# Looker vs Sigma Computing

| Attribute | Looker | Sigma Computing |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 51.8 (53% (medium)) | 57.7 (33% (low)) |
| adoption.stackoverflow_questions | 2,000 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Looker is a business intelligence and embedded analytics platform owned by Google Cloud that helps organizations explore, visualize, and analyze data to support decision-making. It serves business analysts, data teams, and enterprises seeking to build dashboards, create reports, and embed analytics capabilities into custom applications.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/looker","question":"What is Looker and what is it used for?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"LookML is Looker's proprietary data modeling language that allows developers to define semantic layers, transformations, and business logic on top of raw data. It enables organizations to create a governed, reusable data model that ensures consistent definitions and metrics across all analytics within the platform.","source":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/intro","question":"What is LookML and why does Looker use it?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"Looker uses a subscription-based pricing model with three platform editions (Standard, Enterprise, and Embed) requiring annual commitments. Pricing includes both a platform fee and per-user licensing costs based on user type (Developer, Standard, or Viewer). New customers can access a free trial with 300 dollars in Google Cloud credits.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/looker/pricing","question":"What is the pricing model for Looker?","confidence":0.92},{"answer":"Looker does not offer a permanent free tier, but new users can start with a free trial that includes 300 dollars in Google Cloud credits to explore the platform's capabilities. After the trial period, a paid subscription is required to continue using the platform.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/looker/pricing","question":"Can you use Looker for free?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"No, Looker is a commercial, proprietary software product owned by Google Cloud. The platform is not open source and requires a paid subscription license to use. Google acquired Looker in 2019 and integrates it as part of its cloud analytics offerings.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/looker","question":"Is Looker open source?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"Embedded analytics refer to integrating Looker dashboards and visualizations directly into third-party applications or custom software, rather than accessing analytics through a separate analytics interface. Organizations use this capability to provide analytics features to end users without requiring them to log into Looker directly, enabling analytics to be embedded in customer-facing applications or internal business systems.","source":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/intro","question":"What are embedded analytics in Looker and when would you use them?","confidence":0.88},{"answer":"Looker provides REST APIs that developers can use to build custom applications, automate workflows, and integrate Looker functionality with other tools. Developers can work with LookML for data modeling and use the SQL Runner tool to write custom SQL queries. The APIs enable programmatic access to dashboards, queries, and user management features.","source":"https://docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs","question":"What programming languages and APIs does Looker support for developers?","confidence":0.87},{"answer":"Looker is primarily deployed as a cloud-based service (SaaS) running on Google Cloud Platform, with customers accessing it through web browsers and mobile applications. The platform is not designed for traditional on-premises self-hosting, positioning it as a fully managed cloud solution.","source":"https://cloud.google.com/looker","question":"Is Looker cloud-only or can it be self-hosted?","confidence":0.9}]` | `[{"answer":"A cloud-native platform that enables teams to build analytics applications, interactive dashboards, and AI agents directly on data warehouse data, with built-in governance, audit trails, and warehouse-native execution. It is indexed under BI Software.","source":"https://www.sigmacomputing.com/","question":"What is Sigma Computing?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Sigma Computing supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.sigmacomputing.com/","question":"What platforms does Sigma Computing support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Sigma Computing, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.sigmacomputing.com/","question":"Can Sigma Computing be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 7 integrations for Sigma Computing, including AWS, Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, Glean, Slack, Jira and Anthropic. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.sigmacomputing.com/","question":"What does Sigma Computing integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR for Sigma Computing. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Sigma Computing not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.sigmacomputing.com/blog/embedded-analytics-vs-compliance","question":"What security certifications does Sigma Computing have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Sigma Computing is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://www.sigmacomputing.com/blog/pricing-sensitivity-dashboards","question":"Where is Sigma Computing available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | A business intelligence and analytics platform offering self-service dashboards, data exploration through LookML models, and embedded analytics capabilities with support for cloud and self-hosted deployment. | A cloud-native platform that enables teams to build analytics applications, interactive dashboards, and AI agents directly on data warehouse data, with built-in governance, audit trails, and warehouse-native execution. |
| features.capabilities | `{"nlq_ai":true,"hosting":"both","rls_sso":true,"paradigm":"nlq_search","free_tier":true,"api_access":true,"sql_editor":true,"data_modeling":true,"managed_cloud":true,"self_hostable":true,"git_versioning":true,"semantic_layer":"built_in","visualizations":true,"warehouse_native":true,"connector_breadth":"Cloud data warehouses (Snowflake confirmed), OAuth-authenticated data sources","scheduled_reports":true,"embedded_analytics":true,"transparent_pricing":false,"self_serve_dashboards":true}` | `{"nlq_ai":true,"hosting":"cloud","rls_sso":true,"paradigm":"notebook","free_tier":false,"api_access":true,"dbt_native":false,"managed_cloud":true,"self_hostable":false,"visualizations":true,"warehouse_native":true,"connector_breadth":"Cloud data warehouses (AWS Redshift, Snowflake) with external system integration","scheduled_reports":false,"embedded_analytics":true,"transparent_pricing":false,"self_serve_dashboards":true}` |
| integrations.count | 6 | 7 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Snowflake"},{"name":"GitHub","native":true,"category":"ci_cd","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"GitLab","native":true,"category":"ci_cd","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Bitbucket","native":true,"category":"ci_cd","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"BigQuery","native":true,"category":"data_warehouse","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Dataplex","native":true,"category":"data_catalog","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Cloud Storage","native":true,"category":"data_warehouse","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"GitHub Actions","native":true,"category":"ci_cd","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"GitLab CI","native":true,"category":"ci_cd","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Bitbucket Pipelines","native":true,"category":"ci_cd","direction":"inbound"}]` | `[{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Amazon Redshift"},{"name":"Snowflake"},{"name":"AWS Marketplace"},{"name":"Glean","native":true,"direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Slack","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Jira","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Anthropic","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"ChatGPT Work","native":true,"category":"ai","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Codex","native":true,"category":"ai","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"PowerPoint","native":true,"category":"documents","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Databricks","native":true,"category":"data_warehouse","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"ClickHouse","native":true,"category":"data_warehouse","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Google Cloud","native":true,"category":"cloud","direction":"bidirectional"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":["US","EU"],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing.free_tier | no | - |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.transparent | no | - |
| release.cadence_days | 30 | - |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.9 | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"ISO/IEC 27001","status":"active","auditor":"independent third party"}]` | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | yes |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |
| security.trust_center | - | https://www.sigmacomputing.com/blog/pci-dss-compliance |

## Capabilities (BI Software)

| Capability | Looker | Sigma Computing |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| BI paradigm | NLQ / search | Notebook |
| Semantic / modelling layer | Built-in | - |
| **Engine** |  |  |
| Warehouse-native (SQL push-down) | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Self-hostable / OSS core | ✓ | ✗ |
| Managed cloud available | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Intelligence** |  |  |
| Natural-language query / AI copilot | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Delivery** |  |  |
| Embedded / white-label analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduled reports / alerting | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Governance** |  |  |
| Row-level security & SSO/SAML | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Commercial** |  |  |
| Per-seat pricing published | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free tier / free desktop | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| dbt-native integration | - | ✗ |
| Data-source connector breadth | Cloud data warehouses (Snowflake confirmed), OAuth-authenticated data sources | Cloud data warehouses (AWS Redshift, Snowflake) with external system integration |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:07:51.082Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*