Metabase vs Grafana

Quick verdict

Metabase is a browser-based business intelligence tool. Its repository holds the open source edition, released under the AGPL, and commercial editions under the Metabase Commercial Software License. Business users build "questions" with a graphical query builder; analysts write SQL in the native query editor with variables and field filters; curated models act as reusable starting points. It runs as a single Java service (JAR or Docker) or on Metabase Cloud. The latest release on GitHub when checked was 63.19 (1 October 2026).

Grafana, from Grafana Labs, is an open source dashboarding and observability tool licensed under AGPL-3.0-only (some components are Apache 2.0); the latest release when checked was 13.2.3. Its documentation lists PostgreSQL, MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server as built-in core data sources, alongside Prometheus, Loki, Elasticsearch, InfluxDB, Tempo and cloud monitoring services. Each dashboard panel runs its own query and is usually drawn against a time range. It can be self-hosted or used through Grafana Cloud.

Side by side

Key differences

Business questions versus operational dashboards

The two tools start from different questions. Metabase assumes someone wants to understand the business: they pick a table or model, filter, group and summarise, and save the answer as a question that can go on a dashboard or be explored further by clicking into it. Its models, column descriptions and query builder exist so that people who do not write SQL can still work safely with the data.

Grafana assumes someone is watching a system: a dashboard has a time picker, panels re-query on refresh, and most visualisations expect a time column. It shines when the same screen mixes SQL data (orders per minute, failed jobs, queue depth stored in a table) with Prometheus metrics and logs from the same services. In our view it is a weak fit for ad hoc business analysis, because there is no graphical builder for business users and no shared model of measures across dashboards.

How SQL works in each

Both let you write SQL, but the conventions differ. In Metabase, a native question is ordinary SQL with optional variables in double braces and optional clauses in double brackets; field filters (WHERE {{created_at}}, written without the column name) create typed filter widgets such as date pickers. The editor runs a single read statement.

-- Metabase native question (PostgreSQL)
SELECT p.category,
       sum(o.total) AS revenue
FROM orders o
JOIN products p ON p.id = o.product_id
WHERE {{created_at}}            -- field filter mapped to orders.created_at
[[AND p.category = {{category}}]]
GROUP BY p.category
ORDER BY revenue DESC;

In Grafana, the PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQL Server query editors have a Builder mode with drop-downs and a Code mode with autocompletion; Grafana warns that Code mode changes do not transfer back to Builder. Results are formatted as a table or a time series, and a time series needs a column named time, sorted by time. Macros insert the dashboard's time range and grouping.

-- Grafana panel query, PostgreSQL data source, Format: Time series
SELECT $__timeGroup(created_at, '5m') AS time,
       count(*) AS orders
FROM orders
WHERE $__timeFilter(created_at)
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;

Both tools run whatever SQL the connection allows, so use a read-only database user. Grafana's PostgreSQL documentation says the user should have only SELECT permissions on the relevant schemas and tables, because Grafana does not validate the safety of queries.

Alerting and delivery

Grafana Alerting is built for operations. Alert rules evaluate queries from one or more data sources, notification policies route them, and contact points deliver them to more than 20 integrations, including email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, PagerDuty, Opsgenie, Jira and webhooks. On SQL Server, Grafana notes that the Entra ID "Current User" authentication option does not support alerting, so alerting rules need a service identity such as SQL Server authentication.

Metabase alerts are aimed at business events: a question that returns any rows, a time series crossing a goal line, or a progress bar reaching its goal, checked on a schedule (by the minute up to monthly, or a cron expression) and sent by email, Slack or webhook. Dashboard subscriptions send a whole dashboard on an hourly, daily, weekly or monthly schedule, optionally with CSV, XLSX or PDF attachments, even to people without a Metabase account. Per-subscription filter values are a Pro and Enterprise feature. Grafana's scheduled PDF and CSV reporting is available in Grafana Enterprise and Grafana Cloud, not in the open source edition, and its redesigned reporting feature was in public preview when checked.

Self-hosting and licences

Both open source editions are AGPL, which matters if you modify the code and offer it to others over a network. Both run as a single service with their own application database. Metabase recommends Eclipse Temurin JRE 25 or Docker, and PostgreSQL or MySQL as the production application database. Grafana is installed from packages or Docker.

The paid tiers unlock different things. Metabase's paid plans (Starter, Pro, Enterprise) add hosting, SSO, row and column-level permissions and SSO-based embedding. Grafana Enterprise and Grafana Cloud add reporting and Enterprise data source plugins: Grafana's Snowflake plugin, for example, "is available on Grafana Cloud and requires a Grafana Enterprise license for self-managed instances". If your warehouse is Snowflake and you want to self-host for free, Metabase's official Snowflake driver is the simpler route.

Pricing and licensing

Metabase. The open source edition is free to self-host with unlimited users. Listed on Metabase's pricing page in October 2026 (USD): Starter USD 100 per month (or USD 1,080 per year) with 5 users included and USD 6 per extra user per month; Pro USD 575 per month (or USD 6,210 per year) with 10 users included and USD 12 per extra user per month; Enterprise is custom, from USD 20,000 per year. Paid plans are available on Metabase Cloud or self-hosted.

Grafana. The open source edition is free. Listed on Grafana Labs' pricing page in October 2026 (USD): Grafana Cloud Free costs nothing and includes, among other limits, 3 active visualisation users per month, 10k active metric series and 50 GB of logs, with 14-day retention; Pro has a USD 19 per month platform fee plus usage above the free allowances (13-month metric retention); Enterprise requires a USD 25,000 per year spend commitment. Self-managed Grafana Enterprise is quoted. Azure Managed Grafana is priced separately by Microsoft.

Pricing checked on the vendors' official pages on 7 October 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.

Where each one leads

Limitations

When to choose each

When neither is right

• You need a governed semantic model with DAX measures and Microsoft 365 integration: see Power BI vs Metabase and Grafana vs Power BI.
• Analysts want a full SQL IDE and an Apache-licensed BI tool: see Metabase vs Apache Superset.
• You need pixel-perfect, paginated documents such as invoices or statements: see the best SQL reporting tools.
• You need query-level database diagnostics rather than dashboards on your data: see the best database monitoring tools.

Final recommendation

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Metabase on GitHub (licences, releases)
• Metabase pricing
• Metabase: connecting to databases
• Metabase: SQL parameters
• Metabase: alerts
• Metabase: dashboard subscriptions
• Grafana on GitHub (licence)
• Grafana data sources
• Grafana PostgreSQL query editor
• Grafana PostgreSQL data source configuration
• Grafana Microsoft SQL Server data source
• Grafana Alerting contact points
• Grafana reporting
• Grafana Snowflake data source plugin
• Grafana Cloud pricing

Checked October 2026.

How we research comparisons: our editorial method.