Metabase Pricing 2026
Complete pricing guide with plans, hidden costs, and negotiation tips
Metabase pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $85 per user/month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: Yes
- Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
- Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Metabase offers 2 pricing tiers: Open Source, Cloud Starter. Standard paid plans include Open Source at $0/free, Cloud Starter at $85/user/month. The Cloud Starter plan is small teams.
Compared to other business intelligence software, Metabase is positioned at the budget-friendly price point.
Metabase is an open-source BI tool with free self-hosted option or managed cloud starting at $85/user/month.
All Metabase Plans & Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Free | Free 0 | Self-hosting teams |
| Cloud Starter | $85 /user/month | $85 /user/month | Small teams |
View all features by plan
Open Source
- Unlimited users
Cloud Starter
- Managed hosting
Get a custom Metabase quote
Enter your work email and we'll send you a detailed cost breakdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Metabase really free?
Yes, the Metabase Open Source Edition is completely free forever with unlimited users and dashboards. However, you must self-host it on your own infrastructure (AWS, Digital Ocean, etc.), which carries infrastructure costs ($50-500/month) and requires DevOps resources for maintenance.
02 How much does Metabase Cloud cost?
Metabase Cloud Starter costs $85/user/month for fully managed hosting. For 10 users, that's $850/month ($10,200/year). Pro and Enterprise tiers have custom pricing based on your needs. The Cloud offering eliminates self-hosting complexity but costs significantly more than free open-source.
03 Should I use open-source Metabase or pay for Cloud?
Use open-source if you have DevOps resources and want to minimize costs (good for startups and technical teams). Use Metabase Cloud if you lack infrastructure expertise, want guaranteed uptime, and prefer predictable costs. Break-even is roughly 5-10 users depending on your infrastructure costs.
04 What's the difference between Metabase Starter and Pro?
Starter ($85/user/month) includes managed hosting and basic features with 5 database connections. Pro (custom pricing) adds unlimited databases, interactive embedding, SSO, advanced permissions, and priority support. Most teams start with Starter and upgrade when needing embedding or SSO.
05 Can Metabase handle large datasets?
Yes, Metabase queries your database directly (not importing data), so performance depends on your database (Postgres, Snowflake, BigQuery, etc.). Metabase includes caching and query optimization, but very large datasets (100M+ rows) may require careful query design and database tuning.
06 How does Metabase compare to Tableau on price?
Metabase is dramatically cheaper. Open-source Metabase is free vs Tableau Creator at $75/user/month. Even Metabase Cloud Starter ($85/user/month) is comparable to Tableau Creator but includes unlimited viewers for free in the open-source version. For budget-conscious teams, Metabase offers exceptional value.
07 Does Metabase require SQL knowledge?
No, Metabase's visual query builder allows non-technical users to explore data without SQL. However, advanced users can write custom SQL queries. This makes Metabase accessible to business users while still powerful for analysts - a key differentiator from code-heavy tools like Looker.
08 Can I embed Metabase dashboards in my app?
Yes, but embedding requires Metabase Pro (custom pricing, likely $500-2,000+/month minimum). The open-source and Starter editions support public sharing but not interactive embedding with SSO. If embedding is critical, budget for Pro tier.