{
    "products": [
        {
            "slug": "metabase",
            "name": "Metabase",
            "kind": "web",
            "website": "https://www.metabase.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/metabase",
            "tagline": "Open source BI tool for questions, dashboards and embedded analytics",
            "summary": "Metabase is a business intelligence tool for asking questions of databases, building dashboards and embedding analytics in other products. Its open source edition can be self-hosted for free, and Metabase Cloud and paid plans add hosting and enterprise features.",
            "platforms": [
                "web",
                "self-hosted"
            ],
            "pricing": "freemium",
            "price_note": "Open source edition free; Starter $100 a month, Pro $575 a month",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": true,
            "license": "AGPL-3.0",
            "source": "https://github.com/metabase/metabase",
            "strengths": [
                "Open source edition with unlimited questions and dashboards",
                "Query builder for people who do not write SQL"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Permissions, SSO and caching need paid plans",
                "Hosted plans add a per-user charge on top of the base fee"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Metabase lets people explore data with a query builder, or with SQL for harder questions. Results go into dashboards, and CSV files can be uploaded for analysis. The open source edition includes unlimited questions and dashboards and supports more than 20 data sources, according to the pricing page.\n\nPaid plans add row and column level permissions, single sign-on, caching controls and usage analytics. The Starter plan is listed at $100 a month plus a per-user charge, and Pro at $575 a month. The core code is under the AGPL-3.0 license, and files in the enterprise directory use a commercial license. Metabase suits teams that want self-service analytics with a free core."
        },
        {
            "slug": "tableau",
            "name": "Tableau",
            "kind": "app",
            "website": "https://www.tableau.com/",
            "page": "https://listme.name/software/tableau",
            "tagline": "Visual analytics and dashboard software from Salesforce",
            "summary": "Tableau is Salesforce's visual analytics platform for building interactive dashboards from many data sources, with desktop and cloud products, a free Tableau Public for public data, and per-user paid licenses.",
            "developer": "Salesforce",
            "platforms": [
                "windows",
                "macos",
                "web"
            ],
            "pricing": "subscription",
            "price_note": "Per-user paid licenses; Tableau Public is free for public data",
            "free_to_use": true,
            "open_source": false,
            "strengths": [
                "Strong visual exploration of data",
                "Wide range of data connectors",
                "Large community and training material"
            ],
            "limits": [
                "Paid licenses are per user",
                "The free edition publishes work publicly"
            ],
            "checked": "2026-10-10",
            "connected_to_publisher": false,
            "overview": "Tableau lets analysts connect to databases, files and cloud services and build interactive charts and dashboards by dragging fields onto a canvas. Tableau Desktop is used to author work, and Tableau Cloud or Server shares it with viewers who can filter and explore.\n\nPaid licenses are per user and role-based. Tableau Public is a free edition for publishing work to the open web, so it is unsuitable for confidential data. Power BI is the most common alternative, and open-source options such as Metabase and Superset cover simpler needs without license fees."
        }
    ],
    "differences": [
        "Only Tableau runs on Windows.",
        "Only Tableau runs on macOS.",
        "Metabase is open source; Tableau is not.",
        "Metabase: free plan, paid upgrades. Tableau: subscription."
    ],
    "shared_rankings": [
        {
            "list": "dashboard-and-data-visualization-tools",
            "name": "Dashboard and data visualization tools",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/dashboard-and-data-visualization-tools",
            "of": 12,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "metabase",
                    "rank": 3,
                    "score": 89.5,
                    "verdict": "Open source dashboards with a query builder and SQL editor, free to self-host. Permissions, SSO and caching need paid plans, and it is built for questions more than design-heavy reports.",
                    "best_for": "Self-service questions and dashboards on a database",
                    "spec": {
                        "source": "Databases and CSV uploads",
                        "desktop": false,
                        "selfhost": true
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "tableau",
                    "rank": 2,
                    "score": 90.5,
                    "verdict": "Highly flexible visual analysis with many data connectors and sharing options, but paid per-user licenses and a free edition that publishes publicly. Power BI is the usual lower-cost alternative.",
                    "best_for": "Interactive dashboards for analysts and larger teams",
                    "spec": {
                        "source": "Databases, files and cloud services",
                        "desktop": true,
                        "selfhost": false
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "list": "business-intelligence-tools",
            "name": "Business intelligence tools",
            "page": "https://listme.name/best/business-intelligence-tools",
            "of": 10,
            "results": [
                {
                    "product": "metabase",
                    "rank": 4,
                    "score": 88,
                    "verdict": "The open source edition is free to self-host and covers unlimited questions and dashboards. Permissions, SSO and caching need paid Pro plans, and its modelling is lighter than Power BI's.",
                    "best_for": "Open-source self-service analytics",
                    "spec": {
                        "deploy": "Cloud or self-hosted",
                        "sources": "20+ data sources",
                        "desktop": false
                    }
                },
                {
                    "product": "tableau",
                    "rank": 2,
                    "score": 90,
                    "verdict": "Excellent visual exploration and a huge connector and training ecosystem, but licenses are per user and the free edition publishes publicly. Power BI is cheaper for Microsoft shops, and Metabase is free to self-host.",
                    "best_for": "Analysts who build rich, interactive dashboards",
                    "spec": {
                        "deploy": "Desktop authoring plus Tableau Cloud or Server",
                        "sources": "Databases, files and cloud services",
                        "desktop": true
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "ranks_higher_in_closest_shared_list": "tableau",
    "page": "https://listme.name/compare/metabase-vs-tableau",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/compare/metabase-vs-tableau.json",
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial and only comparable inside one list. Products with connected_to_publisher true receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}