--- title: "Adea vs ThoughtSpot: the ThoughtSpot alternative that sets itself up · Adea" description: "Looking for a ThoughtSpot alternative? Adea sets itself up on your database, answers in plain words, builds dashboards and reports, and tells you each morning what moved and why. Start free." url: https://adea.app/vs/thoughtspot --- # Adea vs ThoughtSpot Adea is the ThoughtSpot alternative for companies without a cloud warehouse and a modelling project. It connects to your database read-only, sets itself up, answers in plain words and builds dashboards and reports from a question. [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [See the demo](https://adea.app/demo) Free plan No card Read-only access ## “ThoughtSpot already lets people search in words.” After a data team has modelled the data on a cloud warehouse. Adea needs neither: connect the database you have, and people ask in plain words the same day. And it doesn't wait to be searched. It watches every number and tells you when one moves. ## The ThoughtSpot alternative that sets itself up. Choose Adea when: 1. 1 You're a smaller company and want to start in an afternoon 2. 2 You don't want to model the data before the first answer 3. 3 You want dashboards and reports from a question, sent on a schedule 4. 4 You want to be told what moved, not only be able to search [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [See the demo](https://adea.app/demo) ## Adea vs ThoughtSpot side by side | Question | | ThoughtSpot | | --- | --- | --- | | Built for | Answering questions, building reports and dashboards, and watching every number of the business | Search and AI analytics across a large company's modelled data | | Asking a question | Ask in plain words and get the answer in seconds, with the query and its sources shown | Search in words over data a team has modelled for search | | 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 | Boards that people pin answers to | | Who can build them | Anyone who can ask a question | Business users, once a data team has modelled the data | | 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 | Connect a cloud data warehouse, then model the data for search | | 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 | Alerts on saved answers and boards | | Where answers arrive | In Adea, Slack, Teams, mail and the AI assistant you already use | In ThoughtSpot and by mail | | 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 | Row-level security and permissions your data team sets | ### About ThoughtSpot A search and AI analytics platform for larger organisations. People ask questions of modelled data on a cloud data warehouse and pin the answers to boards. 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 ThoughtSpot when - You're a large organisation with a cloud warehouse and a data team - You want governed search across many departments ## Switching from ThoughtSpot takes three steps Start on the same database. Nothing in ThoughtSpot has to change until you're ready. 1. 1 ### Connect the same database, read-only The one ThoughtSpot already reads from. 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 ### Recreate the reports you rely on Bring a screenshot or PDF of a ThoughtSpot report, or its Excel export. Adea rebuilds it from your live data, ready to send on a schedule. Not ready to switch everything? Run both while you move. Adea only reads the database, so ThoughtSpot keeps working as it does today. ## Questions ### What is the best alternative to ThoughtSpot? For smaller and mid-sized companies, Adea: answers in plain words, dashboards and reports, and every number watched, the same day you connect your database, without modelling it first. ### How is Adea different from ThoughtSpot? ThoughtSpot searches data a team has modelled on a cloud warehouse. Adea sets itself up on the database you have, answers in plain words, and tells you when a number moves without being asked. ### Is Adea a replacement for ThoughtSpot? For companies that want answers without a warehouse and modelling project, yes. A large organisation with modelled data and a data team may keep ThoughtSpot. ### Can I use Adea with ThoughtSpot? Yes. Adea connects to your database, not to ThoughtSpot, so ThoughtSpot keeps working exactly as it does today. ### 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 Omni ** Dashboards and reports](https://adea.app/vs/omni) - [**Adea vs Dot ** An AI analyst you ask](https://adea.app/vs/dot) - [**Adea vs Tableau ** Dashboards and reports](https://adea.app/vs/tableau) - [**Adea vs Power BI ** Dashboards and reports](https://adea.app/vs/power-bi) ### See Adea for your business [Leadership](https://adea.app/for/leadership) [Sales](https://adea.app/for/sales) [Finance](https://adea.app/for/finance) [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)