Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Tableau vs Zoho Analytics comparison

Sponsored
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Cognos
Sponsored
Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
7th
Ranking in Reporting
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
134
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Tableau
Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
2nd
Ranking in Reporting
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
294
Ranking in other categories
Data Visualization (1st), Embedded BI (1st)
Zoho Analytics
Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
15th
Ranking in Reporting
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
Data Visualization (10th), Embedded BI (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Reporting category, the mindshare of IBM Cognos is 4.6%, down from 6.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tableau is 23.7%, up from 22.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zoho Analytics is 0.5%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Reporting
 

Featured Reviews

Carlos Larrad Salgado - PeerSpot reviewer
Improved the quality of our KPIs, while reducing calls to the IT department
I don't like that when we use Colab packages, we get less functionality. For example, you can make groups of data with Excel or with the data sets from the packages, but when you use the Colab packages directly, you can only group the data when you analyze it with Analysis Studio. I think Cognos needs to improve more on this functionality. The user experience is also very important. Cognos is not very easy to understand sometimes, especially when they change the layout but keep the functionality the same. The help is not very graphic and they have no examples. Cognos has to make a big effort to help with understanding the functionality by improving the documentation. There is a lot of documentation, but the examples are hard to find and they should make their help section easier to understand for non-technical users.
ROMIL SHAH - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides fast data access with in-memory extracts, makes it easy to create visualizations, and saves time
When it comes to visualizations, Tableau has a limitation as compared to Power BI. It has a limited set of visualizations. Power BI has the entire marketplace, so you can connect and import many visualizations and use them, whereas Tableau has only 10 or 15 visualizations. There should be more visualizations, and there should also be data integration with more cloud providers. Tableau has recently launched a paid version for the documentation. So, documentation has become a little bit challenging when it comes to Tableau development because we do not have any tool to export the data out of it. It is a license-based feature that you need to purchase to prepare documentation. So, on the documentation front, for preparing clear documentation for any dashboard, it would help if we get an embedded option, rather than buying a license for each user for the documentation. To document anything, if I have to connect to each workbook and see what has been written as a formula and then document in the Word document, it is pretty time-consuming. We have the Microsoft stack, and we are currently evaluating Power BI because Tableau has a limitation of 50 columns for a drill-down report. If we want more than 50 columns, we have found a hack, but there is no ready-made option for doing it. So, we have to use another tool in case we need a drilled report with more than 50 columns. There are many instances where users need 80 or 90 columns for their analysis, and switching between two technologies becomes a challenge. It is not a cost-effective approach for us. Their support should be improved. We are not happy with their support. Whenever we raised queries, we were pointed to a few blogs, and we didn't get a proper solution from them. Their licensing should also be improved. They want us to purchase a Tableau Creator license for business users, whereas Power BI Desktop is free for business users. They should come up with a basic license with one or two connectors that our business users can use for preparing their visualizations. Tableau also charges us per user for users who want the data only through email.
Yogesh Kumar Mali - PeerSpot reviewer
An easy-to-set up solution that helps in the scheduling of reports and dashboards
A lot of integrations are available with Zoho Analytics. There is a limitation that we cannot create more than 300 columns in a worksheet on Zoho Analytics. The data can be in millions. There are some limitations on the reports that depend on the various combinations of data you get. So there is always an error that gets thrown out if you are building complex reports.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"A drag-and-drop interface for selecting creating ad hoc reports makes this product very easy to use."
"Using custom controls, it is possible to extend the application with even more functionality and make the application intuitive and attractive."
"Security administration tools are powerful and flexible."
"Cognos is the best application with dashboards,batch reporting, jobs, events and ad-hoc reporting for business users."
"Comparing IBM Cognos to other applications, once a person is trained on it or they have developed a skill set to operate the application, it is best in its category."
"We are able to generate quality reports easily which allows us to decrease response time."
"A positive feature is Report Studio, where we create beautiful, complex reports."
"The most valuable feature is developing reports from different data sources, making it a reliable data source."
"The data blending capabilities is a huge factor for our team."
"The product has the best features for analytical views and filters."
"The solution deployment was straightforward."
"It allows us to basically understand and evaluate our numbers in an expedient manner."
"I like the visualization component."
"Tableau Prep tool for data preparation is a most valuable tool."
"Our customers love the visual capabilities on top of it and the ability to explain and get the required data. There is no other product like Tableau in the business intelligence and analytics space."
"It most valuable feature is its ease of developing visualizations, not just charts and graphs."
"The tool's most valuable feature is its dashboard."
"Zoho Analytics's most valuable feature is the ability to provide excellent analytics through a single platform."
"The initial setup is straightforward."
"It's a very strong analytics tool."
"Zoho Analytics is the best software for giving reports to customers and we can create any report that is required."
"The integration interface is very easy to use and allows you to directly connect to a variety of APIs."
"I like the way I can share dashboards and embed dashboards. I normally use embedding. So, I create a dashboard, and I embed it into specific websites. Sharing of the dashboard is seamless, and it is easier than any other visualization platform, even Tableau."
"It provides insights into leads, information about the team and about various sales activities. The graphical representations in the form of charts is excellent."
 

Cons

"One thing that we really want is the ability to have data portrayed on an image. Cognos is not able to do it at the moment, and that's becoming a requirement from the business side: having an image and then plotting your dataset on top of the image as a map."
"One key area for improvement is the need to improve the self-service nature and functionality of the product in terms of visual analytics."
"I need improvements, particularly with the Framework Manager, which has an outdated user interface from older versions like IBM Cognos 10 or 8. Additionally, the Event Studio, which offered great flexibility in previous versions, is no longer available in IBM Cognos Analytics 12. These are areas that could be improved to enhance the product."
"The AI-based features could be further enhanced by the solution."
"They were lacking in the initial phases of development in the area of big data, and they still need to improve that aspect of the product."
"IBM Support can be slow at times, but they can usually deliver in a timely manner."
"The solution seems to slow down the servers."
"It would be better if it is was easier to implement without extensive training for it."
"If you mainly need a tool for BI reporting, it's not the best option. Tableau needs better abilities to generate simple reports, integrate, create databases, and work with data lakes."
"At the organizational level, increasing the servers' capabilities to support us as an enterprise tool."
"Tableau's integration with Einstein Analytics could be better."
"It's already using 32 gigabytes of memory, but the performance is not so good. It's very heavy."
"The solution does have scalability issues."
"I would like Tableau to handle geospatial data better in terms of multiple layers and shapefiles."
"Tableau is a company that does not respect partners."
"The solution could improve the scalability, it is difficult to make changes."
"The platform's pricing needs improvement."
"In terms of improvement, they have a limited number of graphs available in their store. They should come up with more graph style forms. They should have more charts and at the same time, you can't create panels like with Microsoft BA."
"The solution does not provide call center facilities for customer support."
"This solution does not support manufacturing facilities."
"The support for Zoho Analytics is pathetic."
"A higher degree of artificial intelligence could be included in this solution. The data and overall insights could be improved."
"I like the solution's Query Table feature which helps me write SQL queries. We can get data from different tables and then use it to create reports."
"I have a lower rating when it comes to Zoho Analytics. The tool has poor performance. It needs to improve the dimensions and measures."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing of this product is meant for medium to large-scale enterprises."
"The pricing and licensing policies are comparatively cheaper than other products in the market ."
"My company uses IBM Cognos with another IBM product, so I think only one license is used."
"There is some additional licensing that we needed to purchase because we were touching data outside of our core data platform. The cost was approximately $25,000 for the additional licenses, which were approximate 45 licenses. For the application itself, updates, and the core platform it was approximately $50,000. Giving a total cost of $75,000 annually for our usage of IBM Cognos."
"IBM Cognos price is on the higher side of the spectrum. However, with the features that it brings, such as correlation analysis, it's worth the money. They should look at the pricing more clearly because it's a little on the higher side."
"It is averagely priced."
"I don't know the exact cost, but I believe Cognos is quite expensive, especially when it comes to the support consultants and the procedures that need to be applied."
"IBM Cognos offers competitive pricing similar to other BI vendors in the market."
"Tableau has core-based and user-based licensing, and it is tied to scalability. The core-based licensing is about you buying a certain number of cores, and there is no restriction on the number of users who can use Tableau. The restriction is only on the number of cores. In user-based subscription licensing, there is a restriction on the number of users. Big companies and government organizations with a lot of users typically go for core-based licensing. User-based subscription licensing is a more common model. It has user roles such as creator, explorer, and viewer. A creator is someone who does the groundwork or development work. An explorer is someone who is into middle management but is not technically savvy, such as a category head. A viewer is like a typical decision-maker in senior management. For each role, Tableau is priced differently. The viewer role has the minimum price, and the creator role has the highest price. This pricing is available on their website. Everybody can see it."
"The solution is very expensive. If you have many users then it is going to cost your company a lot of money."
"In Indian Rupees, Tableau costs about 30,000 to 40,000 per year."
"Buy 50 at a time. Project your use base every three months, and project your requirements forward."
"Cost is where tools like MicroStrategy, Power BI, or Spotfire come into play. Cost-wise, Tableau is a little bit costlier than other tools such as Power BI. I have been using Tableau all these years, but about four years ago, Power BI came out at a very low cost. Their desktop version was free from the beginning. Power BI Desktop has always been free, whereas Tableau Desktop is costly. When it comes to cost, people prefer Power BI because it integrates very well with Office 365. You don't have to worry about integration with Teams or SharePoint."
"The cost is high."
"It is more expensive than other solutions."
"The value for money is definitely there."
"I don't feel that price is an issue for this product."
"This solution is reasonable as far as pricing is concerned."
"The product is expensive."
"The price is high. The solution advertises that it provides products for 55 AED per user, but these products contain only the basic features. Most of the features are locked. The version of the product that includes Zoho Analytics costs around 199 AED per user per month."
"I would recommend looking at your usage and whether the Zoho One license model would work for your organisation. It is very cost effective if you use other Zoho tools."
"An exact ROI is hard to calculate. However, we have definitely made sales that would have been much harder, or unlikely, as a result of the speed with which we were able to prepare comprehensive analysis."
"I rate the tool's pricing seven out of ten. The licensing costs are yearly."
"The tool's pricing is similar to other Zoho applications and is affordable."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Reporting solutions are best for your needs.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user6330 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 2, 2013
MicroStrategy vs. Tableau
After a recent presentation, several attendees asked me about the applications of Visual Insights and Tableau. Many companies are investing in both tools and are trying to figure out the right tool for specific applications Tableau has found its sweet-spot as an agile discovery tool that analysts…
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
55%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
4%
Government
4%
Educational Organization
42%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Educational Organization
79%
Computer Software Company
4%
Financial Services Firm
2%
Manufacturing Company
2%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Seeking lightweight open source BI software
It depends on the Data architecture and the complexity of your requirement. Some great tools in the market are Qlik ...
What do you like most about IBM Cognos?
The solution's most valuable feature is its ease of use, which makes it easily compatible with other tools.
What needs improvement with IBM Cognos?
I need improvements, particularly with the Framework Manager, which has an outdated user interface from older version...
Tableau vs. Business Objects - Which is a better solution for visualization and analysis?
Both tools have their positives and negatives. First, I should mention that I am relatively new to Tableau. I have be...
Which would you choose - Tableau or SAP Analytics Cloud?
Tableau is easy to set up and maintain. In about a day it is possible for the entire platform to be deployed for use....
What do you like most about Tableau?
Tableau is a fantastic tool that provides impressive dashboards and customized reports.
What do you like most about Zoho Analytics?
Zoho Analytics's most valuable feature is the ability to provide excellent analytics through a single platform.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoho Analytics?
I rate the tool's pricing seven out of ten. The licensing costs are yearly.
What needs improvement with Zoho Analytics?
The improvement needed is regarding the number of API calls. Currently, Zoho Analytics only allows us to update data ...
 

Also Known As

Cognos, Cognos Analytics, IBM Cognos Analytics
Tableau Desktop, Tableau Server, Tableau Online
Zoho Reports
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

More than 23,000 leading organizations across multiple industries use Cognos. Some examples of Cognos customers include BMW Financial Services, Quinte Health Care, Troy Corporation, Michigan State University, and GKN Land System.
Accenture, Adobe, Amazon.com, Bank of America, Charles Schwab Corp, Citigroup, Coca-Cola Company, Cornell University, Dell, Deloitte, Duke University, eBay, Exxon Mobil, Fannie Mae, Ferrari, French Red Cross, Goldman Sachs, Google, Government of Canada, HP, Intel, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Macy's, Merck, The New York Times, PayPal, Pfizer, US Army, US Air Force, Skype, and Walmart.
Suzuki, American Pacific Mortgage, KPMG, Air Canada, University of Michigan, BricozOr, WorldWide Express, The University of Melbourne, Novartis, SAIC
Find out what your peers are saying about Tableau vs. Zoho Analytics and other solutions. Updated: November 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.