Lightdash vs Metabase
Lightdash and Metabase are both BI & dashboards tools. Lightdash is aimed at developers and small businesses, while Metabase is aimed at small businesses and developers. Metabase costs less, from $100/mo versus $3000/mo for Lightdash. Both have a free plan.
| Pricing | Open source · $3000 | Open source · $100 |
| Starting price | $3000/mo | $100/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 21 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses | Small businesses, Developers |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | GB · 2020 | US · 2015 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Lightdash if
Data teams using dbt who want a semantic-layer BI.
- Governed metrics in code
- Tight dbt integration
- Unlimited viewers
Look elsewhere if: Teams without dbt (Metabase).
Choose Metabase if
Startups and mid-size companies wanting quick, affordable BI; developers embedding analytics.
- Free open-source edition is genuinely usable
- Easy for non-analysts
- Wide database support
Look elsewhere if: Enterprises needing advanced modeling and governance (Looker, Power BI).
Lightdash vs Metabase pricing
Lightdash
- Open Source$0Self-hosted, core BI features, community Slack support
- Cloud Pro$3,000/moNo per-seat pricing, unlimited users, AI agents, onboarding
- EnterpriseCustomCloud or on-prem, SSO/SAML/SCIM, SOC 2, HIPAA
Metabase
- Open Source$0Self-hosted, unlimited users
- Starter$100/mo$90/mo billed annually; 5 users, +$6/user
- Pro$575/mo$517.50/mo billed annually; 10 users, +$12/user; SSO, embedding
- EnterpriseCustomFrom $20,000/yr; dedicated success engineer
Lightdash · Key features
- Metrics defined in dbt YAML
- Self-serve exploration for business users
- Dashboards and scheduled deliveries
- AI analyst for natural language queries
- Embedding
- Open source and cloud
Cons
- Requires dbt
- Cloud pricing starts high
- Visualization less rich than Tableau
Metabase · Key features
- Visual query builder plus native SQL editor
- Dashboards with filters, drill-through and subscriptions
- Alerts and scheduled email/Slack reports
- Models and metrics for governed self-serve
- Embedding (public, static, interactive SDK)
- Open source self-hosting or managed cloud
Cons
- Visualization options are basic
- Performance depends on your database
- Advanced permissions need Pro
Lightdash vs Metabase: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Lightdash or Metabase?
Metabase starts at $100/mo and Lightdash at $3000/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Lightdash and Metabase have a free plan?
Yes, both Lightdash and Metabase have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.