Dashboard software for a small business, compared (2026)

Updated 8 October 2026By Alex Coverdale

No single tool suits every small business. Looker Studio (Google now calls it Data Studio) is free for numbers in Google tools, Power BI suits Microsoft shops, Databox suits KPI reporting from many apps with no data warehouse, and Claude Dashboards suits teams on a paid Claude plan with data in a warehouse or Salesforce. If you want the board built and hosted for you, running automations with an approval step where anything sent waits for your yes unless you switch that tool to send by itself, that is what Smart Business HQ (our product) does.

9 tools, point by point

Yes
No
Partlypart of the job, a costly tier, a preview or a stated limit
Not statednot found in the vendor's pages

9 dashboard tools compared on 13 points and the entry price
Feature	Claude Dashboards	Smart Business HQOur product	Basedash	Papercrane	Databox	Power BI	Tableau	Looker Studio	Zoho Analytics
Builds the dashboard from a plain-language request (AI)You describe what you want in plain words and the AI makes the dashboard.	YesAsk in plain language; Claude builds the dashboard and keeps it current. In beta.¹	PartlyAI drafts the design and sample numbers in the free designer; our people build the working board.²³	YesDashboard Agent builds a dashboard from one prompt.⁴⁵	YesIts agent plans, queries and builds a hosted dashboard from one conversation.⁶	YesGenie: describe what you want and it builds it.⁷	PartlyCopilot creates report pages from prompts; it needs paid Fabric (F2 or higher) or Premium capacity.⁸⁹	PartlyTableau Agent turns prompts into visualizations; in Tableau Cloud it comes with Cloud+ (contact sales).¹⁰¹¹	PartlyGemini writes calculated fields and chats with your data (Pro, preview); a whole dashboard from one prompt is not stated.¹²	YesThe Ask Zia agent creates reports and dashboards; the LLM agent is on the Premium and Enterprise plans.¹³
Works with the apps a small business already uses, no data warehouse neededIt connects to everyday tools such as a shop, sheets or reviews, with no data warehouse to set up beforehand.	PartlyReads a data warehouse or apps you have connected to Claude (Salesforce is the example given).¹⁴¹⁵	YesConnects the apps a business already uses, such as Shopify, Google Sheets, Google Analytics, YouTube and review pages; an app not on our shelf yet is a one-time custom build.²³	YesSyncs 750+ SaaS tools through a warehouse Basedash sets up and maintains.¹⁶	YesConnects Shopify, Stripe, Square, QuickBooks, Klaviyo, Google Sheets and more.¹⁷¹⁸⁶	YesWorks with or without a data warehouse; 130+ native integrations.¹⁹²⁰	PartlyThe Power Query list includes Google Analytics and Google Sheets; no Shopify, QuickBooks or Stripe entry.²¹	Not statedTableau's connector list did not load when we checked on 8 October 2026.	Partly1,400+ sources including Google Sheets, Ads and Analytics; Shopify, QuickBooks and Stripe are not named.²²	YesConnectors for QuickBooks, Xero, Stripe, Shopify, WooCommerce, Google Analytics and more, synced automatically.¹³
Updates on a schedule with nobody opening itNumbers refresh, or reports go out, on a timetable even when no one has the dashboard open.	Not statedAnthropic says it keeps current as the data changes, but not how often; an independent test of the forerunner found it refreshes when opened.¹¹⁵	YesScheduled jobs run on the board's server we host: a morning briefing, reminders and a daily review read.³	YesAutomations run daily, weekly, monthly or when a query finds new rows, and send the result to Slack or email.²³	YesRefreshes on schedule and stays hosted.⁶²⁴	YesSyncs daily on Free and hourly on paid plans; Routines run on a schedule on higher plans.¹⁹²⁵	YesUp to 8 scheduled refreshes a day on Pro, up to 48 on Premium Per User and capacity.²⁶	YesViewer licences include data-driven alerts and subscriptions; Pulse sends insights to Slack, Teams and email.¹¹²⁷	YesSchedule a PDF of a report to go to you and your stakeholders.²⁸	YesSyncs data from business apps at regular intervals; reports can be emailed on a schedule.¹³
Team can view it without each buying a seat on an AI productStaff or clients can look at it without every viewer paying for their own AI subscription.	NoEvery viewer needs a Claude account, even with the link.²⁹	YesOn a Business board the owner invites staff by role; they log in to the board, not to an AI product. Personal is for one person.³⁰³	YesInvite viewers without buying separate seats; public share links.³¹³²	YesNo viewer accounts; nobody signs up and nobody buys a seat.³³	PartlyNo per-seat charge, but each plan includes a set number of users (1 on Free and Analyst).¹⁹	PartlySharing needs Pro or Premium; free viewing needs F64 or P1 capacity and up, or a public Publish to web link.³⁴³⁵	PartlyViewer licences per user; broad viewer access through capacity pricing from sales.¹¹	YesNo charge for creators and report viewers.²²	PartlyViewers come as an add-on in blocks of 25; private URLs need no Zoho account (Zoho notes they are not highly secure).¹³
Runs automations (does work, not only shows numbers)It can carry out tasks, such as drafting a reply or a reminder, as well as showing figures.	Not statedArtifacts can read from and write to connected apps; dashboards doing work on their own is not stated.³⁶	YesReplies, invoices, reminders, bookings, posts and filing, drafted or done by rules you set.²³	YesAutomations act in your other tools, such as adding a HubSpot note or filing a Linear issue.²³	YesAutomates manual tasks, with recurring automations.³⁷	PartlyRoutines deliver scheduled AI results; Agents are marked 'Soon'.²⁵¹⁹	PartlyA Power Automate button in a report runs a flow (Power Automate is a separate product).³⁸	PartlyTableau Next can take action in Salesforce and Slack.¹⁰	NoReports, connectors, sharing and embedding; no actions in other apps are listed.²²	PartlyWorkflow rules can trigger actions in other apps through Zoho Flow.¹³
Human approval step before things are sent outA person says yes before a reply, payment or post leaves.	NoConnector tools that need approval for each action are not available to artifacts.³⁹	YesA reply, refund, payment or post waits in Approvals for your yes unless you switch that tool to send by itself.²³	Not statedAutomations use connector tools set to 'Always allow'; tools that need approval stay out of unattended runs; an approve-before-send queue is not described.²³	PartlyRead, write and delete rights per integration, with every call logged; a per-action approve queue is not described.²⁴	NoAgents are 'Soon', so Databox does not act in other apps yet and there is nothing to approve.¹⁹	Not statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026 (Power Automate not checked).	Not statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.	NoNothing is sent except reports you schedule, so no approval step applies.²⁸	Not statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.
Done for you: vendor builds, hosts and maintains itThe company builds the dashboard, runs it and keeps it working, instead of you doing it yourself.	NoSelf-serve: pick a template and describe the dashboard; no build or upkeep service is stated.¹⁴	YesWe interview you, design and build the board, connect your apps, host it and change it when you ask. Every plan includes your own private server.²³	NoSelf-serve with a 14-day trial; Enterprise adds dedicated support.³¹	PartlyRuns dedicated VMs for you and its agent fixes errors; you connect the tools and ask, with no human build service.³⁷⁶	PartlyThe Custom plan says 'We build it for you', with an embedded engineer; price not published.¹⁹	NoSelf-serve licences; no Microsoft build service on the pricing page.³⁴	NoLicences come with self-guided resources; no build service on the pricing page.¹¹	NoSelf-service; Pro adds Google Cloud support and system administration.²²	PartlyOffers a consulting and implementation program; price not shown.¹³
Choice of AI model / model-agnosticYou can pick or swap the AI model behind it.	NoPart of Claude's own app; it runs Claude models.¹	YesRuns on the AI you choose; the engine behind a board can be switched.²³	PartlyCustom AI models on the Enterprise plan.³¹	PartlyUse your own Claude or OpenAI subscription through its CLI; custom model routing on Enterprise.⁴⁰	Not statedThe model behind Genie is not stated; Databox MCP lets Claude, ChatGPT and n8n read your metrics.²⁰	NoCopilot's settings refer to data sent to Azure OpenAI; a choice of model is not stated.⁴¹	Not statedThe model behind Tableau Agent is not stated in the pages we read.	NoThe AI is Gemini for Google Cloud; no other model is offered.¹²	Not statedZia is integrated with OpenAI's ChatGPT; a choice of model is not stated.⁴²
Where the dashboard livesWhere the finished dashboard sits and how people reach it.	claude.ai Artifacts; no public link for connected-app dashboards¹⁴²⁹	a smartbusinesshq.com address per board; no embed³	Basedash app; public link; embed + self-host on custom plan⁴³³¹³²	Papercrane Cloud; custom domain (Pro); embed; your cloud (BYOC)⁴⁰³³	Databox app; own domain via white-label add-on¹⁹	Power BI service; embed; public "Publish to web"³⁴³⁵	Tableau Cloud (hosted) or Tableau Server (self-managed)¹¹	Google's Data Studio; embed on any web page²²	Zoho cloud; private/public URLs; embed; branded portals add-on¹³
Free plan or free tool to startA way to begin without paying.	NoDashboards are on the Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, not on Free.¹⁴¹	PartlyDesign your board free on the site before you pay; there is no free trial of a working board.²³	Partly14-day free trial, no credit card; no free plan shown.³¹	YesFree plan: up to 5 dashboards, 1 user, all connectors, public links.⁴⁰	YesFree plan for 1 user.¹⁹	PartlyPower BI Desktop is a free download; the free account cannot share.³⁴	PartlyTableau Desktop Free Edition; you cannot publish and share online with it.¹¹	YesThe self-service tier is available at no cost.²²	YesFree plan: 2 users, 10K rows, 5 workspaces.¹³
Reads a data warehouse / SQL databaseExtraIt connects straight to a warehouse such as Snowflake, BigQuery or Redshift, or to a SQL database.	YesConnects Amazon Redshift, BigQuery, ClickHouse, Databricks or Snowflake.¹⁴	NoNo data warehouse or SQL database connector today.³	YesConnects directly to SQL databases and warehouses.¹⁶	YesThe agent writes SQL against your warehouse and production databases.⁴⁴	YesConnects directly to databases and warehouses.²⁰	YesSnowflake and other databases and warehouses are in the connector list.²¹	YesConnects to live databases or flat files.¹¹	YesConnects to app sources, cloud databases and data warehouses.²²	YesSyncs from databases on Microsoft SQL Azure, Amazon Redshift, Amazon RDS and Google Cloud SQL.¹³
Shows how each number was worked outExtraEach chart shows the query or method behind it.	YesEach chart shows its query and when its data was last refreshed.¹⁴	PartlyEach card shows its source and date; the method or query is not shown.³	YesEvery result shows the SQL behind it.⁴³	YesShows every query it ran.⁴⁴	Not statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.	Not statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.	Not statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.	Not statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.	Not statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.
Your brand on client-facing reports (white label / client portal)ExtraAgencies can show dashboards to their own clients under their own brand.	Not statedDesign systems are named for designs and decks; for dashboards it is not stated.³⁶	PartlyEach board is designed in the business's own layout and colours; a portal for the business's own customers is not offered.²	YesWhite-label embeds show the organization's own name and icon.³²	YesRemove Papercrane branding (Pro); each client gets their own view on your domain with your logo.⁴⁰³³	YesBranding and white-labeling add-on: your own logo, colours and domain.¹⁹	Not statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.	Not statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.	PartlyEmbed reports in any web page; white label is not stated.²²	YesOffers a white-label BI and embedded analytics solution (contact sales).¹³
Price, entry paid plan per month (live pricing page)The lowest paid plan as printed on each vendor's pricing page on the day we read it.	$17/mo yearly or $20 monthly, per person (Pro)⁴⁵	from $99 a month + setup fee (Personal); Business: custom pricing³⁰	$1,000/mo + AI usage, flat, up to 25 users³¹	$100/mo flat (Pro, 5 members) + AI credits⁴⁰	$71/mo billed yearly (Analyst, 1 user)¹⁹	$14.00/user/mo, paid yearly (Pro)³⁴	from $15/user/mo, billed yearly, annual contract¹¹	No charge (Pro: price varies)²²	not read¹³

Builds the dashboard from a plain-language request (AI)

You describe what you want in plain words and the AI makes the dashboard.

Claude DashboardsYesAsk in plain language; Claude builds the dashboard and keeps it current. In beta.¹
Smart Business HQOur productPartlyAI drafts the design and sample numbers in the free designer; our people build the working board.²³
BasedashYesDashboard Agent builds a dashboard from one prompt.⁴⁵
PapercraneYesIts agent plans, queries and builds a hosted dashboard from one conversation.⁶
DataboxYesGenie: describe what you want and it builds it.⁷
Microsoft Power BIPartlyCopilot creates report pages from prompts; it needs paid Fabric (F2 or higher) or Premium capacity.⁸⁹
TableauPartlyTableau Agent turns prompts into visualizations; in Tableau Cloud it comes with Cloud+ (contact sales).¹⁰¹¹
Looker StudioPartlyGemini writes calculated fields and chats with your data (Pro, preview); a whole dashboard from one prompt is not stated.¹²
Zoho AnalyticsYesThe Ask Zia agent creates reports and dashboards; the LLM agent is on the Premium and Enterprise plans.¹³

Works with the apps a small business already uses, no data warehouse needed

It connects to everyday tools such as a shop, sheets or reviews, with no data warehouse to set up beforehand.

Claude DashboardsPartlyReads a data warehouse or apps you have connected to Claude (Salesforce is the example given).¹⁴¹⁵
Smart Business HQOur productYesConnects the apps a business already uses, such as Shopify, Google Sheets, Google Analytics, YouTube and review pages; an app not on our shelf yet is a one-time custom build.²³
BasedashYesSyncs 750+ SaaS tools through a warehouse Basedash sets up and maintains.¹⁶
PapercraneYesConnects Shopify, Stripe, Square, QuickBooks, Klaviyo, Google Sheets and more.¹⁷¹⁸⁶
DataboxYesWorks with or without a data warehouse; 130+ native integrations.¹⁹²⁰
Microsoft Power BIPartlyThe Power Query list includes Google Analytics and Google Sheets; no Shopify, QuickBooks or Stripe entry.²¹
TableauNot statedTableau's connector list did not load when we checked on 8 October 2026.
Looker StudioPartly1,400+ sources including Google Sheets, Ads and Analytics; Shopify, QuickBooks and Stripe are not named.²²
Zoho AnalyticsYesConnectors for QuickBooks, Xero, Stripe, Shopify, WooCommerce, Google Analytics and more, synced automatically.¹³

Updates on a schedule with nobody opening it

Numbers refresh, or reports go out, on a timetable even when no one has the dashboard open.

Claude DashboardsNot statedAnthropic says it keeps current as the data changes, but not how often; an independent test of the forerunner found it refreshes when opened.¹¹⁵
Smart Business HQOur productYesScheduled jobs run on the board's server we host: a morning briefing, reminders and a daily review read.³
BasedashYesAutomations run daily, weekly, monthly or when a query finds new rows, and send the result to Slack or email.²³
PapercraneYesRefreshes on schedule and stays hosted.⁶²⁴
DataboxYesSyncs daily on Free and hourly on paid plans; Routines run on a schedule on higher plans.¹⁹²⁵
Microsoft Power BIYesUp to 8 scheduled refreshes a day on Pro, up to 48 on Premium Per User and capacity.²⁶
TableauYesViewer licences include data-driven alerts and subscriptions; Pulse sends insights to Slack, Teams and email.¹¹²⁷
Looker StudioYesSchedule a PDF of a report to go to you and your stakeholders.²⁸
Zoho AnalyticsYesSyncs data from business apps at regular intervals; reports can be emailed on a schedule.¹³

Team can view it without each buying a seat on an AI product

Staff or clients can look at it without every viewer paying for their own AI subscription.

Claude DashboardsNoEvery viewer needs a Claude account, even with the link.²⁹
Smart Business HQOur productYesOn a Business board the owner invites staff by role; they log in to the board, not to an AI product. Personal is for one person.³⁰³
BasedashYesInvite viewers without buying separate seats; public share links.³¹³²
PapercraneYesNo viewer accounts; nobody signs up and nobody buys a seat.³³
DataboxPartlyNo per-seat charge, but each plan includes a set number of users (1 on Free and Analyst).¹⁹
Microsoft Power BIPartlySharing needs Pro or Premium; free viewing needs F64 or P1 capacity and up, or a public Publish to web link.³⁴³⁵
TableauPartlyViewer licences per user; broad viewer access through capacity pricing from sales.¹¹
Looker StudioYesNo charge for creators and report viewers.²²
Zoho AnalyticsPartlyViewers come as an add-on in blocks of 25; private URLs need no Zoho account (Zoho notes they are not highly secure).¹³

Runs automations (does work, not only shows numbers)

It can carry out tasks, such as drafting a reply or a reminder, as well as showing figures.

Claude DashboardsNot statedArtifacts can read from and write to connected apps; dashboards doing work on their own is not stated.³⁶
Smart Business HQOur productYesReplies, invoices, reminders, bookings, posts and filing, drafted or done by rules you set.²³
BasedashYesAutomations act in your other tools, such as adding a HubSpot note or filing a Linear issue.²³
PapercraneYesAutomates manual tasks, with recurring automations.³⁷
DataboxPartlyRoutines deliver scheduled AI results; Agents are marked 'Soon'.²⁵¹⁹
Microsoft Power BIPartlyA Power Automate button in a report runs a flow (Power Automate is a separate product).³⁸
TableauPartlyTableau Next can take action in Salesforce and Slack.¹⁰
Looker StudioNoReports, connectors, sharing and embedding; no actions in other apps are listed.²²
Zoho AnalyticsPartlyWorkflow rules can trigger actions in other apps through Zoho Flow.¹³

Human approval step before things are sent out

A person says yes before a reply, payment or post leaves.

Claude DashboardsNoConnector tools that need approval for each action are not available to artifacts.³⁹
Smart Business HQOur productYesA reply, refund, payment or post waits in Approvals for your yes unless you switch that tool to send by itself.²³
BasedashNot statedAutomations use connector tools set to 'Always allow'; tools that need approval stay out of unattended runs; an approve-before-send queue is not described.²³
PapercranePartlyRead, write and delete rights per integration, with every call logged; a per-action approve queue is not described.²⁴
DataboxNoAgents are 'Soon', so Databox does not act in other apps yet and there is nothing to approve.¹⁹
Microsoft Power BINot statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026 (Power Automate not checked).
TableauNot statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.
Looker StudioNoNothing is sent except reports you schedule, so no approval step applies.²⁸
Zoho AnalyticsNot statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.

Done for you: vendor builds, hosts and maintains it

The company builds the dashboard, runs it and keeps it working, instead of you doing it yourself.

Claude DashboardsNoSelf-serve: pick a template and describe the dashboard; no build or upkeep service is stated.¹⁴
Smart Business HQOur productYesWe interview you, design and build the board, connect your apps, host it and change it when you ask. Every plan includes your own private server.²³
BasedashNoSelf-serve with a 14-day trial; Enterprise adds dedicated support.³¹
PapercranePartlyRuns dedicated VMs for you and its agent fixes errors; you connect the tools and ask, with no human build service.³⁷⁶
DataboxPartlyThe Custom plan says 'We build it for you', with an embedded engineer; price not published.¹⁹
Microsoft Power BINoSelf-serve licences; no Microsoft build service on the pricing page.³⁴
TableauNoLicences come with self-guided resources; no build service on the pricing page.¹¹
Looker StudioNoSelf-service; Pro adds Google Cloud support and system administration.²²
Zoho AnalyticsPartlyOffers a consulting and implementation program; price not shown.¹³

Choice of AI model / model-agnostic

You can pick or swap the AI model behind it.

Claude DashboardsNoPart of Claude's own app; it runs Claude models.¹
Smart Business HQOur productYesRuns on the AI you choose; the engine behind a board can be switched.²³
BasedashPartlyCustom AI models on the Enterprise plan.³¹
PapercranePartlyUse your own Claude or OpenAI subscription through its CLI; custom model routing on Enterprise.⁴⁰
DataboxNot statedThe model behind Genie is not stated; Databox MCP lets Claude, ChatGPT and n8n read your metrics.²⁰
Microsoft Power BINoCopilot's settings refer to data sent to Azure OpenAI; a choice of model is not stated.⁴¹
TableauNot statedThe model behind Tableau Agent is not stated in the pages we read.
Looker StudioNoThe AI is Gemini for Google Cloud; no other model is offered.¹²
Zoho AnalyticsNot statedZia is integrated with OpenAI's ChatGPT; a choice of model is not stated.⁴²

Where the dashboard lives

Where the finished dashboard sits and how people reach it.

Claude Dashboardsclaude.ai Artifacts; no public link for connected-app dashboards¹⁴²⁹
Smart Business HQOur producta smartbusinesshq.com address per board; no embed³
BasedashBasedash app; public link; embed + self-host on custom plan⁴³³¹³²
PapercranePapercrane Cloud; custom domain (Pro); embed; your cloud (BYOC)⁴⁰³³
DataboxDatabox app; own domain via white-label add-on¹⁹
Microsoft Power BIPower BI service; embed; public "Publish to web"³⁴³⁵
TableauTableau Cloud (hosted) or Tableau Server (self-managed)¹¹
Looker StudioGoogle's Data Studio; embed on any web page²²
Zoho AnalyticsZoho cloud; private/public URLs; embed; branded portals add-on¹³

Free plan or free tool to start

A way to begin without paying.

Claude DashboardsNoDashboards are on the Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans, not on Free.¹⁴¹
Smart Business HQOur productPartlyDesign your board free on the site before you pay; there is no free trial of a working board.²³
BasedashPartly14-day free trial, no credit card; no free plan shown.³¹
PapercraneYesFree plan: up to 5 dashboards, 1 user, all connectors, public links.⁴⁰
DataboxYesFree plan for 1 user.¹⁹
Microsoft Power BIPartlyPower BI Desktop is a free download; the free account cannot share.³⁴
TableauPartlyTableau Desktop Free Edition; you cannot publish and share online with it.¹¹
Looker StudioYesThe self-service tier is available at no cost.²²
Zoho AnalyticsYesFree plan: 2 users, 10K rows, 5 workspaces.¹³

Reads a data warehouse / SQL databaseExtra

It connects straight to a warehouse such as Snowflake, BigQuery or Redshift, or to a SQL database.

Claude DashboardsYesConnects Amazon Redshift, BigQuery, ClickHouse, Databricks or Snowflake.¹⁴
Smart Business HQOur productNoNo data warehouse or SQL database connector today.³
BasedashYesConnects directly to SQL databases and warehouses.¹⁶
PapercraneYesThe agent writes SQL against your warehouse and production databases.⁴⁴
DataboxYesConnects directly to databases and warehouses.²⁰
Microsoft Power BIYesSnowflake and other databases and warehouses are in the connector list.²¹
TableauYesConnects to live databases or flat files.¹¹
Looker StudioYesConnects to app sources, cloud databases and data warehouses.²²
Zoho AnalyticsYesSyncs from databases on Microsoft SQL Azure, Amazon Redshift, Amazon RDS and Google Cloud SQL.¹³

Shows how each number was worked outExtra

Each chart shows the query or method behind it.

Claude DashboardsYesEach chart shows its query and when its data was last refreshed.¹⁴
Smart Business HQOur productPartlyEach card shows its source and date; the method or query is not shown.³
BasedashYesEvery result shows the SQL behind it.⁴³
PapercraneYesShows every query it ran.⁴⁴
DataboxNot statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.
Microsoft Power BINot statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.
TableauNot statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.
Looker StudioNot statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.
Zoho AnalyticsNot statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.

Your brand on client-facing reports (white label / client portal)Extra

Agencies can show dashboards to their own clients under their own brand.

Claude DashboardsNot statedDesign systems are named for designs and decks; for dashboards it is not stated.³⁶
Smart Business HQOur productPartlyEach board is designed in the business's own layout and colours; a portal for the business's own customers is not offered.²
BasedashYesWhite-label embeds show the organization's own name and icon.³²
PapercraneYesRemove Papercrane branding (Pro); each client gets their own view on your domain with your logo.⁴⁰³³
DataboxYesBranding and white-labeling add-on: your own logo, colours and domain.¹⁹
Microsoft Power BINot statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.
TableauNot statedNot found in the pages we read on 8 October 2026.
Looker StudioPartlyEmbed reports in any web page; white label is not stated.²²
Zoho AnalyticsYesOffers a white-label BI and embedded analytics solution (contact sales).¹³

Price, entry paid plan per month (live pricing page)

The lowest paid plan as printed on each vendor's pricing page on the day we read it.

Claude Dashboards$17/mo yearly or $20 monthly, per person (Pro)⁴⁵
Smart Business HQfrom $99 a month + setup fee (Personal); Business: custom pricing³⁰
Basedash$1,000/mo + AI usage, flat, up to 25 users³¹
Papercrane$100/mo flat (Pro, 5 members) + AI credits⁴⁰
Databox$71/mo billed yearly (Analyst, 1 user)¹⁹
Microsoft Power BI$14.00/user/mo, paid yearly (Pro)³⁴
Tableaufrom $15/user/mo, billed yearly, annual contract¹¹
Looker StudioNo charge (Pro: price varies)²²
Zoho Analyticsnot read¹³

Sources

Anthropic: Dashboards and Motion (launch post) · page dated 8 October 2026 · read 8 October 2026
Smart Business HQ: home page and FAQ · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Smart Business HQ: our own check of the live boards (we make this product) · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Basedash: Introducing Basedash Dashboard Agent · page dated 30 April 2026 · read 8 October 2026
Capterra UK: Basedash listing · page undated · read 8 October 2026 · independent source
Papercrane: Shopify Dashboard Builder · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Databox: Genie AI analyst · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Microsoft Learn: Copilot in Power BI · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Sagnik Bhattacharya: AI business intelligence tools for small businesses (2026) · page dated 28 September 2026 · read 8 October 2026 · independent source
Tableau Agent · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Tableau pricing · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Google Cloud: Gemini in Data Studio overview · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Zoho Analytics pricing · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Claude Help Center: Get started with Claude Dashboards · page dated 8 October 2026 · read 8 October 2026
tl;dv: a test of Claude's live artifacts, the forerunner of Claude Dashboards · page dated about 5 October 2026 · read 8 October 2026 · independent source
Basedash: Data sources · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Papercrane: e-commerce connectors · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Papercrane: spreadsheet and content connectors · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Databox pricing · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Databox integrations · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Microsoft Learn: List of all Power Query connectors · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Google Cloud: Data Studio (Looker Studio) product page · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Basedash: Automations · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Papercrane: AI access control · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Databox Help: Automate tasks with Routines · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Microsoft Learn: Configure scheduled refresh · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Tableau Pulse · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Data Studio Help: Schedule automatic report delivery · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Claude Help Center: Share artifacts · page dated about 23 September 2026 · read 8 October 2026
Smart Business HQ: pricing · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Basedash pricing · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Basedash: Embedding · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Papercrane: Share a live dashboard · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Microsoft Power BI pricing · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Microsoft Learn: Publish to web from Power BI · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Claude Help Center: Artifacts admin guide for Team and Enterprise plans · page dated 8 October 2026 · read 8 October 2026
Papercrane home page · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Microsoft Learn: Create a Power Automate visual · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Claude Help Center: What are artifacts and how do I use them · page dated 8 October 2026 · read 8 October 2026
Papercrane pricing · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Microsoft Learn: Enable Copilot in Power BI · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Zoho Analytics: AI powered data analytics with Zia · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Basedash home page · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Papercrane: Connect · page undated · read 8 October 2026
Claude pricing · page undated · read 8 October 2026

How we compared these nine tools

We read every vendor's own product, help and pricing pages on 8 October 2026, plus independent reviews where we found them. The list is five of the tools that ten 2026 "best dashboard software" lists name most (Power BI, Tableau, Looker Studio, Databox, Zoho Analytics), two newer AI builders (Basedash and Papercrane), Anthropic's new Claude Dashboards, and our own product.

Each mark in the table means one thing:

Yes: the vendor's page says it does it.
Partly: it does part of the job, or it needs a costly tier, or it is a preview, or the vendor states a limit.
No: the vendor says no, or its own feature list plainly lacks it.
Not stated: we could not find it on the pages we read. Not stated is never a no.

Smart Business HQ is ours. We wrote its column from our live site and the boards we run, and kept its limits in.

Which dashboard software suits which small business?

Numbers in Google Sheets, Analytics and Ads, and you will build it: Looker Studio, at no charge.
On Microsoft 365, with someone who likes building reports: Power BI.
Marketing and sales KPIs across many apps: Databox.
On Zoho apps, or want finance and shop connectors on a free start: Zoho Analytics.
Data in a warehouse or Salesforce, team on a paid Claude plan: Claude Dashboards (see Claude Dashboards vs Smart Business HQ).
A database and a data team with budget: Basedash.
An AI board you build and steer yourself: Papercrane.
Rich visual analysis on an annual contract: Tableau.
Built, hosted and kept right for you, doing work with your approval: Smart Business HQ.

The nine tools, one by one

Microsoft Power BI

Who it suits: Microsoft 365 businesses with someone to build reports. Microsoft lists 188 Power Query connectors, Pro refreshes up to 8 times a day on a schedule, the Desktop app is a free download, and Copilot can build report pages from a prompt.

What it does not do for a small business: Copilot needs paid Fabric (F2 or higher) or Premium (P1 or higher) capacity, not just the Pro licence. Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe and Xero are not in Microsoft's connector list. Viewers need Pro unless you buy large capacity. You build it yourself. TrustRadius reviewers mention a "steep learning curve".

Price: Pro is $14.00 per user per month, paid yearly. See Power BI alternatives for a small business.

Tableau

Who it suits: teams that want rich visual analysis. Tableau Agent turns prompts into charts and calculations, Pulse sends metric updates to Slack, Teams and email, and you can have it hosted (Tableau Cloud) or run it yourself (Tableau Server).

What it does not do for a small business: every Tableau product needs an annual contract and at least one Creator licence. Tableau Agent in Tableau Cloud sits in the Cloud+ edition, priced through sales. The free Desktop edition cannot publish and share online. We could not confirm its connectors for small-business apps. You build it yourself.

Price: Tableau Standard starts at $15 per user per month, billed yearly.

Looker Studio (now called Data Studio)

Who it suits: businesses whose numbers already sit in Google tools. Google's product page now calls it Data Studio. It is no charge for creators and viewers, connects to more than 1,400 sources including Google Sheets, Analytics, Ads and BigQuery, emails a PDF of a report on a schedule, and embeds on any web page.

What it does not do for a small business: its AI features are natural-language calculated fields (a preview, on the Pro tier) and a chat-with-your-data feature; building a whole dashboard from one prompt is not stated. Shopify, QuickBooks and Stripe are not named among Google's sources. It reports; it does not act. You build it yourself.

Price: no charge for the self-service tier. See Looker Studio alternatives.

Databox

Who it suits: marketing, sales and agency teams tracking KPIs. It has 130+ native integrations, including Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Google Sheets and Google Analytics, and says it works with or without a data warehouse. Genie builds a board from a description, Routines run AI tasks on a schedule and send the result by email or Slack, and there is a free plan.

What it does not do for a small business: it does not act in other apps yet; its pricing page lists Agents as "Soon". Routines are not included on the Free and Analyst plans. Users are capped per plan. White-label branding is an $80 a month add-on. Databox also sells a "We build it for you" Custom plan, with no published price.

Price: Free for 1 user; Analyst is $71 a month billed yearly. See Databox alternatives for a small business.

Zoho Analytics

Who it suits: businesses on Zoho apps, or anyone who wants finance and shop connectors on a free start. It lists QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, Stripe, Shopify and WooCommerce with automatic sync, scheduled email reports, a free plan (2 users, 10,000 rows), the Ask Zia AI agent that creates reports and dashboards, actions through Zoho Flow, and a consulting and implementation programme.

What it does not do for a small business: the AI agent is on the Premium and Enterprise plans. Extra viewers come in blocks of 25. Actions need Zoho Flow. Zia runs on OpenAI's models, and a choice of model is not stated. TrustRadius reviewers mention "Mixed accuracy of natural language AI features".

Price: Zoho's page draws its prices with a script we could not read. A September 2026 third-party list puts Basic at about $24 a month, billed yearly.

Claude Dashboards

Who it suits: teams already on a paid Claude plan whose data sits in a warehouse (Redshift, BigQuery, ClickHouse, Databricks, Snowflake) or a connected app such as Salesforce. You ask a question in plain language, Claude builds the dashboard, and each chart shows its query and when its data was last refreshed. It went into beta on 8 October 2026 and has no separate price.

What it does not do for a small business: everyone who opens a shared dashboard needs a Claude account, and a dashboard that reads connected apps uses each viewer's own connections. Dashboards that connect to apps cannot use "Anyone with the link". Anthropic says it keeps dashboards current but does not say how often. It is self-serve, with no build or upkeep service, and runs on Claude models.

Price: included in Pro ($17 a month billed yearly, or $20 monthly, per person), Max, Team and Enterprise. Not on Free.

Basedash

Who it suits: software teams with a database or warehouse who want AI-built business intelligence. Its Dashboard Agent builds a full board from one prompt, every result shows the SQL behind it, automations run on a schedule and act in other tools (adding a HubSpot note, filing a Linear issue), and boards can go out by public link or white-label embed with no per-seat fees.

What it does not do for a small business: the entry plan is $1,000 a month plus AI usage. There is a 14-day trial, not a free plan, and you build it yourself. Basedash says tools that need approval "stay out of unattended runs"; an approve-before-send queue is not described.

Price: Startup is $1,000 a month plus AI usage, up to 25 users.

Papercrane

Who it suits: hands-on owners and agencies who want to build an AI board themselves. Its agent builds a hosted dashboard from one conversation, connects Shopify, Stripe, QuickBooks, Klaviyo and more, refreshes on a schedule, and runs recurring automations under read, write and delete rules per tool, with a log of every call. Viewers never need an account, and you can bring your own Claude or OpenAI subscription.

What it does not do for a small business: you connect the tools and drive it. Control is by permission rules, not a queue where you approve each action. AI credits are billed on top of Pro. Review sites and Google Business Profile were not among the connectors we found.

Price: Free (up to 5 dashboards, 1 user); Pro is $100 a month flat for up to 5 members, plus AI credits.

Smart Business HQ (ours)

Who it suits: a small business owner with no data person, whose numbers live in apps like a Shopify shop, Google Sheets, Google Analytics and review pages. We interview you, design and build your board, connect your apps, host it and change it when you ask. Every plan includes your own private server. Scheduled jobs run on the board's server with nobody opening it, such as a morning briefing and reminders. Automations draft replies, reminders and posts, and anything going out waits in Approvals for your yes unless you switch that tool to send by itself. The AI behind each automation can be switched. Boards sit on a smartbusinesshq.com address, and on a Business board your staff log in to the board, not to an AI product.

What it does not do: it does not read a data warehouse or SQL database. Its cards show the source and date of each number, not the query. The free part is the designer, which drafts your board on sample numbers; the working board is paid. A board cannot be embedded in another site, and the Personal plan is for one person.

Price: Personal from $99 a month plus a setup fee; Business is quoted in a meeting.

Where Smart Business HQ fits

Of the nine tools in our comparison, Smart Business HQ is the one we could confirm does all four: automations, an approval step before things are sent, built and hosted for you, and a choice of AI model. Some cells for other tools are not stated by their vendors, so check the table and the sources before you rely on any single mark.

If your data lives in a warehouse, or you want to build the board yourself, one of the other eight will likely suit you better. If not, try our free board designer.

How to choose in four questions

Where do your numbers live? A warehouse points to Claude Dashboards, Basedash, Power BI or Tableau. Apps like Shopify, Google Sheets and review pages point to Databox, Zoho Analytics, Papercrane or Smart Business HQ.
Does each viewer need a paid seat or an account? Row four of the table.
Should it do work, and should a person approve what goes out? Rows five and six.
Who builds it and fixes it when your business changes? Most of these tools are self-serve; Databox and Zoho sell build services on top.

Go back to the Smart Business HQ home page.

Questions

What is the best dashboard software for a small business?

It depends on where your numbers live and who will build the board. From the nine we checked: Looker Studio (Data Studio) is free and suits data already in Google Sheets, Analytics and Ads; Power BI suits businesses on Microsoft 365 with someone to build reports; Databox suits KPI tracking from apps like Shopify and QuickBooks; Zoho Analytics suits Zoho users and anyone who wants many finance and shop connectors; Claude Dashboards suits paid Claude users whose data sits in a warehouse or Salesforce; Smart Business HQ, our product, is for owners who want the board built, hosted and kept right for them.

Is there free dashboard software for a small business?

Yes. Looker Studio is no charge for creators and viewers. Databox (1 user), Zoho Analytics (2 users, 10,000 rows) and Papercrane (up to 5 dashboards, 1 user) have free plans with limits. Power BI Desktop and Tableau Desktop Free Edition cost nothing to download, but sharing your work needs a paid plan.

Can AI build a dashboard for my business?

Yes. Claude Dashboards, Basedash, Papercrane, Databox (Genie) and Zoho Analytics (Ask Zia, on Premium and Enterprise) build a board from a plain-language request. Power BI's Copilot needs paid Fabric or Premium capacity. Before you pick one, check where it gets its data, who can open it and whether it refreshes with nobody looking.

Do I need a data warehouse for a dashboard?

Not for a small business. Databox says it works with or without a data warehouse, Zoho Analytics and Papercrane connect straight to apps like Shopify and Stripe, Looker Studio reads Google sources directly, and Smart Business HQ connects apps like Shopify, Gmail and Google Sheets. Claude Dashboards is built around a warehouse or a connected app such as Salesforce.

Which dashboard tools run automations and ask before sending anything?

Basedash and Papercrane run automations that act in other tools; Papercrane controls them with read, write and delete rules per tool and a log of every call. Smart Business HQ drafts the work and holds anything outward, such as a reply, a refund or a post, in Approvals for your yes unless you switch that tool to send by itself. Several vendors do not say either way, so check before you buy.