--- title: "Adea vs a developer or analyst: what each does, and when to choose which · Adea" description: "Adea vs a developer or analyst: answers in plain words, reports and dashboards, and every number watched each night, from your own database. See what each does and when to choose which." url: https://adea.app/vs/developer --- # Adea vs a developer or analyst Choose Adea when the same data questions keep landing on your developer. Adea answers them in plain words and in seconds, builds the reports they'd otherwise pull by hand, and watches every number. [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [See the demo](https://adea.app/demo) Free plan No card Read-only access **A developer or analyst ** ## “Our developer can just pull the numbers.” They can, between everything else. Each question costs them a context switch and costs you a wait. Adea answers straight away with the query shown, so they can check it at a glance, and the monthly report runs by itself. ## What Adea adds next to A developer or analyst. Choose Adea when: 1. 1 The same questions keep coming back 2. 2 Sales and support wait for answers that are actually simple 3. 3 Someone pulls the same report by hand every month 4. 4 You'd rather your developer built the product than looked up numbers [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [See the demo](https://adea.app/demo) ## Adea vs a developer or analyst side by side | Question | | A developer or analyst | | --- | --- | --- | | Built for | Answering questions, building reports and dashboards, and watching every number of the business | Any question, including the ones that need judgement | | Asking a question | Ask in plain words and get the answer in seconds, with the query and its sources shown | Write to them and wait for a reply | | Reports and dashboards | Dashboards from a question in plain words. Bring a report you already have as a PDF, screenshot or Excel file, and Adea rebuilds it from your live data. Send any of it on a schedule | Built by hand when they have time, and updated by hand | | Who can build them | Anyone who can ask a question | The developer or analyst | | Getting started | Connect a read-only database. Adea learns what the tables mean, works out what's normal and suggests the numbers to watch, the same day | Write to the person who knows the data | | When a number moves | Checks every number each night against what is normal for it, tells you in the morning, and tests the likely causes | Someone has to notice, and then ask | | Where answers arrive | In Adea, Slack, Teams, mail and the AI assistant you already use | Wherever they reply | | Personal data | Guardian checks every query before it runs and flags large pulls of personal data. On Business it can hold them until an admin says yes | Depends on what they pull and where they send it | ### About A developer or analyst The most common way to get a number is to ask the person who knows the data. They can answer almost anything, including what needs judgement, when they have the time. Written from how each tool describes itself, in October 2026. Tools change, so check theirs for today's details. Found something wrong? Write to us and we'll correct it. ### Choose A developer or analyst when - The question needs judgement or a decision - It's about something that isn't recorded in the data ## Use them together Keep your developer for the questions that need judgement. Let Adea answer the repeat ones, run the reports and watch the numbers. ## Adding Adea takes three steps Nothing you have today has to change. 1. 1 ### Connect your database, read-only The same database you and your tools already use. Adea only reads, and refuses a user that can write. 2. 2 ### Adea sets itself up It learns what your tables mean, works out what's normal and suggests the numbers to watch. You check the first ones. 3. 3 ### Keep what already works Keep your developer or analyst for the questions that need a person. ## Questions ### What is the alternative to asking a developer for numbers? Adea. Anyone asks in plain words and gets the answer in seconds, with the query shown so the developer can check it. Reports run on a schedule, and every number is watched each night. ### How is Adea different from asking a developer? Adea answers straight away, any time, for anyone, and watches every number without being asked. A developer answers when they have time, and is still the one for questions that need judgement. ### Does Adea replace my developer or analyst? No. Questions that need judgement, or that aren't in the data, still need a person. Adea takes the repeat questions, the reports and the watching. ### Can my developer or analyst use Adea? Yes. They can see the query behind every answer, and the notes Adea keeps about what the tables mean. Many use it to answer the simple questions faster. ### Is my data safe with Adea? Adea connects with a database user that can only read, and refuses one that can write. Guardian checks every query before it runs and flags large pulls of personal data. Everything travels over HTTPS, the passwords you give Adea are encrypted with a key that belongs to your company alone, and no other company can see your numbers. ### How long does it take to set up? A couple of minutes to connect a database. Then Adea sets itself up: it learns what your tables mean and suggests the numbers to watch, and you check the first one. You can start free, with no card. ## Related comparisons - [**Adea vs ChatGPT or Claude on your database ** Do it yourself with an AI assistant](https://adea.app/vs/chatgpt-claude) - [**Adea vs Excel and Google Sheets ** Spreadsheets](https://adea.app/vs/spreadsheets) - [**Adea vs Mode ** Analysis for analysts](https://adea.app/vs/mode) ### See Adea for your business [Sales](https://adea.app/for/sales) [Support](https://adea.app/for/support) [Your own platform](https://adea.app/industries/own-platform) [All comparisons](https://adea.app/vs) ## What do you want to know? [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [Book 20 minutes](mailto:hello@adea.app?subject=20%20minutes%20about%20Adea)