agencies in 2026. But as Google continues to bifurcate the platform between free and Pro tiers, and third-party APIs undergo significant changes, choosing the right connectors has never been more critical.

This guide reflects the current state of the Looker Studio ecosystem as of December 2025, heading into 2026. We’ve verified pricing, documented platform changes, and identified which connectors deliver real value versus those that may cause headaches.

What are Looker Studio Data Connectors?

A Looker Studio connector is a data pipeline that pulls data from an external platform—like Facebook Ads or Google Analytics—and brings it into Looker Studio for visualization. There are three main types:

Let’s take a closer look at the different Looker Studio connectors to help you choose the right ones for your agency’s workflows. 

Free Google Connectors

Google provides a few native connectors at no cost, making them ideal for agencies that rely heavily on integrations within Google’s ecosystem:

Google Sheets

• About: Lets you access data stored in a Google Sheets worksheet
• Use Case: Importing manually entered data, campaign notes, or data from platforms without dedicated connectors.
• Pros: Easy setup, no technical skills required, great flexibility
• Cons: Requires manual data updates, limited scalability
• Price: Free

BigQuery

• About: Connects your BigQuery tables to Looker Studio
• Use Case: Large-scale datasets, complex queries, data warehouse architectures
• Pros: Scalable, fast processing, native integration, bypasses GA4 API quotas entirely
• Cons: Requires technical knowledge; 24-48 hour data delay for GA4 export
• Price: Free connector; BigQuery usage may incur costs (free tier: 10GB storage, 1TB queries/month)

Google Ads

• About: The Google Ads connector for Looker Studio is aligned with the public Google Ads API for creative assets reporting
• Use Case: PPC campaign performance, impressions, clicks, conversions
• Pros: Native integration, deep granularity, new “Platform Comparable” metrics (Nov 2025) for cross-channel comparison
• Cons: No multi-platform comparison without other connectors
• Price: Free

YouTube Analytics

• About: Lets you use Looker Studio to report on analytics data about the YouTube channels you own
• Use Case: Video and ad performance, views, watch time, audience engagement
• Pros: Native connector, comprehensive video metrics
• Cons: No cross-channel comparison without other connectors
• Price: Free

Search Console

• About: Allows you to import SEO metrics like site impressions, clicks, and keyword rankings directly from Google Search
• Use Case: SEO metrics—impressions, clicks, keyword rankings from Google Search
• Pros: Direct organic search data from Google
• Cons: Limited historical data (16 months), keyword granularity limitations
• Price: Free

Google Analytics 4

• About: Allows you to pull in web and app user behavior data, including sessions, events, traffic sources, and conversions
• Use Case: Web and app user behavior—sessions, events, traffic sources, conversions
• Pros: Flexible event-based tracking, quota monitoring in edit mode (right-click any chart)
• Cons: Strict quotas—10 concurrent requests for standard properties can be exceeded with 5+ complex charts
• Price: Free (GA360 at ~$150K/year provides 50 concurrent requests)

Paid Connectors

Third-party providers develop connectors that integrate Looker Studio with platforms outside Google. When you check out the Looker Studio connectors marketplace, you’ll see a range of third-party integrations with the most popular platforms, including Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and HubSpot.

Companies publishing third-party connectors also offer agencies niche-specific connectors, like Marketing Miner, Dialfire, Optmyzr, Pipedrive, and others.

Yes, these paid connectors come with a price tag, but for marketing agencies juggling multiple clients and complex, multi-channel campaigns, they’re often well worth it. With automated data integration, they save teams from manual data entry and building custom setups from scratch.

Open-Source Connectors

For agencies with technical expertise or custom requirements, Looker Studio offers the ability to build community connectors.

Looker Studio users develop these data connectors to allow agencies to build their own integrations or change existing ones to suit their needs. For example, an agency might create a custom connector to pull data from a client’s CRM system that doesn’t have a pre-built connector, or to integrate with an industry-specific tool like a real estate listing database or niche e-commerce platform. While open-source options can be cost-effective, they require coding knowledge. And the agency, rather than the connector’s creator, will have to fix any potential issues.

Best Data Connectors for Marketing Agencies

From native connectors to those that help you centralize multi-channel data and import it into your dashboards and reports, Looker Studio marketplace offers over 1,200+ data connectors, and we’re here to review the best matches for marketing agencies.

We did the research for you and browsed all the review websites and community forums to present the best data connector for each platform your agency might work with.

Advertising & Paid Media Connectors

Running paid campaigns across platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, or LinkedIn? These connectors bring your ad data straight into Looker Studio — no exporting, no guesswork. Just clean, accurate numbers to back up your results.

NEW Search Ads 360

• About: Native integration for analyzing search ads performance
• Use Case: Ability to view and analyze the performance data from the upgraded Search Ads 360 experience
• Pros: Native integration, frequent data updates
• Cons: No cross-channel metrics, might require technical knowledge
• Starting Price: Free

Google Ad Manager 360

• About: Built-in integration to visualize your Ad Manager reports in Looker Studio
• Use Case: Ad impressions, spend, and revenue analysis
• Pros: Native integration, detailed reporting
• Cons: Complex setup, limited metrics compared to direct platform access
• Price: Free

Microsoft Advertising (Supermetrics)

• About: Imports Bing Ads metrics with cross-platform attribution
• Use Case: Bing Ads metrics with cross-platform attribution
• Pros: Straightforward setup, good documentation
• Cons: Less advanced than native Google integrations
• Price: From $37/month (Supermetrics Starter)

Facebook Ads (via Supermetrics, Funnel.io, Windsor.ai)

• About: Tracks campaign-level spending, CPA, and CTR
• Use Case: Campaign spending, CPA, CTR tracking
• Pros: Essential for social advertising reporting
• Cons: Meta’s frequent API changes require connector updates; field names may differ from Ads Manager
• Price: Supermetrics from $37/month; Windsor.ai from $23/month; Funnel.io from ~$120/month

TikTok Ads (via Supermetrics, Windsor.ai)

• About: Pulls in video performance and demographics data
  Use Case: Video performance, demographics, ROI analysis
• Pros: Growing platform importance
• Cons: Known “Purchase Value = $0” bug—this is a connector-layer issue, not platform API. Windsor.ai reports having patched this.
• Price: Supermetrics from $37/month; Windsor.ai from $23/month

LinkedIn Ads (Power My Analytics)

• About: Imports LinkedIn campaigns’ data for cross-channel performance reporting
• Use Case: B2B campaign reporting, cross-channel performance
• Pros: Low-cost, reliable, tracks some organic metrics
• Cons: API limitations reduce data freshness
• Price: From $14.95/month

See the top 10 PPC reporting tools in 2026.

SEO & Organic Search Connectors

From rankings to backlinks, SEO data is essential — but tricky to centralize. These connectors help you bring Ahrefs, Semrush, and GSC data into Looker Studio, so you can track what’s working (and what needs fixing) in one place.

Ahrefs Rank Tracker

• About: Tracks keyword rankings across 190+ countries and monitors SERP features
• Use Case: Keyword rankings (190+ countries), backlink analysis, technical SEO audits
• Pros: Comprehensive SEO data, reliable connectors, extensive documentation
• Cons: Expensive; lower tiers use credit-based system
• Price: Lite $129/month; Standard $249/month; Advanced $449/month; Enterprise $999/month+

Ahrefs Rank Tracker template for Looker Studio

Ahrefs (Rank Tracker, Site Explorer, Site Audit)

• About: Crawls websites to identify technical SEO issues (e.g., broken links, duplicate content). Analyzes backlinks, organic traffic, and top-performing pages for any domain
• Pros: Comprehensive SEO data, reliable connectors, extensive documentation
• Cons: Expensive; lower tiers use credit-based system
• Price: Lite $129/month; Standard $249/month; Advanced $449/month; Enterprise $999/month+

Semrush (Position Tracking, Domain Analytics)

• About: Monitors keyword rankings across different devices or locations and tracks competitor movements. Provides traffic estimates, top keywords, and competitor domain comparisons
• Use Case: Keyword rankings, competitor analysis, traffic estimates
• Pros: Accurate tracking, SERP features monitoring, multiple keyword sets
• Cons: Traffic data is estimated; Guru plan required for Looker Studio integration
• Price: Pro $139.95/month (no Looker integration); Guru $249.95/month (includes Looker); Business $499.95/month

Google Search Console (Windsor.ai)

• Use Case: Automated GSC exports with enhanced historical data access
• Pros: Works with free plan, expanded filtering
• Cons: Slight delay in API data updates
• Price: Free plan (1 source); Basic $23/month ($19 annual)

Combine SEO and PPC to boost campaign success.

Social Media Connectors

Want a clearer picture of your organic and paid social performance? These connectors help you report on everything from follower growth to post reach — across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and more.

Instagram (Catchr)

• About: Pulls data from multiple Instagram profiles on organic performance, followers, and post count
• Use Case: Organic performance, followers, post engagement
• Pros: Easy setup, tracks both organic and limited paid metrics
• Cons: API limitations cause delays; Business accounts only
• Price: From $25.99/month

Instagram (Catchr) template for Looker Studio

TikTok (Windsor.ai)

• About: Imports organic TikTok data on views, following, and hashtags
• Use Case: Video views, following, hashtag performance
• Pros: Works with free plan, can blend with ad data
• Cons: API limitations; complex setup for beginners
• Price: Free plan (1 source); Basic $23/month

Pinterest (Dataslayer)

• About: Connect Pinterest Ads to Looker Studio for organic content reporting
• Use Case: Organic content and ads performance
• Pros: Extensive documentation, unlimited users
• Cons: Some API delays persist
• Price: Freelance $29/month; Large Agency $299/month

Facebook Insights (Avian)

• About: Automates data import from Pinterest profiles to Looker Studio
• Use Case: Facebook organic and ads benchmarking
• Pros: Technical support, AI-enhanced analysis tools
• Cons: Custom pricing may be unclear; complex UI
• Price: Custom pricing

Cross-channel Reporting Connectors

If your agency juggles data from lots of platforms, cross-channel connectors can save you a ton of time. These tools pull everything into one place automatically — no more switching tabs, copying data, or wrestling with spreadsheets. They’re flexible, scalable, and built to handle the complexity of multi-channel reporting.

Coupler.io

• Free: 1 source, 1 account, 1 destination, 100 rows/run
• Starter: $32/month ($24 annual) — 3 accounts, unlimited sources, 1 destination, 5K rows
• Active: $132/month ($99 annual) — 15 accounts, 3 destinations, unlimited volume
• Pro: $259/month ($199 annual) — 50 accounts, unlimited destinations, hourly refresh
• Pros: 410+ sources, all destinations included, no-code setup, built-in templates
• Cons: Costs increase with multiple data connections; setup can take time

Supermetrics

Supermetrics remains the market leader but has complex pricing that can escalate quickly:

• Starter: $37/month (US) / €29/month (EU) — 3 sources, 1 user, 1 destination
• Growth: $177/month (US) / €159/month (EU) — 7 sources, 3 users, 1 destination
• Pro: $499/month (US) / €399/month (EU) — 10 sources, 3 users, 1 destination
• Add-ons: ~$37/additional source; $29-99/additional user; $149/additional destination

TCO Warning: Regional pricing differs significantly. Adding sources/users/destinations can result in non-linear cost increases.

• Pros: 100+ connectors, auto-refresh, agency-specific features, caching reduces quota issues
• Cons: Per-user pricing punishes scale; costs escalate rapidly

Windsor.ai

Windsor.ai offers transparent pricing and strong BigQuery integration:

• Free: 1 source, 1 account, 1 destination (30-day trial, then limited forever free)
• Basic: $23/month ($19 annual) — 3 sources, 75 accounts, unlimited users
• Standard: $118/month ($99 annual) — 7 sources, 75 accounts, hourly refresh
• Plus: $299/month ($249 annual) — 10 sources, 200 accounts
• Professional: $598/month ($499 annual) — 14 sources, 500 accounts, 15-min refresh
• Pros: 325+ sources, unlimited BI syncs on paid plans, reports TikTok $0 bug fixed, excellent BigQuery focus
• Cons: Some users report occasional syncing issues

Funnel.io

Funnel.io uses a “Flexpoint” usage-based model. They launched a free plan in July 2025 with 400 Flexpoints (approximately 2 data sources + 2 destinations).

• Free: 400 Flexpoints, up to 5 users, limited to Looker Studio/Sheets/Excel destinations
• Starter: ~$120-240/month depending on configuration
• Business: Custom pricing for SSO, workspaces, advanced features
• Pros: 500+ sources, excellent data transformation/ETL capabilities, fast support
• Cons: Flexpoints can burn quickly with high-volume sources; costs unpredictable at scale

Dataslayer — Supermetrics Alternative

Dataslayer positions itself as the Supermetrics alternative with friendlier pricing based on API calls rather than users:

• Freelance: €25/month — unlimited sources/users, 5 accounts per source
• Small Agency: €62/month — 50 accounts per source
• Medium Agency: €104/month — 100 accounts per source
• Large Agency: €245/month — unlimited accounts
• Pros: 45-90% cheaper than Supermetrics for 3+ user teams; unlimited users; Amazon Ads/DSP connectors
• Cons: API call limits may affect high-volume users

Discover the benefits of data blending. 

Connector Pricing Comparison

Connectors to Watch

Some connectors are known to be fragile or have ongoing issues. Here’s what to monitor:

How to Choose the Right Looker Studio Data Connector

With hundreds of data connectors available in Looker Studio, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming, especially when working with multiple clients and marketing channels.

1. Identify Your Reporting Needs

• List all the platforms and tools you and your clients use regularly — think Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, HubSpot, TikTok, Semrush, and more.
• Check Looker Studio’s Connector Gallery to see if there’s a native or third-party connector for each tool.
• If there’s no direct connector, look into API-based or custom connectors that can bring your data into Looker Studio.

2. Do Your Research

• Browse community forums and read reviews to see what other users say.
• Try out the platform to make sure it fits your agency’s needs.
• Check how often the connectors are updated to avoid bugs and issues.
• Look out for any known stability or security problems that could affect reporting.

3. Set a Realistic Budget

• Budgeting is important — especially if you work with multiple clients and data sources.
• Most third-party tools charge per data source, so costs can add up fast.
• Compare pricing plans from different providers.
• Don’t just look at the monthly fee — check the price per extra user or connector, since those are likely to drive up your costs as you scale.

4. Test Drive the Connectors

• Pick platforms that offer free trials and connect one or two frequently used data sources.
• Use the trial period to check if automated data refreshes and scheduling are supported.
• Consider your team’s technical comfort level — some platforms (like Power My Analytics or Avian) can have more complex interfaces.

5. Explore Data Analysis Features

• Many marketing reports need data prep before visualization — like filtering or combining data.
• Check if the connector supports built-in features for:
  
  • Filtering
  • Blending data sources
  • Creating custom metrics and calculations
    
• These pre-processing tools also help reduce load times on Looker Studio dashboards.

6. Check for Potential Scalability Issues

• As your agency grows, connector limitations can cause problems.
• Choose connectors that can handle:
  
  • Larger data volumes
  • More client accounts
  • Advanced custom calculations

7. Chat with the Platform’s Support Team

• Whether you’re new to reporting or a seasoned pro, problems can pop up.
• When you hit a roadblock, having responsive customer support makes all the difference.
• Don’t hesitate to reach out and test their support before you commit.

How to Connect Data Sources in Looker Studio

Whether you use native tools or third-party connectors, a proper setup is key to keeping data fresh and accurate in Looker Studio. A few simple steps can help you avoid errors and save time later.

1. Sign in to Looker Studio with your Google account.

2. On the homepage, click on the Create button and select Data source from the dropdown menu.

3. Browse through the list of available connectors or use the search bar to find the specific data source you want to connect.

4. After choosing your data connector, you’ll be prompted to authorize Looker Studio to access your data. Click Authorize and follow the on-screen instructions to grant the necessary permissions.

5. You’ll then see a list of available fields from your data source. Here, you can rename fields, change data types, or create calculated fields as needed. This step may vary depending on the connector chosen.

6. After configuring your data source, click on Create report. Looker Studio will prompt you to add the new data source to the report. Click Add to report to begin building your dashboard.

Click the following link to read our full Looker Studio tutorial for beginners.

Tips to Prevent Looker Studio Connector Issues

Before you build any dashboard:

• Choose your connector carefully. Don’t assume all connectors offer full API access.
• Create a separate test report to validate schema.

Every month:

• Revalidate all fields and dimensions.
• Check API quotas and limits.
• Confirm scheduled refreshes are running on time.

Watch out for field mismatches:

• Reconnections can rename fields or remove dimensions without warning.
• This breaks filters, charts, or conditional formatting in your reports.
• Always check the field schema after reconnecting or swapping connectors.

Learn more about solving common problems in Looker Studio. 

Alternatives to Third-Party Data Connectors

Running reports for multiple clients across multiple tools? It adds up fast — more platforms, more connectors, more fees, more headaches.

• Juggling Google Ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, HubSpot, Ahrefs — each one needs its own connector.
• Add in subscription costs, syncing issues, and the time it takes to build polished dashboards, and suddenly reporting feels like a chore instead of a value-add.

That’s where all-in-one marketing agency reporting tool like Swydo step in.

• There’s no need to manage a dozen connectors in Looker Studio.
• Swydo gives agencies one centralized platform built just for them.
• With 30+ direct integrations (paid, organic, social), you can plug in your data fast.
• Use drag-and-drop reporting and ready-made templates to build reports your clients will love — without the hassle.

Plug In Where It Counts

There’s no one-size-fits-all connector — the right pick depends on your agency’s size, client mix, and reporting workflow.

• Smaller agency? A budget-friendly third-party connector might hit the sweet spot.
• Larger, juggling lots of platforms? Go with a pro-level connector — or skip the chaos altogether with an all-in-one solution like Swydo.

Before locking in, take advantage of trials and demos. See how the connector plays with your tools, how fast the data refreshes, and how solid the support team is. A good fit saves hours. A bad one slows you down.