Knowi vs Sisense: Which Embedded Analytics Platform Handles Complex Data Better?
Sisense is a developer-focused embedded analytics platform built around its ElastiCube data engine and Compose SDK component library. Knowi natively queries NoSQL databases, REST APIs, and SQL sources without requiring data import or transformation. If your data lives in MongoDB or Elasticsearch, Knowi removes an entire layer of complexity.
Your data lives in MongoDB/Elasticsearch and you need embedded analytics with native NoSQL querying, cross-source joins, and Private AI, without flattening documents or building ElastiCube imports.
You need a code-first Compose SDK for highly customized embedded UIs on SQL data modeled in ElastiCubes or Live models.
Things to Know Before You Decide
- Knowi has a semantic layer, built over live sources. Each metric and business definition lives once in governed datasets that can join SQL, NoSQL and REST API data at query time, and Knowi's AI agents answer from those definitions. There is no warehouse to build and no separate modeling project before you start. Sisense data models join different databases only after an ElastiCube import. How the semantic layer works.
- Sisense imports data into its ElastiCube engine or queries supported sources through Live models, which support fewer transformations. Knowi queries MongoDB, Elasticsearch, Cassandra, and REST APIs directly without data movement.
- Sisense has a MongoDB connector but flattens nested documents into virtual tables. Nested subdocuments can produce wide flattened tables. Knowi handles nested JSON natively at any depth.
- Cross-source joins in Sisense only work within an ElastiCube after data import. Knowi joins across any combination of SQL, NoSQL, and REST API sources in a single live query.
- Sisense's Compose SDK (React, Angular, Vue) gives developers granular control over embedded UI components. Knowi embeds via JavaScript SDK, secure embed tokens or iframe, fully white-labeled, with built-in multi-tenancy and AI, bundled rather than separately priced.
Knowi vs Sisense at a Glance
Who Should Choose Knowi
- MongoDB as a primary database: If your application runs on MongoDB, Knowi queries it natively without flattening nested documents into tables. You avoid the flattening Sisense's connector applies.
- Multi-source analytics without ETL: When you need to join MongoDB + PostgreSQL + Elasticsearch + REST API data and cannot afford the time or cost of building import pipelines into ElastiCubes.
- SaaS embedded analytics at scale: When you need multi-tenancy for dozens or hundreds of customers without licensing a premium multitenancy feature. Knowi's built-in multi-tenant architecture scales without multiplicative infrastructure fees.
- Regulated industries requiring Private AI: When your compliance team says no data can leave your infrastructure. Knowi's Private AI deploys inside your environment with on-prem GPU acceleration.
- Document analytics: When your users need to query PDFs, Word documents, and Excel files alongside structured data. Document AI with source attribution is not among Sisense's documented AI features.
- Speed over customization: When getting analytics into production in days matters more than building a pixel-perfect custom UI with framework-specific components.
You can compare Knowi plans before a sales call.
What Our Customers Say
Charity Organization
White-labeled, multi-tenant BI inside their charity CRM. Each nonprofit gets personalized dashboards, NLP-powered data exploration, and automated reporting.
BI takes you to insight. Apps take you to outcomes.
Agents in the data layer
Knowi queries SQL, NoSQL and REST APIs where they live and joins them at query time into governed datasets. Those datasets are the layer the agents answer from, so there is no warehouse to build first.
Operational apps on your governed data
Describe the workflow in plain English, and Knowi builds the app your team does the job in, running live on the data you already trust. Each app is hosted on its own URL with its own sign-in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sisense support MongoDB?
Yes, Sisense has a native MongoDB connector. However, it flattens nested documents into virtual tables during import into ElastiCube. Nested subdocuments can produce wide flattened tables. Knowi queries MongoDB natively without flattening, supporting any nesting depth.
How does Sisense handle multi-tenancy for SaaS embedding?
Sisense offers three approaches: self-contained multitenancy on one deployment, separate instances per tenant, or shared ElastiCubes with row-level security. Multitenancy is a premium feature. Knowi provides built-in multi-tenancy with row-level security and per-tenant customization without per-tenant infrastructure costs.
Can Sisense join data from different databases?
Sisense can join data from different sources, but only after importing all sources into the same ElastiCube. This is a batch process, not live querying. Knowi performs cross-source joins at query time against live data from any connected source.
Is Sisense's AI included in the platform price?
Partly. AI features are listed in Sisense plans, but managed AI usage is metered in Sisense Credits, or billed through your own LLM provider. NLQ (the Assistant) quality depends on data model context. Knowi includes NLQ, Document AI, and Private AI in the platform without a separate AI add-on fee.
What is Sisense's Compose SDK?
Compose SDK is Sisense's developer-focused embedding toolkit with components for React, Angular, and Vue.js. It gives developers granular control over individual charts, filters, and dashboard elements. It is code-first, so embedding with it takes developer work in your chosen framework.
How does data freshness compare between the platforms?
Sisense ElastiCube analytics reflect the state of data at the last ElastiCube refresh. Refreshes run on a schedule (hourly, daily, etc.), so there is some lag between operational data changes and analytics. Sisense Live models query the source directly but support fewer transformations. Knowi queries data sources directly at query time, so analytics reflect the current state of your databases and APIs.
Skip the ElastiCube Tax. See What Native NoSQL Analytics Looks Like
Query your MongoDB and NoSQL data natively, with no ElastiCubes, no flattening, and no per-tenant infrastructure costs. AI and multi-tenancy are included, not priced as add-ons.
Led by a solutions engineer, not a sales rep
- What you'll see in the demo
- Live demo tailored to your data stack and use case
- Native MongoDB, Elasticsearch, and REST API connectivity
- AI agents querying your data and building dashboards in plain English
- How teams embed analytics into their own products
- Pricing and deployment options (cloud or on-prem)
“My team tested various data visualization tools like PowerBI, Domo, Sisense and Knowi emerged as the top choice for its speed in creating useful dashboards and ease of use for non-technical users. Knowi's architecture models data thoughtfully, which I'd credit for enabling a collection of elegant features.”
VP Business Intelligence, MacroFab
Skip the ElastiCube Tax. See What Native NoSQL Analytics Looks Like
Query your MongoDB and NoSQL data natively, with no ElastiCubes, no flattening, and no per-tenant infrastructure costs. AI and multi-tenancy are included, not priced as add-ons.
- Live demo tailored to your data stack and use case
- See native MongoDB, Elasticsearch, and REST API connectivity
- Watch AI agents query your data and build dashboards in plain English
- Learn how teams embed analytics into their own products
- Get pricing and deployment options (cloud or on-prem)
Phil Bryant
VP Business Intelligence, MacroFab
