Custom Dashboard vs Power BI or Looker Studio

Which tool suits a small business, what each costs per person, and the signs that you need a dashboard built around your own records.

Written by Archer Yu, Founder and Director. Reviewed by Syafiq, Co-founder.

Updated 16 October 2026 · How we write these guides

The short answer

Start with Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio) if your data already sits in Google Sheets, Google Analytics or Google Ads: building and viewing reports is free. Choose Power BI if your team works in Microsoft 365 and Excel, but budget US$14 per user per month for Power BI Pro, because everyone who views a shared report needs a licence. A custom dashboard is worth it when the numbers live in your own systems, when staff need to act on what they see, or when per-user licences add up across a large team.

How we build it: Business systems

Data Studio, Power BI and a custom dashboard side by side

Point of comparison	Data Studio	Power BI Pro	Custom dashboard
Building and viewing reports	Free	US$14 per user per month on a yearly plan, before GST	A one-off build, then hosting
Who needs a paid licence	Only people who use the optional Data Studio Pro, at US$9 per user per project per month	The author and every viewer of a shared report, unless it sits on a large Microsoft Fabric capacity	No one; there is no per-user fee
How the data updates	On each connector's schedule: by default every 15 minutes for Google Sheets, every 12 hours for Google Analytics and Google Ads	Up to 8 scheduled refreshes a day for imported data, or a live connection to the source	Reads your own records, including systems that ready-made connectors cannot read
Ten viewers for a year	Free to view	About US$1,680 in licences	No licence fees; hosting and optional maintenance
Best when	Your data is already in Google Sheets, Google Analytics or Google Ads	Your team works in Microsoft 365 and Excel	The numbers live in your own systems, staff need to act on them, or many people need access

Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio)

Google renamed Looker Studio to Data Studio in April 2026; it is the same free tool. Building and viewing reports costs nothing. Data Studio Pro, at US$9 per user per project per month, adds team management and is needed only by people who create or edit reports.

Data updates on a schedule set by each connector: every 15 minutes by default for Google Sheets and every 12 hours for Google Analytics and Google Ads. Connectors for other tools often come from third parties with their own fee; Supermetrics, for example, starts at about US$39 a month billed yearly.

Power BI

Power BI Pro costs US$14 and Power BI Premium Per User US$24 per user per month on a yearly plan, before GST. To share a report, the author and every viewer need a Pro licence, unless the report sits on a large Microsoft Fabric capacity, which costs thousands of dollars a month.

Only imported data needs refreshing: on Pro you can schedule up to 8 refreshes a day and on Premium Per User up to 48, and Pro models are limited to 1 GB. A DirectQuery or live connection reads the source each time instead, which suits numbers staff watch during the day if the source database can answer quickly.

When a custom dashboard makes sense

Your numbers come from your own records, such as orders, stock, jobs or bookings, in a system that ready-made connectors cannot read.

Staff need to act on what they see, such as approving a request, reassigning a job or updating a record, not just look at a chart.

Many people need access. Ten viewers on Power BI Pro cost about US$1,680 a year in licences alone; a custom dashboard has no per-user fee, only hosting and optional maintenance.

Everyone needs to agree what each number means. A custom build starts by writing down each definition, so the same report never shows two different totals.

What a custom dashboard costs

The build is a one-off project; afterwards you pay for hosting and any data services. Our starting price for one data source and three views is linked above. More data sources, more views or features that let staff change records raise the price.

Questions buyers ask

Is Looker Studio still free?

Yes. It is now called Data Studio and remains free for building and viewing reports. Data Studio Pro, at US$9 per user per project per month, is optional.

Do viewers need a Power BI Pro licence?

Yes. Each viewer of a report shared from a Pro workspace needs Pro or Premium Per User. Viewing without a licence applies only to content on a large Fabric capacity (F64 or above).

How often does Power BI refresh data?

For imported data, up to 8 scheduled refreshes a day on Power BI Pro and up to 48 on Premium Per User. A DirectQuery or live connection reads the source directly instead of refreshing.

Can a custom dashboard start from our spreadsheets?

Yes, if the spreadsheet keeps a consistent format. The records can move into a proper system later without changing what the dashboard shows.

Sources

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