. Plotly Report (Updated: April 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft SQL Servering Services vs. Plotly
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

Microsoft SQL Server Report...
Ranking in Reporting
6th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Plotly
Ranking in Reporting
18th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Reporting category, the mindshare of Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is 3.5%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Plotly is 1.2%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Reporting
 

Featured Reviews

Gnanavel-Chakkarapani - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers useful templates but needs to improve the connectivity offered
In Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, not much of the interface part is used. With Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, its users face issues with the interface after they use Excel or create Microsoft SSIS Packages. The tool's interface is an area of concern requiring improvement. There needs to be an improvement in the product's connectivity so that the tool can connect easily with other third-party databases. In the dashboard, drag and drop functionality needs to improve, especially when compared to other tools like IBM Cognos Analytics and Qlik Sense. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is useful only for standard reports. In IBM Cognos Analytics, query studio can be used by users to drag the data and simply download the reports, so the user doesn't need to have any technical knowledge like developers. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is to be improved to offer features like query Studio, which is provided in IBM Cognos Analytics.
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Hassan Kamkar - PeerSpot reviewer
An interactive and easy-to-use solution that can be used to create dashboards
The solution cannot be deployed on the website and shared with others through its own platform. We need a third-party platform to share the application that we develop. In Tableau and Power BI, we can simply share the website with others as long as we use the paid version. However, for Plotly, we need to deploy our app on a cloud-based service like AWS or other third-party websites to share with others.
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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

"I am impressed with the product's seamless integration. It can work with different databases like Oracle."
"The tool's valuable features are its drill-down feature, graphs, and charts."
"I like Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services' automated reporting feature."
"Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is reliable for management dashboard and reporting purposes. It is helpful for user reporting and administrative tasks, such as monitoring progress. It is easy to use since it is lightweight and integrates well with the SQL Server database, making reporting straightforward. The visualization capabilities enhance our reporting needs with good pagination and KPI features. It integrates well with data servers and workbooks, allowing us to publish reports on mobile applications and tablets easily. Integrating other tools and platforms in our tech ecosystem is generally straightforward. However, if we need to perform something very specialized, we might have to use third-party tools rather than inbuilt options."
"It is a stable solution."
"In Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, the installation and configuration are easy."
"It is scalable."
"Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services has been functional whenever I needed to use it."
More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services pros
"It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine to ten out of ten."
"When reviewing and interpreting data, I typically examine it in a tabular form to understand its structure. However, when explaining or presenting the findings to others, I often use visualization tools such as Plotly. These tools allow me to create visual representations of datasets."
"The level of interactivity that the product provides is valuable to me."
 

Cons

"It would be really nice to have better integration between the solution and Power BI."
"Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services needs to improve performance."
"In this solution, the cost should be reduced for the enterprise edition."
"There are occasions during maintenance runs when the Check Point monitoring system reports a lot of blocked sessions."
"The solution's interface is old."
"It doesn't have quite the flexibility of a Tableau or something like that. Many users are more comfortable with Tableau and I'm not quite sure why that is right now, but it seems to be the case."
"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."
"I would like the solution to add the scheduling feature for reports."
More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services cons
"The tool needs to improve its pie charts. Regarding Plotly, I find the online documentation somewhat challenging to navigate, especially when dealing with many parameters. Searching through thousands of parameters can be a tedious and less straightforward process. While the documentation is available online and serves its purpose, I often encounter difficulties in finding the information."
"I believe that the prices of the tool's paid services could be on the premium side, so the pricing model can be considered for improvement."
"The solution cannot be deployed on the website and shared with others through its own platform."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."
"The tool's licensing costs are expensive."
"Value-wise, the solution's pricing is good for the price that we pay."
"The price is pretty good."
"The pricing is high."
"The product pricing is reasonable in terms of suitable features for business."
"The solution is free to use for developers."
"The solution is cheaper than its alternatives."
"I only use the free tier of the product."
"It is an open-source tool. My company hasn't explored Plotly's premium services yet, but I believe the prices could be on the premium side."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Government
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
13%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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
What do you like most about Plotly?
It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine to ten out of ten.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Plotly?
It is an open-source tool. My company hasn't explored Plotly's premium services yet, but I believe the prices are on the premium side. I rate the product price as five or six on a scale of one to t...
See all answers
What needs improvement with Plotly?
I believe that the price of the tool's paid services is on the premium side, so the pricing model can be considered for improvement.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

TIBCO Jaspersoft vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Logo
TIBCO Jaspersoft vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
Compared 19% of the time
Tableau vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Logo
Tableau vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
Compared 16% of the time
IBM Cognos vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Logo
IBM Cognos vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
Compared 13% of the time
Oracle OBIEE vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Logo
Oracle OBIEE vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
Compared 12% of the time
SAP Crystal Reports vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Logo
SAP Crystal Reports vs Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
Compared 9% of the time
More Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Competitors
Microsoft Power BI vs Plotly Logo
Microsoft Power BI vs Plotly
Compared 42% of the time
Tableau vs Plotly Logo
Tableau vs Plotly
Compared 35% of the time
TIBCO Spotfire vs Plotly Logo
TIBCO Spotfire vs Plotly
Compared 13% of the time
Looker Studio vs Plotly Logo
Looker Studio vs Plotly
Compared 10% of the time
More Plotly Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft SQL Servering Services
April 2025
Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services reportDownload Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services product report
Buyer's Guide
Reporting
April 2025
Plotly reportDownload Plotly product report
 

Also Known As

SQL Server Reporting Services, Microsoft SSRS, SSRS, MS SQL Server Reporting Services
No data available
 

Overview

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

Plotly creates leading open source tools for composing, editing, and sharing interactive data visualization via the Web.

Our collaboration servers (available in cloud or on premises) allow data scientists to showcase their work, make graphs without coding, and collaborate with business analysts, designers, executives, and clients.

Plotly
 

Sample Customers

CMS Wire, The New York Times
Google, Goji, VIT, Smpl Bio, U.S. Air Force, C12 Energy, New York University
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft SQL Servering Services vs. Plotly
April 2025
Free Report: Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services vs. Plotly
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services vs. Plotly and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
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