Pipeline planPacing Console vs a Looker Studio pacing dashboard: build it or use it
By Hojabr Sattari. Updated .
Looker Studio, renamed Data Studio by Google in April 2026, is a free dashboard tool with a native Google Ads connector, so many teams build their pacing dashboard there; Google lists no Microsoft Advertising or LinkedIn connector of its own, and the pacing logic is yours to build. Pacing Console is a ready-made pacing tool for Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads with hourly campaign pace, month-end forecasts, a daily email and a free read-only report link, with Pro at $49 per workspace a month. Pick Looker Studio for custom cross-channel dashboards; pick Pacing Console for budget pacing that works without building or maintaining a report.
Pacing Console at a glance
- What it is
- A budget pacing tool from PlanConversion: hourly pace for every campaign, month-end forecasts and the daily budget that lands the month
- Platforms
- Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads
- CRM
- HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, or any CRM by CSV or API, for pipeline by campaign (Pro)
- Free plan
- Pacing free forever at any spend, for up to 3 users
- Pro
- $49 USD per workspace a month, or $490 a year (2 months free); 10 users included, then $5 per extra user
- Enterprise
- $20 USD per user a month, billed annually, from 25 users
- With Link Console
- Pro $79 per workspace a month; Enterprise $28 per user a month
- Trial and sign-in
- 30-day Pro trial, no credit card; Google or Microsoft sign-in
At a glance
| Criterion | Pacing Console | Looker Studio |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A budget pacing tool with a board, forecasts, recommendations and a report link | Google’s dashboard and reporting tool, renamed Data Studio in April 2026 |
| Price | Free for up to 3 users at any spend; Pro $49 per workspace a month or $490 a year, 10 users included, then $5 per extra user; Enterprise $20 per user a month, billed annually, from 25 users | Free for report creators and viewers; Pro listed at $9 per user, per project, per month, with a 30-day trial |
| Ad platform data | Google Ads, Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads, hourly | Google connectors include Google Ads, Campaign Manager 360, Display & Video 360 and Search Ads 360; no Google-built Microsoft Advertising or LinkedIn connector is listed, so those use third-party community connectors |
| Pacing logic | Built in: cut-to-date to the pull hour, weekday schedules, flight dates, month-by-month plans | Calculated fields and budget data you add, often from a Google Sheet |
| Forecast | Month-end spend, conversions and cost per conversion | Whatever you build |
| Alerts | Daily email with only off-pace campaigns and the budget to set | Pro adds enhanced scheduled delivery: up to 200 schedules per report, Google Chat delivery and alerts when chart criteria are met |
| Budget changes | Recommendations applied in one click by your own script (Pro), logged | None; dashboards show data and do not change budgets |
| Sharing | Read-only live report link, free; owners, editors and viewers | Google sharing; Pro adds team workspaces and organization ownership |
| CRM pipeline by campaign | HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive or any CRM (Pro) | Possible with a CRM connector and blended data you build |
Where Pacing Console wins
- Nothing to build: pacing math, forecasts and the daily budget to hit work as soon as data arrives
- Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads included, with no community connector to choose
- Pace judged at the exact hour of the pull, with stale-data warnings when a platform stops sending spend
- A morning email with only the campaigns that need a change
- One-click budget changes on Pro, with a change log
Where Looker Studio wins
- Free, from Google, with a native Google Ads connector
- Any dashboard you can design: every channel, metric and chart in one report
- More than 1,300 community connectors for other platforms and databases
- Pro adds team workspaces, organization ownership, chart alerts and Gemini assistance, at $9 per user per project per month
- One reporting tool for every team, not only paid media
Building a pacing dashboard in Looker Studio
A typical build joins Google Ads data from the native connector with a Google Sheet of monthly budgets, then adds calculated fields for expected spend and pace. That works for Google Ads; Google lists no Microsoft Advertising or LinkedIn connector of its own, so those need community connectors. Simple calculated fields assume even spend across the calendar month, which misreads weekday-only and flighted campaigns. Pacing Console does that math to the hour, with weekday schedules and flight dates, and its read-only report link gives finance the view a dashboard would. Many teams keep Looker Studio for cross-channel performance and use Pacing Console for budgets.
How to switch from Looker Studio
- Create a free Pacing Console workspace; it starts with a 30-day Pro trial, no credit card.
- Paste the pre-filled scripts into Google Ads and Microsoft Ads (one per manager account), schedule them hourly and connect LinkedIn Ads.
- Copy monthly budgets from the sheet behind your dashboard, with flight dates and weekday schedules.
- Send finance and clients the read-only report link in place of the pacing page of the dashboard.
- Keep Looker Studio for cross-channel performance reporting.
How we checked
Every fact about Looker Studio on this page comes from Looker Studio’s own public pricing, product and help pages, checked on November 3, 2026, and listed under Sources. Prices are in USD as published that day and change over time, so confirm them with Looker Studio before you buy. Where a feature is described as not listed, we did not find it on those pages; it may exist elsewhere.
Which one fits your team
Choose Pacing Console when
- You want pacing without building or maintaining a dashboard
- You run Microsoft Ads or LinkedIn Ads next to Google Ads
- You want to be told when a campaign drifts, not to check a dashboard
- You want budget changes applied and logged
Choose Looker Studio when
- You need one custom dashboard for every channel and team
- Your analysts already maintain Looker Studio reports and budget sheets
- You need a reporting tool, and pacing is one view among many
Frequently asked questions
Is Looker Studio now called Data Studio?
Yes. Google announced on April 10, 2026 that Looker Studio is renamed Data Studio, with a no-cost edition and Data Studio Pro.
Can I build budget pacing in Looker Studio?
Yes, with the Google Ads connector, a sheet of budgets and calculated fields. Microsoft Ads and LinkedIn Ads need community connectors, and you maintain the logic. Pacing Console gives you the same view, plus forecasts and alerts, without the build.
How much does Looker Studio cost?
The standard edition is free for report creators and viewers. Google’s pricing page lists Pro at $9 per user, per project, per month, and Pro has a 30-day free trial.
Does Looker Studio send pacing alerts?
Pro adds alerts when chart criteria are met and up to 200 delivery schedules per report. Pacing Console sends a free daily email with only the off-pace campaigns and the budget to set.
Sources
Competitor pages checked on .
- Google Cloud blog: Looker Studio is now Data Studio (cloud.google.com/blog/products/data-analytics/looker-studio-is-data-studio)
- Google Cloud: Data Studio product and pricing page (French) (cloud.google.com/looker-studio?hl=fr)
- Google Cloud docs: about Data Studio Pro (docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/studio/about-looker-studio-pro)
- Google Cloud docs: available connectors (docs.cloud.google.com/looker/docs/studio/available-connectors)