Power BI vs Metabase

Quick verdict

Power BI is Microsoft's business intelligence platform. Reports and semantic models are usually built in Power BI Desktop, a free Windows application (Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016 or later, 64-bit only), then published to the Power BI service, which is now integrated with Microsoft Fabric. Data is shaped with Power Query and modelled with DAX measures, and can be imported into the in-memory engine or queried live with DirectQuery. Sharing needs paid licences: Power BI Pro, Premium Per User (PPU), or a Fabric capacity. On-premises reporting is possible with Power BI Report Server.

Metabase is a browser-based BI tool. Its open source edition is released under the AGPL, while paid editions use the Metabase Commercial Software License. You can self-host it as a Java JAR or Docker container, or use Metabase Cloud. Business users build questions with a graphical query builder, analysts write SQL in the native query editor, and curated models act as reusable starting points. Paid plans (Starter, Pro, Enterprise) add hosting, SSO, row and column permissions and advanced embedding.

Side by side

Key differences

How SQL users work in each tool

In Metabase, SQL is a first-class path. The native query editor runs a single read query against a connected database, and you add filter widgets with variables such as {{start_date}} or field filters, reuse code through snippets, and reference saved questions or models with tags such as {{#1-customer-model}}. Metabase documents that the editor does not support multi-statement queries, stored procedures or DDL. A SQL result can be saved, put on a dashboard or turned into a model.

-- Metabase native query (PostgreSQL), with an optional variable
SELECT date_trunc('month', created_at) AS month,
       count(*) AS orders
FROM orders
WHERE 1 = 1
[[AND created_at >= {{start_date}}]]
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;

In Power BI, SQL usually sits underneath. You can paste a native SQL statement when connecting to a source such as SQL Server, but the main logic lives in Power Query steps and DAX measures in the semantic model. With DirectQuery, Power BI generates SQL against the source for each visual, and Microsoft notes that stored procedures and CTEs cannot be folded in DirectQuery. In our view, analysts who think in SQL find Metabase more direct, while teams that want one governed model reused across many reports benefit from Power BI's DAX layer.

Licensing: per user and capacity versus open source plus plans

Power BI has three per-user licences: Free (content for yourself only), Pro and PPU. To share, authors need Pro or PPU. Viewers also need Pro or PPU unless the content is in a workspace on a Fabric F64 or larger capacity (or a legacy P capacity), where a Free licence with a viewer role is enough. Microsoft states it is retiring Power BI Premium per-capacity (P) SKUs and recommends Fabric F SKUs instead.

Metabase is free with unlimited users when you self-host the open source edition. Paid plans charge a base fee that includes a number of users, then a fee for each additional user; Metabase counts anyone who signs in as a user. The commercial features that most often decide the upgrade are SSO, row and column-level permissions and SSO-based embedding, which are on Pro and Enterprise.

Deployment and platforms

Power BI Desktop runs only on Windows; Mac users need a Windows machine or a supported virtual desktop such as Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365. Published content runs in Microsoft's cloud. For on-premises needs, Power BI Report Server hosts Power BI and paginated reports and is licensed through SQL Server core licences or Fabric F64+ reserved instances, according to Microsoft.

Metabase is a single Java application. Metabase recommends Eclipse Temurin JRE 25 for the JAR, or running it in Docker, and advises using PostgreSQL or MySQL as the application database in production rather than the default embedded H2. Metabase Cloud removes the hosting work. Everything is browser-based, so authors can use any OS.

Embedding analytics in your product

Power BI supports "embed for your organisation" and "app owns data" for external customers. For customer-facing embedding, content sits on an F, A (Power BI Embedded) or P capacity and end users do not need Power BI licences; the capacity is the cost.

Metabase offers public links, guest (signed) embeds and full-app embedding on all plans, including open source. Modular embedding with SSO, which unlocks the query builder, drill-through and the collection browser inside your app, plus advanced theming and row-level data segregation, requires Pro or Enterprise.

Pricing and licensing

Power BI. Listed on Microsoft's pricing page in October 2026 (USD): Power BI Pro USD 14.00 per user per month and Premium Per User USD 24.00 per user per month, both paid yearly. Power BI Desktop and the Free licence cost nothing. Fabric capacity (F SKUs) is priced regionally, billed per second through Azure with an optional yearly reservation, and Power BI Embedded is quoted. Check the Azure pricing calculator for capacity.

Metabase. The open source edition is free. 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. Starter and Pro have a 14-day free trial. Optional usage-based add-ons (AI tokens, transforms, storage) are billed separately.

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 layer defined in code on Google Cloud: see Power BI vs Looker and Looker vs Looker Studio.
• You want an open source tool with a full SQL IDE and many chart types, and are comfortable running more infrastructure: see Metabase vs Apache Superset.
• Visual exploration by analysts is the priority and Salesforce is your CRM: compare Power BI vs Tableau.
• You only need a few reports from one database: scheduled SQL into a reporting table may be enough; see data warehouse vs database.

Final recommendation

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Power BI pricing (Microsoft)
• Power BI service features by licence type
• Microsoft Fabric licences and capacity
• Download Power BI Desktop (minimum requirements)
• DirectQuery in Power BI
• What is Power BI Report Server
• Metabase pricing
• Metabase: connecting to databases
• Metabase: SQL editor
• Metabase: embedding overview
• Metabase: running the JAR file
• Metabase on GitHub (licences)

Checked October 2026.

How we research comparisons: our editorial method.