Dashboard reporting refers to putting the relevant business metrics and KPIs in one interface, presenting them visually, dynamically, and in real-time, in the dashboard formats.

With the advent of modern dashboard reporting tools, you can conveniently visualize your data in dashboards and reports and extract insightful information from it.

This article will review the best 10 dashboard reporting tools covering different areas, including open-source and free dashboard reporting software.

Welcome to take advantage of it! Hope you can find the most suitable one for your business.

What is Dashboard Reporting?

Dashboard reporting enhances decision-making by providing the ability to visualize key performance indicators (KPIs) and track performance. It goes beyond mere visualization, allowing direct data interaction within the dashboard for trend analysis and gaining insights. Contemporary reporting sources data from multiple channels to offer a comprehensive view of the business. High-quality dashboards integrate AI-powered recommendations, scalability for big data, embedded visualizations, and governed self-service features.

The Advantages of Dashboard Reporting 

The most efficient dashboard reporting tools offer a range of advantages that can be gained as follows:

• Enhanced visibility. Dashboard reporting provides greater visibility and access to information when needed to ensure a better response to changing market conditions.

• Time-saving efficiency. With dashboards, you no longer waste valuable time generating reports from multiple systems. Instead, data comes from one centralized source and is displayed as an easy-to-interpret visual overview.

• Key Performance Indicators. The dashboard reporting tool brings together data from multiple domains, displaying the information in real-time as an easy-to-understand visual graph. It provides managers with an overview of current key performance indicators to assess different performance areas while creating actionable insights.

What Makes a Great Reporting Dashboard? 3 Principles

Here are 3 important principles for you to follow while making reporting dashboard:

• Make the complex simple. There is a lot of information on the dashboard; you need to make the dashboard visually consistent and straightforward, with no clutter or confusing use of color.
• Tell a straightforward story. Dashboards should not only allow users to quickly find the information they want but also provide a quick snapshot of what’s happening across the enterprise.
• Uses the right visualization types. The type of data visualization chosen needs to correctly display the information you want to convey and maximize its value.

Top 10 Dashboard Reporting Tools For Better Decision Making

Dashboard Reporting plays a pivotal role in providing organizations with valuable insights into their data and facilitating informed decision-making. To help you leverage the power of Dashboard Reporting, we have curated a list of the top 10 free software and tools available. In this article, we will explore these tools and highlight their features to help you choose the most suitable dashboard reporting tool for you!

1. FineReport

FineReport is a business dashboard reporting software. It offers a free version for personal users without restriction on time. You can enjoy all features of FineReport with the free personal version.

The dashboard developed by FineReport can be displayed on the TV dashboard and other large screens smoothly thanks to FineReport’s HTML5 charts, which can be shown on different sizes of screens.

Plus, FineReport allows you to import the data from Excel into the dashboard designer in batches. Therefore, it is easy to visualize the data from Excel into visually impressive elements on dashboards. 

Another stunning feature of FineReport is real-time reporting. FineReport supports auto-refresh for real-time reporting and allows you to write your data back to the database via the data entry function and visualize the latest data. 

Highlights:

• Support brings sources together from different systems or database
• TV and large-screen display 
• Open APIs for customization
• Dashboard templates are free to use
• Mobile App
• Dashboard Management 

FineReport is FREE for personal use. There is also a commercial version that allows more concurrent users. If you want to use it for a team or company, you can ask for a Quote-based Plan for enterprise users.

2. ProjectManager.com 

This is a cloud-based project management reporting dashboard software for teams to track projects, team collaborate, and create project plans. 

It provides three project views, including Gantt Charts, Task Lists, and Kanban Boards.

ProjectManager.com has developed dashboards that integrate with MS Project. You can import MS Project plans and customize security settings. It also supports integration with MS Excel, Word, and Project Server as well as Google Docs.

Highlights

• Schedule tasks and track milestones
• Cost-to-Completion Tracking
• Implement budgets and track expenses
• Create executive-ready portfolio reports
• High-level visibility into projects, programs, and portfolios 

3. Databox

DataBox is a dashboard reporting software specialized in marketing reporting. Marketers, CEOs, analysts can track market activities and generate dashboards on its cloud-based interface.

It provides a centralized place for you to set, assign, and monitor progress toward SMART Goals in one place. In this way, everyone can track how the company performs.

You can also calculate metrics, conversion rates, and ROI, such as visit-to-signup rate and signup-to-paid rate, which helps you identify significant trends quickly.

The free version of Databox is limited to three data sources, three dashboards, and three users, and offers only one daily refresh.

Highlights:

• Stream Dashboards on Your Smart TV
• Can be deployed via the SaaS and Cloud
• Present Live Views of ALL Your Data
• Offer mobile applications for iOS and Android.
• Share Important Performance Updates via Slack Messages

4. Query2Report

Query2Report is an open-source dashboard reporting software that provides a web platform that supports users to build reports/dashboards for business analytics. 

The dashboards transform a bunch of SQL queries into impressive charts. 

It also caters to real-time reporting with automatic refresh functionality.

Highlights：

• Integrates with any RDBMS using JDBC
• Real-time reporting
• Role-based user access
• Public and personal report workspaces

5. Geckoboard

This dashboard reporting platform allows you to gather, visualize, and share insightful information within your company. You can use it to monitor data in real time from a central platform. 

Besides, the Geckoboard dashboard supports displaying dashboards on TV in your workspace using affordable hardware for maximum visibility.

It allows you to show the dashboard under your domain name. You can also share read-only versions of the dashboard.

With the mobile app of the software, you can access the dashboard anytime, anywhere. A slight disadvantage is it’s only available for iPhone users.

Highlights:

• Support 60+ data sources
• quick sharing links
• Support TV display
• Support schedule automatic snapshots of your dashboards to post to Slack 

6. Cyfe

Cyfe is a cloud-based dashboard reporting tool that enables users to monitor all marketing channels in one place, including SEO, SEM, email marketing, web analytics, social media, and more. 

It supports various data sources, including Google Analytics, Salesforce, Google Ads, MailChimp, Facebook, and Twitter. It supports emailing data reports automatically in JPEG, PNG, CSV, and PDF formats.

The Premium module of Cyfe supports adding as many dashboards, users, and widgets as you want.  

The free version of the tool provides full functionality but limits to five dashboards and a single user. 

The only con of the tool is that it allows limited variation in the panel design.

Highlights:

• Rich prebuilt and custom widgets 
• 60 popular built-in services
• It supports projecting dashboards onto a TV using an Amazon Firestick.
• Archiving of data history. 
• Support 15 languages

7. Datapine

Datapine is an all-in-one dashboard reporting tool that provides a modern, intuitive user interface for users to easily create dynamic web dashboards. 

Over 80 dashboard reporting templates covering different industries, functions, and social media platforms make the creation process more convenient. 

This SaaS reporting solution helps companies unify all their business data into one central point of access to perform cross-data source analysis and make data-driven business decisions anytime and anywhere. Additionally, datapine offers customized on-premises solutions.

Besides, Datapine allows you to share dashboards in different ways, such as sharing via URL, automated Email reports, and embedded dashboards.

Highlights:

• More than 80 professional dashboard templates
• Interactive dashboards
• A comprehensive self-service analytics approach
• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface
• Innovative, self-learning data alarm system.

8.Klipfolio

Klipfolio is a cloud-based dashboard reporting tool supporting building real-time reports with ease and allowing company members to see their business data. Dashboards built by Klipfolio are beautiful and customizable, making it easy to make the presentation of data into a very detailed affair.

 It supports hundreds of data sources, including on-premise data warehouses, social media platforms like Twitter and Moz, and web-based services like Google Analytics.

Dashboards created in Klipfolio are automatically resized based on the device used. Even on mobile phones with 5-inch screens, VP can remotely access their business KPIs and have near real-time data.

Highlights:

• You can gather different data sources in one widget.
• It is accessible on all devices.
• Support customizing data according to your corporate image
• Provide built-in templates
• Issue Indicators

9. Sisense

Sisense is a Business intelligence (BI) software that offers dashboard reporting capabilities to its users. It is easy to bring together all sources and unify them into a single repository. And you can convert complex data into easy-to-understand insights conveniently via its easy-to-use interface. Besides, Sisense is a fast system thanks to its 64-bit computer, parallelization capabilities, and multi-core CPUs. 

There are various visualization elements for building an interactive and stunning dashboard. Plus, using the built-in connectors, you can implement apps such as Google Analytics, Adwords, and SalesForce. 

Highlights:

• Fastest time to market
• Complete customization
• Unparalleled scalability
• Granular data governance
• Agile analysis
• Lowest TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)

10. Birst

This dashboard reporting platform is an entirely cloud-based tool that handles the needs of both production-oriented BI and end-user reporting. Unlike the 3 tier architecture adopted by most dashboard reporting tools, Birst is developed by a 2-Tier approach that aligns back-end enterprise data with line-of-business or local, edge data.

Besides, it is well-integrated with a variety of business apps and systems and performs impeccably on mobile devices.

The Birst, however, doesn’t provide complex analysis, therefore, it is an ideal dashboard platform for a number of mid-sized enterprises with up to 500 employees.

Highlights:

• Responsive and integrated HTML5 dashboards
• Visual discovery interfaces
• Automated data refinement
• Infinite connectivity framework

Conclusion of Reporting Dashboard

In conclusion, Dashboard Reporting is a powerful tool that allows organizations to extract valuable insights from their data and make informed decisions. Throughout this article, we have explored the concept of Dashboard Reporting, discussed its advantages, and outlined the principles that make a great reporting dashboard.

We have provided a list of the top 10 Dashboard Reporting tools to assist organizations in their quest for better decision-making. Among these tools, FineReport stands out as a recommended solution. With its user-friendly interface, extensive customization options, and seamless data connectivity, FineReport empowers users to create visually stunning and insightful dashboards.

You can download it for free and have a try!

Feel free to make an appointment for a live demo with our product experts. We will be more clear about your needs and see how FineReport can help you and your organization transform data into value.