Quick Answer: Looker Studio connects to Google products with its own connectors. For platforms like Meta Ads or HubSpot you usually need a partner connector, which is a paid subscription from a third-party vendor. Estimate the cost per client before you commit.
"Looker Studio is free" is true of the tool. It is not always true of the data you want to put in it.
This guide explains the three kinds of connector, what they cost, and what to check before you build a client report on one.
The three kinds of connector
Google's connector documentation and its Connect to Data gallery separate them:
- Looker Studio connectors. Built and supported by Looker Studio itself. They cover Google products and common data stores, such as Google Analytics, Google Ads, Search Console, BigQuery, Cloud SQL and Google Sheets
- Partner connectors. Built and supported by Looker Studio partners. Google adds new ones on a rolling basis in its release notes
- Community connectors. Third-party connectors in the Community Connectors Gallery. Google says these are not provided by Google
The gallery changes often and we could not find an official total, so check it directly for the platform you need.
What each costs
Google's own connectors are part of Looker Studio. You are not paying a separate vendor.
Partner connectors are the vendor's product, so they follow the vendor's pricing. As an example, Supermetrics, which supplies connectors for Looker Studio, lists these plans on its pricing page:
- Starter: $39/mo billed yearly, 2 data sources ($49 month to month)
- Growth: $159/mo billed yearly, 7 data sources ($199 month to month)
- Each has a 14-day free trial
Other vendors price differently, some per connector and some per account, so compare them on the platforms you use.
Community connectors vary, and because Google does not provide them, the support and reliability depend on the author.
How to estimate the real cost
For each client, list the platforms they use and where each one comes from:
- Google platforms such as GA4, Google Ads and Search Console: Looker Studio connectors
- Everything else such as Meta Ads, HubSpot, Shopify or Klaviyo: check whether a partner connector exists, and what it costs
Then multiply by your client count. Pricing by data source or account means your cost rises as clients use more platforms, even if your client count does not change.
Add this to the other costs of a free tool: Looker Studio Pro is $9 per user per project per month if you need it, plus the time you spend building and fixing each report.
What to check before you commit
- Which platforms does it cover? Check the exact metrics you report on, not just the platform name
- How does it price? Per data source, per account, per connector or per user
- How fresh is the data? And what happens when a refresh fails
- Who supports it? The vendor or an individual author
- Who sees client data? A third-party connector means your clients' data passes through that vendor. Check their privacy terms and your client agreements
- Can your admin control it? Google offers an admin policy for how users add data sources from third-party connectors
Where this leaves agencies
A single connector bill is manageable. The pattern that surprises agencies is the combination: connectors per client, scheduling limits, and the time to keep each report working.
If your clients mostly use Google platforms, Looker Studio with its own connectors can be a very cost-effective setup. If they use a mix of platforms, add up the partner connector costs before you decide it is free.
How LedgeSpace compares
LedgeSpace includes all 23 live integrations on every plan, with no per-connector or per-source fee. They cover ads, analytics, e-commerce, CRM, email and SEO, such as Google Ads, Meta Ads, GA4, Shopify, HubSpot and Klaviyo. Four more are listed as coming soon.
It has fewer integrations than the large connector ecosystem around Looker Studio, so check that your clients' platforms are on the list. Plans start at $39/mo billed annually for up to 5 clients, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card.
See LedgeSpace vs Looker Studio for the full comparison.
