Tableau vs Qlik Sense
Side-by-side from the Top 11 ranking of The 11 Best Business Intelligence Tools for SMBs. Last verified June 8, 2026.
The short answer
Tableau ranks higher on Top 11 (#2 vs #5) for Small and mid-size business owners choosing BI and analytics tools (Tableau vs Power BI vs Looker). The gold standard for interactive and beautiful data visualization, albeit at a premium price.
At a glance
| Tableau | Qlik Sense | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #2 / The 11 Best Business Intelligence Tools for SMBs | #5 / The 11 Best Business Intelligence Tools for SMBs |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 9 | 8.3 |
| Best for | Best for data visualization | Best for data exploration |
| Pricing | $$$ ($75 to $150/user/mo) | $$ ($30 to $70/user/mo) |
| HQ | Seattle, USA | King of Prussia, USA |
| Founded | 2003 | 1993 |
Tableau
The gold standard for interactive and beautiful data visualization, albeit at a premium price.
www.tableau.com/See full entry in The 11 Best Business Intelligence Tools for SMBs
Qlik Sense
Powerful associative engine for free-form data exploration and discovery.
www.qlik.com/See full entry in The 11 Best Business Intelligence Tools for SMBs
Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.