Looker
Looker helps organizations explore, share, and visualize company data to support business decisions.
What Looker is
Looker helps organizations explore, share, and visualize company data to support business decisions. Its LookML semantic models describe dimensions, aggregates, calculations, and relationships, then use those definitions to generate SQL queries. Gemini-powered natural-language analytics and Dashboard Agents provide summaries and data explorations grounded in governed metrics. Looker connects to BigQuery, Spanner, Cloud SQL for MySQL, Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL, and other Google services. The Looker Marketplace offers applications, prebuilt LookML models, visualizations, and actions for delivering data to third-party services. Listed capabilities include hourly refresh, row-level security, scheduled reports, embedded analytics, and natural-language queries. Looker uses hybrid deployment and is available through web, Android, iOS, API, and self-hosted options; its mobile apps let users view Looks and dashboards. Google documents TLS 1.2 or later for data in transit and AES-256 encryption for locally stored sensitive application data. Plans are paid, with pricing on request, and a free 14-day trial is advertised. Standard, Enterprise, and Embed each include one production instance, 10 Standard Users, and 2 Developer Users, with different API call allowances.
Good
- LookML models define dimensions and data relationships.
- Offers natural-language analytics and Dashboard Agents.
- Includes row-level security and scheduled reports.
- Marketplace provides models, visualizations, and actions.
- Advertises a free 14-day trial.
Watch out
- No free plan is listed.
- Pricing is available on request.
- Instance edition cannot be changed after creation.
- Standard and viewer licenses do not include Support access.
Who it suits
Looker suits organizations that want to explore and share business data using semantic modeling, governed metrics, and embedded analytics. Its named plans offer different API call limits for organizations to assess against their needs.
Verdict
Looker combines semantic modeling, dashboards, and natural-language analytics for business data. Pricing requires an inquiry, and buyers should account for the instance edition being fixed at creation.
Plans and prices
From Looker's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Embed | Priced on request | 1 production instance · 10 standard users · 2 developer users · Up to 500,000 query-based API calls/month · Up to 100,000 administrative API calls/month · Annual commitment |
| Enterprise | Priced on request | 1 production instance · 10 standard users · 2 developer users · Up to 100,000 query-based API calls/month · Up to 10,000 administrative API calls/month · Enhanced security features · Annual commitment |
| Standard | Priced on request | For teams with fewer than 50 users · 1 production instance · 10 standard users · 2 developer users · Up to 1,000 query-based API calls/month · Up to 1,000 administrative API calls/month · Annual commitment |
The facts
Each one read from Looker's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Compliance
- Google says Looker products maintain ISO, SOC, and other security certifications through its compliance program, with certification details available to customers and prospects under NDA.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Conversational analytics
- Looker offers Gemini-powered natural-language analytics and Dashboard Agents that provide summaries and data explorations grounded in governed metrics.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Database integration
- Looker connects to BigQuery, Spanner, Cloud SQL for MySQL, and Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL, among other Google services.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- hybridchecked 21 Sep 2026
- Edition limit
- A Looker (Google Cloud core) instance's edition type cannot be changed after the instance is created.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Embedded analytics
- Looker APIs, SDKs, and iframe embedding let developers build analytics and conversational experiences into applications.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Mobile access
- The Looker mobile app for iOS and Android lets users view Looks and dashboards from Looker instances.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Natural-language queries
- Yeschecked 21 Sep 2026
- Refresh frequency
- hourlychecked 21 Sep 2026
- Row-level security
- Yeschecked 21 Sep 2026
- Scheduled reports
- Yeschecked 21 Sep 2026
- Security
- Looker documents TLS 1.2 or later for data in transit and AES-256 encryption for locally stored sensitive application data.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Semantic modeling
- LookML defines semantic data models that describe dimensions, aggregates, calculations, and data relationships for generating SQL queries.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- Developer user licensing includes access to Support, while standard and viewer user licensing does not.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Third-party integrations
- Looker Marketplace offers applications, prebuilt LookML models, visualizations, and actions for delivering data to third-party services.checked 7 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Looker helps organizations explore, share, and visualize company data to support business decisions.checked 7 Oct 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Nochecked 21 Sep 2026
- Trial
- Google advertises a free 14-day Looker trial.checked 7 Oct 2026
