10 Popular KPI Software Tools To Connect & Visualize Your Data (2023 Guide)

With data fragmented across multiple analytics solutions, business intelligence, and performance management tools, businesses have run into a new obstacle that keeps them from accelerating their growth. 

Organizations are running their operations blindfolded without a single source of data truth and without the ability to pivot quickly when a new opportunity arises. 

The days of messy Excel spreadsheets and disconnected business tools are long gone. Companies need to reinvent their tech stack if they want to work smarter. 

In this guide, we cover 10 popular KPI software tools out there that can help you create a single view of your performance, leading to better decision-making and actionable insight generation.

10 KPI Software Platforms in 2023: Selection Criteria

Is this going to be the most objective list of options out there? 👀 Of course not, since our platform is the only one we know inside and out and the only one we can recommend with full confidence. 

With that in mind, we’ll give you the lowdown on our platform, Cascade, but also give you a list of possible alternative options since you might need a KPI software solution different from what we offer. 

Here’s a list of criteria we followed during the evaluation process:

• Ease of use (including user interface and learning curve)
• Integration capabilities with other business tools in your tech stack
• Real-time functions for performance tracking and alerts when something is underperforming
• Reporting features, such as data visualization, interactive dashboards, the ability to export data, and automated time intervals to share real-time reports.
• Security to keep sensitive data within the walls of an organization
• Suitability to scale across large teams and organizations

Ok, ready? Let’s dive in!

1. Cascade

Cascade is the highest-rated strategy execution platform with powerful KPI features used by high-performing teams in organizations of all sizes. 

From KPI tracking to data visualization and reporting, Cascade is the ultimate KPI software. It helps you turn data into professional-looking dashboards that always stay up-to-date. 

With over 1,000 integrations, you can track all important business metrics in one place and stop switching between tools. This single source of truth aligns your teams around North Star metrics and keeps everyone focused on progress toward set strategic goals.  

You’ll be able to closely monitor performance in a single real-time view and act immediately if you spot issues. 

Save yourself the hassle of sorting through business data from various sources and then organizing them into a coherent presentation for your management board. Choose Cascade and enable smart business decisions.

What you get with Cascade: 

A single source of data truth to monitor progress towards your strategy and its objectives: Connect every objective, project, and KPI in one place, so you can ditch the spreadsheets, PowerPoints, endless meetings, and painful reports.

An example of an alignment view where you can see the progress of each team plan toward high-level business objectives.

Customizable KPI dashboards & reports with a drag-and-drop interface: Make confident, informed decisions and build compelling narratives with beautifully visualized data available at your fingertips.

Easily add tables, graphs, pie charts or heat maps with Cascade’s widget feature.  

With Cascade's customization capabilities, you can build and save report templates that are tailored to your stakeholder's needs and reuse them at any time. You can even set up automatic reports with scheduled updates for your audience and stop wasting time with manual efforts.

An example of KPI and progress report with data narrative to make your stakeholders understand the context. 

Powerful drill-down and analytical capabilities: With KPI reports in the Cascade platform, you’ll be able to get a deeper understanding of the data behind their key performance indicators. This will help you identify the underlying causes of performance issues and make more informed decisions.

Pros

• Real-time dashboards and analytics help managers identify and eliminate bottlenecks before it’s too late.
• Easy-to-use user interface allows you to quickly implement the new tool without wasting time in the onboarding process. It also helps users to quickly and efficiently navigate the platform, find the information they need, and complete tasks without frustration.
• Customizable notification options so you can notify your team members about key updates and align them around shared goals without necessary meetings and email chains. You can send updates directly to Teams, Outlook, or Slack channels.  
• A+ customer support and in-detail customer support documentation to help you get the most out of Cascade. 
• Powerful data integrations with other tools in your tech stack like Power BI, Tableau, Salesforce, Excel, Microsoft Teams, and Google Analytics.
• Template library: Cascade has a collection of pre-built templates to help you get started, including a balanced scorecard template.  
• A clear pricing structure with no hidden fees.

Cons

• Limited support for multilingual options. Videos, guides, and webinars are currently in English only (but we’re working on it!)

Reviews

4.8 stars out of 5 on G2 (based on 183 reviews)

Pricing

• Cascade has a free version for smaller teams (up to 4 team members).
• Teams plan starts from $24/month per user (with unlimited dashboards).
• Enterprise plan: Book a 1-on-1 tour and receive a tailored quote.

👉Set up a call with a Cascade expert to get a one-on-one walkthrough of the platform’s features. Or, try it for free, and see for yourself.

2. Tableau

via Tableau

Tableau is an interactive data visualization platform and business intelligence tool. Whereas Excel is limited to spreadsheets, Tableau brings data to life with visual analytics, so you can quickly understand data, make better decisions, and solve problems—enough to make your CFO giddy with excitement. 

What you get with Tableau: 

• Interactive dashboards: Create AI-driven statistical models and interactive visualizations that capture people’s attention and make it easy to explain data.
• Drag-and-drop: An intuitive feature that makes it easy for anybody to get started with data analysis.
• Integration with Cascade: You can connect Tableau with Cascade to import your data. You can also use Zapier to set up automation between these tools.

Pros

• Team access
• Real-time reporting
• Centralized dashboard to view everything in one place

Cons

• Expensive license
• Requires advanced knowledge to get the most value
• It can get a bit slow when handling larger data sets
• Lacks customization features

Reviews

4.4 stars out of 5 on G2

Pricing

• Tableau Viewer: $15 user/mo 
• Tableau Explorer: $42 user/mo 
• Tableau Creator: $70 user/mo 

3. Power BI

via Microsoft Power BI

Microsoft Power BI is a powerful business intelligence tool that makes it easy to create and share visual KPI reports. It’s all about customization, which gives your teams the chance to analyze and report on data in ways that make it more engaging and user-friendly.

What you get with Power BI: 

• Cloud-based: It’s easy to create and share data visualizations across multiple data centers, which is great for collaborating on reports with remote teams. 
• Time-saving: Microsoft BI has a no-limit Azure data lake. In simpler terms, that means you won’t waste a ton of time trying to access and pinpoint the data you need.
• Excel integration: As a Microsoft product, it’s no surprise that you can connect Excel to share reports and models with your team. 

Pros

• Easy sharing features
• Excellent data visualization
• Simple integration with Microsoft Office apps

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Compatibility issues with non-Microsoft applications
• Limited ability for multiple people to collaborate in the same file

Reviews

4.4 stars out of 5 on G2

Pricing

• Power BI Pro: $9.99 user/mo 
• Power BI Premium: $20 user/mo 
• Power BI Premium: $4,995 capacity/mo 

4. Databox

via Databox

Databox is a cloud-based business analytics platform that has built a lot of hype in recent years. This tool gives companies a single interface to view all their KPI reports to assess performance and guide decision-making.

When you have Databox in-house, your team can focus on the business metrics that matter, so your strategy and the decisions around it are based on a solid foundation of reliable data insights. 

What you get with Databox: 

• Integrated dashboard: Mix and match your KPIs from many different sources into a single dashboard, so you can avoid the hassle of hopping between multiple platforms.
• Customizable dashboards: You can build your own customizable dashboards to track KPIs and set up custom views—all without coding skills.
• Integrations: Automatically connects your tech stack with over 70 integrations to popular tools for marketing, social media, and sales.

Pros

• Clear, easy-to-use interface
• Easy to send and share reports
• Can update data in real-time

Cons

• Expensive upper tiers
• Lacks extensive customization features related to reporting 
• Limited access to simultaneous dashboards

Reviews

4.4 stars out of 5 on G2

Pricing

• Free-forever account, which includes all standard features
• Starter: $72/mo 
• Professional: $135/mo 
• Performer: $231/mo 

5. Sisense

via Sisense

Sisense is an end-to-end data business intelligence platform to help companies get more context around their data. You can use it to merge data from multiple sources and build visually stunning reports that give people more clarity about your performance.

What you get with Sisense: 

• BI software dashboard: You can combine complex data from different sources into actionable KPI reports that offer your team actionable insights. 
• Finance KPIs: Track KPIs related to financial status to assess ROI, profits, expenses, acquisitions, and investments.
• Customer service monitoring: View customer service performance with related KPIs, like support tickets, call center stats, and customer satisfaction NPS score.

Pros

• Secure data handling
• Excellent customer support
• Effective data discovery tools

Cons

• Tricky learning curve
• Permissions settings—only the owner of dashboards and folders can publish changes.
• A heavy app that can overwhelm systems and slow loading times

Reviews 

4.5/5 stars based on reviews on Capterra

Pricing

Sisense doesn’t openly share its pricing on its website. While this lack of transparency may deter some people, Sisense asserts that it “is committed to ‘no-surprise’ pricing.” The company will “work with you to create a customized solution that specifically meets your needs and fits your budget, whatever your use case.”

6. Klipfolio

via Klipfolio

Klipfolio is a lightweight dashboard platform businesses can use across multiple devices, including TVs and mobile devices. It suits small startups to bigger enterprises, helping your teams expand access to KPI reports. Klipfolio also aims to give you greater real-time visibility across your organization's performance—which is great for supply chain risk management. 

What you get with Klipfolio: 

• Comparative functionality: It’s easy to pick and compare stats across specific periods.
• Reports: Build and share interactive reports and data visualizations about your performance with key stakeholders
• Custom connectors: You can hook up your tech stack with connections to hundreds of data sources.

Pros

• Access your data from anywhere
• A sophisticated data visualization editor
• Includes pre-built dashboard templates

Cons

• Confusing documentation
• Inability to organize or edit templates
• Tricky to send and share dashboards with your team

Reviews

4.7/5 stars on GetApp 

Pricing

• Free
• Plus: $99/mo
• Pro: $229/mo

7. SimpleKPI

via SimpleKPI

As you might guess, SimpleKPI is a platform that makes KPI tracking and reporting easier for businesses. This software is a user-friendly option that will suit technophobes and small companies that don't have data experts to manage their reports. 

The KPI dashboard software focuses on ease of use and colorful visuals so that you can get more value from your data without the hassle of a steep learning curve. 

What you get with SimpleKPI: 

• Intuitive user interface: It’s super easy for new users to get to grips with the dashboard. 
• Alternate dashboard views: You can view your performance data as graphs, charts, or tables, to help you communicate your ideas and findings better to your team.
• Export tool: For the old-school fans, there’s an easy export tool to turn your advanced KPI report into your favorite old file formats like PDF, Word, or Excel.

Pros

• Customizable KPI Reports
• Interactive charts and graphs
• Easy to share reports, dashboards, and analytics

Cons

• Incompatible with iOS and Android devices
• Lacks some features for budgeting and forecasting
• Fixed monthly fee is very high considering the basic functionality

Pricing

SimpleKPI starts from $99 per user per month. There are no tiers and no free version. Pricing information is current on the SimpleKPI website as of May 19, 2022. 

8. Smartsheet

via Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-style project management software for businesses that manage multiple large projects with a myriad of moving parts. This program is trusted by over 72% of the Fortune 500—which is incredible when you consider that it’s really just a superpowered spreadsheet tool.

If you feel held back by Excel (who doesn’t?), then Smartsheet is a solid upgrade that will help you manage workflows and improve collaboration.

What you get with Smartsheet: 

• Easy collaboration: You can share your reports with your team members or get together on specific activities.
• Automated alerts: Make sure you never forget any important milestones or deadlines.
• Visual reports: Help your people connect their roles to the big picture with visual reports that show your employees how their work influences the company vision.

Pros

• Automated workflows across spreadsheets
• Integrate with popular apps like Tableau, Excel, and Qlik Sense
• Support hybrid spreadsheets to share cross-department data

Cons

• Very steep learning curve
• Can’t align KPIs with strategic objectives 
• Spreadsheets don’t automatically update changes for all collaborators
• More expensive than alternative spreadsheet software solutions

Reviews

4.4/5 stars on G2

Pricing

• Pro: $7 user/mo 
• Business: $25 user/mo 
• Enterprise: Contact for custom quote

Recommended reading: Better Than Smartsheet: 5 Alternatives You Don’t Want To Miss In 2023

9. Geckoboard

via Geckoboard

Geckoboard is a data visualization software that helps teams build and share real-time business dashboards. You can connect the tool to over 80 data sources and surface key metrics from multiple sources in a single view.

What you get with Geckoboard: 

• Live KPI dashboards
• Engaging data visualization from multiple sources

Pros 

• Mobile App
• Display of dashboards on TV screens
• Easy-to-use interface

Cons

• Geckoboard is primarily a visualization tool and it lacks data analytics capabilities
• Limited customization capabilities to visualize your data 
• It’s not the most cost-efficient solution for smaller teams due to its pricing structure

Reviews 

4.6 out of 5 on GetApp

Pricing

10. Datapad

Screenshot of the dashboard in the Datapad mobile app. Via Datapad

Datapad is a SaaS dashboard solution for small businesses. It’s a mobile-first KPI reporting tool in the market that launched six months ago on Product Hunt.

What you get with Datapad: 

• Real-time KPI dashboards
• Manual or automated data entry 
• Connection to Big Data with SQL

The tool is relatively new, and it doesn’t have a large user base to evaluate its pros and cons. However, based on our first impression, here are some possible pros and cons:

Pros

• Designed for a seamless mobile experience
• Looks like a good choice for smaller teams and marketing agencies who need to provide numbers to their clients on the go

Cons

• No desktop version - only mobile app (at the time of writing this article)
• It visualizes your data but it doesn’t give you the big picture of how these metrics contribute to business objectives
• App is in the early stage of development

Reviews 

4.9/5 based on 11 reviews from Product Hunt

Pricing

Datapad is currently free for its early adopters, but they plan to charge $9 per month per user.

Key Performance Indicators + Cascade = Strategy Execution 🚀

The longer you cling to existing systems, the less you grow. KPI software is the smart choice to help you unlock more value in every initiative, project, and employee. It's not just about tracking progress and automating reporting—it's the journey to successful strategy execution and optimized business performance. 

When you want to pick a tool, you need a platform that enables you to do the following:

• Know the status of your strategy in real-time. Your KPI reporting software must allow you to track the progress and success of your strategic initiatives automatically.
• Minimize context switching. You can connect your favorite tools with integrations to manage everything in one place.
• Give everyone access to the same data. You can improve collaboration when you keep your entire organization on the same page and ensure alignment across the business. 
• Drive fast strategic adaptabilty react quickly and effectively communicate to keep all the stakeholders in the loop.

We might be a bit biased, but we're confident that Cascade is the best KPI software available right now. While this claim might sound biased, customer reviews back it up with 4.8-star ratings. 

Are you ready to get everyone on the same page with your KPIs? Sign up for free or book a demo to see how Cascade can help you.