Metabase vs Power BI Pricing 2026
Complete pricing comparison between Metabase and Power BI. Find out which business intelligence tool is right for you.
Metabase pricing ranges from $0–$85/user/month, while Power BI ranges from $0–$20/user/month. Power BI is typically 76% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.
The right choice between Metabase and Power BI depends on your specific requirements: team size, feature needs, and integration requirements all affect which option delivers better value.
See the tier-by-tier breakdown below to compare specific plans, or use our calculators to estimate costs: Metabase calculator | Power BI calculator
Metabase and Power BI both offer free entry points for business intelligence, but their paid tiers diverge sharply. Metabase provides a fully free open-source edition for self-hosting, with its Cloud Starter plan at $85/user/month for managed hosting. Power BI's free tier is more limited, but its paid plans are far more affordable at $10/user/month for Pro and $20/user/month for Premium. The choice often comes down to whether you prefer open-source flexibility or Microsoft ecosystem integration.
Pricing Tier Comparison
| Tier | Metabase | Power BI |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Free /free | Free /user |
| Cloud Starter | $85 /user/month | $10 /user/month |
| Premium | — | $20 /user/month |
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Our Verdict
Choose Metabase if you want a free, open-source BI tool you can self-host with no user limits, or if you prefer a clean, developer-friendly interface that works with any database. Choose Power BI if you need affordable per-user cloud pricing at $10-$20/user/month, deep Microsoft 365 integration, and enterprise-grade features without managing your own infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Metabase cheaper than Power BI?
Metabase's open-source edition is completely free with no user limits when self-hosted, making it the cheapest option for teams with technical resources to manage infrastructure. However, Metabase's Cloud Starter plan at $85/user/month is significantly more expensive than Power BI Pro at $10/user/month. The cost comparison depends entirely on whether you self-host or use cloud hosting.
02 Which is better for startups and small teams?
For startups with engineering resources, Metabase's free open-source edition is hard to beat, offering full BI capabilities at zero cost. For non-technical small teams that want a managed solution, Power BI Pro at $10/user/month provides excellent value with minimal setup. Power BI also offers a free tier for individual use, making it easy to get started.
03 Can Metabase replace Power BI?
Metabase can replace Power BI for many use cases, especially basic reporting, dashboards, and ad-hoc queries. Its open-source nature offers more flexibility in customization and data source connectivity. However, Power BI has stronger enterprise governance features, deeper Microsoft integration, and more advanced DAX-based calculations that Metabase does not replicate.