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Is Metabase Worth It in 2026? Our Honest Verdict
Recommended
Metabase: Metabase democratizes business intelligence.
Rating★ 4.4/5
Starting price$85/mo (Cloud Starter, 5 users)
Best forTeams wanting BI and dashboards without
CategoryAnalytics & Data
Who Metabase Is Worth It For
- ✓Teams wanting BI and dashboards without enterprise pricing. Self-hosted for maximum value.
- ✓Free self-hosted with no feature limitations
- ✓Visual query builder accessible to non-technical users
- ✓Embeddable analytics for building data products
Who Should Look Elsewhere
- ✕Not ideal for enterprise organizations needing governance, compliance, and dedicated support.
- ✕Self-hosting requires DevOps resources
- ✕Cloud pricing jumps quickly above free tier
- ✕Less powerful than Tableau for complex enterprise analysis
Is Metabase Pricing Fair?
| Tier | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | Free self-hosted (unlimited) |
| Starter | $85/mo (Cloud Starter, 5 users) |
| Pro | $500/mo (Cloud Pro, 10 users) |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing |
Pricing verified March 2026.
How Metabase Compares
| Metabase | Weights & Biases | Semrush | Dub | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $85/mo (Cloud Starter, 5 users) | $50/user/mo | $139.95/mo (Pro) | $30/mo |
| Rating | ★ 4.4 | ★ 4.9 | ★ 4.8 | ★ 4.7 |
| Verdict | Recommended | Recommended | Recommended | Recommended |
AICores Verdict on Metabase
Metabase democratizes business intelligence. The visual query builder genuinely enables non-technical team members to explore data. Self-hosting makes it free. For startups and small teams, it provides 80% of Tableau's value at 0% of the cost.
AICores Editorial Review
Reviewed by AICores Editorial Team
Last updated: May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Metabase worth the money?▼
Metabase democratizes business intelligence. The visual query builder genuinely enables non-technical team members to explore data. Self-hosting makes it free.
Is there a free version of Metabase?▼
Yes, Metabase offers a free tier. Paid plans start at $85/mo (Cloud Starter, 5 users) and include additional features and capacity.
What are the best alternatives to Metabase?▼
Weights & Biases, Semrush, Dub are the top alternatives. Weights & Biases is best for ml teams that need to track, compare, and reproduce experiments and has a 4.9 star rating.
Who should NOT use Metabase?▼
Metabase is not ideal for enterprise organizations needing governance, compliance, and dedicated support.. Common drawbacks include: Self-hosting requires DevOps resources. Cloud pricing jumps quickly above free tier.
Compare Metabase head-to-head
See how Metabase stacks up against the top alternatives.
Metabase vs Weights & Biases→