The Problem
Why teams leave Tableau
Creator vs. Explorer vs. Viewer licensing is confusing and expensive
Salesforce acquisition brought price increases and ecosystem pressure
Server/cloud migration costs are substantial
Performance degrades with large datasets without optimization
Requires trained analysts to build and maintain dashboards
Data extracts and refreshes consume server resources
What We Build Instead
Your custom bi & analytics tool
Custom analytics platform with interactive dashboards
Direct database connections — no extract management
Self-service reporting for business users
Automated scheduled reports and alerts
Embedded analytics for client-facing use cases
Unlimited viewers — no per-viewer licensing
The Math
Tableau vs. custom build
Based on 50 seats at $42/seat/month, with ~10% annual SaaS price increases.
Keep paying Tableau
Build with 86 SaaS
3-year savings with 50 seats
$10,660
13% less than Tableau
Pricing Breakdown
Tableau tier pricing vs. one-time custom build
Compare what you pay per seat across Tableau's tiers against a single investment in software you own forever.
| Tier | Monthly/Seat | Annual/Seat | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viewer | $15/mo | $15/mo | View dashboards, Interact with visualizations, Download data, Mobile access |
| Explorer | $42/mo | $42/mo | Create workbooks, Web editing, Data source connections, Ask Data NLQ |
| Creator | $75/mo | $75/mo | Desktop authoring, Data prep, Certified data sources, Advanced analytics |
| Custom Build by 86 SaaS | $35,000–$65,000 one-time | $0/seat | Unlimited users, full ownership, no recurring fees |
Migration Timeline
From Tableau to ownership — week by week
A structured migration plan to move off Tableau in 8-14 weeks with zero downtime.
Discovery & Audit
1 weekAudit Tableau workbooks, data sources, calculated fields, and dashboard configurations. Map data connections.
Architecture & Design
2 weeksDesign analytics platform with direct database connections, self-service reporting, and embedded dashboards.
Core Development
4-8 weeksBuild interactive dashboards, direct DB connections, self-service reporting, and embedded analytics engine.
Data Migration & Testing
1-2 weeksRecreate key dashboards, validate data accuracy against Tableau reports, and test embedded views.
Deployment & Training
1 weekDeploy platform, train analysts on dashboard creation, train business users on self-service features.
Total build time
8-14 weeks
Feature Comparison
What you keep, what you skip, and why
A transparent comparison of Tableau features vs. your custom-built alternative.
| Feature | Tableau | Custom Build | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Dashboards | |||
| Data Visualization Library | |||
| Direct Database Connections | No extract management needed | ||
| Self-Service Reporting | |||
| Embedded Analytics | No per-viewer licensing for embedded views | ||
| Scheduled Reports & Alerts | |||
| Calculated Fields & LOD | |||
| Mobile Access | |||
| Unlimited Viewers | No per-viewer licensing — deploy to your whole org | ||
| Tableau Prep | Replaced by built-in data transformations | ||
| Ask Data (NLQ) | Intentionally omitted — low adoption, inconsistent results | ||
| Data Ownership | Your infrastructure, no Salesforce dependency |
Your custom build focuses on the features your team actually uses — typically 15-20% of what Tableau offers — built exactly for your workflow.
How It Works
From Tableau to ownership in 8-14 weeks
Free Audit
We analyze your Tableau usage and identify exactly which features your team actually uses.
Scope & Build
We build your custom bi & analytics tool with only the features you need. 8-14 weeks.
Deploy & Migrate
We deploy to your infrastructure, migrate your data from Tableau, and train your team.
You Own It
Full source code, documentation, and optional maintenance retainer. No vendor lock-in. Ever.