# Category Compare: Dashboard vs. Reporting Software | Capterra > Confused between dashboard and reporting software? We define and compare the two software categories to help you determine the right tool for your business. Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/dashboard-vs-reporting --- BI BasicsStrategy & Operations # Category Compare: Dashboard vs. Reporting Software By Barkha Bali Barkha Bali Senior Writer Experience I’ve been writing for Capterra since August 2021, providing expert insights to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs) find the rig... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/bbali/) Published November 1, 2021 | Updated on March 6, 2023 6 min read ## In this report, we define and compare dashboard software and reporting software to help you decide which one aligns with your business goals. With a wealth of data at their disposal, data analysts understand the need for a software solution to comprehend complex data sets, identify trends, track key metrics, and make informed business decisions. While they have several solutions—such as [dashboard software](https://www.capterra.com/dashboard-software/) and [reporting software](https://www.capterra.com/reporting-software/), deciding which one to choose can be challenging. Both the solutions are often clubbed due to their overlapping features, but their use cases are distinct. Once you have understood the differences, making the right choice becomes easy. Dashboard software mainly helps senior management access insights and KPIs to make business decisions. Reporting software, on the other hand, helps professionals such as analysts, sales development representatives, and marketers get detailed data for their day-to-day tasks. In this article, we'll talk about the similarities and differences between the dashboard and reporting software categories. We have also alphabetically listed the top five products for each category based on verified software reviews. [Read more](#methodology). ## What is dashboard software? [Dashboard software](https://www.capterra.com/dashboard-software/) is an information management tool that tracks, analyzes, and displays key performance indicators (KPIs) to help businesses make informed decisions. It provides a customizable interface that collects real-time data from multiple sources and displays the generated insights in the form of charts, tables, timelines, and more. Dashboard software is generally used by department managers and corporate executives to monitor KPIs for marketing campaigns, visualize customer data, and get real-time performance updates on employees, processes, and more. ## Key features of dashboard software The primary features of dashboard software include: Data connectors Integrate and connect multiple data sources—such as databases, spreadsheets, enterprise systems, etc.—to retrieve data and display it in the dashboard. KPI monitoring Track key performance indicators (KPIs) critical to business success. Single page view Display aggregated data points on a single, scrollable page for a bird’s-eye view assessment. Functions/calculations Perform various mathematical operations (such as sum, average, and more) on the data displayed in the dashboard to derive new insights, structure data, and create new metrics or KPIs. ## Top 5 dashboard software These five products are listed in alphabetical order. (The [full methodology](#methodology) for how these products were chosen can be found at the end of this piece.) #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of February 2023 #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of February 2023 #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of February 2023 #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of February 2023 #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of February 2023 ## What is reporting software? [Reporting software](https://www.capterra.com/reporting-software/) allows real-time access to business data and helps generate multidimensional reports from diverse data sources. Among many other uses, reporting software is used to generate financial statements, track the success of sales strategies, monitor responsiveness to regulatory compliance concerns, and manage internal controls or security audits.  This type of software is commonly used by business and IT analysts to generate ad hoc reports, financial statements, campaign reports, static graphs, and charts to track business performance for multiple departments, such as sales, finance, marketing, and human resources. ## Key features of reporting software The primary features of reporting software include: Ad hoc reporting Generate reports to meet your business's reporting requirements as needed to perform ad hoc analysis, troubleshoot issues, or generate reports for specific business scenarios. Data visualization Represent your data and information using charts, graphs, maps, and other visual elements to identify trends, patterns, and outliers in data that can help make informed business decisions. Drag and drop Organize data by clicking over and dragging pre-built components to arrange them according to your requirements. Forecasting Estimate future events or trends by analyzing present and historical data and other relevant information. ## Top 5 reporting software These five products are listed in alphabetical order. (The [full methodology](#methodology) for how these products were chosen can be found at the end of this piece.) #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of February 2023 #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of February 2023 #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of February 2023 #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of February 2023 #### Trial/Free Version - Free Trial - Free Version #### Device Compatibilty \* Analysis Accurate as of February 2023 ## What do they have in common? Dashboard and reporting software have several overlapping features. Both the solutions: - help organizations analyze and understand data and communicate insights to stakeholders. - can visualize data using reports, charts, and tables, making it easier for users to comprehend complex data patterns. - offer data visualization, data connectors, customizable dashboards, search/filter, and access controls/permissions as common features. ## Which of the two tools is right for your business? The answer to this question depends on your data needs. If you're part of senior management and are looking for insights into specific areas of your business, then dashboard software would be the right pick. However, if your data needs are broader and you're looking for a high-level view of your business, a reporting tool makes more sense. Once you’ve decided which software to use, head to our [dashboard](https://www.capterra.com/dashboard-software/) and [reporting software](https://www.capterra.com/reporting-software/) category pages, where you can find a sortable list of products and software reviews from verified users. If you want to narrow down your search to only the most popular and highest-rated solutions, visit Capterra Shortlist reports for the top [dashboard software](https://www.capterra.com/dashboard-software/#shortlist) and [reporting software](https://www.capterra.com/reporting-software/#shortlist) tools; our reports are based on an analysis of thousands of user reviews. ## How to choose the right software system for your business Here are some considerations to keep in mind while evaluating potential solutions: - **Identify your data requirements:** Evaluate your business’s specific requirements and determine the type and volume of data you need to track and analyze. This will assist you in identifying the features and functionalities you need in a dashboard or reporting software system. - **Evaluate customization capabilities:** Dashboard software often offers a high degree of customization, allowing users to select the data, sources, and visualization elements. Reporting software, on the other hand, may have limited customization options and may require manual formatting. If you want a highly flexible and customizable solution, dashboard software is a good choice. Also check if it offers simple end-user configurations or cascading style sheets (CSS) and full scripting. This will allow you to customize your dashboard and data how you want to view it. - **Assess the depth of data visualization:** Data visualization is an important functionality for both dashboard and reporting software, which helps users better understand complex data sets and make business-critical decisions. To pick the right tool, check the depth and degree of flexibility offered for data visualization. Make sure that the dashboard or reporting software you choose allows you to generate custom charts and reports as per your business needs. - **Look for collaboration features:** Dashboard software often offers real-time collaboration and sharing capabilities, allowing multiple users to access and interact with data simultaneously. On the other hand, reporting software may have limited collaboration features and require manual sharing. Therefore, you should understand your process’s collaboration requirements to pick the right tool. - **Analyze different pricing models:** Software solutions offer distinct features at various pricing models, making direct product comparisons difficult. Most software vendors use subscription-based pricing structures or one-time license fees, and features such as real-time analytics, security and compliance, training, and customer support may entail additional charges. Before making a final choice, conduct research and define your necessary features to prevent overpaying, unforeseen charges, or paying for features your business does not require. ## Common questions to ask while selecting a tool for your business Here are some questions to ask software vendors before making a final purchase: What are the available data sources and integration options? How do you want to integrate data from various sources into your dashboard or reporting software? Ensure the software solution you choose can easily connect to the data sources you need and can handle the volume of data you plan to work with. Is your software mobile-compatible? Dashboard and reporting software with mobile compatibility let you view, analyze, and interact with data on the go. This becomes necessary, especially if you are working with teams or stakeholders that work remotely. What third-party software and hardware integration does the tool support? Dashboard and reporting programs work in synchronization with other software solutions, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software, enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, and business intelligence (BI) solutions, to fetch data summaries, create dashboards, and visualize data. Before selecting reporting software for your business, ensure it integrates with your existing software and tools. ## Capterra's 2026 Software Buying Trends Report ### Download our 2026 Software Buying Trends Report to see how successful software adopters avoid disappointment and how your business can, too. * * * **Methodology** We highlight the top five products from each category—those with the highest average user ratings. In addition, to be included in this list, the products must: - Have at least 20 unique product reviews published on Capterra, with an average rating of 3.0 or higher (as of February 13, 2023). - Meet our software market definition for dashboard and reporting software: - Dashboard software: “_Dashboard software allows you to connect data from different systems, applications, and departments to identify trends, find correlations, and make better business decisions._” - Reporting software: “_Reporting tools allow real-time access to essential data as well as the rapid generation of multidimensional reports from diverse data sources._” **Note:** Reviews and ratings data in the product cards is as of February 13, 2023. New reviews may have been added since the publication of this article, so the reviews data in this piece may not reflect current conditions. **_Disclaimer:_** _The products in the category comparison images are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations by Capterra. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication._ * * * Looking for Reporting software?Check out Capterra's list of the [best Reporting software](https://www.capterra.com/reporting-software/) solutions. ### Was this article helpful? * * * ## About the Author [### Barkha Bali](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/bbali/) Barkha Bali is a writer at Capterra. 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