Apache Superset vs Metabase vs Redash: which fits which team
The right pick among these three self-hosted BI tools depends on who builds dashboards, whether SSO or row-level permissions are required without a paid plan, and how much operating effort the team can carry. There is no single winner. Superset is licensed under Apache-2.0 with no paid edition, so every feature is available in the open-source product, but it asks more of the operator. Metabase keeps its open-source edition under the AGPL, and the features most governance-minded teams want (SSO, row and column level permissions, usage analytics and auditing) sit behind the Pro and Enterprise plans. Redash is BSD-2-Clause and has the lightest footprint of the three, but its release history paused after v10.1.0 in November 2021 before v25.1.0 in January 2025.
Superset suits SQL-fluent teams that want a fully Apache-2.0 product and can run a metadata database, Redis and Celery workers, and an upgrade routine that follows the documented backup and superset db upgrade steps. Metabase suits business users who want guided exploration and whose budget can absorb a Pro plan for SSO and row-level security. Confirm current per-user pricing and included users on the Metabase pricing page before modeling cost, since those figures change. Redash suits small analyst teams that value a BSD-2-Clause license and a simple footprint, provided they treat the 2021 to 2025 gap as a maintenance risk and check that the latest v26.9.0 release, which fixed 13 security advisories, meets their patching expectations.
Before choosing, run a short check against your own requirements: list which users need SSO, which datasets need row-level filtering, and who will patch the platform after each release. If SSO and row-level security are both needed on day one, the Metabase Pro price becomes part of the comparison, while Superset and Redash shift that work into configuration and operations. Ask each vendor or community channel to confirm the features your environment depends on, because edition boundaries are the most likely source of surprises.
Which tool fits which scenario
This table maps common team situations to the BI tool that fits best and explains the fact behind each pick. Read it by finding your situation first, then checking the reason before you accept the recommendation. Most teams will find that the licensing model and the features they need for access control decide the choice more than dashboard look and feel.
| Scenario | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| SQL-fluent analysts who write their own queries | Apache Superset | Superset includes a SQL IDE and a no-code chart builder under Apache-2.0, so analysts can move from SQL to charts without a paid edition. |
| Business users who need self-serve questions | Metabase | Metabase is built for non-technical users to ask questions through a guided interface, but confirm that the Pro plan covers the access controls your users need. |
| Team needs SSO and row-level security without a paid plan | Apache Superset | Metabase lists SSO and row and column level permissions as Pro or Enterprise features, while Superset has no paid edition and supports OAuth2 and LDAP with role mapping. |
| Small team with a tight budget | Metabase Open Source or Redash, depending on access needs | Metabase Open Source and Starter are free to start, but SSO and row-level permissions need Pro. Redash is BSD-2-Clause, so verify its release cadence and maintenance plan before you commit. |
| Team that wants no paid edition at all | Apache Superset or Redash | Superset is Apache-2.0 with no paid edition, and Redash is BSD-2-Clause with no paid tier, while Metabase's most-needed controls sit behind Pro. |
| Team that wants a lighter footprint | Redash | Redash's documented self-hosting needs PostgreSQL, Redis, an API server and a background worker, with a recommended minimum of 4 GB RAM, while Superset adds a caching layer and Celery workers for alerts and async queries. |
| Team that already runs Celery and Redis for other jobs | Apache Superset | Superset's alerts, reports and async queries depend on the caching layer and worker components, so an existing Redis and Celery setup lowers the extra services to operate. |
| Team that must confirm a long support window | Metabase | Metabase LTS releases are supported for 14 months, which gives a documented support window. Check Redash and Superset release policies in writing before you commit. |
How the three tools compare on the facts that decide the choice
This table sets licensing, paid features, sign-in options, row-level permissions, metadata database, services, Kubernetes path and release status side by side for the three tools. Read each row as a question to answer with your own identity, data and compliance requirements, and confirm any cell marked as a vendor check before you rely on it.
| Capability | Apache Superset | Metabase | Redash |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0, with no paid edition | AGPL for the open-source edition, Metabase Commercial License for paid code | BSD-2-Clause |
| Paid editions | None published by the project | Starter, Pro and Enterprise plans, with Enterprise priced by quote from $20,000 per year (Metabase pricing page) | No paid edition named in the supplied facts; confirm any hosted or support options with the vendor |
| SSO | OAuth2 providers such as Google and Azure, plus custom OAuth2 servers using the code flow | Google sign-in in the open-source and Starter plans; SSO included only in Pro and Enterprise | Google OAuth is documented in the setup guide; confirm other SSO options with the vendor |
| LDAP | Supported, with AUTH_ROLES_MAPPING to map groups to roles | Supported in open source and Starter; advanced LDAP group and attribute sync requires Pro or Enterprise | Not documented in the supplied facts; confirm with the vendor |
| Row-level permissions | Available in the platform; confirm the exact configuration for your role model | Included only in Pro and Enterprise plans | Not documented in the supplied facts; confirm with the vendor |
| Production metadata database | PostgreSQL 10 to 17 or MySQL 5.7 and 8.x; SQLite default is not for production | PostgreSQL recommended; MySQL 8.4.0 or MariaDB 10.6.0 and later also supported; embedded H2 is for demos | PostgreSQL required |
| Required services | Metadata database, with optional caching, Redis and Celery workers for alerts, reports and async queries | Application database and the Metabase JAR; no separate worker tier named in the supplied facts | PostgreSQL, Redis, API server and background worker processes |
| Kubernetes deployment path | Official Superset Kubernetes Operator recommended for new deployments; Helm chart marked deprecated in current docs | Container deployment documented; confirm the Kubernetes approach for your cluster with the vendor | Docker images for Kubernetes, ECS or Docker Compose |
| Release status | 6.1.0 released May 13, 2026; 7.0.0 release candidates in October 2026 | v0.64.1 released October 7, 2026; Metabase 64 LTS supported until December 1, 2027 | Latest v26.9.0 released September 24, 2026, after a gap from v10.1.0 (November 2021) to v25.1.0 (January 2025) |
What the Apache Superset vs Metabase vs Redash licenses allow in practice
Apache Superset is released under the Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0), and the project has no paid edition. The software license itself therefore adds no fee, and the permissive terms generally allow internal use, modification and redistribution under the license's conditions. Any money you spend goes to infrastructure, to third-party managed services, or to implementation work from a vendor such as DeployOpen, which is quoted from a written scope.
- No license fee: Apache-2.0 has no paid tier, so there is no per-user license line to model.
- Recurring costs sit elsewhere: You pay for hosts, the metadata database, and any Redis and Celery services you run.
- Managed options are separate: A managed Superset service is a commercial offer from another company, so confirm its terms directly with that vendor.
- Notice obligations: Redistributing Superset, including in a product, carries Apache-2.0 notice and attribution duties that your counsel should review.
- Check the version: Superset 6.1.0 was released on May 13, 2026, and 7.0.0 release candidates were published in October 2026, so confirm which release your team will standardize on.
Before you commit, ask your legal team to confirm how the Apache-2.0 notice terms apply to your distribution model.
Metabase's open-source edition is licensed under the AGPL, while code in its commercial editions falls under the Metabase Commercial Software License. The pricing page lists Starter at $100 per month, or $90 per month billed yearly, with the first 5 users included. Pro costs $575 per month, or $517.50 per month billed yearly, with the first 10 users included. Additional users cost $6 per month on Starter and $12 per month on Pro. Enterprise is priced by quote, starting at $20,000 per year, according to the Metabase pricing page.
- Open-source edition: Free under the AGPL, with features such as SSO, row and column permissions and auditing reserved for paid plans.
- Starter: $100 per month, or $90 per month billed yearly, with 5 users included.
- Pro: $575 per month, or $517.50 per month billed yearly, with 10 users included.
- Enterprise: Quoted, starting at $20,000 per year, per the pricing page.
- Legal review: AGPL obligations can apply when you modify and distribute or offer the software over a network, so have counsel review your use case.
Confirm current prices and included users on the Metabase pricing page before budgeting.
Redash is licensed under the BSD-2-Clause license, a permissive license that generally allows internal use, modification and redistribution with notice conditions. The supplied information does not list a paid tier or commercial edition for Redash. That means the open-source license itself carries no fee, but you should not assume that no hosted or commercial offering exists. Confirm any hosted or commercial option directly with the vendor and get its terms in writing.
- Permissive terms: BSD-2-Clause requires retention of copyright and license notices in redistributions.
- No known paid tier: Based on the information available, there is no paid edition to compare against Superset or Metabase.
- Hosted offers: Any vendor-hosted service needs its own contract, data processing terms and support scope.
- Self-hosting costs: Your recurring costs are hosts, PostgreSQL, Redis and the Redash processes you run.
- Maintenance history: Confirm the current release cadence on the Redash GitHub releases page before you rely on it.
Ask the vendor to confirm in writing whether any commercial or hosted terms apply to your deployment.
Which sign-in options each tool gives you without paying
Sign-in is where the free tiers differ most, so check it before you compare dashboards. Apache Superset gives you single sign-on without a paid tier, because it has no paid edition at all. It is built on Flask-AppBuilder and supports OAuth2 providers such as Google and Azure, custom OAuth2 servers using the code flow, and LDAP. Its AUTH_ROLES_MAPPING setting maps LDAP or OAuth groups to Superset roles, so access follows the groups your identity provider already manages. The configuration is code-level work in superset_config.py, so budget engineering time to set it up and to test it in staging after each upgrade.
Metabase is more restrictive. Its open source and Starter plans support Google sign-in and LDAP, but JWT, OIDC, SAML and SCIM provisioning require Pro or Enterprise, and so does advanced LDAP group and attribute sync. Metabase publishes documented SAML setups for Auth0, Entra ID, Google, Keycloak and Okta, which helps you plan the paid tier, but those setups are only usable on the paid plans. If your identity provider speaks OIDC or SAML and you need group-based access without manual user creation, price the Pro plan into the comparison from the start.
Redash's open-source setup guide recommends Google OAuth for production, and that is the sign-in option the documentation highlights. It does not list the full set of identity options in the same way, so ask the vendor or check the current setup documentation for SAML, OIDC, LDAP or SCIM support before you shortlist it. Identity-led teams should write down their identity provider requirements first, including the protocol, group sync and provisioning needs, and then test each candidate against them in a staging environment.
What drives the running cost of each tool
Licence fees are only one part of what each tool costs to run. The cards below separate the cost drivers that apply across all three tools, so you can ask each vendor or partner for the same breakdown. Check which items are one-time, which recur, and who is paid for each.
Software licence and paid plans
Superset and Redash carry no paid edition in the supplied facts, so their licence line is zero and the cost sits in infrastructure and people. Metabase is different: its Open Source plan is free, but SSO, row and column level permissions, and usage analytics and auditing are only included in Pro and Enterprise. Metabase Starter is $100 per month, or $90 per month billed yearly, and Pro is $575 per month, or $517.50 per month billed yearly, per Metabase's pricing page. Enterprise is priced by quote, starting at $20,000 per year. Confirm which features your access model needs before you pick a plan.
Metabase user tiers
Metabase's published plans include a set number of users, and each extra user is billed monthly. Starter includes the first 5 users and Pro includes the first 10, with additional users at $6 per month on Starter and $12 per month on Pro, per the pricing page. These are recurring costs that scale with headcount, not with query volume. Ask for the user count at go-live and at 12 months, and whether viewers count the same as editors.
Required infrastructure and workers
Each tool needs an application database and a host to run it, and the footprint differs. Superset's architecture docs list a metadata database, an optional cache, and optional Celery worker and beat processes; alerts and reports, async queries and dashboard thumbnails depend on the cache and workers, and most installs use Redis and Celery. Redash needs PostgreSQL, Redis, an API server and background workers, with a documented minimum of 4 GB of RAM. Metabase runs on an embedded H2 database for demos, but PostgreSQL is recommended for production. Hosting, backups and monitoring for these services recur every month.
Staff time for upgrades and migrations
Upgrades and migrations are the largest one-time and recurring labor items. Superset upgrades call for a database backup, superset db upgrade, superset init, a staging test and a review of UPDATING.md. Metabase runs migrations automatically, and the docs advise reducing a cluster to one node for major upgrades. Redash's release history paused from v10.1.0 in November 2021 to v25.1.0 in January 2025, so a team may have to absorb a longer gap in fixes. Moving from Metabase's embedded H2 database to PostgreSQL uses a one-time load-from-h2 step that must run on the matching Metabase version. Ask who owns each upgrade and at what cadence.
Support windows and version churn
Support windows set how often you must upgrade. Metabase LTS versions are supported for 14 months, while non-LTS versions usually reach end of life after 2 months. Metabase 64 is an LTS release with end of life on 1 December 2027. Superset publishes release candidates for 7.0.0 ahead of a stable release, so a planned upgrade may land in the middle of a major change. Ask each vendor, and any partner, for the support window of the exact version you will deploy and the plan for moving off it.
Quote items to request
Ask every bidder for the same written breakdown so the totals can be compared. Request the licence or plan line for each user tier, the number of hosts and the database, cache and worker components, backup and monitoring responsibilities, upgrade and migration effort, and the support window of the version proposed. Confirm what is one-time setup and what recurs each year. DeployOpen does not publish a price list, so a quote follows from written scope, and it is worth asking for assumptions on user growth and upgrade cadence in the same document.
What implementing each tool involves
Superset has the most setup decisions of the three, so settle its metadata database and secret before anything else. Choose PostgreSQL or MySQL: the configuration documentation lists PostgreSQL 10 to 17 and MySQL 5.7 and 8.x, while the architecture documentation says the SQLite default and the Docker Compose PostgreSQL container are not recommended for production. Set a SECRET_KEY before the first start, because Superset will not start without one, and plan how you will rotate it using PREVIOUS_SECRET_KEY. For deployment, choose the Kubernetes Operator or Docker Compose. The current development docs mark the Helm chart as deprecated, so confirm which deployment path your target release documents. Each upgrade follows the same sequence: back up the metadata database, run superset db upgrade and superset init, test in staging, and read UPDATING.md for breaking changes.
Metabase needs one change before production. Its embedded H2 application database is meant for demos, and the documentation recommends PostgreSQL for production, with MySQL 8.4.0 or MariaDB 10.6.0 and later also supported. Move the data with the documented load-from-h2 command, and run it with the same Metabase version that last updated the H2 file, as the migration guide requires. Back up the application database before every upgrade, because migrations run automatically. Major upgrades also mean reducing a cluster to a single node because of a migration lock, and the docs advise upgrading one release at a time from versions older than 40. Plan the cadence around support windows: LTS releases are supported for 14 months, and Metabase 64 is an LTS released on 16 September 2026 with end of life on 1 December 2027.
Redash has fewer product decisions but still needs four services. A self-hosted deployment requires PostgreSQL, Redis, the API server and background worker processes, and the setup guide recommends at least 4 GB of RAM. Before users sign in, configure a mail server, Google OAuth, HTTPS and the environment variables that the Redash open-source setup guide recommends for production. Pick the packaging that fits your platform: the setup script for modern Linux, Docker images for Kubernetes, ECS or Docker Compose, or the prebuilt AWS EC2 and Google Compute Engine images. Because releases paused from 2021 to 2025, confirm with the Redash project which release line you will track, and name the person who will apply security fixes such as those in v26.9.0.
What do buyers ask before choosing Apache Superset, Metabase or Redash?
How much does a self-hosted Apache Superset deployment cost in licenses?
Apache Superset has no license fee. It is released under the Apache License 2.0 and the project has no paid edition, so the license line on a quote is zero. The recurring costs come from what you run around it: the servers or Kubernetes capacity, a PostgreSQL or MySQL metadata database, and, for alerts, reports, async queries and dashboard thumbnails, the caching layer and Celery worker and beat processes. Staff time to upgrade, back up and monitor these services is usually the largest ongoing cost. Ask any implementation partner for a written quote tied to your user count, data sources, high availability needs and support hours, and separate one-time setup from recurring operations.
Does Metabase SSO require a paid plan, and what does Pro cost?
Yes. According to the Metabase pricing page, SSO is included only in the Pro and Enterprise plans, not in Open Source or Starter. Open Source and Starter support Google sign-in and LDAP, but SAML, OIDC, JWT and SCIM provisioning need Pro or Enterprise. On the same page, Pro is listed at $575 per month, or $517.50 per month billed yearly, with the first 10 users included, and additional users cost $12 per month. Enterprise is priced by quote, starting at $20,000 per year. Confirm current prices on the pricing page before budgeting, because list prices change.
How long does a Redash or Superset upgrade take, and what does it need from staff?
No upgrade duration is published in the sources we rely on, so ask for a written estimate tied to your scope rather than a generic number. The work depends on your version gap, the number of data sources and dashboards, your metadata database size, and whether you have a staging environment. For Superset, the upgrade guidance says to back up the metadata database, run superset db upgrade and superset init, test in staging and check UPDATING.md for breaking changes. Redash needs its PostgreSQL database, Redis, API server and worker processes updated together. Ask the vendor or partner who will perform the work, what testing they include and what rollback plan they document.
Can a non-specialist run Superset, Metabase or Redash on their own?
A non-specialist can often operate the front end of any of the three, but running the platform is a different job. Metabase is the most approachable for non-technical users, and a small Docker or JAR install can work for a pilot, though its docs recommend PostgreSQL rather than the embedded H2 database for production. Superset has the widest set of moving parts, since production use needs a metadata database, and alerts and async queries need Redis and Celery, so it usually needs an engineer who can manage containers and databases. Redash needs PostgreSQL, Redis and worker processes, and its docs suggest at least 4 GB of RAM. Assess your team's container, database and upgrade skills before deciding who owns operations.
Should Redash's 2021 to 2025 release gap stop it from a shortlist?
Not by itself, but it should trigger due diligence. Redash's release history shows v10.1.0 in November 2021, then v25.1.0 in January 2025, with later releases including v26.9.0 on September 24, 2026, which fixed 13 security advisories. The gap is a maintenance risk you must weigh against the recent activity. Check the release notes for the versions you would deploy, review open security advisories, confirm who patches the platform after go-live, and test the version you intend to run against your data sources. If your policy requires a maintained upstream with predictable cadence, Superset or Metabase may fit better.
Can DeployOpen plan, implement and support any of these three tools?
DeployOpen plans, implements, customizes, integrates, hardens, backs up, upgrades, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. Most engagements are fixed-scope, with scope, deliverables and timelines agreed in writing before work starts, and a quote follows from that written scope. DeployOpen does not publish a price list. Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as retainers. DeployOpen is not an official partner or reseller of Apache Superset, Metabase or Redash unless a fact supplied with the topic says so, so confirm the scope of any vendor-specific question in writing.
What should I ask about Metabase licensing before rolling it out?
Start with the license split. Metabase's repository ships the open-source edition under the AGPL and its commercial editions under the Metabase Commercial Software License. Confirm which edition your team will run, whether your legal team accepts AGPL obligations for your deployment and whether you need the features that sit behind Pro or Enterprise, such as row and column level permissions, usage analytics and auditing, and embedding without Metabase branding. Also check the version support policy: LTS releases are supported for 14 months, while non-LTS releases usually reach end of life after 2 months, so an upgrade plan is needed either way.
How DeployOpen helps teams choose and implement a BI tool
DeployOpen plans, implements, integrates, hardens, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own infrastructure, so the choice between Superset, Metabase and Redash is tested against your data sources, identity setup and team before anything is installed. The work follows a fixed scope agreed in writing, with the sign-in, permissions and upgrade requirements settled up front.
How we scope
- Map the data sources, SQL dialects and analyst or viewer counts the BI tool must serve.
- Record which sign-in options you need, such as OAuth, LDAP or SAML, and which plan tier that requires.
- Agree the written scope, deliverables and timeline with you before any work starts, with no price list involved.
How we build
- Deploy the chosen tool in your cloud account, data center or air-gapped network, with its metadata database set up for production.
- Configure permissions, role mapping and data connections, and test row-level access against sample accounts you approve.
- Size the supporting services, such as Redis, Celery workers or mail, that the chosen tool needs for alerts and scheduled refreshes.
How we hand over
- Document the architecture, configuration keys, backup steps and the upgrade path your team will follow.
- Run a staged upgrade rehearsal so your staff see the backup, migration and rollback steps before production change.
- Deliver the runbook and training that your administrators need to operate the tool without DeployOpen on call.
How we support
- Offer ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing as a retainer after handover, scoped in writing.
- Review each vendor release for breaking changes and security fixes before scheduling your upgrade window.
- Confirm with each vendor and your own environment the licensing, edition and support windows that apply at the time you buy.
