Overview
Metabase is the most popular open-source BI tool. It lets anyone explore data and build dashboards without knowing SQL, while still giving power users full SQL access. Known for its beautiful UI and ease of deployment—you can have it running in minutes.
Key Features
- ✓ Question Builder: Visual query builder for non-SQL users
- ✓ SQL Editor: Full SQL for power users
- ✓ Dashboards: Drag-and-drop dashboard creation
- ✓ Embedding: Embed charts in your product
- ✓ Alerts: Automated notifications on metrics
- ✓ Collections: Organize and share content
Pros
- 👍 Genuinely beautiful interface
- 👍 Self-hostable (Docker, JAR)
- 👍 Great for non-technical users
- 👍 Fast to deploy and learn
- 👍 Strong community
- 👍 Generous open-source tier
Cons
- 👎 Limited advanced analytics
- 👎 Governance features require Enterprise
- 👎 Can be slow on complex queries
- 👎 Less powerful than Looker/Tableau
Best For
Startups and small teams who need BI fast without enterprise budgets. Also great for embedding analytics in products.
Founded: 2014 HQ: San Francisco, CA