Metabase — Analytics & Data

Metabase is an open-source business intelligence tool that makes data analytics accessible to non-technical team members. Instead of relying on engineers for every query, anyone can ask questions in plain English and get charts, dashboards, or pivot tables in seconds. It connects to your database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, BigQuery, etc.) and provides a web interface for querying via a point-and-click builder or native SQL.

What it does

Metabase automatically generates visualizations from your queries and lets you create dashboards with filters, alerts, and subscriptions. The platform supports 20+ data sources and includes AI-powered features like natural language querying with Metabot AI. The open-source core is free to self-host, with paid plans for cloud hosting and advanced features.

Best for

• Startups and SMBs that need affordable, self-serve analytics
• Non-technical team members who want to explore data without SQL
• Organizations that prefer open-source software with no vendor lock-in
• Teams that want to embed analytics into customer-facing applications

Who it's not for

Metabase is not designed for real-time streaming analytics or as a replacement for a data warehouse — it is a querying and visualization layer for your existing database or data warehouse.

• Question Builder — Drag-and-drop interface to filter, summarize, and visualize data without SQL
• SQL Editor — Write raw SQL for complex queries, with syntax highlighting and auto-complete
• Dashboards — Combine multiple charts, add filters, and set up auto-refresh
• Alerts & Subscriptions — Get email or Slack notifications when data changes or meets conditions
• Embedding — Embed charts and dashboards into your own app or website
• Data Sources — Supports 20+ databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, BigQuery, Snowflake, and MongoDB

Metabase pricing: from $0 (self-hosted) · $100/mo (cloud). Billing model: Freemium.

Open Source ($0)

Free for everyone. Self-hosted. Includes AI SQL generation, 20+ data sources, unlimited questions and dashboards, and query builder. No embedded analytics.

Starter ($100/month or $1080/year)

Cloud-hosted. Includes all Open Source features plus 5 users included, automatic backups & upgrades, and 3-day support via email or chat. No embedded analytics.

Pro ($575/month or $6210/year)

Cloud or self-hosted. Includes all Starter features plus 10 users included, row and column level permissions, SSO, AI controls, usage analytics, and multi-tenant embedded analytics. Whitelabel ready.

Enterprise (Custom, starts at $20k/year)

All Pro features plus dedicated success engineer, air gap available, help with procurement, and custom pricing. Contact sales for details.

All cloud plans include a free trial.

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