Cube.js vs Looker: What are the differences?

Introduction

Cube.js and Looker are both data analytics and business intelligence platforms that aim to provide organizations with insights and analytics capabilities. However, there are several key differences between these two platforms.

1. Architecture: Cube.js is an open-source tool, while Looker is a commercial platform. Cube.js follows a modular architecture, allowing users to choose their preferred components and build a customized analytics stack. Looker, on the other hand, is a complete BI platform with a predefined architecture and feature set.

2. Flexibility: Cube.js provides greater flexibility in terms of data source connections. It supports a wide range of databases and data warehouses, allowing users to connect to multiple data sources simultaneously. Looker primarily supports SQL-compatible databases and limits users to connect only to those supported by the platform.

3. Development Experience: Cube.js is designed to be developer-friendly, with a focus on enabling developers to build custom analytics solutions. It provides a rich set of APIs and libraries that developers can leverage to create data models and build interactive visualizations. Looker, on the other hand, is more user-centric and provides a visual interface for non-technical users to create and explore visualizations.

4. Embeddability: Cube.js is designed to be embeddable into other applications, providing developers with the ability to integrate analytics capabilities seamlessly. It offers a flexible embedding API and supports embedding charts, dashboards, and other visualizations. Looker also supports embedding visualizations, but its embedding capabilities are not as comprehensive as Cube.js.

5. Customization: Cube.js provides more extensive customization options compared to Looker. Developers can customize the entire analytics pipeline, from data modeling to visualization components, to suit specific requirements. Looker, although it allows a degree of customization, has limitations in terms of modifying the platform's core functionalities.

6. Pricing Model: Cube.js being an open-source tool is free to use, with users only bearing the cost of infrastructure and maintenance. Looker, being a commercial platform, comes with a subscription-based pricing model, with costs depending on factors like the number of users and the required features.

In summary, Cube.js and Looker differ in terms of architecture, flexibility, development experience, embeddability, customization options, and pricing model.