Metabase vs Power BI
Business Intelligence pricing comparison · 2026
Metabase pricing ranges from $0–$575/user/month, while Power BI ranges from $0–$20/user/month. Power BI is typically 90% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.
Sources & confidence
Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.
Plans at a glance
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What users say
Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.
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.
Plan-by-Plan Pricing
| Plan | Metabase | Power BI |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Free /month | Free /user |
| Cloud Starter | $100 /month | $10 /user/month |
| Cloud Pro | $575 /month | $20 /user/month |
| Enterprise | Custom | — |
Cost at Scale
Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.
Metabase
3 scenariosPower BI
6 scenariosMarket Intelligence
Metabase
- Median annual cost
- $39,000
- Based on
- 4 deals
Power BI
- Median annual cost
- $699
- Based on
- 161 deals
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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.