NexusCompare → Power BI or Looker Studio vs Nexus
The do-it-yourself routePower BI or Looker Studio on a TV, or a wallboard built for it?
Plenty of teams build their own support wallboard: pull helpdesk data into Power BI or Looker Studio and put the report on a screen. It can work — and if you already have the licences and an analyst, it might be the right call. Here's an honest look at the do-it-yourself route against Nexus.
The do-it-yourself route and Nexus, in short
Freshness
Power BI's scheduled refresh of imported data allows up to 8 refreshes a day on shared capacity, 48 on Premium. Nexus polls your helpdesk about every minute.
Build effort
The BI route needs a data pipeline, a model for SLAs and backlog, and someone to maintain both. Nexus needs an API token pasted into a setup wizard.
Fit
A BI tool can chart anything; that's its strength. Nexus does one job — the live support wall — and arrives ready to do it.
Nexus vs a do-it-yourself BI board, side by side.
No spin: where the BI route is genuinely the better tool, we say so.
| Feature | Nexus | Power BI / Looker Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | An always-on support wall | Analysis and reporting across any data |
| Getting helpdesk data in | Reads your helpdesk's API directly — paste a token | A connector, export or database you set up and keep running |
| Freshness | About every minute for tickets, every 20 seconds for calls | Power BI imports: up to 8 refreshes a day (48 on Premium). Looker Studio: per connector — every 15 minutes at best for Sheets |
| SLA countdowns | Live per-ticket countdowns, amber then red | You model the SLA logic yourself |
| Running on a TV | TV mode, lock mode, rotation and themes | A browser you keep signed in on the screen |
| Data breadth | Helpdesk, PSA and monitoring | Anything you can connect — finance, sales, operations |
| Cost | £29–£119/month flat, unlimited screens & agents | Power BI Pro is £10.80 per user a month (paid yearly), plus the build time |
Pick the BI route if you already license it, have an analyst with time, and want support figures modelled alongside the rest of the business. Pick Nexus if you want a live support wall this afternoon that nobody has to build or maintain.
Power BI limits and pricing from Microsoft's own documentation and UK pricing page, and Looker Studio freshness options from Google's documentation, checked October 2026 — they change, so check before you decide. Power BI is a trademark of Microsoft; Looker Studio and Data Studio are trademarks of Google. Nexus is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or Google. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Where the BI route genuinely wins
Breadth and modelling. If the wall needs finance, sales and support figures modelled together, or your own measures over years of history, a BI tool is built for that and Nexus isn't.
You may already own it. If your organisation already licenses Power BI and has an analyst with time, a support report adds little extra cost — and it follows your BI team's standards.
The do-it-yourself route, asked and answered.
Can I use Power BI as a support wallboard?
Yes, if you can get your helpdesk data into it. Power BI Desktop is a free download, and the Power BI service is licensed per user — Pro is listed at £10.80 per user a month, paid yearly, ex VAT. The catch on a wall screen is freshness: imported data refreshes on a schedule, up to eight times a day on shared capacity and 48 on Premium, Premium Per User or Fabric capacity.
How often does a Power BI or Looker Studio dashboard refresh?
Power BI's scheduled refresh of imported data allows 8 refreshes a day on shared capacity and 48 on Premium, PPU or Fabric capacity; DirectQuery skips the import by querying the source live, which usually means landing your helpdesk data in a database first. Looker Studio — which Google now calls Data Studio — sets freshness per connector: every 15 minutes at best for Google Sheets, every 1 to 50 minutes for database connectors. Nexus polls your helpdesk directly, about every minute for tickets and every 20 seconds for calls.
What does a do-it-yourself wallboard take to build?
A pipeline and a builder. You need a connector or export that gets tickets out of your helpdesk, a data model that turns them into SLA, backlog and agent figures, and someone to build and maintain the report — then a browser on the TV that stays signed in. Nexus replaces that with an API token pasted into a setup wizard and a board that's ready to go.
Is Nexus cheaper than building it in Power BI?
It depends on what you already have. If your organisation already licenses Power BI and has an analyst with time, the extra cost of a support report can be small. If not, Nexus is a flat £29–£119 a month with unlimited screens and agents, and nobody has to build or maintain the board.
When is Power BI or Looker Studio the better choice?
When the wall needs more than support. If you want finance, sales and support figures modelled together, or deep historical analysis with your own measures, a BI tool is built for that and Nexus isn't. Many teams use both: BI for the monthly story, Nexus for the live floor.
See your own desk on the wall.
Demo mode fills the board with realistic sample data in about 30 seconds — no account, no card. Like what you see? Plans start at £29/month flat, with a 14-day free trial — billed only if you keep it.