{"id":1371,"slug":"rule-for-internal-default-cheapest-tool-that-fits-stack","title":"R2 — For internal dashboards, default to the cheapest tool that fits the existing stack: Power BI Pro for M365 shops, free Looker Studio for Google/marketing data, Metabase for SQL-comfortable / future-embedding","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["agency-methodology","dashboards","bi-tools-landscape"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** For internal dashboards:\n\n- **Microsoft shops:** Power BI Pro $14/user/mo, or free if already on M365 E5 ([[power-bi-pricing-april-2025]]).\n- **Google / marketing data:** free Looker Studio (avoid the per-project Pro trap — [[looker-studio-per-project-trap]]).\n- **Mixed / SQL-comfortable / may want embedding later:** Metabase open-source free, or Cloud Starter $100/mo ([[metabase-pricing-tiers-2026]]).\n- **Avoid per-seat tools where most users are view-only and counts are large** — Tableau Viewer economics, Looker Studio per-project trap.\n- **Escalate when** you outgrow spreadsheets *and* the same numbers are manually rebuilt every week.\n\n**Why:** Default-cheapest minimises commitment before adoption is proven. The big four BI tools differ in ecosystem fit, not in core capability for SMB needs.\n\n**How to apply:**\n- Match tool to the data warehouse / SaaS the client already runs.\n- For internal use, do not buy Tableau Creator licenses to \"future-proof\" — buy them when there is a named user who will create dashboards weekly.\n- Reserve embedded-analytics platforms ([[luzmo-explo-cube-embedded-pricing]]) for customer-facing use.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"rule-rent-or-use-free-for-data-about-the-world","title":"R1 — Rent (or use free) for data ABOUT THE OUTSIDE WORLD; you will never out-collect the Census Bureau","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"power-bi-pricing-april-2025","title":"Power BI pricing (April 2025): Pro $14/user/mo, Premium Per User $24/user/mo (both raised from $10/$20); Fabric F2 ~$262/mo to F64 ~$5,000/mo (viewers no per-user); Embedded A1 ~$735/mo","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"looker-studio-per-project-trap","title":"Looker Studio: free tier widely used; Looker Studio Pro $9/user/Google-Cloud-PROJECT/month (per-project detail materially inflates agency costs); separate Looker (Google Cloud core) $35K-60K+/yr","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"tableau-pricing-tiers-2026","title":"Tableau pricing (2026): Cloud Standard Viewer $15 / Explorer $42 / Creator $75 per user/mo (annual); Enterprise $35/$70/$115; embedded/OEM year-1 floor reportedly $60K-150K","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"metabase-pricing-tiers-2026","title":"Metabase pricing (2026): Open Source free (AGPL v3 self-host); Cloud Starter $100/mo (5 users included, +$6/user); Pro $575/mo (10 users, +$12/user; white-label + embedded + RLS + SSO); Enterprise from ~$20K/yr","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-dashboards-smb-june-2026","title":"Research brief: dashboards for SMBs — what's worth showing, and when an embedded one earns its keep (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"article-when-is-a-dashboard-worth-it-for-your-business","title":"Article (draft): When is a dashboard worth it for your business? The honest case for internal and embedded dashboards in SMBs","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-20T18:03:12.198Z","updated_at":"2026-06-20T18:03:12.198Z"}