Fair question. Here's where every other option genuinely wins — and the one thing none of them do.
The one thing none of them do
Every tool on this page assumes your numbers are already clean, already digital, and already sitting in a system with an API. Most people's aren't. They're in a spreadsheet, a photo of a statement, a PDF invoice, a notebook.
Glance starts one step earlier — at the bill in your hand. Watch it:
Everyone on this page can read a system with an API. The problem is that almost nobody's numbers are in one — they're in a photo, a PDF, and a spreadsheet.
Head to head
Where Glance sits against the tools people actually compare us to. Prices are as published in mid-2026 — check theirs, they move.
| What matters | Glance | Databox | Geckoboard | Looker Studio | Power BI | An AI chatbot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works from a photo of a bill or a PDF | Yes | No | No | No | No | You can paste one — once |
| Works without connecting anything | Yes | Only via 130+ integrations | It doesn't help you collect data at all | Strong with Google, weak outside it | Needs a data source, usually IT | Yes |
| AI builds the dashboard for you | Yes — Iris does the whole thing | AI insights on top of dashboards you built | No | No | AI features, once the model exists | It answers; it doesn't build anything that lasts |
| Still there tomorrow, without you | Yes — it refreshes and watches your goals | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No. Tomorrow you upload the file again. |
| Someone who isn't an analyst can run it | Yes | Built for analysts and marketing teams | Aimed at larger orgs | Setup is the hard part | Steep learning curve | Yes |
| Starts at | Free — no card | Free, then ~$64/mo | ~$119/mo | Free | ~$10/user/mo | Free–$20/mo |
We're not pretending Glance wins every row. Power BI will model a warehouse we can't touch. Geckoboard looks superb on a wall-mounted TV. If your numbers already live in a connected system and you have someone to run it, those tools are good and you should use them. Glance is for the much larger group whose numbers are in a file and a shoebox.
About the AI — what Iris is, and what she isn't
"AI" is written on every product on this page. It means three completely different things, and only one of them saves you the work.
AI on top
You build the dashboard. The AI writes a sentence about it afterwards — "revenue is up 12%" — which you could see. The work you wanted removed is the work you still do.
AI instead
Paste the file, ask the question, get a good answer. Then tomorrow you paste the file again. It's brilliant and it forgets you. You get an answer, not a habit.
AI underneath
Iris reads the bill, works out the columns, builds the dashboard, and keeps it running. You ask in plain English; you never pick a chart type. The AI does the setup — then gets out of the way.
Ask in plain English. Iris builds it from your own columns.
And the part nobody advertises
- Your data is never used to train a model. Not ours, not anyone's.
- It's never sold, and never shared with advertisers.
- You can export everything, and delete all of it for good, in one click. Not a support ticket — a button.
An AI that reads your bank statement should have to say this out loud. Most don't.
A spreadsheet
What most people actually use. Free, familiar, already open.
Where it wins
- It's free, and you already know it
- Total control — any formula you want
- Nothing to sign up for
Where it hurts
- You have to open it, and remember to
- The chart is only as fresh as the last time you touched it
- Building the view takes an evening; maintaining it takes every evening
Be honest: if your spreadsheet is working, keep it. Glance is for when you've stopped opening it. We don't replace the file — we read it, and turn it into something that's still there tomorrow morning without you doing anything.
Your accounting software
QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho. The books, done properly.
Where it wins
- It's the source of truth for money
- Tax, invoicing, payroll — Glance does none of that
- Your accountant already lives there
Where it hurts
- It only knows what it's been told — and only about money
- Footfall, stock, bookings, ad spend, your own targets? Not in there
- Reports are built for accountants, not for a Tuesday morning
Be honest: keep your accounting software. It answers "are the books right?" Glance answers "how is the business doing?" — across everything, not just the ledger.
A BI tool
Power BI, Tableau, Looker Studio, Databox, Geckoboard.
Where it wins
- Enormously powerful — genuinely no ceiling
- Hundreds of integrations, if your data lives in a system with an API
- The right answer at 200 employees with a data team
Where it hurts
- Every one of them assumes your data is already clean and connected
- You build the dashboard. That's a project, not an afternoon
- $64–$600 a month, and priced for a company, not for you
Be honest: if you have a data team, use Power BI — we're not going to out-feature it and we're not trying to. Glance is for the shop, the freelancer, the family that will never have a data team, and whose numbers are in a file, not a warehouse.
Just asking an AI chatbot
Drop the CSV into ChatGPT or Claude and ask.
Where it wins
- Instant, free, and shockingly good at a one-off question
- You can ask anything, in any words
- No account, no import, no setup
Where it hurts
- Tomorrow, you upload the file again. And the day after.
- Nothing is watching your numbers when you're not asking
- You get an answer, not a habit
Be honest: this is the closest thing to Glance, and we'd rather say so. The difference is persistence. An answer is not a habit. Iris builds the dashboard once, then it's still there every morning — same numbers, updated, without you asking again.
So what's actually different about Glance?
One thing, and it's the thing none of the above will do: we meet your numbers where they actually are. Every other dashboard on earth needs your data clean, connected, and living in a system with an API. Most businesses don't have that. They have a spreadsheet.
So: drop the file. Iris reads your actual columns, asks you a question if she's genuinely unsure what you meant, and builds the dashboard. You don't pick a chart type. You don't connect anything. There is nothing to integrate.
That's the whole pitch. If you already have clean, connected data and a team to model it, buy a BI tool — honestly. If you don't, nobody else is building for you.
Free plan, no card. Delete your data permanently at any time, in one click.