Arka vs Hex: Notebook-First vs Natural Language-First Analytics

Hex and Arka represent two different philosophies for modern analytics. Hex extends the notebook paradigm with collaboration features, while Arka reimagines analytics as a natural conversation with your data. Let's explore which approach fits your team better.

What is Hex?

Hex is a collaborative data workspace built around computational notebooks. It's designed for data analysts and scientists who are comfortable writing code (Python, SQL, R) and want a modern, collaborative environment for their analyses. Think Jupyter notebooks with better sharing and collaboration features.

What is Arka?

Arka is a self-serve analytics platform that puts natural language first. Instead of writing code, users ask questions in plain English and get insights instantly. It's built for business users who need answers, not code—though it can show you the queries it generates for transparency.

Core Philosophy Differences

Who's the Primary User?

Hex: Built for analysts, data scientists, and engineers who code. Non-technical users typically can't create analyses themselves—they consume reports created by technical team members.

Arka: Built for everyone. Sales, Marketing, CS, Product, and Executive teams can self-serve without SQL knowledge or data team support.

Primary Interface

Hex: Code cells. You write SQL, Python, or R to query data, then visualize results. It has AI features but they're add-ons to the core notebook experience.

Arka: Natural language. You ask questions like "Show me customers at risk of churning" and get answers without writing code. The AI is the primary interface, not an add-on.

Setup & Onboarding

Hex: Requires connecting data sources, configuring permissions, and training team members on notebooks. Expect days of setup.

Arka: Connect your data sources and start asking questions in minutes. No training required for business users.

Semantic Layer Requirement

Hex: Doesn't require a semantic layer, but also doesn't provide AI assistance in understanding your data model. Users need to know what tables and columns exist.

Arka: No semantic layer needed. Arka automatically understands your schema and relationships, making data accessible to non-technical users.

Dashboard Experience

Hex: Create static dashboards by publishing notebooks. Users interact with pre-defined parameters and filters.

Arka: AI-native dashboards that respond to natural language. Instead of clicking filters, you ask questions to explore data dynamically.

Workflow Automation

Hex: Can schedule notebooks to run, but setting up automated workflows requires coding and technical knowledge.

Arka: Create automated data workflows through natural language. "Alert me when MRR drops 10%" sets up monitoring without code.

Example Use Cases

Scenario: Weekly Revenue Analysis

With Hex: A data analyst writes a SQL query in a notebook cell, creates visualizations with Python, parameterizes it for different time periods, and publishes it. Business users view the published dashboard but can't modify the analysis or ask follow-up questions without going back to the analyst.

With Arka: A sales manager asks "Show me revenue breakdown by region this week" and immediately gets an answer. They follow up with "How does this compare to last quarter?" without waiting for an analyst.

Scenario: Customer Churn Investigation

With Hex: Analyst creates a notebook joining usage data, support tickets, and billing information using code. Shares results as a static report. When CS team has a follow-up question, they need to request another analysis.

With Arka: CS team asks "Which customers are at risk of churning?" and drills down interactively with questions like "What's the main reason for declining usage?" without involving data team.

When to Choose Hex

• Your team consists primarily of analysts and data scientists who prefer coding
• You need complex data transformations and custom visualizations using Python/R
• You want a collaborative notebook environment for technical users
• You're comfortable with the notebook paradigm and want better sharing features
• Business users are fine consuming pre-built reports without self-serve

When to Choose Arka

• You want to democratize data access to non-technical business users
• You need self-serve analytics without requiring SQL or coding knowledge
• You want to reduce bottlenecks on your data team
• You value conversational AI that learns your business context
• You need to connect and query across 100+ data sources seamlessly
• You want automated workflows without writing code
• You prefer minutes of setup vs days of configuration

Can You Use Both?

Yes! Many teams use Hex for deep analytical work by technical users and Arka for self-serve analytics by business teams. Hex excels at complex data science workflows, while Arka excels at making insights accessible to everyone.

The Bottom Line

Choose Hex if you're building a technical data team and want a modern notebook environment for collaborative analysis.

Choose Arka if you want to empower your entire organization—not just technical users—to get insights from data through natural language.