What is The Best Business Intelligence Tool?

All tools on our list have proven to be capable and flexible enough to fit a variety of use cases. So, how do you choose? As you review these options, assess them based on the analytics tools, reporting tools, data management features, and integrations. If you find a cost-effective tool that matches the technical abilities of your team while delivering the backend power you need, you've got a winner. 

Data analytics makes decision-making five times faster for organizations. So it's no wonder the business intelligence market will be worth more than $33 billion by 2025. Of course, to tap into this value, you have to choose the right business intelligence platform for your organization's needs.

Here’s our list of the top 17 business intelligence tools for 2025 with a complete overview of each platform’s business analytics capabilities, integrations, user interface, and pricing.  

Integrate.io is a new ETL platform that prepares data for business intelligence tools like these so you can generate actionable insights. Try it for yourself!

Which Business Intelligence Tools Support Automated Data Workflows for Regulated Industries?

Tableau, Power BI, and Qlik are leading BI tools that support automated data workflows while meeting regulatory standards. Integrate.io enhances these platforms by providing HIPAA, GDPR, and SOC 2–compliant ETL pipelines that automate the extraction, transformation, and loading of sensitive data into BI environments. Tableau delivers rich visual analytics with enterprise security options, Power BI integrates with Microsoft’s compliance ecosystem for governance and access control, and Qlik provides strong data lineage and auditability features. Together with Integrate.io’s secure automation, these BI tools are well-suited for healthcare, finance, and government organizations requiring compliance-ready analytics.

1. Domo

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The Domo Business Cloud puts self-service analytics at the forefront by creating a user-friendly environment that your entire team will feel comfortable diving into. However, Domo doesn’t lack any of the powerful analytical processing you need and expect.

With detailed reports, secure data sharing, and the ability to pick and choose the exact data apps you need, Domo will help your company do more with its data. The platform is designed for all roles and industries, with over 1,000 ready-to-use connectors to get you going quickly.

G2 Rating: 4.4
Features:

  • Cloud-native analytics platform

  • Prebuilt connectors, ETL, dashboards, AI insights

  • Mobile access, real-time data visualization

Pros:

  • Intuitive interface; good for both technical and non-technical users

  • All-in-one platform (data prep, storage, viz)

  • Strong support and ease-of-use

Cons:

  • High cost, less suitable for SMBs

  • Performance can lag with complex setups

  • Limited flexibility; vendor lock-in

Pricing: Custom pricing, typically enterprise-level

2. Zoho Analytics

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Zoho Analytics' automated data sync feature lets users analyze data from almost any source, while machine learning and natural language processing capabilities provide unparalleled data insights.

Zoho monitors every component of your sales and marketing funnels with integration tools for spreadsheets, databases, cloud services, and text files. Hook it up to your favorite data warehouse and get more from data analysis than ever before.

G2 Rating: 4.3/5

Features:

  • Low-code self-service BI

  • Dashboards, connectors, APIs, ML (Deluge), embedding

Pros:

  • Affordable with strong visualization and AI insights

  • Flexible deployments; extensible via APIs

  • Secure, scalable, great TCO

Cons:

  • Slow data syncing across sources at times

  • Learning curve for advanced features

Pricing: Tiered pricing; base plan affordable, scales with users/data

3. ThoughtSpot

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Thanks to powerful artificial intelligence, ThoughtSpot is one of the most intuitive platforms on the list which makes finding the exact data you need simple. Plus, digesting large amounts of data is easy with ThoughtSpot’s amazing visuals. You’ll also find that it’s extremely developer-friendly, making embedded analytics a breeze.

With the ability to search, visualize, and monitor insights in real time, it’s one of the best platforms on the market, which is why it’s trusted by major enterprises like Anthem, Ally, and Comcast.

G2 Rating: 4.4/5

Features:

  • Search-driven analytics, AI-native platform

  • Liveboards, natural language queries, AI-generated insights

Pros:

  • Very intuitive, non-SQL users can get insights fast

  • Supports fast data exploration

Cons:

  • Limited visual customization and embedding options

  • Navigation quirks; learning dataset structure is essential

Pricing: Enterprise custom pricing

4. Qlik

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One of the oldest BI tools on this list, Qlik has helped businesses visualize and interpret data since 1994. Features include an excellent range of data source connections, drag-and-drop visualizations, self-service, data storytelling, smart search, and progressive creation. Suitable for businesses of all sizes, Qlik will remain one of the top business intelligence tools in 2025. 

G2 Rating: 4.3/5
Features:

  • Associative engine for exploration

  • Dashboards, scripting, ML suggestions (Insight Advisor)

Pros:

  • Powerful, flexible exploration with smart analytics

  • Great community and support

Cons:

  • Syncing and performance slow with large data volumes

  • Data management can become complex

Pricing: Business: ~$30/user/month; Enterprise: custom pricing

5. SAP BusinessObjects

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SAP's BI tool provides a centralized hub for all things business intelligence. With a broad range of reporting and analytics features, BusinessObjects makes it easier to visualize data insights in your organization so you can improve operations, generate more sales and engage with customers on a deeper level. You can connect it to SAP Warehouse, other data warehouses, and Microsoft Office products such as Word and Excel. 

G2 Rating: 4.0/5
Features:

  • Rich reporting tools, dashboards, scorecards, modeling

  • Large data and search capabilities, automation

Pros:

  • Deep SAP ecosystem integration

  • Robust ad-hoc reporting and enterprise scalability

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve; dated interface

  • Complex versioning, limited self-service

Pricing: Enterprise licensing, custom quotes required

6. Dundas BI

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This browser-based BI tool turns raw data into eye-popping visualizations in seconds, providing organizations with deep data insights time and time again. You can measure business performance in real-time, share those insights with anyone you like and even deploy the platform using Docker containers. 

G2 Rating: NA
Features:

  • Custom dashboards, pixel-perfect and paginated reports, APIs

  • Data modeling, ETL, embedding without iframes

Pros:

  • Highly report-customizable, strong embedding support

  • Excellent UX for reporting and APIs

Cons:

  • UI feels dated

  • Requires IT involvement for advanced setup

Pricing: Starts around $2,500/month, quote-based

7. Google Data Studio

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Whether you want to track sales, marketing, customer service, financials, or all of the above, Google Data provides rich data visualizations that help you make better organizational decisions. Build interactive reports, create charts and graphs and share all of your data insights with your team.

G2 Rating: NA

Features:

  • Free dashboarding tool from Google

  • Connectors (Sheets, Ads, BigQuery), visual editing

Pros:

  • Free and easy to share via Google ecosystem

  • Great for basic client or marketing dashboards

Cons:

  • Not made for complex or large-scale analytics

  • Fewer connectors outside Google services

Pricing: Free with standard Google account; advanced Looker features need separate licensing

8. Looker

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Looker has become synonymous with business intelligence at this point, and the tool will remain as popular in 2025 as it's always been. Use this platform to track sales and marketing KPIs, execute A/B testing, and identify trends in the data that flows through your organization. Looker's API lets you share reports on Slack, Google Sheets, and other apps.

G2 Rating: 4.4/5

Features:

  • Modeling via LookML, dashboards, reports, embedding, AI, predictive analytics

Pros:

  • Powerful modeling layer for governed analytics

  • Suits embedded and custom application usage

Cons:

  • Requires learning LookML, steep technical entry barrier

  • Managing decentralized model changes can cause chaos

Pricing: Enterprise pricing, vendor quote required

9. Microsoft Power BI

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You can trust Microsoft's business intelligence software to reveal data insights about any aspect of your business. With real-time access monitoring, interactive dashboards, data filtration, and various visualizations, Microsoft Power BI is a well-rounded tool that won’t lead your team astray.

Power BI works best when integrated with other products in the Microsoft ecosystem, such as Excel. While you can connect to other data sources using robust connectors, if your company is otherwise removed from the Microsoft suite, there might the better matches for your needs.

G2 Rating: 4.5/5

Features:

  • Dashboards, data modeling, AI analytics, visualizations, governance

  • Deep integration with Microsoft stack

Pros:

  • Cost-effective, rich features, excellent for Microsoft users

Cons:

  • DAX learning curve, performance issues with massive datasets

  • Advanced features bundled in higher tiers

Pricing: Free version; Pro: ~$10/user/month;

10. SAS Business Intelligence

This machine learning-powered BI software quickly produces visualizations that unlock your organization's secrets. You can use it for data mining, forecasting, automation, and predictive analytics, or to generate insights about day-to-day functions such as sales and marketing.

One of the key features of SAS is its text analytics capability, which allows your company to uncover hidden insights buried in droves of textual data. SAS also integrates with Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

G2 Rating: NA

Features:

  • Predictive analytics, reporting, data mining, modeling, visual dashboards

Pros:

  • Excellent analytics and modeling, stable for large enterprises

Cons:

  • Costly, steep learning curve, less modern UI

Pricing: Custom enterprise licensing

11. Tableau

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One of the most popular business intelligence tools on the market, Tableau offers interactive visualizations, world-class security, collaboration, and sharing features. Use it for predictive analysis, financial forecasts, or data filtration. The choice is yours. Tableau's AI-powered tool is fantastic for A/B testing and analyzing workflows, and its simple interface and native data connectors make analysis less of a chore. 

G2 Rating: 4.4/5
Features:

  • Drag-and-drop viz, dashboards, calculated fields, predictive analytics, strong modeling

Pros:

  • Leader in visual data exploration, strong connectors and learning community

Cons:

  • Licensing complexity, high cost, performance lag on large datasets

Pricing: Creator: ~$70/user/month; Explorer: ~$42; Viewer: ~$15

12. Yellowfin BI

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Yellowfin streamlines analytics workflows in your organization with its interactive reports and executive dashboards. This BI tool helps you better understand data sets with features such as data stories, smart tasks, and location intelligence. Easy to use and integrate into your tech stack, Yellowfin masters automated monitoring and data discovery. It's a valuable addition to any data-driven organization.

G2 Rating: 4.3/5

Features:

  • Dashboards, automation (Stories), AI insight, collaboration features

Pros:

  • Very intuitive; good for both technical and non-technical users

  • Excellent integration and AI assistance

Cons:

  • Complex setup for ad-hoc reports, limited certain functionalities

Pricing: Custom enterprise pricing

13. Oracle Analytics

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Oracle Analytics helps data scientists, analysts and engineers process the data they need to generate brilliant business intelligence. This cloud-native platform lets you visualize data wherever you are in the world and share that data with any team that needs it.

This modern platform offers top-tier security, powerful data governance, and excellent customer service, all while empowering end-users with vibrant and intuitive self-service tools. Plus, your company’s developers will gain access to the latest technologies, including AI, machine learning, and natural language processing (NLP).

G2 Rating: NA

Features:

  • Visual analytics, data prep, modeling, machine learning, mobile dashboards

Pros:

  • Strong enterprise features and integration with Oracle database/ERP

Cons:

  • Complex deployment, expensive, steeper learning curve

Pricing: Enterprise-level licensing, vendor quote

14. Sisense 

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Combining AI and machine learning, Sisense takes advanced analytics to the next level. You can embed white-label analytics, manage data at scale on a single commodity server and integrate the platform with web portals. Sisense can also export data into various file formats and lets you create customizable dashboards in mere minutes. 

G2 Rating: 4.3/5
Features:

  • Embedded analytics, data blending, AI insights, collaboration tools

Pros:

  • Great for embedding, handles complex datasets well

Cons:

  • User interface can feel lagging, performance on high scale is a concern, costs high

Pricing: Starting around ~$21,000/year; enterprise custom quotes

15. Board

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This BI tool provides actionable insights into various components of your organization with modules for sales, marketing, finance, customer service, and even human resources. Available in several languages, Board carries out advanced business intelligence with real-time reports, personalized dashboards, and stunning visualizations. 

G2 Rating: NA
Features:

  • Unified BI and CPM platform (planning, forecasting, dashboards, analytics)

Pros:

  • Combines planning and reporting in one suite

Cons:

  • Heavy setup and steep learning curve

Pricing: Enterprise pricing, vendor quote

16. Incorta

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While traditional pipelines sometimes omit data due to formatting errors or other problems, Incorta says it will retain 100% of your data and preserve the original format so you can analyze specific aspects like transaction-level details.

An important thing to note about Incorta is that it is an end-to-end solution, meaning it pulls data directly from your data sources and then processes, analyzes, and presents it to your business users. Of course, you’ll still need a pipeline tool for other business functions.

G2 Rating: NA

Features:

  • Direct data mapping, near real-time analytics, complex data processing

Pros:

  • Fast performance on complex schemas; in-memory architecture

Cons:

  • Limited visualization compared to pure BI tools; higher pricing

Pricing: Enterprise-level, vendor quote

Do you need help building a robust data pipeline? Integrate.io is a very fast CDC platform with reverse ETL capabilities, allowing you to smoothly and securely move data from anywhere. Try it for yourself!

17. Tibco Spotfire

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This BI analytics platform builds complex data visualizations that reveal insights about your organizational processes. Use it for big data analytics, cohort analytics, data discovery, visualization, and advanced collaboration. Tibco Spotfire also boasts built-in data-wrangling features. 

G2 Rating: NA

Features:

  • Data discovery, advanced analytics, wrangling, real-time dashboards, machine learning integration

Pros:

  • Strong analytical depth and predictive modeling

Cons:

  • UI dated; licensing complex and costly

Pricing: Enterprise custom pricing

Comparison of Top Business Intelligence Tools

Tool Deployment Ease of Use Integrations AI/Automation Governance & Security Unique Strengths Best For
Zoho Analytics Cloud Easy 500+ connectors (Zoho apps, SaaS, DBs) AI assistant “Zia” for Q&A & forecasting Role-based access, audit trails Affordable, SMB-friendly, Zoho ecosystem SMBs needing budget BI with AI assist
ThoughtSpot Cloud & On-prem Easy (search-driven) Cloud data warehouses (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks) Search & AI-driven analytics, natural language queries Fine-grained security, governance Strong in self-service & search-driven BI Modern teams needing self-service AI BI
Qlik Sense Cloud & On-prem Moderate Broad DB, SaaS, on-prem connectors Associative engine, augmented analytics Strong data governance & security rules In-memory engine, advanced analytics Enterprises needing governed analytics
SAP BusinessObjects On-prem & Cloud Steep learning curve Deep SAP ecosystem + DBs Limited AI; focus on enterprise reporting Enterprise-grade governance & compliance Robust enterprise reporting & compliance Large enterprises w/ SAP-heavy stacks
Dundas BI Cloud & On-prem Moderate Relational DBs, APIs, SaaS Some ML, forecasting, custom scripting Role-based permissions Highly customizable dashboards Enterprises needing flexible dashboards
Google Data Studio (Looker Studio) Cloud Easy 300+ connectors (Google + partners) Some ML via BigQuery/Vertex AI GCP IAM controls Free, highly extensible via Google ecosystem Teams in Google Cloud / needing free BI
Looker Cloud Moderate 50+ cloud DBs/warehouses LookML modeling, AI integration with Google Strong row-level & model-based governance Centralized semantic layer (LookML) Enterprises needing governed semantic modeling
Microsoft Power BI Cloud (SaaS) + Desktop Easy for Office users 100+ sources (Excel, Azure, Dynamics, DBs) AI visuals, natural language Q&A Azure AD, row-level security Affordable, strong MS ecosystem SMBs to enterprises in MS stack
SAS Business Intelligence On-prem & Cloud Steep learning curve Enterprise DBs, statistical sources Advanced analytics, forecasting, ML Enterprise security, compliance Deep statistical & advanced analytics Enterprises needing predictive + BI
Tableau Cloud & On-prem Moderate / Steep 100+ sources (DBs, SaaS, big data) NLP (Ask Data), Explain Data Fine-grained enterprise permissions Best-in-class visual storytelling Analysts & enterprises prioritizing visuals
Yellowfin BI Cloud & On-prem Easy Wide DB & SaaS integrations AI-driven alerts, NLP querying Role-based access Automated insights + storytelling dashboards Mid-market firms needing guided BI
Oracle Analytics Cloud & On-prem Moderate Oracle DB, ERP, SaaS + external DBs Embedded ML, predictive analytics Enterprise security, compliance Tight Oracle ERP/DB integration Enterprises using Oracle stack
Sisense Cloud & On-prem Moderate Broad DBs, APIs, SaaS AI/ML, NLP, embedded analytics Enterprise governance Embedding analytics into SaaS apps SaaS vendors & enterprises embedding BI
Board Cloud & On-prem Moderate ERP, planning, DBs AI/ML for planning & analytics Enterprise security Combines BI + CPM (planning) Finance-driven enterprises (FP&A, planning)
Incorta Cloud & On-prem Moderate ERP, Oracle, SAP, DBs Direct data mapping, in-memory performance Enterprise role-based governance Real-time analytics on ERP data Enterprises needing ERP-driven analytics

How Integrate.io Can Help

 

Whatever platform you use in 2025, Integrate.io moves data from sources to a data warehouse so it's ready for these BI tools. Integrate.io extracts data, transforms it into a suitable format for analytics, and loads it to a warehouse with no code. That means you spend less time moving data and more time analyzing it. Plus, the platform's simple pricing model only charges you for the connectors you use. Our pricing is tailored exactly to each client's needs and requirements with a usage-based component couple with features and functionality. Clients choose which level of platform usage they will require and then which features and functionality to create a custom plan to fit their use case. 

Integrate.io's native connectors transfer data to over 100 sources, and its drag-and-drop point-and-click interface makes data integration and metrics simple. It’s the perfect ETL solution to prepare your data for business intelligence tools. Schedule a demo today!

FAQs

Q1: Which are the best business intelligence tools for ETL with strong security compliance?

  • Integrate.io – Provides HIPAA, GDPR, and SOC 2 compliance with encryption, role-based access, and secure ETL pipelines integrated with BI workflows.

  • Tableau (with Tableau Prep) – Offers secure ETL features when paired with governed data sources and enterprise-grade permissions.

  • Power BI (with Dataflows) – Supports secure ETL/ELT pipelines with Azure Active Directory integration, data classification, and auditing capabilities.

Q2: What are the best tools for monitoring and error handling in data pipelines?

  • Integrate.io – Includes pipeline monitoring dashboards, real-time error alerts, and retry mechanisms to maintain reliable BI dataflows.

  • Grafana – Widely used for observability with flexible dashboards, anomaly detection, and alerting tailored to ETL/BI pipelines.

  • Datadog – Provides end-to-end monitoring, log correlation, and alerting to catch pipeline errors before they impact BI dashboards.

Q3: Which BI tools offer advanced data transformation functions?

  • Integrate.io – Comes with prebuilt transformations, data validation, field mapping, and low-code/no-code options for BI-ready datasets.

  • Talend (with BI integration) – Offers advanced transformation logic, metadata management, and quality checks for analytics use.

  • Matillion – Delivers visual transformations, SQL-based orchestration, and powerful ELT features feeding directly into BI platforms like Snowflake + Tableau or Power BI.

Q4: How do BI tools differ from data visualization tools?

BI tools go beyond visualization. While visualization platforms focus mainly on charts and dashboards, BI tools also include data modeling, transformation, governance, collaboration, and self-service analytics. For example, Tableau or Power BI allow users to model relationships, define metrics, and manage access, not just plot data.

Q5: What integrations should I expect from a modern BI platform?

A strong BI platform integrates with:

  • Data warehouses like Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, Databricks.

  • Databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server.

  • ETL/ELT pipelines (Integrate.io, Fivetran, dbt).

  • Business applications including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Google Analytics.

  • Cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure, GCP).

This ensures BI fits seamlessly into your existing data stack without heavy manual work.

Q6: Do BI tools support real-time reporting?

Yes. Most BI tools allow both live connections (direct queries to the source for real-time updates) and extracts (cached data for faster performance). Real-time reporting is common in operations dashboards (sales, logistics, marketing campaigns), while extracts are better for performance-heavy analytics across large datasets.