Looker is made to show your data. Count uses it to show your people what to do next.

The Canvas Difference

Count: Figma Meets Your Data

An infinite, collaborative workspace where SQL, Python, and visualizations live together. Build metric trees, process flows, and narrative reports that show relationships between metrics—not just the metrics themselves.

Think:

• Place a chart next to the SQL that powers it
• Map your entire customer journey with live data
• Create a metric tree showing how revenue breaks down
• Add screenshots of your app next to usage analytics
• Collaborate in real-time like Google Docs, but for data

Power BI: Enterprise Dashboard Factory

Polished, fixed-layout reports with robust data modeling underneath. Excellent for standardized reporting and governance, but constrained when analysis needs to breathe or evolve.

Reality:

• Reports locked into fixed page layouts
• Dashboard tiles live in isolation
• Building = Desktop app; Viewing = Cloud service. Two different worlds.
• Exploration limited to pre-built drill-downs
• Each report is a finished product, not a workspace
• Heavy focus on consuming reports vs. collaborative exploration
• DAX. Does anyone like it?

Real-Time Collaboration: Built for How Teams Actually Work

Count's Multiplayer Analytics

Everyone in the canvas at once:

• See teammates' cursors as they work
• Comment directly on cells, visuals, or anywhere on the canvas
• Add sticky notes for context
• @mention colleagues to pull them into the conversation
• Watch queries update live as your team explores together

Role flexibility that makes sense:

• Analysts write SQL/Python and build complex analyses
• Explorers use low-code tools to dig deeper without SQL
• Members can adjust filters and explore without editing queries
• Viewers see everything, can comment, and use interactive filters

The result: Your CFO can explore revenue breakdowns alongside your analyst, in real-time, without needing to know SQL or DAX

Power BI's Collaboration

The reality:

• Build in Desktop app (solo work)
• Publish to cloud (for consumption)
• Pro users can collaborate on workspaces, but not real-time co-editing
• Comments exist, but the report itself isn't a collaborative space

Power BI Pro ($10/user/month):

• Share reports in workspaces
• Comment on specific visuals
• Row-level security
• Scheduled refresh
• But: Building is still solo work in Desktop app
• And: Everyone consuming reports pays $10/month

Power BI Premium ($20/user/month):

• More capacity and features
• Paginated reports
• Deployment pipelines
• Still: Not real-time collaborative exploration

What's Possible: Use Cases That Shine on Canvas

1. Metric Trees: Show What Drives Growth

With Count: Create a visual hierarchy showing how your North Star metric breaks down. Revenue → Products → Channels → Campaigns, with live data at every node. Your CEO sees the whole picture, then drills into any branch.

With Power BI: Build drill-down hierarchies in each visual. Explain the relationships in a separate deck. Hope users remember to click "drill down."

2. Product Analytics Meets Product Screenshots

With Count: Place your app's onboarding flow screenshots directly next to the funnel analytics. Drop-off at step 3? The product screenshot is right there. Your PM, designer, and analyst see the same view.

With Power BI: Export report to PowerPoint. Add screenshots. Present. Then rebuild when data updates.

3. Customer Journey Mapping

With Count: Map the entire journey—ads, website visits, signups, activation, retention—in a single canvas with real data flowing through it. Sales, marketing, and product see how their work connects.

With Power BI: Build a comprehensive report with multiple pages. Create documentation explaining how to navigate between them.

4. Deep-Dive Analysis That Tells a Story

With Count: Break complex SQL into connected cells that flow visually. Show your thinking, not just your charts. Stakeholders follow the logic from raw data to insight without a separate deck.

With Power BI: Write DAX measures. Build visuals. Export to PowerPoint. Walk through your analysis in a separate meeting.

5. SQL/Python Analysis + Business Context

With Count: Your analyst writes SQL to segment customers. Places results next to screenshots of email campaigns. Marketing team adds sticky notes with context. All in one living workspace.

With Power BI: DAX for calculations (different syntax than your warehouse). Visuals in Power BI. Context in Confluence. SQL in separate tools. Everything disconnected.

Quick Decision Framework

Choose Power BI if:

• You're deeply embedded in Microsoft ecosystem
• You need Premium capacity for embedded analytics
• You primarily publish finished reports (not explore)
• DAX and Power Query fit your workflow
• Budget supports $10+/user for all report consumers

Choose Count if:

• You have 3+ people who need to work with data
• Analysis involves exploration, not just viewing
• You want stakeholders engaged, not just informed
• You're ready to move beyond "dashboard factory" mode
• Your team deserves better than spreadsheets and slides