---
title: "Metabase Pricing, Features & Alternatives (2026)"
description: "Metabase review: BI & Dashboards tool — Free tier, plans, pros & cons, and the best Metabase alternatives compared for startups in 2026."
source: https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/metabase
retrieved: 2026-10-22
---

![Metabase logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=metabase.com&sz=128)

[BI & Dashboards](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/bi-dashboards)Free tier

# Metabase: Pricing, Features & Alternatives

Metabase is the open-source BI tool most startups install first. People ask questions with a point-and-click builder or SQL, save them to dashboards, and get alerts and subscriptions. It connects to 20+ databases and warehouses, has an MCP server and can use your own AI model. The open-source edition is AGPL, free and self-hosted, with unlimited users, questions and dashboards.

Metabase Cloud Starter is $100 a month for the first 5 users, then $6 per user. Pro is $575 a month for the first 10 users, then $12 per user, and adds row and column permissions, SSO, white-labeling and multi-tenant embedding. Enterprise starts at $20,000 a year. AI, transforms and storage are billed as usage add-ons. As of October 2026.

Category

BI & Dashboards

Pricing

Free tier available

Free tier

Yes

Best for

BI & Dashboards — bi, dashboards

[Visit Metabase official site](https://www.metabase.com)

## Metabase Pricing Plans (2026)

| Plan           | Price                                    | Highlights                                                                                 |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Open Source    | $0 (self-hosted, AGPL)                   | Unlimited users and dashboards · No-code and SQL questions · 20+ data sources              |
| StarterPopular | $100 / month (5 users, then $6 / user)   | Hosted by Metabase · Email and Slack support · 14-day free trial                           |
| Pro            | $575 / month (10 users, then $12 / user) | Row and column permissions · SSO and required 2FA · White-label and multi-tenant embedding |
| Enterprise     | From $20,000 / year                      | Dedicated success engineer · Air-gapped option · 1-day support SLA                         |

Pricing summary: Free · paid from $100/user/mo. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.

## Key Metabase Features

* ✓Hosted by Metabase
* ✓Email and Slack support
* ✓14-day free trial

### ✓ Pros

* +Non-technical people can build their own questions
* +Free self-hosted edition with unlimited users
* +Easy embedding in your own product

### ✗ Cons

* −Row-level permissions and SSO need Pro at $575/month
* −Self-hosting means running and upgrading it yourself
* −Less suited to heavy modelling than code-first tools

## Best Metabase Alternatives

[Compare all ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tool-alternatives/metabase)

[![Apache Superset logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=superset.apache.org&sz=128)Apache SupersetFree · paid from $20/user/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/apache-superset)[![Google Data Studio logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=datastudio.google.com&sz=128)Google Data StudioFree · paid from $9/user/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/google-data-studio)[![Hex logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=hex.tech&sz=128)HexFree · paid from $36/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/hex)

## Metabase Compared

[Metabase vs Hex](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/hex-vs-metabase)[Metabase vs Apache Superset](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/apache-superset-vs-metabase)[Metabase vs Google Data Studio](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/google-data-studio-vs-metabase)

## Metabase FAQ

What is Metabase used for?⌄

Metabase is a bi & dashboards tool. Open-source BI that non-technical people can use: ask questions without SQL, build dashboards and embed them, self-hosted for free.

Is Metabase free?⌄

Yes — Metabase has a free tier you can start with, and paid plans for more usage and features.

How much does Metabase cost?⌄

Metabase offers a free tier, with paid plans starting at $100/month. Some plans are usage-based (pay-as-you-go).

What are the best Metabase alternatives?⌄

Popular Metabase alternatives include Apache Superset, Google Data Studio, Hex. Compare pricing and features on our Metabase alternatives page.

## Not sure if Metabase fits your stack?

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