Metabase vs. Microsoft Power BI

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Metabase
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
Metabase aims to bring data tools with the simplicity of consumer products to the crufty world of enterprise business intelligence. Their open source analytics and business intelligence applications connect to most commonly used databases to let anyone in a company ask questions, and create dashboards or nightly emails without knowing SQL. Metabase Enterprise enables the user to embed branded analytics into customer applications.
$85
per month
Microsoft Power BI
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft Power BI is a visualization and data discovery tool from Microsoft. It allows users to convert data into visuals and graphics, visually explore and analyze data, collaborate on interactive dashboards and reports, and scale across their organization with built-in governance and security.
$10
per month per user
Pricing
MetabaseMicrosoft Power BI
Editions & Modules
Starter
$85
per month (includes 5 users, then $5 per user, per month)
Growth
$749
per month (includes 10 users, then $15 per user, per month)
Open Source
Free
Enterprise
starting at $15,000
per year
Enterprise
Starts at $15,000
per year
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MetabaseMicrosoft Power BI
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MetabaseMicrosoft Power BI
Considered Both Products
Metabase
Chose Metabase
I thought Metabase was the easiest option that allowed for flexibility. However, I did need dedicated engineering resources to get the system configured and basic queries started
Microsoft Power BI

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
MetabaseMicrosoft Power BI
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Metabase
8.7
2 Ratings
6% above category average
Microsoft Power BI
7.2
138 Ratings
13% below category average
Pixel Perfect reports8.02 Ratings6.5118 Ratings
Customizable dashboards10.02 Ratings8.0138 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates8.02 Ratings7.2126 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Metabase
6.0
2 Ratings
30% below category average
Microsoft Power BI
7.0
139 Ratings
15% below category average
Drill-down analysis8.02 Ratings7.2138 Ratings
Formatting capabilities6.02 Ratings6.4137 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages2.01 Ratings7.5102 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration8.02 Ratings7.0134 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Metabase
8.5
1 Ratings
2% above category average
Microsoft Power BI
7.8
133 Ratings
7% below category average
Publish to Web9.01 Ratings8.1128 Ratings
Publish to PDF9.01 Ratings8.1121 Ratings
Report Versioning7.01 Ratings7.3101 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling9.01 Ratings8.7103 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers00 Ratings6.773 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Metabase
6.5
2 Ratings
22% below category average
Microsoft Power BI
7.5
135 Ratings
7% below category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)9.02 Ratings7.5130 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization10.02 Ratings7.7121 Ratings
Predictive Analytics4.01 Ratings7.4101 Ratings
Pattern Recognition and Data Mining3.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Metabase
10.0
2 Ratings
15% above category average
Microsoft Power BI
8.2
126 Ratings
5% below category average
Multi-User Support (named login)10.02 Ratings8.2120 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model10.02 Ratings8.8102 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)10.02 Ratings8.4110 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control10.01 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)10.02 Ratings8.694 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Metabase
9.0
2 Ratings
12% above category average
Microsoft Power BI
7.9
117 Ratings
1% below category average
Responsive Design for Web Access8.01 Ratings8.0111 Ratings
Mobile Application10.01 Ratings7.493 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile9.02 Ratings7.4112 Ratings
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Product A and Product B
Metabase
8.5
2 Ratings
7% above category average
Microsoft Power BI
8.4
80 Ratings
6% above category average
REST API7.12 Ratings8.172 Ratings
Javascript API9.01 Ratings9.656 Ratings
iFrames9.01 Ratings8.055 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)9.01 Ratings8.263 Ratings
Java API00 Ratings7.946 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)00 Ratings8.444 Ratings
Best Alternatives
MetabaseMicrosoft Power BI
Small Businesses
BrightGauge
BrightGauge
Score 8.9 out of 10
BrightGauge
BrightGauge
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Reveal
Reveal
Score 9.9 out of 10
Reveal
Reveal
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Jaspersoft Community Edition
Jaspersoft Community Edition
Score 9.7 out of 10
Jaspersoft Community Edition
Jaspersoft Community Edition
Score 9.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
MetabaseMicrosoft Power BI
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(2 ratings)
7.9
(140 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(56 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(52 ratings)
User Testimonials
MetabaseMicrosoft Power BI
Likelihood to Recommend
Metabase
Very well-suited in growing organizations, at a company of the size I work at it is the perfect solution in terms of functionality and cost. Compared to other solutions like PowerBI etc, which can run into the hundreds of thousands just to implement, Metabase is fantastic. In terms of scalability, as we grow, there will be inevitable questions over how well we can grow with Metabase.
Read full review
Microsoft
In operations we use the tool for many different topics, from factory quality systems to high level reviews. We have created kind of an internal "App Store" based on Power BI where you have a lot of different dashboards for different solutions (cost, cash, health and safety, sales, factories, distribution centers...) and you as an user just need to get in that "App Store" and enter in whatever tool can be useful for you. It is open to all the operations employees and can use on demand. Also it has raised the imagination of our colleagues, as they are not only working by themselves creating new reports, but also raising fantastic ideas that can be extended for the usage of all the community.
Read full review
Pros
Metabase
  • Store Data
  • Make Querying easy
  • Quickly ingest data from many sources
Read full review
Microsoft
  • Quickly filter and view granular data sets with easily configurable reporting figures.
  • The ability to quickly switch between tabs allows for historical data comparisons and progress tracking.
  • It's helpful to dive into the data and break it down from high levels to small.
  • Achieve actionable insights faster by using real-time data. It's incredible to have online access to reports.
Read full review
Cons
Metabase
  • Report Types
  • Updates
  • Colour/Branding
Read full review
Microsoft
  • The desktop app is great but needs a lot of performance improvements
  • No MacOS Version for the Desktop app, this is a big limitation for business since executives prefer Macs
  • Premium Cloud Version of Power BI is awfully expensive
  • On-Premise Version of the Power BI Reports Server is bundled only with SQL Server Enterprise License and cannot be purchased separately and requires Software Assurance Subscription
  • On-Premise Power BI Report Server doesn't support ADFS, AzureAD or any Claims-Based authentication platform, a sad disadvantage for enterprises
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Metabase
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
I find it helpful and easy to use
Read full review
Usability
Metabase
Its generally quite easy to use but some SQL is definitely important
Read full review
Microsoft
At this point, I think we all know who has taken the lead in the business intelligence and analytics market worldwide. With fresh new updates every other day on top of an already robustly built product with all features that one can dream of is a no brainer, I feel. Microsoft will invariably be synonymous with quality and professionalism.
Read full review
Support Rating
Metabase
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
I can't really speak to the support overall, [but] I will say that in the almost three years I have used the system, I have only needed to contact their support team once. I think the team was helpful, but it did take some time for us to resolve the issues/ request that they had. I guess the good news is that the system is pretty stable, and I personally have rarely needed to contact their technical support team.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Metabase
I used Looker in a previous role and found it clunky, difficult to navigate, hard to collaborate on, and ultimately massively expensive. I evaluated Looker to see if it would be right to implement it as a solution in my current role, but Metabase was the clear winner - the ease of use, cost, functionality, and simple report exploration made it an easy decision.
Read full review
Microsoft
[Microsoft] Power BI is practical and effective, like a hammer for a nail, it is easy to use and produces very quickly the results that in most cases are urgently required by clients (nice reports to share on the web). To start using [Microsoft] Power BI you need a business email address, with that you create an account in Power BI Service and in less than 1 hour you will have installed Power BI Desktop, a report will have been created and it will have been published on the web .
Read full review
Return on Investment
Metabase
  • We can make great reports for our customers quickly
  • We can store customer data dynamically
  • we can create customer specific metrics
Read full review
Microsoft
  • It helps us track and achieve company goals.
  • It shows us [our] performance in areas we could not previously track and allows us to see and work on how to improve their performance.
  • Quick easy access for executives to use in helping teams and addressing issues.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Microsoft Power BI Screenshots

Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Turns insights into impact for business usersScreenshot of Power BI integrates easily with Microsoft 365Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - AI-Powered CapabilitiesScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Copilot can be used to create reportsScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Data HubScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Scales as organizational needs grow