Business intelligence software can be your competitive advantage. Unlike regular analytics tools, business intelligence (BI) solutions help you collect data from multiple tools and consolidate it in a single interface. By doing so, you’ll gain a deep understanding of your business needs and the efficiency of current activities.
Read my review to find out about the best BI tools on the market today. My review includes a brief description of each solution, plus a comparison chart to help you find the right tool for your organization.
What is Business Intelligence Software?
Business intelligence software is a category of tools that help RevOps teams organize and visualize their data so they can interpret it. These cloud-based platforms combine real-time big data with smart data analytics to accurately illustrate what is happening right now in your organization.
In essence, business intelligence software helps you make sense of all that data you've been collecting, and to visually represent it in a way that's immediately easier to understand.
Best Business Intelligence Software Shortlist
Here’s the shortlist of the best business intelligence software I’ll cover in this article, with detailed summaries below:
- Klipfolio PowerMetrics - Best business intelligence software for small teams
- IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson - Best business intelligence software for AI-driven insights
- Domo Business Cloud - Best business intelligence software for low-code data modeling
- Zoho Analytics - Best business intelligence software for novice RevOps teams
- Tableau CRM Analytics - Best business intelligence software for collaborative data visualizations
- Sisense Fusion Analytics - Best business intelligence software for RevOps agencies
- Microsoft Power BI - Best business intelligence software for data visualization options
- MicroStrategy - Best business intelligence software for self-service analytics
- Oracle Analytics - Best business intelligence software for enterprises
- SAP Business Objects - Best business intelligence software for data forecasting
Overviews of the 10 Best Business Intelligence Software
Here’s a brief description of each business intelligence software that showcases each systems best use case, noteworthy features, pros & cons, user interface, and pricing information.
1. Klipfolio PowerMetrics - Best business intelligence software for small teams
Klipfolio PowerMetrics is a BI software that helps small revenue operations teams make sense of their data.
Why I picked Klipfolio PowerMetrics: Klipfolio PowerMetrics is a cost-effective business intelligence tool. The software offers a comprehensive free-forever plan and an affordable yearly subscription, making it ideal for small RevOps teams that are just starting out.
Klipfolio PowerMetrics offers a variety of dashboards and filters, allowing you to slice and dice your data to make sense of it. The solution collects and interprets data from dozens of apps, enabling you to turn the information into a story you can present to clients or stakeholders.
Klipfolio PowerMetrics Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include goal setting, KPI tracking, real-time notifications, dashboard collaboration and sharing, configurable reports, multiple data visualization options, filters and segments, and downloadable reports.
Integrations include Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Google Analytics, HubSpot, Instagram Business, LinkedIn Pages, Mailchimp, Smartsheet, QuickBooks Online, Xero, and other software options.
Price: From $139/month (for 4 users)
Free Trial: Freemium version available
Pros
- Great looking dashboards
- Free-forever plan available
- Easy to build custom dashboards
Cons
- Complex dashboards can take some time to load
- Some automations can be difficult to set up
2. IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson - Best business intelligence software for AI-driven insights
IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson is a business intelligence solution that enables rev teams to interpret their data with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).
Why I picked IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson: IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson stands out thanks to its proactive AI. The software’s algorithm goes through your data and helps you identify trends and patterns so you can discover insights with ease. This makes the solution very appealing to RevOps teams that need to analyze and interpret large sets of data in short time frames.
IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson is customizable, allowing you to tailor the solution to your particular needs. The software’s predictive models help you forecast future trends and outcomes, allowing you to improve your decision making process.
IBM Cognos Analytics with Watson Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include an AI assistant, predictive analytics, data modeling, decision trees, interactive reports, dynamic dashboards, and personalized reports.
Integrations include Dropbox, Facebook, Google Drive, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BIOracle, Salesforce, SQL Server, Tableau, and Twitter.
Price: From $10user/month
Free Trial: 30-day free trial + free demo
Pros
- Handles large volumes of data smoothly
- Helps you detect and interpret patterns
- AI processor cleans up the data for you
Cons
- Can seem overwhelming
- Learning resources are difficult to access
3. Domo Business Cloud - Best business intelligence software for low-code data modeling
Domo Business Cloud is a low-code business intelligence and analytics platform that helps rev teams build custom data apps.
Why I picked Domo Business Cloud: Domo Business Cloud enables you to bring multiple data sources together, combine their output, and interpret the data as part of a cohesive set. The software allows you to customize your dashboard, so you can check out and model data from multiple sources at the same time without writing code.
Domo Business Cloud offers a comprehensive knowledge base, so RevOps specialists should be able to use most of its features after a brief onboarding period.
Domo Business Cloud Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include machine learning, dataset views, a self-service portal, a mobile app, automated data discovery, alerts and notifications, interactive charts, and a branding toolkit.
Integrations include Amazon Advertising, Facebook, FreshService, Google Analytics, LinkedIn, Qualtrics, Salesforce, Twitter, WordPress, Zoom, and other software options.
Price: Pricing upon request
Free Trial: Free trial + free demo available
Pros
- Easy to customize dashboards
- Good mobile app
- Automatic notifications help you make timely decisions
Cons
- Some connectors are not easy to use
- The software may become unresponsive for a brief period when interpreting large data sets
4. Zoho Analytics - Best business intelligence software for novice RevOps teams
Zoho Analytics is a BI tool that helps novice rev teams leverage data when making business decisions. The software’s price range makes it accessible to small RevOps teams who are just starting out.
Why I picked Zoho Analytics: Zoho Analytics is easy to use and user-friendly for those with little to no data or technical expertise. The software has a clean layout, and its drag-and-drop interface enables you to customize your dashboards and reports without difficulty.
Zoho Analytics imports data from multiple sources, so you can examine all your business data from a central location. The interactive dashboards enable you to break down and interpret the data so you can get actionable insights.
Zoho Analytics Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include reports automation, augmented analytics, predictive analytics, contextual insights, interactive visualizations, an artificial intelligence assistant, auto-generated reports, and data alerts.
Integrations include all Zoho tools, plus HubSpot, Quickbooks Online, Sage, Salesforce, Shopify, Stripe, Xero, and other software options.
Price: From $24/month
Free Trial: 15-day free trial + free demo available
Pros
- Great for those who use other Zoho solutions
- Cost effective
- Includes an AI assistant
Cons
- No way to share reports directly to cloud storage
- Data synchronization happens at set intervals, so it doesn’t track data in real time
5. Tableau CRM Analytics - Best business intelligence software for collaborative data visualizations
Tableau’s CRM Analytics product is a business intelligence platform that enables revenue operations teams to collaborate with other departments to align their initiatives with the organization’s objectives.
Why I picked Tableau’s CRM Analytics: Tableau CRM Analytics enables you to dive into your data and create complex reports. The software’s clustering and statistical analysis help you build predictive models and identify outlines, so you can lay the foundations for better decision-making.
Tableau’s CRM Analytics makes it easy to involve other departments in your work. The solution enables you to share your visualizations, graphs, and reports with other teams, so you can let stakeholders know if their activity is bringing your company closer to its goals.
Tableau’s CRM Analytics Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include AI-driven predictions, task automation, dashboard creation and personalization, KPI tracking, interactive dashboards, and spatial analysis.
Integrations include Alteryx, Amazon Redshift, Google Analytics, Google BigQuery, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, Spark, Talend, Salesforce, Snowflake, and other software options.
Price: From $70/user/month
Free Trial: 14-day free trial + free demo
Pros
- Great for interpreting marketing and sales data
- Top-notch predictive analytics
- Easy data management
Cons
- Building complex business logic flows can slow down the solution over a while
- The Kanban view looks outdated
6. Sisense Fusion Analytics - Best business intelligence software for RevOps agencies
Sisense Fusion Analytics is a cloud-based BI software that enables RevOps agencies to embed visual analytics where their clients need them most.
Why I picked Sisense Fusion Analytics: Sisense Fusion Analytics helps RevOps agencies create custom business intelligence applications for their clients and embed them within products, apps, or workflows. This helps agencies build white-label solutions or merge their clients’ data sources and offer business intelligence as a managed service.
Sisense Fusion Analytics draws data from multiple sources to create a 360-degree view of your organization. The software offers multiple components and widgets you can use to create custom solutions, and you can change the solution’s appearance within their drag-and-drop interface.
Sisense Fusion Analytics Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include AI-driven insights, data model enrichment, predictive analytics, dashboard templates, and visual analytics.
Integrations include Adobe XD, Adobe Photoshop, Amazon Redshift, Google Sheets, Kraken, Microsoft Excel, MySQL, Naveego, Oracle, OvalEdge, Salesforce, and other software options.
Price: Pricing upon request
Free Trial: Free trial + free demo available
Pros
- Proactive customer service
- Reporting tools are easy to understand by end-users
- Merges and analyzes large data sets
Cons
- Limited font formatting options
- Reports could benefit from more customization options
7. Microsoft Power BI - Best business intelligence software for data visualization options
Microsoft Power BI is a BI solution that enables RevOps teams to visualize data in different ways in order to uncover actionable insights.
Why I picked Microsoft Power BI: Microsoft Power BI is a cost-effective analytics solution that enables users to break down and visualize big data. The tool offers multiple visualization options, allowing users to choose the best one for each scenario. RevOps teams with good coding skills can also build their own visualization options in R and Python.
Microsoft Power BI is fairly easy to understand and use, so it’s great for rev teams who are not very experienced. The layout is clean, so users can slice and dice their data in multiple ways without difficulty.
Microsoft Power BI Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include reports templates, automated insights, collaborative reports, advanced analytics, data visualization tools, and a mobile app.
Integrations include Microsoft Azure, Google BigQuery, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Domo, LinkedIn, Oracle, Salesforce, Twitter, and other software options.
Price: From $13.70/user/month
Free Trial: 60-day free trial + free demo available
Pros
- Good variety of data modeling templates
- Cost-effective
- Can share dashboards with people who don’t use Power BI
Cons
- The interface can seem crowded at times
- Is simple to understand but complex to master
8. MicroStrategy - Best business intelligence software for self-service analytics
MicroStrategy is a web-based BI tool that helps RevOps teams build self-service BI apps for their companies.
Why I picked MicroStrategy: MicroStrategy enables you to build branded analytics applications your team members can use to generate their own reports with minimal assistance. This software is great for RevOps departments that want to encourage people from other departments to handle simple data tasks by themselves.
MicroStrategy allows you to create mobile applications so your team members can perform queries on the go. You can build apps that enable other people to track their spending or billing on their own, freeing up some of your time.
MicroStrategy Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include workspace personalization, no-code or low-code app building, augmented analytics, machine-learning and automation, and data-driven insights.
Integrations include Allego Sales Enablement, FoxPlan, LoginRadius, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, MindsDB, MongoDB, Salesforce, Vibe, and other software options.
Price: Pricing upon request
Free Trial: Free demo available
Pros
- Dashboards look nice
- Easy to customize
- Breaks down and interprets huge sets of data
Cons
- Interface looks a bit outdated
- Could offer more visualization options
9. Oracle Analytics - Best business intelligence software for enterprises
Oracle Analytics is one of the best business intelligence tools out there, and its variety of analytics tools makes it ideal for enterprises with complex business needs.
Why I picked Oracle Analytics: Oracle Analytics is a complex BI solution that can help RevOps teams connect the dots between apparently unrelated data sets. The software enables users to customize their dashboards and search for data visually or verbally.
Oracle Analytics uses AI and machine learning to enhance your data, predict trends, and uncover insights. RevOps specialists can break down the data into different charts and graphical representations to make sense of it, and the AI can enhance the data when necessary.
Oracle Analytics Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include graph analytics, map analytics, predictive analytics, data analysis, data modeling, voice search, data enhancement, and self-service analytics.
Integrations include DB2, Looker, Metric Insights, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Office, MySQL, Oracle PeopleSoft, Phocas, Sisense, Tableau, and other software options.
Price: From $16/user/month
Free Trial: 30-day free trial + free demo available
Pros
- Comprehensive knowledge base and multiple training materials
- On-premises and cloud versions available
- Excellent KPI tracking functionality
Cons
- Home interface looks outdated
- ETL processes can seem cumbersome
10. SAP BusinessObjects - Best business intelligence software for data forecasting
SAP BusinessObjects is a BI solution that enables RevOps teams to manage their organization’s resources better using predictive analytics.
Why I picked SAP BusinessObjects: SAP BusinessObjects is very customizable, allowing you to tailor it to your needs. The solution has a drag-and-drop interface, so you don’t need to be a skilled coder to personalize your dashboards. In addition, the software breaks down large datasets so you don’t have to be an SQL expert to build complex reports.
SAP BusinessObjects uses machine learning to predict trends and uncover opportunities. This helps you eliminate potential bottlenecks and reallocate your resources to speed up your company’s growth.
SAP BusinessObjects Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include automated report generation, alerts and notifications, real-time data and KPI tracking, a data warehouse, data preparation and modeling, and data forecasting.
Integrations include DocuWare, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, MongoDB, OneStream, SAP Roambi, Toucan, Zoho Expense, and other software options.
Price: Pricing upon request
Free Trial: Free demo available
Pros
- Great analytical processing capacity
- On-premise and cloud versions available
- User-friendly for users who are not data scientists
Cons
- User interface can be cumbersome at times
- Software can lag when interpreting large sets of data
Other Options
Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best business intelligence software list:
- Phocas - Best business intelligence software for simple reporting
- Metrics Insights - Best business intelligence software for data consolidation
- Tucan Toco - Best business intelligence software for guided business insights
- Qlik Sense - Best business intelligence software for interactive dashboards
- Yurbi - Best business intelligence software for non-technical teams
- Looker - Best business intelligence software for data-driven storytelling
- Slingshot - Best business intelligence software for impactful insights
- Reveal - Best business intelligence software for embedded analytics
- Wyn Enterprise - Best business intelligence software for DIY dashboard creation
- Grow - Best business intelligence software for no-code customization
How I Selected the Best Business Intelligence Software
Perhaps you're wondering how I selected the best business intelligence software for this list? To build this top 10 list, I evaluated and compared a wide range of business intelligence software systems with positive user ratings.
Once I had my long list in place, I further honed my recommendations by using the selection criteria below to see how each platform compared to each other. I also drew on my years of revenue operations experience to pinpoint the features that add a lot of value.
If you have general questions about business intelligence software or how it can add value to your organization, take a look at my People Also Ask section below. Or, you can skip directly to my detailed software summaries to get right into it.
Selection Criteria
Here’s a short summary of the main evaluation and selection criteria I used to develop my list of the best business intelligence software for this article:
Data visualization:
It goes without saying that BI tools should help you create visual representations of your data. I selected solutions that offer multiple out-of-the-box visualization options that also support custom visualizations too.
Data consolidation:
Your BI tool should collect data from most, if not all, of the solutions you use in your day-to-day work. I picked solutions that offer native integrations to some of the most popular business apps or Open APIs so you can create your own integrations if necessary.
Reporting:
Understanding data is one thing, but presenting that data to stakeholders who might not be tech-savvy is a totally different ballgame. I chose BI solutions with straightforward reports so you can create a data-driven story from the data you collect and interpret.
Software Integrations:
BI software should integrate with most of your work tools, but especially with other data-gathering solutions, such as your social media marketing tools, consumer relationship management (CRM) software, or analytics solutions. I selected solutions that offer native integrations with some of the most popular tools on the market.
Pricing:
BI solutions tend to be more expensive than other apps you might use. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, these tools can help your organization generate millions every year. That’s why I only chose tools that offer a great price to value ratio.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your team is considering working with a business intelligence software platform, you likely have some questions before getting started. Let’s take a look at some of the FAQs about BI software.
What are the key features included in business intelligence software?
What are the main benefits of using business intelligence software?
In Conclusion
BI tools can give you the necessary edge to outshine your competitors. Here are some links to other helpful resources to help you make better data-driven decisions for your organization:
- Revenue Intelligence: The Data First Approach
- 10 Best Revenue Intelligence Platforms
- How RevOps Manages the Customer Journey
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