Looker vs Yellowfin BI
embedded BI head-to-head for ERP teams: evidenced capabilities, published pricing, and which ERPs each actually integrates with.
| Starting price | Quote-based | Quote-based |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud, On-premises |
| Company size | Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Stated ERP integrations | NetSuite, SAP, Oracle Fusion Cloud | NetSuite, SAP |
| Vendor | Google Cloud | Yellowfin |
Our take
Where Looker leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 12 of the 16 capabilities where they differ (led by live/direct query against the source and calculated fields / custom formula language).
- Stated Oracle Fusion Cloud integration the alternative doesn't list.
Where Yellowfin BI leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 4 of the 16 capabilities where they differ (led by narrative data storytelling and pixel-perfect / paginated report layouts).
Where they differ
The 16 capabilities (of 45 in the embedded BI taxonomy) where the evidence separates them, biggest gaps first. “Not evidenced” means our research found no public documentation of this capability — the vendor may still offer it. Confirm on a demo.
| Capability | ||
|---|---|---|
| Narrative data storytellingDashboards & Visualization | Not evidenced | Core strength |
| Live/direct query against the sourceData Modeling & Semantic Layer | Core strength | Not evidenced |
| Calculated fields / custom formula languageData Modeling & Semantic Layer | Core strength | Not evidenced |
| Pixel-perfect / paginated report layoutsDashboards & Visualization | Not evidenced | Supported Canvas for pixel-perfect, designed layouts |
| Broad database & cloud warehouse connectorsData Connectivity | Supported Native dialects for BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift and 50+ databases | Not evidenced |
| Scheduled and incremental data refreshData Connectivity | Supported Caching policies and persistent derived tables (PDTs) | Not evidenced |
| Key-driver / root-cause analysisAI & Augmented Analytics | Not evidenced | Supported Root-cause and correlation analysis |
| Licensing model for customer-facing (ISV) embeddingEmbedded & Developer Analytics | Supported Dedicated Embed edition with API call allowances | Not evidenced |
| Audit logging and usage monitoringGovernance & Administration | Supported Usage and performance monitoring | Not evidenced |
| Content lifecycle managementGovernance & Administration | Supported Version control and Git integration for LookML models | Not evidenced |
| Planning write-back to source systemEnterprise Planning & Forecasting | Supported Data actions and write-back integrations | Not evidenced |
| Governed semantic layer / centralized metricsData Modeling & Semantic Layer | Core strength | Supported Views/metadata layer for governed definitions |
| Generative-AI conversational assistantAI & Augmented Analytics | Core strength | Supported AI-assisted analytics features |
| White-label / full-theming customizationEmbedded & Developer Analytics | Supported Private and public embedding with custom branding | Core strength |
| Row-/column-level securityGovernance & Administration | Core strength | Supported Row-level filtering |
| SSO / enterprise identity integrationGovernance & Administration | Core strength | Supported Single sign-on integration |
Both grade identically on the other 29 capabilities — see each product's full profile: Looker, Yellowfin BI.
Looker vs Yellowfin BI — FAQs
Is Looker or Yellowfin BI better for ERP integration?
Both state integrations with NetSuite, SAP. Looker additionally lists Oracle Fusion Cloud. Always verify the connector against your ERP version with a reference customer.
Which is cheaper, Looker or Yellowfin BI?
Neither publishes a list price — both quote. Ask each for the all-in first-year cost at your seat count, as one number, and compare those.
Get pricing for both
Tell us your ERP, seat count and must-haves and we'll come back with an independent view of what Looker and Yellowfin BI should each cost you — and whether a third option belongs on your shortlist.