To compare data from more than two periods, such as quarterly engagement stats for the last 8 quarters, use the “Metric by Table by Period” widget found in the Historical Comparison section of the widget library.
Click on the date range to open the date picker and adjust the period length and end-date.
Use the column selector to adjust the metrics that are displayed in the table columns.
If you only need to compare 2 date periods, you can use almost any widget. See: Date Period Comparisons (Year over Year, Month over Month)