// DASHBOARDS
Power BI vs Metabase
Power BI charges per viewer and ties you to the Microsoft stack. Metabase lets anyone explore data and build dashboards on your own server — with no per-viewer fee.
RENTED
Power BI
From ~$14/user/mo
OWNED
Metabase
Free + your hosting
// AT A GLANCE
How they compare
Power BI
Metabase
Pricing model
Per-user subscription
Free, open-source license
Per-viewer fees
Each viewer is billable
Unlimited viewers included
Who owns the site
Microsoft's cloud
Your server, your dashboards
Self-serve analytics
Yes (per seat)
Yes, included
Lock-in
Tied to Microsoft stack
Open, connects to any database
* Pricing is illustrative of published list rates and scales with seats/usage; open-source figures reflect license cost only.
// THE CATCH
Where Power BI starts to hurt
X
Per-viewer tax
Sharing a dashboard widely means paying for every person who looks at it.
X
Stack lock-in
It pulls you deeper into the Microsoft ecosystem and its licensing.
X
Capacity costs
Broader sharing pushes you toward expensive Premium capacity.
// THE ALTERNATIVE
Metabase does the same job — and you own it
Metabase is an approachable analytics platform — dashboards, ad-hoc questions, SQL, and alerts — connecting to your databases and self-hosted with unlimited viewers.
Unlimited viewers, no per-seat fees
Dashboards and ad-hoc questions
Connects to your existing databases
SQL access and scheduled alerts
All reporting runs on your own server
// THE MATH
What it costs over three years
Power BI · 3-YEAR LICENSE
$2,520+
Based on 5 Pro users; Premium capacity and wider viewer access raise this substantially.
Metabase · LICENSE FEES
$0
No per-seat or usage fees ever. You pay only for the hosting you already run — plus our flat build & maintenance.
// WHY BUILTSTEAD, NOT DIY
Open-source is only free if your time is.
Metabase is free and friendly — but it still needs hosting, securing, and connecting to your data sources to deliver. We install it, secure it, move your data over, connect it to the rest of your tools, and keep it running — all set up in your name. You get the savings of open-source without becoming your own IT department.
01
We host it for you
Deployed on reliable infrastructure, configured, secured, and monitored — no servers for you to babysit.
02
We migrate your data
Your existing records, contacts, and history moved over cleanly, so nothing is lost in the switch.
03
We connect your stack
Wired into your other tools so data flows automatically instead of being re-entered by hand.
04
We maintain & update
Updates, backups, and security patches handled on an ongoing basis — it just keeps working.
05
Set up in your name
Everything is titled to your company on your domain. No lock-in, no markup — the keys are yours.
06
Real people to call
When something needs attention, you reach us directly — not a ticket queue in another time zone.
Ready to drop Power BI?
Get a free audit. We'll price out your switch to Metabase, map the migration, and show you the three-year savings — no obligation.
// MORE COMPARISONS
// GROWTH
// FINANCE
// OPERATIONS