Google Sheets or Excel for the web for quick analysis, PostgreSQL or DuckDB for SQL, Python in Google Colab, and Power BI Desktop, Tableau Public or Looker Studio for dashboards. Kaggle for datasets; Metabase, dbt Core and KNIME once you work in a team. One tool per job.
Three jobs, three tools: a spreadsheet or SQL engine to analyse, a notebook to script and one BI tool to present. The rest are useful once you work in a team.
The 12 picks
Swipe or use the arrows.
FreeGoogle Sheets
Spreadsheets with pivots, charts and simple formulas, shareable by link.
FreeExcel for the web
Free browser Excel with a Microsoft account.
FreePostgreSQL
The standard open-source SQL database; install locally or use a free hosted tier.
FreeDuckDB
Run SQL directly on CSV and Parquet files with no server.
Free with session limitsGoogle Colab
Free Jupyter notebooks with Python and pandas, no setup.
Free desktop appPower BI Desktop
Full BI modelling and dashboards on Windows; sharing needs a paid licence.
FreeTableau Public
Build and publish interactive dashboards; published work is public.
FreeLooker Studio
Browser dashboards connected to Sheets, GA4 and BigQuery.
Open sourceMetabase
Open-source BI you can self-host for a team.
Open sourcedbt Core
Transform data with tested, versioned SQL models.
Free desktopKNIME Analytics Platform
Visual, no-code data workflows and machine learning.
Compare in a table
Show the full comparison table
| Tool | Best for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Google Sheets | First analyses and collaboration | Free |
| Excel for the web | Interview-standard spreadsheets | Free |
| PostgreSQL | Learning real SQL | Free |
| DuckDB | Fast analysis of large files | Free |
| Google Colab | Python analysis anywhere | Free with session limits |
| Power BI Desktop | Enterprise-style dashboards | Free desktop app |
| Tableau Public | Public portfolio dashboards | Free |
| Looker Studio | Marketing and web analytics | Free |
| Kaggle | Datasets and practice | Free |
| Metabase | Team dashboards on your own database | Open source |
| dbt Core | Analytics engineering practice | Open source |
| KNIME Analytics Platform | Analysts who prefer no-code | Free desktop |
Get started this week
- Install PostgreSQL or DuckDB and load one CSV.
- Answer five business questions in SQL.
- Publish one dashboard on Tableau Public with a one-line recommendation.
How to choose
- Learn SQL in PostgreSQL or DuckDB; both are free and match what employers use.
- Pick Power BI Desktop if you target Indian enterprises; Tableau Public if you want a public portfolio.
- Use Colab to avoid setup problems on a low-spec laptop.
- Publish one dashboard with a one-page recommendation; see the analytics projects.
Free plans change. Limits above were checked on 31 Oct 2026; confirm on each tool's pricing page before relying on them.
Frequently asked questions
Is Power BI free?
Power BI Desktop is free. Sharing dashboards online needs a paid Pro licence; for a portfolio, publish screenshots or use Tableau Public.
Which free tool is best for data visualisation?
Tableau Public for a public portfolio and Looker Studio for marketing data; Power BI Desktop for enterprise-style modelling.
Can I learn data analytics with free tools only?
Yes. Sheets, PostgreSQL, Colab and one BI tool cover every skill in the data analytics learning path.
What is DuckDB used for?
Running SQL on CSV and Parquet files quickly without a server, which makes it ideal for portfolio analyses.
Learn this with mentors
Data and business analytics programmes with admissions open: live classes, mentors and project work.
