Spotfire vs. Tableau – Comprehensive Comparison of 2023

Jack

By Jack

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Spotfire vs. Tableau

When it comes to business intelligence, the debate between Spotfire vs. Tableau always manages to get to the surface. In this article, you are going to know everything about them, and how do they differ from each other?

Technology has made businesses all over the world adapt to the next best thing than being stuck in the past. It is not a matter of the number that you get by installing the newest piece of software, the question here is, how many improvements you are going to get if you install the latest version of the technology on the system.

The organization can use it to produce at a much faster rate without losing efficiency. Business intelligence tools are the best way for an organization to pull data from various sources to predict the accurate future for the company.

As the title of the article suggests, Spotfire vs. Tableau, are two of the popular business intelligence software that gets used today.

One of the business intelligence tools is Tableau, and the other one is Spotfire. Both of the software are highly qualified to deliver the result that you seek from business intelligence software.

But there could be only one winner from Spotfire vs. Tableau. In this article, we are going to go through what makes these pieces of software good, and then put them against each other.

So you can see the much clearer picture behind Spotfire vs. Tableau.

What is Tableau?

Tableau logo

Tableau provides an interactive data visualization that revolves around business intelligence. One of the prominent tools of Tableau is the Self-service data discovery tool. Which will help you produce the result at a much faster rate without any support?

Tableau will provide everything that you need to make your visualization better, and it will help you make an analysis of the future even with deadeye precision. You will also get Speed analysis, Self Reliant, Visual Discovery, Diverse Data Sets, Architecture friendly, Centralized data, and compatibility.

Now let’s focus on the other side of Spotfire vs. Tableau, Spotfire.

PS: If you are looking for the top best alternatives to Tableau, here you are.

What is Spotfire?

Spotfire logo

Tableau falls in the category of a new generation of software, Spotfire goes back to the days of the ’90s. But the program really took off in the year 2007. When a big brand Tibco purchased Spotfire.

Like Tableau, Spotfire provides a lot of features to the table; some of them are Data visualization, Data Discovery, and Deep Data Wrangling. All of this software will help you predict future events in a more accurate fashion for the organization.

Besides, here are the full Power Bi Vs. Tableau Vs. Qlikview comparison for your reference.

Spotfire vs. Tableau Full Comparison

Here will see the difference between Spotfire vs. Tableau, so you can decide which one of them is for you?

Data Analytics

Data Analytics determines the product’s capability to connect to external data sources. While Spotfire has the ability to handle data sets belonging to different formats, but Tableau can connect to more external data sources against Spotfire.

Tableau can connect to over more than 40 data sources; this will help the user to generate a wider range of report. Tableau has the ability to visualize the latest trends by taking the result from repeated patterns in the data sets.

Tableau doesn’t provide any statistical features compared to Spotfire, where you will get a built-in competence for statistical analysis and modeling. It is accessible directly from the dashboard. Compared to Tableau, Spotfire only pulls 25 data sources.

Here we see two things. If you go with Tableau, you will be able to utilize 40 data sources. Meanwhile, the number sits at 25 with Spotfire. But Spotfire provides you to integrate data sets with different formats while creating a connection to the external data sources. In the battle between Spotfire vs. Tableau, here the question becomes which feature do you need the most?

If you are willing to sacrifice more external source connections for an inbuilt statistical analysis, you can go for the Spotfire; if the connection to an external source is the main priority, you can go for Tableau for the right answer.

Also, read more about the full Tableau Vs. Microstrategy and Looker vs. Tableau comparison.

Data Visualization

Both Tableau and Spotfire are known to provide a great visualization of data, and they both have the power to deliver them faster while maintaining quality. With Tableau, you will get easier data visualization because it will be able to handle import and visualize large data sets and customizable options.

It will help the business to start queries so they can have a better insight into the data. By being much more user-friendly, anybody can pick up Tableau and understand all the key major factors about the dashboard in just a minute; you don’t need to have a special skill in data analytics to understand what the software is about.

With Spotfire, you will get the same features with visualization as you do with Tableau. But the options here are limited. The user is allowed to create a report, and explore data with the Spotfire, but you are not going to get an easier interface on the dashboard, as here it is quite dated compared to Tableau. Some might even find it difficult to get into this system.

There are a lot of things to consider in the battle between Spotfire vs. Tableau. With Tableau, you are going to get an easier visualization method to create reports, graphs, and dashboards.

Compared to Spotfire, which offers a dated interface. That doesn’t mean you are going to get less with Spotfire. But compared to Tableau’s visualization method, Spotfire falls a little flat.

Pricing

Not every organization is looking for a more premium package, as there are many businesses that are at the early stage. These businesses can’t afford the pricing of a premium package from both sides of Spotfire vs. Tableau.

Most of the reason is that they will not have a tight capital to spend on these tools and another being they might not need them Because these premium packages will just expand the features of the standard package.

And business intelligence tools provide their package on an enterprise basis. So anybody who is looking to buy the tools won’t get confused over what kind of package they rather should go for?

Tableau Pricing

With Tableau, you will get a more diverse range of packages for your business. The price will differ from one package to another, along with the service it is capable of providing.

You have the choice to go for a monthly package or an annual subscription. The subscription packages are Creator Explorer and the viewer.

Creator plan

Includes all functionality of Tableau for $70 per month.

Explorer Plan

Self-service analytics without the data prepping or cleaning for $35 per month. If you want to do all of your data handlings over the cloud, then you have to $42 per month.

Viewer

Here you will get access to pre-made visualization for only $12 per month. Add tableau host; then, you have to pay $15 per month.

For the people who are not sure about what services they should go for because we all have our doubts about whatever product we buy because we all have suspicions. To clear the doubt in your head, you will get a free 14-day trial for testing purposes.

Here you can is that Tableau is the right piece of business intelligence software that you want for your organization. Now let’s focus on another part of Spotfire vs. Tableau.

Spotfire Pricing

If you look at Spotfire, the plan starts at $125 per month; if you get a yearly package, the cost will wind up to $1,250 a year. There are other editions you can go for if paying $125 seems too much for your organization.

  • Business Author – $65 per month, $650 a year.
  • Consumer – $25 a month, $250 a year.

You can use Spotfire for amazon cloud, which starts at 99 cents per hour. There is a cloud variation of the spot fire platform; the pricing for these services is custom. You can contact Spotfire to know more about the on-premise Spotfire platform and the cloud enterprise solution.

Here you can see the price range of Spotfire is higher than Tableau, with Tableau you are going to get all the features of the business intelligence tool without breaking your bank, while it is true you are going to leave some functions out such as statistical implementation. But all the plans Tableau provides are pre-made, but with Spotfire, you are getting a more custom look into the plans.

These were the major aspects of any business intelligence tool. Now let’s take a deep look at Spotfire vs. Tableau, to see the little difference between them.

Spotfire

Spotfire logo
  • Founded in 1997
  • HQ – Palo Alto, California
  • Private ownership
  • Over 500 customers worldwide
  • Here you will get On-premise and Cloud deployment
  • The software does have a free trial before you make a purchase.
  • It can perform statistical analysis and automatically handle reports and analysis.
  • It is also capable of finding the origin of business issues.
  • Visualization will not be easy to do here; it is harder to get into specific data details and prepare yourself to face some technical difficulties.
  • Spotfire is ideal for companies that want to increase their customer service, marketing practices, and sales number.
  • Here you can perform simple to complex analyses. As it will be friendly for the beginner and it has enough features to satisfy the advanced users. Finding the root causes of the problem is one of the best things about Spotfire.
  • The new version of the app – 7.9 comes with new features and gives the user much more freedom. Users can now edit data within data sources; now, they can load more data within salesforce connectors.
  • Spotfire can be utilized by smaller businesses to larger enterprises. There is no limitation to the service.
  • For troubleshooting issues, the user can submit a request to fix the issue. Or they can just go to the Spotfire community forum to meet like-minded people to communicate and try to fix the problem with them.
  • Here you have to pay $200 a month or $2000 a year on the subscription fee. The cloud version will give you 250 gigs of storage.

Tableau

Tableau logo
  • Founded in 2003
  • HQ – Seattle, Washington,
  • Public ownership
  • Has over 57,000 customers worldwide
  • Deployable on cloud and on-premise.
  • A wide variety of different tools can be found in the visualization, that would help you create your uniqueness in data making.
  • Compared to Spotfire, Tableau’s learning method is much easier for beginners.
  • Here you will get many business intelligence tools to find data at a much faster rate with more accuracy.
  • Here you will get drag and drop features that will make the work a lot easier compared to the dated interaction with Spotfire.
  • The main feature of Tableau is the in-memory data, and the number of data connections it can provide to the user.
  • With over 57,000 +membr worldwide, Tableau can be called a trusted name, many major corporations, banks, institutions, and health care providers choose Tableau over anything else.
  • There are a variety of services that you can choose for your organization. They offer a QuickStart Service to serve your needs.
  • The main services you will get with Tableau are Complementary Techincal Support, Elite Program, and OEM program.
  • It all depends on the user on what kind of package they should have for their organization. Some have said Tableau is much more expensive compared to its counterparts.
  • When it comes to the packaging – you have to pay $35 per month. If you want a more professional package, then you have to pay $70 per year.
  • There is an online variation to their program, $42 per month, Tableau server will cost you $35 per month with a minimum of 10 users.
SpotfireTableau
Founded in 1997Founded in 2003
Spotfire is capable of connecting to 25 data sourcesTable au can connect to 40 data sources
Has a statistical analysis and modeling featureHere you have none.
Complicated with a dated interfaceEasier data visualization
You will plain basic optionsSeveral customizable options
For Spotfire customer support, you have to visit the TIBCO support central portalLevels in customer care service
ExpensiveCheaper
500+ satisfied customers57,000+ satisfied consumers
Easier to get intoHas a steep learning curve

Now that we have gone through every bit of detail about both of these software, Spotfire vs. Tableau, the battle has gotten a little bit complex. Because there are inner features that might find the right place in your organization, and there are other features that you might not need but will end up paying for it if you decide to go with the wrong piece of software.

Amongst the power uses from Spotfire are Proctor, Gamble, Cisco, NetApp, and Shell. Tableau is not far behind having the list of names under their belt; they have SpaceX, Deloitte, Coca-Cola, Dell, Citrix, and Pandora.

At the end of the day, it is up to the user and the company to decide which software would benefit them the most without spending a huge chunk of money every single day of the year.

Final Thoughts about Spotfire vs. Tableau

                            Spotfire                                    Tableau

Features5/54/5
Ease of handling4/54/5
Functions4/55/5
Community3/54/5
Learning Curve3/54/5
API4/54/5
Visualizations3/55/5
Cost3/55/5

Now that you know everything about the Spotfire vs. Tableau argument. You have all the advantages and disadvantages of both sides of the aisle.

One of the major things that you should know before making any decision of getting on the subscription on any of the services is if you need the services or not, if you are just starting out in the market, then you might not need a premium package that covers a large scale operation.

As half the services that come with a premium package would go unused. So it is better to look for a package that fits more to your needs, then you will save plenty of money on the package.

FAQs

1. Can I import my data from different sources into both Spotfire and Tableau? Yes, both Spotfire and Tableau support various data sources, allowing you to import and analyze data from databases, spreadsheets, cloud services, and more.

2. Which tool offers better collaboration features for team projects? Both Spotfire and Tableau provide collaboration features, such as sharing dashboards and visualizations. Tableau’s Tableau Server and Spotfire’s Spotfire Web Player are popular choices for collaborative data projects.

3. Can I customize visualizations in Spotfire and Tableau? Yes, both tools offer customization options, allowing you to tailor visualizations to your specific needs. Spotfire offers more advanced customization features compared to Tableau.

4. Are there free versions or trial periods available for Spotfire and Tableau? Tableau offers a free version called Tableau Public, which allows you to create and share visualizations publicly. Spotfire offers a trial version, but pricing and licensing details need to be obtained from the sales team.

5. Can Spotfire and Tableau handle large datasets? Yes, both Spotfire and Tableau are designed to handle large datasets. However, Spotfire’s high-performance data engine gives it an advantage in handling massive datasets and complex analytical workflows.

Jack
Jack

Ten years of experience in information and computer technology. Passionate about electronic devices, smartphones, computers, and modern technology.

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