Amplitude vs Looker: What are the differences?

Introduction

Amplitude and Looker are two popular analytics tools that provide valuable insights for businesses. While both tools focus on data analysis, there are key differences between the two.

1. Data Visualization: Amplitude offers a robust and intuitive data visualization suite that allows users to create interactive charts, funnels, and dashboards. Looker, on the other hand, provides a more flexible approach to data visualization, allowing users to build custom visualizations using LookML, a proprietary modeling language. This gives Looker an edge when it comes to creating complex, tailored visualizations.

2. Data Exploration: Amplitude primarily focuses on providing pre-built analysis and insights through its user-friendly interface. It offers advanced segmentation capabilities, cohort analysis, and event-based analysis to help businesses understand user behavior. Looker, on the other hand, emphasizes data exploration and ad-hoc analysis. It allows users to query and explore data in real-time without having to rely on pre-built reports, giving more flexibility in uncovering insights.

3. Integration and Data Sources: Amplitude specializes in mobile and web analytics, making it an ideal choice for businesses with mobile applications. It seamlessly integrates with various platforms and SDKs to capture user behavior data. Looker, on the other hand, offers a wide range of connectors and integrations, making it suitable for businesses with diverse data sources. It can connect to various databases, cloud platforms, and external tools, enabling a holistic data analysis approach.

4. Collaboration and Sharing: Amplitude provides collaborative features, allowing teams to work together and share insights within the platform. It offers role-based access control, dashboards, and reports sharing, making it easier to collaborate on data analysis. Looker also offers collaboration features, including shared dashboards and reports. However, Looker goes a step further by allowing users to embed data visualizations and explorations directly into applications, enabling easier sharing and consumption of insights.

5. Data Governance: Amplitude focuses on providing a user-friendly, self-serve analytics platform, which may result in less centralized control over data governance. Looker, in contrast, puts a stronger emphasis on data governance and provides more granular control over data access and permissions. It allows administrators to define access levels, restrict data access, and track data lineage, ensuring data security and compliance.

6. Pricing and Licensing: Amplitude offers a tiered pricing model based on usage and features, making it more accessible for smaller businesses. Looker, on the other hand, offers a custom pricing model that can be more suitable for larger enterprises with specific needs. Looker also offers a free version for limited users, enabling businesses to explore the tool before committing to a paid plan.

In summary, Amplitude emphasizes user-friendly data visualization and analysis, especially for mobile and web analytics. Looker, on the other hand, focuses on data exploration, customization, and collaboration while putting a stronger emphasis on data governance and flexibility in data sources.