Apache Superset is a BI & dashboards tool for Developers and Enterprise, offered as open source. Based in United States, founded in 2017. Popular alternatives include ThoughtSpot, Basedash, Looker.
About Apache Superset
Apache Superset is an open-source data exploration and visualization platform, originally created at Airbnb by Maxime Beauchemin in 2015 and graduated to a top-level project of the Apache Software Foundation in 2021. It is used by data teams at many large companies as a self-hosted alternative to commercial business intelligence tools, and Preset, a company founded by Superset's creator, offers it as a managed cloud service.
Superset connects to almost any SQL-speaking database through SQLAlchemy, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, ClickHouse, Druid, Trino and Databricks. Analysts can write queries in SQL Lab, a browser-based SQL IDE, or use the no-code chart builder with more than 40 visualization types, from tables and time series to maps and Sankey diagrams. Charts are combined into interactive dashboards with cross-filters and native filters. A lightweight semantic layer defines datasets, metrics and calculated columns, and role-based access control, row-level security, caching, alerts and reports support production use. The software itself is free under the Apache 2.0 license; costs come from infrastructure and engineering time, or from Preset's paid plans.
Superset fits organizations with data engineers who want scalable, vendor-neutral BI without per-user licenses. Setup, upgrades and security configuration require technical skills, and the interface is less approachable for business users. Metabase is easier for non-technical teams, Looker and Power BI offer stronger governed modeling with commercial support.
Key features of Apache Superset
- SQL Lab IDE
- 40+ chart types
- Dashboards
- Semantic layer
- RBAC
- Many databases
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free and powerful
- Scales to large data
- Open source
- Rich charts
Cons
- Setup and maintenance
- UX less friendly than Metabase
- Learning curve
- Requires data engineering
Apache Superset pricing
Apache Superset uses a open source model.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | $0 | Apache 2.0, self-hosted |
| Preset Starter | $0 | Managed cloud, up to 5 users |
| Preset Professional | $25 / user/mo | $20/user/mo billed annually; 14-day trial |
| Preset Enterprise | Custom | Deployment at scale, AI agent access |
Source: preset.io · checked on Oct 20, 2026
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How Apache Superset compares in BI & dashboards
- Rank by votes
- #1 / 19
- Starting price
- $0
- Free alternatives
- 4
0 votes from members
Category median is $79/mo
Free or open-source tools in BI & dashboards
Apache Superset ranks #1 of 19 bi & dashboards tools by community votes and is not directly comparable on price.
Common use cases
- 1Data team dashboards over ClickHouse
- 2Self-hosted BI
- 3Large-scale analytics
- 4Embedding charts
Best for
Data teams wanting open-source BI at scale.
Not ideal for
Non-technical small teams (Metabase).
Integrations
- Postgres
- MySQL
- Snowflake
- BigQuery
- Druid
- ClickHouse
- Trino
Our take
Superset is the heavyweight open-source BI.
FAQ
- What is Apache Superset?
- Apache Superset is a BI & dashboards tool: Open-source data exploration at scale.
- How much does Apache Superset cost?
- Apache Superset is Open source; there is no mandatory paid plan.
- What are the best alternatives to Apache Superset?
- Community-listed alternatives to Apache Superset include ThoughtSpot, Basedash, Looker, Sisense.
- What does Apache Superset integrate with?
- Apache Superset integrates with Postgres, MySQL, Snowflake, BigQuery, Druid, ClickHouse and more.
- Which platforms does Apache Superset support?
- Apache Superset is available on web.
- Who is Apache Superset for?
- Data teams wanting open-source BI at scale.
Alternatives to Apache Superset
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