Comparison

Looker vs Metabase

On the evidence we track, Metabase leads this comparison with a composite score of 56/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Looker47
Metabase56
Score
Vioscale score
Looker47 / 100medium · 56%
Metabase56 / 100high · 75%
Pricing
Free tier
Looker
Metabase
Model
Metabasecommercial
Price level
Looker
Metabaselow
Transparent
Looker
Metabase
Integrations
Count
Looker1
Metabase27
Security
Gdpr
Looker
Metabase
Iso27001
Looker
Metabase
Scorecard
Looker
Metabase5.9
Soc2
Looker
Metabase
Reliability
Sla pct
Looker99.9
Metabase
Status page
Looker
Metabase
Adoption
Dependent repos
Looker
Metabase1
Github stars
Looker
Metabase48,944
Stackoverflow questions
Looker2,000
Metabase1,000
Activity
Commits last 30d
Looker
Metabase100
Release
Cadence days
Looker30
Metabase21
History
Looker
Metabase20 items
Language
Primary
Looker
MetabaseClojure
Content
Faq
Looker8 items
Metabase8 items

Capabilities

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

Core
BI paradigm
LookerNLQ / search
MetabaseGoverned dashboards
Semantic / modelling layer
LookerBuilt-in
MetabaseBuilt-in
Engine
Warehouse-native (SQL push-down)
Looker
Metabase
Deployment
Self-hostable / OSS core
Looker-
Metabase
Managed cloud available
Looker
Metabase
Intelligence
Natural-language query / AI copilot
Looker
Metabase
Delivery
Embedded / white-label analytics
Looker
Metabase-
Scheduled reports / alerting
Looker
Metabase
Governance
Row-level security & SSO/SAML
Looker-
Metabase-
Commercial
Per-seat pricing published
Looker
Metabase-
Free tier / free desktop
Looker
Metabase
Ecosystem
dbt-native integration
Looker-
Metabase-
Data-source connector breadth
LookerCloud data warehouses (Snowflake confirmed), OAuth-authenticated data sources
MetabaseBroad database and warehouse support via SQL connectors and MCP servers

What each one is

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

Looker

Looker transforms static dashboards into governed, agentic analytics experiences. It combines natural language interactions powered by Gemini with a semantic layer to enable organizations to explore data conversationally and automate business decisions through AI agents.

Independently observed

Metabase

Leader

A business intelligence tool that enables data teams and analysts to query and visualize data through AI chat or visual interfaces, while maintaining transparency through a curated semantic layer of verified metrics and governed data access.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

Looker

Pricing not documented yet.

Metabase

Leader
from $6/moHybridFree tier14-day trial

Free tier with unlimited users. Starter from $100/month (5 users included). Pro from $575/month (10 users included). Enterprise custom, starts $20,000/year. Usage-based pricing for optional features.

  • Open SourceFree
    • Ask questions with AI
    • SQL generation
    • 20+ supported data sources
    • Unlimited questions & dashboards
    • Write SQL or explore by clicking
    • +2 more
  • Starter$100/month or $90/month yearly (first 5 users included, then $6/user/month)
    • All Open Source features
    • Ask questions with AI
    • SQL generation
    • Unlimited questions & dashboards
    • 3-day email support
    • +1 more
  • Pro$575/month or $517.50/month yearly (first 10 users included, then $12/user/month)
    • All Starter features
    • Embed unlimited charts and dashboards
    • Multi-tenant data segregation
    • Row and column level permissions
    • SSO
    • +4 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • All Pro features
    • Custom pricing aligned with business model
    • Procurement assistance
    • Dedicated success engineer
    • Air gap deployment available
    • +1 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
Web
Looker
Metabase
CLI
Looker
Metabase
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Looker
Metabase
Self-hosted
Looker
Metabase
Hybrid
Looker
Metabase

Integrations

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

Looker

1 total
  • Snowflake
Independently observed

Metabase

Leader
27 total
  • Vanta
  • Drata
  • Okta
  • Pendo
  • Contentsquare
  • PostHog
  • Amplitude
  • Mixpanel
  • Zendesk
  • Intercom
  • Front
  • Freshdesk
  • Gorgias
  • Kustomer
  • Pylon
  • Plain
  • LiveAgent
  • Jitbit
  • Crisp
  • Drag
  • Productboard
  • Aha!
  • Canny
  • Typeform
  • +3 more
Independently observed

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

Looker vs Metabase: an evidence-based comparison · Vioscale