Top Mobile BI Tools: A Comprehensive Comparison

What is Mobile BI?

With the help of mobile business intelligence (BI), individuals can access, examine, and distribute company data from a tablet or smartphone. It functions exactly like conventional BI software, however it is mobile-friendly.

Top 10 Mobile BI Tools: Features, Pros & Cons

Here are some of the top Mobile BI tools comparison:

1. Microsoft Power BI Mobile

Microsoft's robust BI tool, intended for companies utilizing Office 365 and Azure. It offers robust security features, AI-driven insights, and interactive dashboards.

Key Features:

• Strong integration with Microsoft products.
• AI-powered insights.
• Custom alerts and notifications.

Pros:

1. Works well for businesses already using Microsoft tools.
2. Updated in real time and hosted on the cloud.
3. Dashboards with ease of usage.

Cons:

1. For advanced functionality, a Power BI Pro license is needed.
2. Some reports can take a while to load on a mobile device.

Price Comparison

Plan	Price	Best For
Free	Free	Individual analysts creating personal reports and exploring data.
Power BI Pro	$14* Approx	Collaboration and sharing within an organization.
Power BI Premium Per User	$24* Approx	Data professionals needing advanced, enterprise-scale features without a full capacity license.
Power BI Embedded	Variable/Custom Quotation	ISVs and developers embedding analytics into customer-facing applications.

Please note: All prices are approximate and listed in U.S. Dollars (USD). Final pricing may vary based on your region, currency exchange rates, and local tax structures.

2. Tableau Mobile

This tool, which is well-known for its advanced charts, POS dashboards, and analytics, is among the finest for comprehending data. It's a great choice for companies because it supports both cloud and on-premises settings.

Key Features:

• Industry-leading data visualization.
• Supports natural language queries.
• Works on both cloud and on-premises systems.

Pros:

1. Great for creating interactive charts and dashboards.
2. Sharing insights is simple.
3. AI-powered suggestions.

Cons:

1. More expensive than other tools.
2. For optimal outcomes, structured data is required.

Tableau Pricing Comparison

Plan Name	Price	What It's Best For
Enterprise Creator	Contact Sales ($15/user/month*Approx)	Data analysts & developers who build data sources, prepare data, and create reports. The essential license for any deployment. Includes Tableau Desktop, Prep Builder, and advanced management tools.
Enterprise Explorer	Contact Sales ($42/user/month*Approx)	Power users & business analysts who need to explore data and answer their own questions with self-service analytics on governed, enterprise-grade data.
Enterprise Viewer	Contact Sales ($75/user/month*Approx)	End-users & business teams who need to view, interact with, and monitor trusted dashboards and visualizations to make data-driven decisions.

Please note: All prices are approximate and listed in U.S. Dollars (USD). Final pricing may vary based on your region, currency exchange rates, and local tax structures.

3. Qlik Sense Mobile

This tool is well-known for its associative data model and self-service analytics, which let users examine data from many perspectives without the need for preset queries.

Key Features:

• Analytics for self-services
• For simple exploration, use an associative data model.
• Functions offline.

Pros:

1. Excellent at analyzing large amounts of data.
2. Enables users to pose questions without using pre-formulated questions.
3. Scalable and safe for companies of all kinds.

Cons:

1. For new users, the learning curve may be high.
2. More costly than certain substitutes.

Qlik Cloud Pricing Comparison

Plan Name	Price	What It's Best For
Starter	$200/month for 10 users Billed annually	Small businesses needing core analytics with fixed 25GB data capacity. Ideal for basic AI-powered analytics and team collaboration.
Standard	$825/month for 25GB data Billed annually	Small to medium teams requiring enhanced AI capabilities, automated reporting, and no-code automation with scalable data capacity.
Premium	$2,750/month for 50GB data Billed annually MOST POPULAR	Growing organizations needing predictive analytics, advanced GenAI, SAP integration, and enterprise features for scaling analytics across the business.
Enterprise	Custom Quote	Large enterprises requiring maximum scale, flexibility, and advanced capabilities including multi-region deployment and larger app sizes.

Please note: All prices are approximate and listed in U.S. Dollars (USD). Final pricing may vary based on your region, currency exchange rates, and local tax structures.

4. Zoho Analytics Mobile

A business intelligence system that is affordable for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers drag-and-drop reporting, AI-powered insights, and a smooth integration with Zoho products.

Key Features:

• BI that is affordable for small and medium-sized enterprises.
• Drag-and-drop tool for creating reports.
• AI-powered helper for instant insights.

Pros:

1. Reasonably priced.
2. Compatible with the Zoho ecosystem.
3. Excellent for small companies that require BI functions.

Cons:

1. Not as strong as Tableau or Power BI.
2. Restricted possibilities for personalization.

Zoho Analytics Pricing Comparison

Plan Name	Price	What It's Best For
BASIC	$12/month+*Approx	Individuals & small teams needing basic analytics with limited data capacity (0.5M rows) and essential business app connectors
STANDARD	$23/month +*Approx	Growing businesses requiring more frequent data refreshes (8/day) and expanded data capacity (1M rows)
PREMIUM	$50/month +*Approx	Medium to large businesses needing advanced features like live connect, data snapshots, and data pipeline capabilities
ENTERPRISE	$190/month +*Approx	Large enterprises requiring maximum data capacity (50M rows), 24/day refresh rates, and full feature access

Please note: All prices are approximate and listed in U.S. Dollars (USD). Final pricing may vary based on your region, currency exchange rates, and local tax structures.

5. Looker (Google Cloud BI)

An effective cloud-based BI tool for businesses that use Google Cloud services. It provides real-time collaboration, data modeling, and deep analytics.

Key Features:

• Cloud-native with Google Cloud integration.
• Advanced data modeling tools.
• Facilitates collaboration in real time.

Pros:

1. Excellent for businesses that use Google's cloud services.
2. Performs effectively while analyzing massive amounts of data.
3. Options for flexible reporting.

Cons:

1. Not suitable for beginners.
2. Needs technical expertise to set up.

Looker (Google Cloud) Pricing Comparison

Plan Name	Price	What It's Best For
Standard Edition	Custom Quote Contact Sales	Small organisations or teams (<50 users) needing core BI capabilities with limited API usage (1,000 queries/month)
Enterprise Edition	Custom Quote Contact Sales	Medium to large organisations requiring enhanced security and higher API limits (100,000 queries/month) for internal BI use cases
Embed Edition	Custom Quote Contact Sales	Organizations embedding analytics in customer-facing applications, requiring high-scale API usage (500,000 queries/month)

User Licensing (Additional Costs):

• Developer User: Full platform access including LookML modeling and administration
• Standard User: Content creation and exploration capabilities
• Viewer User: Read-only access to dashboards and reports

6. Domo Mobile BI

A business intelligence platform that prioritizes mobile devices for collaboration and instant access to data. It offers AI-driven alerts and suggestions and interacts with several data sources.

Key Features:

• AI-powered insights and predictions.
• Robust design that prioritizes mobile devices.
• Updates and alerts in real time.

Pros:

1. An easy-to-use mobile design.
2. Excellent for groups that require quick cooperation.
3. Functions well with a range of data sources.

Cons:

1. Can be expensive for smaller companies.
2. Some users have noticed a steep learning curve.

Domo Pricing Comparison

Plan Name	Price	What It's Best For
Free	$0 30-day trial	Evaluation and testing - Organizations wanting to try Domo's full platform with unlimited users before committing to a paid plan
Paid	Custom Quote Contact Sales	Production deployment - Businesses needing enterprise features, dedicated support, compliance requirements, and custom scaling options

7. Sisense Mobile

A powerful BI tool with a reputation for managing huge datasets and producing dashboards driven by AI. It's great for companies that need embedded analytics and deep insights.

Key Features:

• Embedded analytics for customized reports.
• AI-powered dashboards.
• Self-service analytics for non-technical users.

Pros:

1. Capable of managing huge datasets.
2. Excellent for businesses that require sophisticated reporting.
3. Personalized dashboards with thorough information.

Cons:

1. Requires a technical staff to set it up.
2. It could be difficult to use some advanced functions.

Sisense Pricing Comparison

Plan Name	Price	What It's Best For
Custom Solution	Custom Quote (Contact Sales)	Organisations of any size need a tailored analytics solution, whether for internal business intelligence or for embedding into commercial products. Features, data limits, and connectors are all negotiated as part of the custom package.

8. MicroStrategy Mobile

A highly secure, enterprise-grade platform designed for large-scale deployments. It goes beyond simple dashboard viewing to offer transactional capabilities and HyperIntelligence, which overlays contextual data on other business apps.

Key Features:

• Enterprise-level security and governance.
• HyperIntelligence for contextual, embedded insights.
• Supports complex offline workflows and transactions.

Pros:

1. Unmatched security for regulated industries.
2. Powerful for integrated, mobile-first workflows.
3. Highly scalable for large organizations.

Cons:

1. Can be complex and expensive for smaller businesses.
2. Requires significant IT involvement for setup and management.

MicroStrategy Pricing Comparison

Plan Name	Price	What It's Best For
Standard	From $13/month per user	Teams of 50-300 users needing quick setup with AI-powered dashboards and data modeling, with up to 150GB in-memory capacity
Enterprise	Custom Quote Contact Sales	Large organizations requiring custom AI agents, multi-cloud deployment, and scalable capacity for enterprise-wide deployment
Government	Custom Quote Contact Sales	Government agencies needing FedRAMP authorized deployment on AWS GovCloud with government-grade security

Please note: All prices are approximate and listed in U.S. Dollars (USD). Final pricing may vary based on your region, currency exchange rates, and local tax structures.

9. Yellowfin Mobile

Known as an 'analytical experience platform,' Yellowfin combines dashboards with automated analysis and data storytelling. Its Signals feature automatically detects and pushes anomalies in your data to your mobile device.

Key Features:

• Automated anomaly detection (Signals).
• Data storytelling for narrative-driven reports.
• Combined dashboards and automated analysis.

Pros:

1. Proactively alerts users to critical changes in data.
2. Great for creating and consuming data stories on the go.
3. User-friendly interface for end-users.

Cons:

1. Less brand recognition than the top-tier tools.
2. The automation features require initial configuration to be most effective.

Yellowfin Pricing Comparison

Plan Name	Price Model	What It's Best For
Named User	Per Named User	Small to medium deployments where you know exactly how many individuals need access to Yellowfin
Server	Per CPU Core	Large deployments requiring scalable pricing based on server infrastructure and processing power
User Tier	Per User Type (Writer/Consumer)	Flexible organizations needing different pricing for content creators vs. report consumers

10. Grow Mobile BI

A no-code, all-in-one BI platform that combines data integration, transformation, and dashboarding in a single stack. Its mobile app lets you monitor key metrics, drill into data, and refresh reports from anywhere, while the web platform handles the heavy lifting of data modeling and dashboard creation.

Key Features:

• All-in-one platform with ETL, data warehousing, and dashboards.
• Mobile app for on-the-go dashboard viewing and drill-downs.
• 100+ connectors including Google BigQuery, Salesforce, HubSpot, and QuickBooks.

Pros:

• Low admin overhead with no-code data transformation.
• Reasonable user licensing can reduce costs for company-wide rollout.
• Well-maintained iOS app with strong executive visibility.

Cons:

• Mobile app is for consumption only (creation happens on web).

Price Comparison

Plan Name	Price	What It's Best For
Grow BI	Contact Sales Free trial available	Businesses wanting an all-in-one, no-code platform with unlimited users and mobile access to dashboards.

Comparison: Which Mobile BI Tool is Right for You?

Let's further see the Mobile BI tools comparison in a tabular form for better understanding:

Why is Mobile BI Important?

• Access Anytime, Anywhere – View reports and insights from any location.
• Real-Time Data – Get the latest updates without delay.
• Better Decisions – Respond quickly to changes in the market.
• Teamwork – Instantly share reports and insights with your group.

Mobile apps are now available for many BI solutions, which makes it simple for companies to remain data-driven while on the go.

Crucial Elements of a Mobile BI Tool

Your business demands will determine which Mobile BI product is best for you. Before making a choice, take into account the following crucial aspects:

1. Easily navigable dashboards

Like the Flipkart seller dashboard, a mobile BI solution should feature an intuitive user experience that makes it easy for users to explore reports and dashboards. With touch-friendly designs, customizable widgets, and drag-and-drop capability, interactions run more smoothly on smaller screens.

2. Access to Data in Real Time

Decisions in business need current information. A reputable mobile BI platform should instantly sync data from several sources to ensure that customers always have instant access to the most recent insights.

3. Security and Access Control

Since BI tools contain sensitive business data, strong security features are essential. To protect data, look for solutions that provide role-based access control, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and end-to-end encryption.

4. Access Offline

Offline mode is a useful feature that not all mobile BI apps enable. Users can view dashboards and reports even when they are not online thanks to offline access. Professionals who travel or work in distant areas will find this very helpful.

5. Compatibility Across Platforms

A combination of web-based, iOS, and Android devices may be used by your team. For seamless communication throughout the company, the BI tool should work with a variety of operating systems.

6. Collaboration & Sharing

Teams need to work together efficiently. Mobile BI tools with real-time sharing, annotations, and alert notifications allow employees to discuss insights and make decisions quickly.

7. Using Automation & AI to Gain Smarter Knowledge

Automated warnings, pattern recognition, and trend prediction are all possible with AI-powered BI solutions. Businesses benefit from this feature by saving time and avoiding problems before they become major ones.

Challenges of Using Mobile BI Tools

Even while mobile BI solutions have many advantages, employing them might present some difficulties for enterprises. The following are some typical problems and solutions:

Limitations of Screen Size

Examining complex dashboards and in-depth reports may be more challenging on smartphones and tablets due to their smaller screens when compared to desktop PCs.

Solution: Choose BI tools that are responsive, which means they function effectively across a variety of screen sizes. To enhance visibility, certain tools additionally provide scroll and zoom-in capabilities.

Mobile Device Performance Issues

Mobile applications may experience performance issues due to heavy data processing, particularly if the tool is working with enormous datasets.

Solution: Rather than depending on storage on mobile devices, select BI products that provide cloud-based processing. Additionally, several programs offer mobile-friendly versions that are lightweight.

Reliance on the Internet

To retrieve real-time data, a lot of BI solutions need an internet connection. Insufficient connectivity may prevent users from receiving real-time information.

Solution: Choose solutions that provide offline access so users can save critical reports to their devices and sync them when internet connectivity is available.

Data Security Risks

Mobile device access to business intelligence data raises the possibility of security lapses. Devices that are lost or stolen may also reveal private company data.

Solution: Put in place robust access controls, including remote device wiping in the event of loss, biometric identification (facial ID/fingerprint), and password security.

Employee Learning Curve

Employees who are not tech-savvy may find it challenging to use certain BI applications effectively because to their complicated interfaces.

Solution: Select products with user-friendly dashboards and teach staff members on how to use them efficiently.

Final Thoughts!

Since mobile BI technologies offer real-time insights at any time and from any location, they are revolutionizing company operations. Access to data on the go can provide you with a competitive edge, regardless of the size of your company. Before selecting a Mobile BI tool, consider:

• Your business size and data needs
• Your budget and software integration requirements
• Security and access control features

You can increase productivity, keep ahead of industry trends, and make data-driven decisions more quickly with the proper tool. Do not hesitate to contact us if you require assistance in selecting the best Dashboard development company for BI solution!

FAQs

Q1: Is mobile access an extra license fee on top of our existing BI platform?

No. For major platforms like Power BI and Tableau, mobile access is included with the standard user licenses (e.g., Power BI Pro or Tableau Viewer). You pay for the user, not the device they use.

Q2: How can we secure our data on an employee's personal phone (BYOD)?

Use Mobile Application Management (MAM), not just MDM. MAM (like Microsoft Intune) creates a secure "container" for the BI app, letting you enforce policies like "no copy/paste" and remotely wiping only the app's data.

Q3: Will our Row-Level Security (RLS) policies still work on mobile?

Yes, automatically. All security and governance rules are defined once on the server or cloud service. The mobile app simply respects these rules, so users only see the data they are authorized to see.

Q4: How do mobile apps connect to our on-premise databases?

They use a secure on-premises data gateway. This acts as a protected bridge, sending queries from the cloud service to your internal database without ever exposing the database to the internet.

Q5: Can we embed a chart into our own custom-built native app?

Yes, but it's typically done using a JavaScript SDK and a webview. Most platforms (Power BI, Tableau) are web-first. Tools like MicroStrategy offer a more robust, re-brandable native mobile SDK for deeper customization.

Q6: How do mobile apps perform with huge datasets? Is it live or offline?

You have two main options:

1. In-Memory/Import: The fastest experience. Data is compressed and cached in the app for offline use, but it's only as fresh as the last refresh.
2. Live/DirectQuery: Provides 100% real-time data, but the app's performance is entirely dependent on the speed of your source database.

Q7: How do we calculate the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) for a mobile BI rollout?

Your TCO is not just the user licenses. You must also include the cost of gateway hardware (if on-premise), implementation/consulting fees, and the (often hidden) cost of data warehouse development and user training.