Quick Answer: The tool is free. Connectors for non-Google platforms, optional Pro licenses and the hours your team spends building and fixing reports are not. For many agencies, time is the biggest cost.
"Why would we pay for reporting software? Looker Studio is free."
It is a fair question, and for some agencies the answer is that you should not. This post helps you work out which side you are on, using your own numbers.
Cost 1: The tool itself
Looker Studio is free to use.
Cost 2: Connectors
Google's own products connect without extra cost. Platforms like Meta Ads or HubSpot are usually connected through partner connectors, which are paid subscriptions from vendors.
For example, Supermetrics lists:
- Starter: $39/mo billed yearly, 2 data sources
- Growth: $159/mo billed yearly, 7 data sources
Their paid plans also list monthly rates of $49 and $199 if you pay month to month. Other connector vendors price differently, so check the one you use.
Cost 3: Looker Studio Pro (optional)
Pro adds more scheduling capacity and removes the email quota. It is priced at $9 per user per project per month, and you are billed for every license in the subscription whether it is used or not.
Without Pro, each report gets one schedule, at most once a day, with a quota of 200 emails a day and 800 a month on a personal Google account (500 and 3,000 on Workspace).
Cost 4: Your team's time
This is the one most agencies skip.
Use this formula:
Clients x hours per client per month x hourly rate = monthly cost of time
Hours per client should include building or updating the report, fixing broken connections, checking that it downloads without errors, writing commentary, and sending it.
Here is an example with made-up numbers, so replace them with yours:
- 20 clients
- 1 hour per client per month
- $50 per hour
That is 20 x 1 x $50 = $1,000 a month of time.
If your real figure is half an hour, it is $500. If it is two hours, it is $2,000.
Cost 5: The cost of a missed report
Scheduled emails do not send if the report contains an error, if the account's quota is used up, or if the person who last saved the schedule loses access. None of these alerts you. If a client notices before you do, that costs trust.
See our guide to why Looker Studio scheduled emails fail.
Putting it together
Add up your monthly figures:
- Connectors
- Pro licenses (if any)
- Time
Then compare with a dedicated tool. LedgeSpace prices are flat by client tier, billed annually: $39/mo for up to 5 clients, $119/mo for up to 20, $199/mo for unlimited. White label, scheduling, Client Pulse and all 23 integrations are on every plan. RUSHA AI is optional from $26/mo, billed monthly.
When Looker Studio is still the right answer
- You only report on Google products
- You have someone with spare time who enjoys building
- Your clients need a bespoke layout a template cannot give you
- You have just a few clients
Many agencies keep Looker Studio for internal dashboards and use a dedicated tool for client delivery.
Try it with your own numbers
Run your numbers in the switching cost calculator, then start a 14-day free trial (no credit card) and put one client through LedgeSpace next to your Looker Studio report. The full comparison is at LedgeSpace vs Looker Studio.
