Why teams choose Sigma vs Tableau

See Sigma in action

We excel in the cloud

Work with data in the spreadsheet format—and functions—you already know.

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Dashboards that work the way you’ve always wanted

Don’t choose between speed-to-insight and scalability. Sigma dashboards get you both.

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Build powerful apps on your cloud data

Know how to use a spreadsheet? Now you can build a data application.

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Scale with unmatched performance

Generate sustainable revenue by using Embedded Applications with Sigma to sell data as a product to your existing customers.

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Don't take it from us, take it from our customers

Top teams choose Sigma.

See for yourself. Sigma is a G2 crowd favorite,
backed by countless reviews.

“Great Visualization and Reporting Tool, HUGE usability improvement over Tableau.”

Michael S.
Director, Business Intelligence and Web Services
Higher Education

Sigma is the enterprise leader in self-service analytics and business intelligence

FEATURE COMPARISON
As of July 18, 2024

Sigma

Tableau

Spreadsheet Interface
check yes

Provides a familiar spreadsheet environment improving time to value for developers and adoption for consumers.

check no

Can build basic crosstab table visualizations; requires placing dimensions on columns; Is a top culprit for performance issue with filters included.

Required skills
check yes

Use familiar spreadsheet skills for data analysis as well as direct SQL queries.

check no

Requires learning Tableau's table calculations and level-of-detail calculations–which its top community experts still struggle with.

Drill Down
check yes

Right-click on any element to drill down into further analysis without additional set-up.

check no

Right-click to view underlying data; additional analysis is has to be build every time manually.

Pivot Table
check yes

Enables dynamic data summarization and complex analysis. Easy multi-level groupings and customization.

check no

Limited replication of pivot tables with Table visualization type.

Write Back
check yes

Easy to combine user input context, UI actions, and data warehouse to build data applications. Easy to input cell level data or upload CSVs to the warehouse.

check no

Does not support write back.

Live Data Sources
check yes

Connects seamlessly to real-time data sources.

check no

Connects to real-time data sources; not optimized for nuances of each database; Prefers extract for performance.

Query Performance
check yes

Leverages intelligent query engine for performant queries.

check no

Not architected for optimal query performance and efficiency—no paginated queries.

Data Caching
check yes

Utilizes warehouse caching mechanisms to securely enhance performance and reduce query times.

check no

Does not leverage cache.

Live Editing
check yes

Supports real-time collaboration while building data projects.

check no

Limited real-time collaboration; focuses on dashboard sharing.

SQL Editing
check yes

Provides a robust SQL editor allowing for analysts to do ad-hoc analysis and share results.

check no

Supports custom SQL queries for advanced users; no standalone in-product option.

Python Editing
check yes

Integrates Python for scripting and advanced data analysis.

check no

No equivalent feature; lacks native Python scripting.

Version Control
check yes

Tracks changes to everything, allowing granular reversion.

check no

Version control only based on published version; Unable to control granular changes.

Lineage
check yes

Shows a detailed view of data origin and transformations; each element is a data source.

check no

Data lineage available through Data Management add-on. One data source—transformations mainly occur in Tableau Prep.

In-Product Customer Support
check yes

Offers assistance and resources via live chat for all users within the platform.

check no

No in-product support. Can purchase support as an add-on.

Additional resources

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Tableau software competitors

This comprehensive comparison investigates why businesses turn to Tableau competitors and how these alternatives reshape the data analysis landscape. By highlighting key considerations, direct comparisons, and user-centric features, this guide supports you in making an informed decision that best suits your data storytelling journey.