Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio) alternative

Your marketing dashboard, already built.

Data Studio is a flexible place to build reports. Glancely is for when you would rather not build them: connect Google Analytics, Search Console and Google Ads, and the dashboards, the explanations and the checks on your numbers are there.

Start free trial Run the free GA4 audit

14-day free trial · No card needed · From €79 a month after

Side by side

Two different jobs.

Data Studio is a report builder. Glancely is a finished marketing dashboard. Here is how they compare, as of October 2026.

Price

Data StudioFree. Data Studio Pro is $9 per user, per project, per month.1

Glancely€79 a month for Pro, after 14 days free.

Getting started

Data StudioYou build each report: charts, filters, comparisons, layout. Or you hire someone to.

GlancelySign in with Google and choose your properties. The dashboards are already built.

Google Analytics, Search Console, Google Ads

Data StudioGoogle’s own connectors, free.2

GlancelyBuilt in, on one screen, each against the period before.

Meta Ads

Data StudioNo Google connector; a partner connector, usually paid — for example Supermetrics from €49 a month.3

GlancelyNot yet: Google Analytics, Search Console and Google Ads today.

Layout and charts

Data StudioFully custom — any chart, any layout.

GlancelyFixed pages, chosen for marketing questions.

Other data sources

Data StudioVery wide: Sheets, databases, hundreds of partner connectors.

GlancelyOnly what it supports, plus Google Analytics’ export to BigQuery.

What changed, and why

Data StudioYou read the charts.

GlancelyEach figure is checked against its own history and anything unusual is written up in a sentence.

Is the tracking right?

Data StudioYou check it yourself.

GlancelyChecked on every property: orders counted twice, payment pages taking credit, conversions that fire on most visits, leads counted twice, Google Ads counting a conversion twice.

Alerts

Data StudioIn Pro: rules you write on a chart.4

GlancelyA morning email when a property’s tracking breaks. Nothing to set up.

Scheduled reports

Data StudioFree: one PDF schedule per report, at most daily. More in Pro.5

GlancelyMonthly or weekly PDF reports under your own name and logo.

Asking questions

Data StudioGemini features need Pro.6

GlancelyAn assistant that answers questions about your own Google Analytics, Search Console and Ads data.

Both read Google Analytics through Google’s reporting API, so its usage limits and privacy thresholds apply to each in the same way.

Choosing

Which one fits you.

Data Studio is the better choice when…

  • you need fully custom charts or layouts;
  • your data lives in sources Glancely does not read — a CRM, a database, a spreadsheet;
  • you enjoy building reports, or someone on the team already maintains them;
  • free matters more than time.

Glancely is the better choice when…

  • you want the answer, not a report to build: what changed, and why;
  • you need to know the numbers can be trusted before they go to a client or a board;
  • you run several clients or brands and want them on one screen, each with its own login;
  • you would rather not pay someone to build and fix dashboards.

Questions

Before you switch.

Is Looker Studio the same as Data Studio?

Yes. Google renamed Looker Studio back to Data Studio on 16 April 2026; Looker Studio Pro became Data Studio Pro.7

Can I keep using Data Studio as well?

Of course. Glancely only reads your Google data and changes nothing, so your existing reports carry on as they are.

Is my data copied anywhere?

No. Glancely reads it live from Google when you open a page, and your analytics are never copied into our database. The privacy policy lists the little we keep.

Does Glancely work for an agency?

Yes: every client in one workspace, a login for each client limited to their own data, and reports under your name. More for agencies.

See it on your own data.

14 days free, no card needed. Or check your Google Analytics first with the free audit.

Start free trial Run the free GA4 audit

Sources, checked on 13 October 2026

  1. Data Studio Pro pricing: cloud.google.com/datastudio
  2. Google’s connectors: Available connectors
  3. Supermetrics Starter, €49 a month or €39 billed yearly: supermetrics.com/pricing
  4. Alerts in Data Studio Pro: Create alerts on a chart
  5. Scheduled delivery: Schedule automatic report delivery
  6. Gemini in Data Studio: Enable and disable Gemini
  7. The rename: Data Studio release notes, 16 April 2026

Glancely is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google LLC. Data Studio and Looker Studio are trademarks of Google LLC. Supermetrics is a trademark of its owner. Prices and features of other products change; check each source for the current terms.