vioscaleAI
Comparison

Lightdash vs Sisense

No clear leader: Sisense (66.3) and Lightdash (64.2) are within the 5-point margin; treat as a tie. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.

Lightdash full profile →Sisense full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
Lightdash64
Sisense66
Score
vioscaleAI score
Lightdash64 / 100medium · 73%
Sisense66 / 100medium · 72%
Pricing
Free tier
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Model
Lightdashfreemium
Sisensefreemium
Price level
Lightdashlow
Sisenselow
Transparent
Lightdash✓
Sisense✗
Integrations
Count
Lightdash13
Sisense8
Security
Certifications
LightdashSOC 2 Type II
Sisense–
Disclosure policy
Lightdash–
Sisense✓
Gdpr
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Hipaa
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Iso27001
Lightdash–
Sisense✓
Soc2
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Vulnerabilities
Reliability
Sla pct
Lightdash–
Sisense99.99
Status page
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Lightdash14
Sisense–
Github stars
Lightdash6,185
Sisense–
Activity
Commits last 30d
Lightdash100
Sisense–
Release
History
Lightdash20 items
Sisense–
Language
Primary
LightdashTypeScript
Sisense–
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
Lightdash7 items
Sisense7 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for bi software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
BI paradigm
LightdashGoverned dashboards
SisenseEmbedded
Semantic / modelling layer
Lightdashdbt metrics
SisenseBuilt-in
Engine
Warehouse-native (SQL push-down)
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Deployment
Self-hostable / OSS core
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Managed cloud available
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Intelligence
Natural-language query / AI copilot
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Delivery
Embedded / white-label analytics
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Scheduled reports / alerting
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Governance
Row-level security & SSO/SAML
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Commercial
Per-seat pricing published
Lightdash✓
Sisense✗
Free tier / free desktop
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Ecosystem
dbt-native integration
Lightdash✓
Sisense-
Data-source connector breadth
Lightdash9 data warehouses (BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, Databricks, Postgres, Trino, C
SisenseSupports warehouses, databases, and cloud applications

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Lightdash

An agentic BI platform that defines trusted metrics and business logic in dbt, then powers self-serve analytics across dashboards, natural-language AI agents, and embedded data apps. Available as open-source for self-hosting or managed cloud.

Independently observed

Sisense

A business intelligence tool that enables teams to connect databases and create visual reports and dashboards from SQL queries and large datasets for sharing and collaboration.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Lightdash

from $3000/moHybridFree tier21-day trial

Open source free tier, Cloud Pro at $3,000/month (unlimited users), Enterprise custom. No per-seat pricing.

  • Open SourceFree
    • Unlimited seats
    • Data explorer and report builder
    • Native dbt integration
    • Scheduled deliveries
    • Alerting
    • +11 more
  • Cloud Pro$3,000/month flat rate, unlimited users and visualizations
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited visualizations
    • Native dbt integration with open semantic layer
    • Scheduled reports and alerting
    • Dashboards as code
    • +11 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • All Cloud Pro features, plus:
    • Cloud or on-premises deployment
    • SAML 2.0 and SCIM 2.0 provisioning
    • Advanced user management with custom roles
    • SOC 2 Type II compliance
    • +9 more
as of verify ↗

Sisense

HybridFree tier
  • Cloud Data Teams (Free)Free
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
CLI
Lightdash✓
Sisense✗
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Lightdash✓
Sisense✓
Self-hosted
Lightdash✓
Sisense✗

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

In common (2)
  • Snowflake
  • Redshift

Lightdash

21 total - 19 not shared
  • BigQuery
  • Databricks
  • Postgres
  • Trino
  • ClickHouse
  • Athena
  • DuckDB
  • GitHub
  • GitLab
  • Azure DevOps
  • Bitbucket
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Google Sheets
  • dbt
  • Rollstack
  • MotherDuck
  • Google Slides
  • PowerPoint
Independently observed

Sisense

12 total - 10 not shared
  • Any warehouse connectors (generic)
  • Any database connectors (generic)
  • Cloud app connectors (generic)
  • MCP (Model Context Protocol)
  • REST APIs
  • Compose SDK
  • External AI tools and workflows
  • Custom plugins
  • Jasper Reports
  • DECK.GL
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Lightdash or Sisense: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.