Apache Superset is a bI & dashboards tool for Developers and Enterprise, offered as open source. Founded in United States in 2017.
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
How Apache Superset compares in BI & dashboards
- Rank by votes
- #1 / 16
- Starting price
- $0
- Free alternatives
- 4
0 votes from members
Category median is $77/mo
Free or open-source tools in BI & dashboards
Apache Superset ranks #1 of 16 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 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.
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