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10 Best Reporting Tools & Software Of 2023

The Best Reporting Tools List

Here’s a shortlist of the best reporting tools:

  1. 1. Whatagraph — Best reporting tool for marketing agencies
  2. 2. MeisterTask — Best reporting tool for agile teams
  3. 3. datapine — Best reporting software for complex data
  4. 4. Tableau — Best reporting software for embedded analytics
  5. 5. Hive — Best reporting tool with interactive dashboards
  6. 6. Zoho Analytics — Best reporting tool for easy-to-read charts
  7. 7. Jira Software — Best reporting tool with issue tracking & release management
  8. 8. Wrike — Best for collaboration on project reporting
  9. 9. ProWorkflow — Best reporting software for graphical data reports
  10. 10. Projectworks — Best for human resources, time, and financial reporting

Reporting at its core is the aggregation of data displayed in a format that is easily digestible. Good reporting tools will give you a graph, chart or any visual representation of information that is meant to help you make decisions. You can get an actionable insight when the representation is accurate and relevant to your needs.

Also, reporting is about the complexity of data. With non-complex data, you can get by with semi-manual reports built in a spreadsheet, like a Google Sheet. However, as the complexity increases, you require other tools that aggregate data for you. Heck, some of them are even using AI and machine learning to help us make sense of information!

Finally, if you are dealing with company-wide information, you might be using a big data analytics platform, but that’s a topic of its own. Whether you are using a BI tool, project management software or analytics platform, remember that the tool has to adjust to your operation, have the processing power to handle multiple sources of data, and report on what is important to you.

Reporting Tools Selection Criteria

What were the categories involved in my evaluation of this BI tools list?

  1. User Interface (UI): I look at how the information is displayed. A report is no good if it’s in a cluttered interface with distracting elements and information overload.
  2. Usability: I analyze the different options in which you can get a report. Whether that is through a screen where we set parameters and get a custom report in return to the dashboards and the capacity to export them.
  3. Integrations: I review how many integrations are available for the tool. This analysis will include pre-built integrations that you can use right away and also the tool API available to make custom integrations.
  4. Pricing: I looked at the tool’s pricing structure. Some of these tools are free, others have low-cost. Likewise, I look at free trials and free versions of the software so you can try them out for yourself.

Key Features

  1. Robust reporting: Normally seen in the form of interactive reports where you can click on items and drill down into the information source. You can also measure robust reporting by the number of filters available to you.
  2. Dashboard customization: This customization includes changing the visual composition of the board. Also, drag-and-drop functionality, changing colors, type of chart and anything that personalizes the board. Can you build a digital marketing dashboard, finance and budgets dashboard, or anything else you can think of with relative ease?
  3. Source options: The tool should be able to pull information from several sources. Normally, these sources are the tools included in the integrations list.
  4. Sharing options: The platform should have a range of options for you to share your information with other people. These can be a specific file format, printing options, sharing to external apps like Slack, etcetera.
best reporting tools and software logos list

Overviews Of The 10 Reporting Tools

Here’s a brief description of each of the reporting apps.

1

Whatagraph

Best reporting tool for marketing agencies

Whatagraph is a reporting tool for marketing agencies and in-house marketing teams that helps you get the right data in front of your customers and in a way they understand.

With this tool, you can create reports in minutes thanks to their 95+ templates and connectors to multiple data sources. Also, you can make these reports customized to your client by changing the colors and adding their logo.

Once you are done making it pretty, Whatagraph lets you automate report delivery so your clients can get their weekly, monthly or quarterly reports, and all you have to do is set the time interval! No more '$!@, I forgot to send the report' moments.

Whatagraph integrates with over 40 tools. These include Facebook, Shopify, Mailchimp, Salesforce, and Tik Tok Ads. All of them can be used as data sources for your reports.

Whatagraph has a 7-day free trial, and pricing starts at $199 per month, which gets you 25 data sources and 5 users, with unlimited reports.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.5 200

Free 7 days trial

From $199/month

Pros

  • Custom data import with Public API and Google Sheets
  • Automated reports sending
  • Custom branding for your reports
  • Easy to craft a visually appealing, cross-channel report

Cons

  • The number of data sources is limited
  • Customer support not 24/7
  • Pricey for small businesses
2

MeisterTask

Best reporting tool for agile teams

MeisterTask is a task and project management tool designed primarily for agile teams. The tool offers a variety of reporting features for monitoring team productivity, as well as custom dashboards and the ability for team members to create personal agendas organized to fit their way of working. MeisterTask is intuitive and simple to use, with a clean interface

Users can view progress reports, time reports, and safety reports. View and download reports showing tasks that are completed, overdue, or upcoming. Project managers and team leads can also get reports on how much time team members are tracking, as well as reports related to data security, privacy, and compliance.

MeisterTask integrates with sister software MindMeister as well as Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Microsoft Teams, GitHub, Zendesk, Google Drive, and more.

MeisterTask costs from $8.25/user/month. They also offer a freemium plan.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.6 169

Free trial available

From $8.25/month (billed annually)

3

datapine

Best reporting software for complex data

Datapine is a great reporting software as it offers business users an uncomplicated and secure way to monitor as well as communicate key performance indicators (KPIs) effectively and quickly within one central analytics platform. This empowers everyone within the company to access at any time up-to-date, accurate information to make the right, data-driven decisions.

Datapine belongs to a new generation of reporting tools and offers, thanks to its ease-of-use, access to advanced analytics features even for non-technical users. Different data sources (flat files, databases, CRM and ERP-systems, social platforms, etc.) that are needed for the reports, can be integrated with a few clicks.

Customized, visual KPIs can be built via drag and drop and stored on dynamic, interactive dashboards. These professional KPI dashboards are also the core of datapine’s BI reporting solution. They offer a wealth of modern dashboard functionalities such as sophisticated global filter, predictive analytics as well as AI-based and interactive dashboard features.

Moreover, you can choose from over 80 professional dashboard templates for different business functions and industries. Finally, the dashboards can be shared in multiple ways such as automatic email reports, sharing live dashboards via URL or embedding them in external applications.

Datapine offers a 14-day free trial without any limitations with custom pricing starting at $250 per account.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.6 27

Free 14 days trial

From $249.00/month

4

Tableau

Best reporting software for embedded analytics

Tableau is a visual analytics platform for exploring, understanding, and managing business data. It uses a drag and drop method to create reports using the available data visualizations and widgets.Tableau uses interactive data visualizations so you can create visually-compelling reports that viewers can click to explore.

If you need to build powerful dashboards quickly, Tableau is the best reporting tool for you because of its embedded analytics features. The embedded analytics are customizable through an API so you can insert data collection and reporting functionality into your pre-existing workflow. This can also help you personalize your customers’ data experience.

Tableau integrates with other business tools, including Google Cloud, Microsoft SQL Server, Google Sheets, Hive, and SAP.

Tableau pricing starts at $12/user/month, and they offer a 14-day free trial.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.3 1581

14-day free trial

From $70/user/month

5

Hive

Best reporting tool with interactive dashboards

Hive is a robust tool for project management, reporting, and flexible task coordination. By leveraging AI and machine learning, Hive Analytics provides interactive dashboards to gain actionable insights on team productivity and proactively spot risks. Manage team utilization across specific projects or clients by accurately allocating current and future resources according to real-time data.

Reporting tools also estimate and track time spent on projects for accurate resource allocation, client billing, and future project planning. Record time spent on specific projects or tasks by filling out timesheets directly in Hive. Access timesheet reports that make it easy for your team to see the big picture.

It’s worth noting that if you’re switching to Hive from another tool, you can import data from tools including Asana, Trello, Basecamp, Smartsheet, and a few others.

Hive integrates with Google Drive, Salesforce, Jira, Dropbox, Slack, Zoom, One Drive, Box, and more than one thousand other tools through Zapier.

Hive costs from $12/user/month.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.6 417

14-day free trial

From $16/user/month

6

Zoho Analytics

Best reporting tool for easy-to-read charts

Zoho Analytics is an analytics and reporting tool to help you convert raw business data into comprehensive reports and dashboards. You can use it to collect, enrich, and filter data to make it easier to analyze. It has an AI assistant feature to help you generate insights, spot patterns, and forecast trends. Zoho Analytics has a mobile app version that works on iOS and Android.

Zoho Analytics lets you use charts, widgets, and pivot tables ensuring you can present data in the best possible way. Zoho Analytics allows you to collaborate with other users to build and share custom reports and dashboards. Its user permission settings give you control over who can view and edit your data according to need and/or authority.

Zoho Analytics cost starts at $24/month/up to 2 users. They offer a 15-day free trial.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.2 145

15-day free trial + free demo available

From $24/month

7

Jira Software

Best reporting tool with issue tracking & release management

Jira Software is a powerful project management tool developed by Atlassian that enables software development teams to plan, track, and release high-quality software.

Jira Software can be best used for reporting by leveraging its powerful reporting and analytics capabilities to track project performance, identify potential issues, and make data-driven decisions. Users can create customized reports that display key metrics and data points, including project status, issue types, velocity, and team performance. Reports can be tailored to fit specific needs and workflows, and can be easily shared with other stakeholders, such as team members, management, or customers. Additionally, Jira Software provides a range of visualization tools, including dashboards and charts, that enable teams to quickly and easily track progress and identify potential roadblocks. Finally, Jira Software integrates with a range of other business tools, including business intelligence and data visualization platforms, to provide a comprehensive reporting and analytics solution.

Some key features and functionality of Jira Software include agile project management tools such as scrum and kanban boards, customizable workflows and issue types to fit specific team needs, powerful reporting and analytics capabilities to track progress and identify potential issues, integration with a range of developer tools such as Bitbucket and GitHub, and a robust API for customization and automation. Additionally, Jira Software offers a range of add-ons and plugins that extend its capabilities and integrate with other tools and platforms.

Jira integrates with other Atlassian platforms as well as third-party apps like Slack, Mircosoft, Google Workspace, Zoom, AdobeXD, Invision, Figma, Gliffy, Draw.io, Balsamiq, Lucidchart, Miro, Opsgenie, Jenkins, Dynatrace, GitHub, Zendesk, Trello, Optimizely, and hundreds of others via their apps marketplace. You can also build your own using their API. 

Jira Software costs from $10/user/month and comes with a 7-day free trial.  

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.2 4682

7-day free trial

$10/user/month

8

Wrike

Best for collaboration on project reporting

Wrike is an easy-to-use project management reporting tool that is suitable for teams with anywhere from five to an unlimited number of team members. It’s a highly configurable project management software that allows users to customize workflows, dashboards, reports, request forms, and more.

Wrike’s intuitive reporting tool enables users to choose from 12 different visualizations of metrics, and track time management, project progress, team productivity, budget use, portfolio health, and more. Users can also schedule reports to their inbox or share them with stakeholders.

Wrike’s reporting tools can be configured for each individual team’s needs, with a number of solutions available for specific industries such as marketing and professional services. The tool also features an easy-to-use report builder and a number of prebuilt templates for tracking common metrics. Users can build reports from scratch, create new templates, or adapt previous reports. Wrike also has a dedicated help center with interactive training, videos, a ‘Getting Started’ guide, and a thriving community.

Wrike offers 400+ pre-built native integrations, including integrations with Salesforce, Zendesk, and QuickBooks, as well as with file management software from Microsoft, Google, and Dropbox.

Wrike starts at $9.80/user/month and has a free version for up to 5 users. There is also a 14-day free trial for paid plans.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.2 2544

Freemium version available

From $9.80/user/month

9

ProWorkflow

Best reporting software for graphical data reports

Created in 2002, ProWorkflow was designed as a project management solution that supported analytics and reporting needs. When you log in to this tool, you immediately see a user-friendly dashboard showing a graphical summary of your current stats for active, completed, and upcoming work.

Standard reports provide detailed information on workload and performance as well as your projects, tasks, time, and financial data. Custom reports let you build your own report, select the filters and data that you need, and even share the report with your team.

Visually, the reporting screens and downloads aren’t much to look at. The data is solid and easy to read but if you are looking for some added physical pizzaz, you might need to deploy some manual graphic design intervention.

Key features you can tap into include: resource reports on staff and time, workload breakdown reports, time summary reports, individual project reports, general project reports, task reports, and the ability to export reports to multiple formats.

ProWorkflow integrates with tools like Xero, Quickbooks, KashFlow, FreshBooks, MYOB AccountRight, Box Storage, DropBox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and hundreds more through Zapier.

ProWorkflow costs from $10/user/month, which includes a maximum of 10 active projects.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.2 45

14-day free trial

From $20/user/month

10

Projectworks

Best for human resources, time, and financial reporting

Projectworks is a business operations platform that offers business intelligence insights to improve company efficiency and profit margins. The tool is designed for professional services companies, with resource management, time tracking, expense reporting, and invoicing functionalities.

This software offers reporting and analytics based on project, resource, and financial management data. Users can track time spent on various tasks and projects, manage expense reports and invoicing, and allocate resources all in one place. This makes for dynamic and informative reporting dashboards, with insights on planned vs. actual time and money spent, project costs, and capacity and revenue forecasting. Customizable templates are available in the platform so users can create meaningful dashboards for their use case.

The platform integrates with common workplace tools like Azure DevOps, Hubspot, Jira, MYOB, QuickBooks, and Xero. Users can unlock additional integrations through a paid Zapier account.

Pricing is available upon request, and users a free trial can be requested on the website.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.5 63

A free trial is available.

Pricing information is not provided by the vendor.

Need expert help selecting the right Reporting Dashboard Software?

We’ve joined up with Crozdesk.com to give all our readers (yes, you!) access to Crozdesk’s software advisors. Just use the form below to share your needs, and they will contact you at no cost or commitment. You will then be matched and connected to a shortlist of vendors that best fit your company, and you can access exclusive software discounts!

The Best Reporting Tools Summary Chart

Tool Free Option Price
1
Whatagraph

Best reporting tool for marketing agencies

Free 7 days trial

From $199/month Visit Website
2
MeisterTask

Best reporting tool for agile teams

Free trial available

From $8.25/month (billed annually) Visit Website
3
datapine

Best reporting software for complex data

Free 14 days trial

From $249.00/month Visit Website
4
Tableau

Best reporting software for embedded analytics

14-day free trial

From $70/user/month Visit Website
5
Hive

Best reporting tool with interactive dashboards

14-day free trial

From $16/user/month Visit Website
6
Zoho Analytics

Best reporting tool for easy-to-read charts

15-day free trial + free demo available

From $24/month Visit Website
7
Jira Software

Best reporting tool with issue tracking & release management

7-day free trial

$10/user/month Visit Website
8
Wrike

Best for collaboration on project reporting

Freemium version available

From $9.80/user/month Visit Website
9
ProWorkflow

Best reporting software for graphical data reports

14-day free trial

From $20/user/month Visit Website
10
Projectworks

Best for human resources, time, and financial reporting

A free trial is available.

Pricing information is not provided by the vendor. Visit Website

Other Dashboard Reporting Tools

Here are a few more auto-reporting tools that didn’t make the top list. If you need additional suggestions for the handy ad hoc report tool, check these out.

  • Plot.ly – a framework for teams to collaborate in the development, testing, and deployment of analytic web apps, no Javascript required.
  • Qlik – combines all your data and makes it analysis-ready for everyone to freely explore, amplified by machine intelligence for better results.
  • Inetsoft – data intelligence that unites business intelligence (BI) and machine learning (ML) to extract value from your data.
  • Domo – works with your data lakes, data warehouses, ETL tools, and more, to deliver data insights with built-in collaboration and productivity tools.
  • Board – explore your data, run effective analysis, build interactive dashboards, and create impactful reports.
  • Sisense – API-first cloud technology with interactive dashboards, self-service analytics, and white-labeled BI apps for your use.
  • Periscope – explore and analyze data using SQL, Python, and R with rapidly prototype machine learning models, including sentiment and text analysis using NLP.
  • Looker – connect with Redshift, Snowflake, BigQuery, as well as 50+ supported SQL dialects to build embedded visualizations and data science workflows.
  • Klipfolio – connect hundreds of data sources, including spreadsheets, files, databases, and web services applications to build data visualizations.
  • Smartsheet – connect and integrate with tools and apps you already use to glean real-time insights into the work that teams are doing across the organization.
  • Workamajig – gain insights from your management dashboard to pinpoint efficiencies or bottlenecks and create relevant reports based on user needs.
  • Clarizen – capture and track all your project and team data in real-time, including effort, status, issues, and change requests.
  • TapClicks – marketing report tool (TapReports) and marketing performance analytics (TapAnalytics) with a clean, streamlined UI.
  • Supermetrics – centralize all your marketing data in their marketing data warehouse, build dashboards and reports with ad-hoc analysis.
  • AgencyAnalytics – integrate with more than 30 platforms to build a complete marketing dashboard and optimize your work with SEO reporting software.
  • Funnel – automatically collect all the data you need from any data source and feed it directly to your data warehouse, dashboard solution, or any other tool you’re using.
  • ClicData – a cloud-based business intelligence platform offering a built-in data warehouse and ETL features that allow data processing and management as well as a dashboard designer and automated reporting tools.
  • Mixpanel – behavioral analytics tool to analyze website site user engagement, monitor KPIs, and easily generate reports.

Data Reporting FAQ

There’s a lot to know about report writing software. Before you can even begin to narrow down the choices you have to understand the basics. Consider this FAQ as a primer before we jump into the report writer software reviews.

What is a reporting tool?

A reporting tool, or software reporting tool, is a system that takes in data from various sources and extrapolates it in tables, charts, visual presentations, and other styles so that the information is easier to parse. For example, Tableau reporting tools use data blending and drill-down to help users look for variations and/or patterns.

What are the types of reporting tools?

There are many types of reporting tools, such as dashboard software, data visualization software, scorecard tools, and ad-hoc report writers.

Dashboard software lets you put the reports that matter most to you front and center. Data visualization software turns data into something visually-oriented that users can easily read.

Then, scorecarding tools are all about performance data. Therefore you know who your high achievers are. Lastly, ad-hoc report writers create various styles of in-the-moment reports for companies that have ever-changing needs.

What are BI tools?

BI tools pull data from various sources and visualize it in a way that users find useful. BI tools may gather, organize, and analyze data into meaningful reports that can be printed or redistributed in some way.

What are the benefits of reporting tools?

One benefit is that reporting tools gather data across sources and then organize it visually so users can read and interpret it. These sources are inventory, sales, conversion, web traffic, social media impressions, time spent, and so on.

Reports can typically be saved into different formats, printed and distributed, visualized, and presented, so it is a great way to convey large amounts of useful information quickly. Also, reporting allows you to ask big-picture questions and then collect the data you need to make the best decisions.

Not looking for report software at the moment?

Check out our other lists of other project management tools you might find useful:

What Do You Think?

I’m certain that you use an option I have not covered on this list. I would love to have your thoughts on reporting tools in the comments and any related stories you want to share.


We also share some stories with you through our Insider Membership newsletter. It’s a weekly email with information on all things DPM + reflections, stories, and fun facts about our profession.

By Ben Aston

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 20 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. Ben's a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and productivity nut.

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