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Metabase ranks #4 of 7 in our business intelligence tools ranking (81/100). Best open-source option for SQL-friendly teams. Paid plans start at $100/mo (Starter Cloud, 5 users included, $6 per extra user ($1,080 a year billed annually); Pro $575).
Metabase is an open-source BI tool for asking questions of a database with a click-based query builder or SQL, then saving them to dashboards. The open-source edition is free to self-host with unlimited users; Starter ($100 a month for 5 users, then $6 a user) adds Metabase Cloud hosting and support; Pro ($575 a month for 10 users, then $12 a user) adds row- and column-level permissions, SSO, usage analytics, auditing and multi-tenant embedded analytics. Enterprise starts at $20,000 a year.
Startups and product teams with data in a SQL database that want self-serve dashboards for free or a low flat price.
Its open-source edition has no user limit, and Pro adds row-level permissions and customer-facing embedding in one plan.
Skip it if: Your data lives mainly in spreadsheets and business apps rather than a database.
Paid plans start at $100/mo (Starter Cloud, 5 users included, $6 per extra user ($1,080 a year billed annually); Pro $575). Free plan or trial: Free plan (open source, self-hosted, unlimited users); 14-day trial of Cloud plans.
From Metabase's pricing page, checked on the date at the top of this review. See how it compares on price in our business intelligence tools pricing overview.
Each criterion is rated 0 to 5 and weighted for the category. See our methodology.
| # | Tool | Best for | Starting price | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Power BI | Best overall and best value for most companies | $14/user/mo | 92/100 |
| 2 | Tableau | Visual analysis and dedicated analyst teams | $15/user/mo | 83/100 |
| 3 | Qlik Cloud Analytics | Large audiences priced by data, not seats | $300/mo | 82/100 |
| 4 | Metabase | Best open-source option for SQL-friendly teams | $100/mo | 81/100 |
| 5 | Zoho Analytics | Small businesses that report on their business apps | $24/mo | 80/100 |
| 6 | Data Studio | Best free tool for Google Analytics, Ads and Sheets reporting | $9/user/mo | 78/100 |
Paid plans start at $100/mo (Starter Cloud, 5 users included, $6 per extra user ($1,080 a year billed annually); Pro $575). Free plan or trial: Free plan (open source, self-hosted, unlimited users); 14-day trial of Cloud plans.
Metabase scores 81/100 in our business intelligence tools ranking, where it is best open-source option for SQL-friendly teams. It's a weaker fit if: your data lives mainly in spreadsheets and business apps rather than a database.
Free plan (open source, self-hosted, unlimited users); 14-day trial of Cloud plans.
In our business intelligence tools ranking, the closest alternatives are Microsoft Power BI, Tableau and Qlik Cloud Analytics.