In today’s market, businesses need to know how to leverage the data they must stay competitive. The thing is, a lot of top-tier business analytic platforms also come with steep learning curves, are expensive and have limitations on data control. You shouldn’t have to board a full-time analyst or sign up for years for expensive subscription plans just to get a clear picture of your numbers.
That’s why we wrote this guide. We’ll go over some of the top business analytic software platforms, starting with one that breaks away from the expensive software-as-a-service mold: DashboardFox.
A Different Approach to Business Analytics: DashboardFox
For small to medium-sized businesses, traditional SaaS pricing is like a time bomb. Even though $45 per month/per user doesn’t sound too expensive, the price can creep up once your team starts to go. DashboardFox completely flips the switch on this model.
Why Pay Forever? The Power of a One-Time Fee
Unlike subscription-based competitors, DashboardFox offers perpetual licensing. This means you pay only once, and the software is yours forever. Let’s break it down a little further:
A company with 15 users on $45 per month/per user would pay:
- $675/month.
- $8,100/year.
- $24,300 over the course of three years.
With DashboardFox, it doesn’t matter how many dashboards or reports you run with our one-time pricing model.
Your Data, Your Servers, Your Rules
It’s not uncommon for smaller to mid-size businesses to handle sensitive financial data. But cloud-only tools store information on someone else’s server, increasing risks and raising compliance concerns.
With DashboardFox, you have complete control:
- Self-hosted deployment keeps your data on your servers.
- You consistently comply with standards, like HIPPA, CMMC and GDPR.
- Management stays in-house, not with a third-party vendor.
Reports and Dashboards for Everyone, Not Just Analysts
Most BI tools require a tech-professional to build and manage dashboards. With DashboardFox, all of those changes:
Example:
Imagine a regional sales manager who needs to compare sales by region and rep. Instead of waiting on the IT team, the manager uses an ad-hoc report builder to create drag-and-drop fields, like:
- Sales rep
- Region
- Sales size
In mere minutes, they have the answers they were looking for. They can pivot their strategy the same day.
How Other Business Analytics Tools Compare
While DashboardFox is specifically designed for growing businesses that need control, it’s still important to compare with other popular platforms. Here’s how they stack up:
Tableau
- Overview: A leading BI platform well-known for its stunning data visualizations.
- Key Features: Interactive dashboards with top-end customization, large user community and in-depth learning resources.
- Pricing Model: Subscription-based; Tableau Creator ranging from $35 to $70 per month.
- Consideration: Tableau has a steep learning curve and can be expensive as your team grows. It usually requires data analysts for full use.
Microsoft Power BI
- Overview: Microsoft Power BI is seamlessly integrated with Azure and Office 365.
- Key Features: Seamless integration with Microsoft apps and Excel and offers a free desktop version individual use.
- Pricing Model: Pro and premium plans start at $10 to $20 per month/per user.
- Considerations: Best suited for businesses deeply invested in Microsoft’s ecosystem.
Looker (Google Cloud)
- Overview: A cloud-native analytics platform that’s built for scalability.
- Key Features: It has strong data modeling via LookerML and has native integration with BigQuery and other Google tools.
- Pricing Model: Enterprise pricing is based on custom quotes. It typically starts above $50 per month/per user.
- Considerations: Requires advanced setup. Not the best choice for those looking to maintain data on-premises and avoid high monthly fees.
Sisense
- Overview: A developer-friendly platform for embedded analytics and custom dashboards.
- Key Features: Sisense offers robust support for embedding BI into apps and handles large volumes of data with in-chip technology.
- Pricing Model: Sisense is custom-pricing only and can be expensive depending on how it’s used.
- Considerations: Sisense is more complex to set up compared to other platforms and best suited for product teams rather than general business users.
Qilk
- Overview: A powerful platform that emphasizes associative data exploration.
- Key Features: Advanced data discovery with smart search and comes with AI-driven insights.
- Pricing Model: Enterprise features and cloud-based services have custom prices starting at $30 per month/per user.
- Considerations: Qilk has a steeper learning curve than most platforms and is primarily cloud-hosted with higher costs.
Zoho Analytics
- Overview: Part of a broader Zoho Suite. Zoho Analytics is built for small to mid-sized businesses.
- Key Features: Drag-and-drop dashboard builder and pre-built connectors for CRM, marketing and finance apps.
- Pricing Model: Zoho Analytics typically starts at $24 per month for every two users, with additional fees and advanced analytics.
- Considerations: Zoho is exclusively cloud-based and is somewhat limited on the customization aspect.
Making the Right Choice for Your Business
With so many options available, how do you choose the right BI software for your business?
Let’s cut to the chase:
- If you’re looking to add beautiful dashboards and don’t mind subscription costs, then Tableau or Looker might be right for you.
- If you already work in the Microsoft ecosystem, Power BI may be a good fit.
- If you’re looking for an affordable, self-hosted and easy-to-use platform for the whole team, DashboardFox is what stands out.
Key Questions to Ask Before You Buy
Before making a purchase, be sure to ask yourself the following questions:
What is the complete cost over three years?
Do the math to find out the total cost of ownership; don’t just look at the monthly fees.
Where will our business data be stored and who will control it?
Self-hosted tools like DashboardFox keep your data in your hands.
Who on our team needs to build and view reports?
Choose a platform that allows non-technical users to build their own dashboards.
How easily can we customize the tool to fit our needs?
DashboardFox offers custom-branding and high-level security.
Answering Your Final Questions
Is self-hosted software hard to install and maintain?
No. DashboardFox is designed for fast setup without the need of a dedicated administrator.
Can we connect to our cloud-based data sources?
Yes. DashboardFox connects to cloud databases, Excel files and APIs, no matter where your data lives.
What kind of support is included?
Your one-time fee includes an entire year of support and upgrades with annual support extensions.
Ready to Take Control of Your Business's Data?
Choosing the right analytics tool can help your company unlock a new era of data-driven growth. If you want a platform with predictable costs, gives you full control over your data and a user-friendly tool that doesn’t require technological expertise, DashboardFox may be just what you’re looking for.
Ready to take control of your data? Schedule a personalized demo with one of our DashboardFox specialists today and discover how easy, secure, and affordable it is to bring powerful business intelligence to your team—on your terms.