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Metabase vs Zoho Analytics

Metabase and Zoho Analytics are both BI & dashboards tools. Metabase is aimed at small businesses and developers, while Zoho Analytics is aimed at small businesses and enterprise. Zoho Analytics costs less, from $30/mo versus $100/mo for Metabase. Both have a free plan.

Metabase

Open-source BI anyone can use

Zoho Analytics

Self-service BI with AI assistant Zia and 500+ data connectors

PricingOpen source · $100Freemium · $30
Starting price$100/mo$30/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial14 days15 days
Built forSmall businesses, DevelopersSmall businesses, Enterprise, Agencies
Platformswebweb, ios, android
CountryUS · 2015IN
Rating——

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).

Choose Zoho Analytics if

SMBs and mid-size companies, especially Zoho users, that want self-service dashboards and AI-assisted analysis without a large BI budget.

  • Low entry price for a full-featured BI tool
  • Very wide connector library including all Zoho apps
  • Natural-language querying with Zia is easy for business users

Look elsewhere if: Data teams that need advanced semantic modeling or best-in-class visual exploration (Power BI or Tableau).

Metabase vs Zoho Analytics pricing

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

Zoho Analytics

  • Free$02 users, 10,000 rows
  • Basic$30/mo$24 billed annually; 2 users, 0.5M rows
  • Standard$60/mo$48 billed annually; 5 users, 1M rows
  • Premium$145/mo$115 billed annually; 15 users, 5M rows
  • Enterprise$575/mo$455 billed annually; 50 users, 50M rows

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

Zoho Analytics · Key features

  • 500+ connectors for files, databases, warehouses and business apps
  • Data prep with 250+ transforms and scheduled syncs
  • Ask Zia natural-language questions that generate charts
  • AI agents for data cleaning, forecasting and anomaly detection
  • MCP server so external AI assistants can query your data
  • Embedded analytics and white-label BI portals with APIs and SDKs

Cons

  • Row limits climb quickly with large or historical datasets
  • Visual polish lags behind Tableau
  • Advanced modeling is weaker than Power BI

Metabase vs Zoho Analytics: FAQ

Which is cheaper, Metabase or Zoho Analytics?

Zoho Analytics starts at $30/mo and Metabase at $100/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do Metabase and Zoho Analytics have a free plan?

Yes, both Metabase and Zoho Analytics have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Not sure yet?