Metabase vs Grafana: which to choose

Metabase vs Grafana: when to choose each

Choose Metabase when the questions are about relational or warehouse data and the people asking them are business users who want to explore tables, build charts and share dashboards without writing much SQL. Choose Grafana when the job is operational: dashboards and alerts on metrics, logs and traces, usually from monitoring pipelines. The two tools overlap on simple time-series charts and on SQL data sources, but each is the wrong tool for the other's core job. Metabase is not built for alerting on live infrastructure signals, and Grafana is not built as a self-serve question builder for finance or sales data.

The decision turns on three questions. First, where the data lives: a warehouse or application database points toward Metabase, while Prometheus, Loki or Tempo style stores point toward Grafana. Second, who builds the dashboards: if analysts and business owners need to build their own, Metabase's interface suits them, and if platform or SRE engineers own the dashboards as code, Grafana's provisioning model fits. Third, which paid controls you need. Metabase's SSO, row and column level permissions and auditing sit in Pro or Enterprise, while Grafana's SAML, team sync and SCIM provisioning are limited to Grafana Enterprise and Grafana Cloud. Confirm these against the current Metabase pricing page and Grafana's authentication documentation before you budget.

Some teams end up running both, and that is a reasonable outcome if you plan for it. Put the operational signals in Grafana, put business data in Metabase, and decide early which identity provider and access model each uses, since two tools mean two sets of users, groups and upgrade cycles. Before choosing, check the license terms of each product with your legal team: both use AGPL-based open-source editions with separate commercial editions, and the terms that govern modifications and hosting should be confirmed for your use.

Which scenario points to which tool

This table pairs common scenarios with the tool that usually fits better, based on the type of data and the people who read the output. The last column shows where a paid Metabase or Grafana edition changes the answer. The main takeaway is that warehouse questions from business users point to Metabase, while metrics and logs read during operations point to Grafana.

Scenario	Better fit	Why it fits the data and users	Where a paid edition changes the answer
Executive KPI reporting on a warehouse	Metabase	Modeled warehouse tables suit a no-code question builder that business users can work with directly.	Row and column permissions and SSO require Pro or Enterprise if finance views must be restricted.
On-call dashboards for service latency	Grafana	Time series and alert rules on live metric values fit engineers who must act within minutes.	Confirm Metabase alerting covers your paging path before relying on it. SAML requires Grafana Enterprise.
Customer-facing analytics in your product	Metabase	Embedded charts over relational application data serve outside users without building a reporting front end.	Embedding without Metabase branding requires Pro or Enterprise. Confirm the embedding method your plan includes.
Log exploration for incident response	Grafana	Grafana queries metrics, logs and traces wherever they are stored, so responders stay in one interface.	Grafana Enterprise adds SAML, reporting and auditing. Confirm that your log storage backend is supported.
Ad hoc questions from non-SQL teams	Metabase	A question builder lets analysts and managers explore tables without an engineering ticket for each chart.	Pro adds usage analytics and auditing, which matter when many business users share one instance.
Platform capacity and infrastructure trends	Grafana	Long-running metrics and provisioned data sources suit platform teams that manage dashboards as code.	SCIM provisioning and team sync are Grafana Enterprise features. Confirm which identity model your team needs.
Executive view spanning warehouse and infrastructure	Both, side by side	Warehouse tables and time series sit in different stores with different query models, so each tool serves its own data.	Each instance needs its own identity setup and upgrade routine, so plan for operating two platforms.

How each tool is built and what that means for operations

Metabase and Grafana are both self-hosted web applications with a configuration database, but they were built for different jobs and carry different upgrade and availability burdens. The cards below cover how each one stores its state, how it is packaged, and what your team will own after the first deployment.

Metabase's JAR and application database

Metabase runs as a Java archive, and its application database holds questions, dashboards, users and settings. The embedded H2 database is meant for demos, while PostgreSQL is the recommended choice for production. If you start on H2, plan a one-time load-from-h2 migration, and confirm that you run it with the same Metabase version that last wrote the H2 file. Confirm which application database your platform team will back up and who restores it.

Grafana's configuration store

Grafana keeps its configuration in SQLite 3 by default, and its installation docs state that SQLite does not scale for production. Production and high availability need MySQL or PostgreSQL. Dashboards, data sources and users live in that store, so the database choice sets your backup scope from day one. Confirm which store your team will provision and how it will be sized and restored.

Data sources queried at request time

Grafana does not hold a copy of your metrics, logs or traces. It queries data sources wherever they live and visualizes the results, which is why it fits operational telemetry. Metabase, by contrast, is built to query a SQL warehouse and its application database holds the saved analysis. Check whether the systems you need to chart speak to Grafana through a supported data source plugin, and whether Metabase can reach your warehouse with a supported driver.

Packaging for each deployment

Grafana ships as Debian and Ubuntu, RHEL and Fedora, SUSE, macOS and Windows packages, plus Docker images and Helm charts for Kubernetes. Metabase is distributed as a JAR and container images that your team wraps in its own service management. Decide which packaging matches your platform standards, since that choice drives how you patch and roll back. Confirm whether your Kubernetes or VM baseline already covers this.

Provisioning and as-code configuration

Grafana supports provisioning of data sources, dashboards, plugins and alerting through YAML or JSON files loaded at startup, and it documents further options such as Terraform and Git Sync. Metabase's configuration lives largely in its application database, so repeatable environments need a deliberate export or migration process. Ask your team how many environments must match, and whether dashboards must be reviewed in version control before they reach production.

Upgrade and high availability effort

Metabase runs application database migrations automatically on upgrade, and its docs recommend a backup first and reducing a cluster to one node for major upgrades. Grafana high availability uses two or more active-active servers behind a load balancer on a shared MySQL or PostgreSQL database, and its docs note alerting needs extra setup to avoid duplicate notifications. Plan a test upgrade for each tool, and confirm which maintenance window your operations team can give each platform.

Capabilities that separate the two in practice

This table compares the capabilities that most often decide between Metabase and Grafana, from data sources and licensing to permissions, provisioning, high availability and alerting. Read each row with its condition in mind, since a capability that is free on one edition may be paid on another, and confirm current edition coverage with each vendor before you commit.

Capability	Metabase	Grafana
Primary data sources	Warehouses and SQL databases queried through its question builder and SQL editor	Time series, logs and traces from many backends, built to query metrics where they are stored
Primary users	Business analysts and non-technical staff exploring warehouse data	Operations, SRE and platform teams watching live system and service signals
License of the core product	AGPL for the open source edition, with commercial code under the Metabase Commercial Software License	AGPL-3.0-only since version 8.0, with Grafana Enterprise as a separate commercial edition
SSO and SAML gating	SSO and SAML with documented setups are Pro or Enterprise; Google sign-in and LDAP are available in open source and Starter	LDAP, generic OAuth, Entra ID, Okta and Google are in all editions; SAML is Enterprise and Grafana Cloud only
Row and column permissions	Row and column level permissions are a Pro or Enterprise feature	Access is managed through folders and roles; confirm which fine-grained controls your edition provides
Provisioning as code	Configuration is set through the application; confirm which settings can be scripted for your version	Data sources, dashboards, plugins and alerting resources load from YAML or JSON at startup, with Terraform and Git Sync documented
High availability requirements	Recommended PostgreSQL application database for production; confirm the clustering approach for your version	Two or more active-active servers behind a load balancer sharing MySQL or PostgreSQL, with alerting and Grafana Live limits to plan for
Alerting	Subscriptions and alerts on questions; confirm the delivery channels and thresholds your edition supports	Built-in alerting across metrics, logs and traces; HA setups need extra configuration to avoid duplicate notifications

What each license and edition covers

Metabase divides its source across two licenses. Code outside the top-level enterprise directory is AGPL licensed, and code inside that directory falls under the Metabase Commercial License, as stated in the repository's LICENSE.txt file. A self-hosted team running the open-source build therefore works under AGPL terms only. The Metabase pricing page sets out the plan structure:

Open Source: free under the AGPL. It supports Google sign-in and LDAP, but it does not include SSO, row and column permissions, multi-tenant data segregation, or usage analytics and auditing.
Starter: $100 per month, or $90 per month billed yearly, with the first 5 users included. Each additional user costs $6 per month. Starter omits the Pro and Enterprise features listed here.
Pro: $575 per month, or $517.50 per month billed yearly, with the first 10 users included. Each additional user costs $12 per month. Pro adds SSO, row and column permissions, multi-tenant data segregation, usage analytics and auditing, and embedding without Metabase branding.
Enterprise: priced by quote, starting at $20,000 per year.

Check the Metabase pricing page before you budget, because plan prices and feature placement can change. Confirm with the vendor which code paths your deployment and any custom modifications touch.

How identity integration differs between Metabase and Grafana

The first question is whether your users must sign in with the corporate identity provider or whether a local account set is acceptable. On Metabase, the open source edition and the Starter plan support Google sign-in and LDAP. JWT, OIDC, SAML with documented setups for Auth0, Entra ID, Google, Keycloak and Okta, advanced LDAP group and attribute sync, and SCIM provisioning require the Pro or Enterprise plan. Single sign-on is therefore a paid decision for Metabase in a way that it is not for a small internal team on Google accounts. On Grafana, every edition supports LDAP, generic OAuth, Entra ID, Okta, GitHub, GitLab, Google OAuth, auth proxy and JWT. SAML, team sync, active sync and SCIM provisioning are limited to Grafana Enterprise and Grafana Cloud, so a SAML requirement on self-hosted Grafana means buying the commercial edition.

The condition that matters most is how access changes when someone joins, moves teams or leaves. Group and attribute sync decide whether a Metabase group or a Grafana team follows directory membership automatically, and SCIM provisioning decides whether accounts are created and disabled from the identity provider at all. If your audit expects deprovisioning to happen within a set window, a manual local account list on either tool is a finding waiting to happen. Confirm with each vendor which sync and provisioning features apply to the edition you plan to run, and test a departing user's access on a staging instance before go-live.

Because both matrices change with releases and commercial terms, treat the tables above as a starting point, not a commitment. Ask Metabase and Grafana Labs for the current sign-in and provisioning matrix for your target version, and check that the features you need are listed for that edition rather than in a blog post or older documentation. Record the answer in your access design so the decision, and the edition it depends on, can be defended during an audit.

What drives running cost for each tool

Running cost for Metabase and Grafana comes from different places: a paid per-user plan on one side, and database, high availability and operator skills on the other. The cards below separate what is paid once from what recurs, and list what to request before comparing quotes or self-hosted effort.

License tier and per-user pricing

Metabase's open source edition is free under the AGPL, but row and column permissions, SSO, usage analytics and auditing sit in the paid Pro and Enterprise plans. The published Pro price is per month with the first 10 users included and a per-user charge after that, so cost grows with headcount. Grafana OSS carries no seat fee, but SAML, team sync and SCIM are reserved for Grafana Enterprise and Grafana Cloud. Ask for the exact feature list each quote covers.

Application database and high availability

Metabase keeps questions, dashboards and settings in an application database, which it runs on embedded H2 for demos and recommends replacing with PostgreSQL for production. Grafana stores its configuration in SQLite by default, and its docs say MySQL or PostgreSQL is required for production and high availability. Both therefore add a managed database and a load balancer to the recurring bill. Confirm who operates the database backups and failover.

Staff skills for each tool

Metabase work is mostly SQL and data modeling: writing queries, defining models and tuning permissions for business users. Grafana work is mostly PromQL, LogQL and alerting rules, plus dashboard provisioning as code. Metabase's cost tends to sit with analytics engineers, while Grafana's sits with platform or SRE staff who already know the query languages. Budget for whichever skill set is scarce in your team, and check how many people can maintain each tool.

Upgrade effort and release cadence

Metabase LTS releases are supported for 14 months, while non-LTS versions usually reach end of life after 2 months, so the choice of release line sets how often you upgrade. Its docs ask for an application database backup before each upgrade and a single-node cluster for major upgrades. Grafana ships major releases yearly, minor releases every other month and patch releases at least monthly, with each minor supported for 9 months. Plan a recurring upgrade window for both.

Support options and what to request in a quote

Support is a separate recurring line for both products: Metabase Enterprise is priced by quote starting at a published annual figure, and Grafana Enterprise and Grafana Cloud Enterprise use custom commitments. Implementation partners such as DeployOpen are quoted from a written scope, not a price list. Request the support hours, response targets, upgrade help, the number of users covered and whether each item is one-time setup or an annual fee.

Moving dashboards between the two, step by step

This sequence separates what can be carried across from what has to be rebuilt, so a team moving content from Metabase to Grafana, or running both, ends with a tested inventory rather than a half-migrated pair of tools.

Back up the Metabase application database
Before touching any content, the platform owner takes a backup of the Metabase application database, which holds questions, dashboards, collections and settings, and records the Metabase version in use. Metabase's upgrade guidance recommends this backup before any upgrade, and the same copy protects the inventory work that follows. The step is done when a restore of the backup has been tested on a separate instance and the version number is written into the migration record.
Inventory every dashboard, question and alert
The analytics owner lists each Metabase dashboard, saved question, collection and any scheduled delivery, then tags each one as a warehouse question (SQL over business tables) or an operational view (time series or logs). Grafana is built for metrics, logs and traces, so most warehouse-facing content will not move cleanly, and this split decides the rest of the plan. The step is done when every item has an owner and a target tool recorded in one shared list.
Map each data source to its Grafana equivalent
The platform engineer checks which of the warehouse or database connections used by Metabase have a matching Grafana data source plugin, and which metrics or log stores Grafana already reads and Metabase does not. Grafana's data source list is set by its plugins, so the team confirms plugin support and version compatibility in the Grafana documentation rather than assuming it. The step is done when each source has a confirmed plugin, or is marked as one that stays in Metabase.
Rebuild queries in the target query language
The analyst rewrites each query by hand because Metabase questions are written in SQL or its query builder, while Grafana panels use the query language of the data source, such as PromQL for Prometheus or LogQL for Loki. Business logic such as joins, currency conversion and fiscal calendars has to be restated in the new language or moved into a view in the source database, and this is where most of the effort sits. The step is done when each rebuilt panel returns the same results as its Metabase original over an agreed sample period.
Provision dashboards as code where supported
The platform engineer exports Grafana dashboards and data sources as YAML or JSON provisioning files and stores them in version control, so they load at startup and are reproducible across environments. Grafana documents provisioning for data sources, dashboards and alerting resources, and further as-code options such as Terraform and Git Sync, so the team confirms which of these fits its environment. Dashboards built in Metabase have no equivalent file that transfers directly, so they are recreated and then provisioned. The step is done when a fresh Grafana instance loads the full set from the repository without manual edits.
Recreate permissions, groups and alert rules
The identity owner maps Metabase groups, collection permissions and row or column restrictions to Grafana teams, folders and roles, then recreates alert rules in Grafana's alerting model. Confirm which identity options apply to your edition before planning sign-in, since Grafana lists SAML, team sync and SCIM as Enterprise features, and Metabase gates SSO and row or column permissions behind Pro or Enterprise. Alert conditions also do not carry over, so each rule is re-tested against live data. The step is done when a test user sees only the expected content and each alert fires on a planted test condition.
Run both tools in parallel and cut over
Where both tools stay, the team keeps each dashboard in its home tool and documents the boundary, so warehouse questions remain in Metabase and operational views in Grafana. For a full move, both are run side by side until the rebuilt dashboards match the originals and users have been trained, then the Metabase content is archived rather than deleted. The step is done when a named owner signs off the cutover checklist and the old dashboards are read-only.
Plan upgrades for each tool separately
After cutover, the platform owner schedules upgrades for Metabase and Grafana on their own release cycles, starting each one with a fresh application database backup and a test instance. Metabase recommends reducing a cluster to a single node for major upgrades because of its migration lock, and Grafana's upgrade guidance describes its own minor and patch cadence, which the team should confirm in the vendor documentation before setting a date. The step is done when the upgrade runbook for each tool is written, reviewed and linked from the inventory.

Where implementation projects usually run long

Implementation projects for both tools run long for the same reason: the design decisions that matter most get made after the first dashboard is already live. For Metabase, the costly decisions are the data source connections and the permissions design: which groups can see which schemas, whether row and column level permissions are needed, and who owns the definitions behind each question. Those permission rules are the part most likely to change after launch, because a stakeholder who was excluded in pilot asks for access once the dashboards are trusted. Metabase's row and column level permissions and SSO sit on Pro or Enterprise plans, so a late change in access model can also be a change in license tier. Confirm with the vendor and in your own environment which plan covers each control before the permission model is signed off.

For Grafana, the overruns cluster around provisioning, high availability and alerting. Data sources, dashboards and alert rules can be defined in YAML or JSON files loaded at startup, so teams that build dashboards by hand in the UI often rebuild them later under source control. High availability needs two or more active-active servers behind a load balancer sharing a MySQL or PostgreSQL database, and the Grafana docs note that alerting needs additional configuration to avoid duplicate notifications and that Grafana Live has limitations in HA. Test alert deduplication against a real notification channel before go-live, not after the first duplicate page. Identity wiring is the third shared risk: SAML, team sync and SCIM are Grafana Enterprise features, and Metabase's SAML and SCIM sit on Pro or Enterprise, so confirm the identity provider and edition together.

DeployOpen plans and implements these systems against a written, fixed scope, with scope, deliverables and timelines agreed before work starts. Timelines depend on that agreed scope, so the most useful preparation is an inventory of data sources, the permission and metric owners, the identity provider, and the alerting targets. Ask for each of these to be written into the scope, and treat any change to permissions, provisioning or HA design after sign-off as a scope change with its own timeline.

Questions buyers ask before choosing or hiring help

Can Metabase monitor time series data the way Grafana does?

Metabase can chart time series that sit in a SQL database, but it is not built to watch live metrics. It queries your warehouse or application tables on demand and renders the result as a question or dashboard, so refresh behavior and query cost depend on the database behind it. Grafana is built to query, visualize, alert on and explore metrics, logs and traces wherever they are stored, with alerting as a core function. If your need is paging on a threshold within seconds, test both tools against your real data source and alert latency before deciding. Ask any implementation partner to demonstrate that alert path end to end.

Can Grafana serve business analysts who only want self-serve reports?

Grafana can serve analysts who are comfortable building panels against a data source, but it is designed around operators and engineers who watch systems. Metabase is designed for self-serve questions over warehouse tables, with a point-and-click question builder aimed at non-technical users. The deciding factors are who builds the dashboards, which data sources they need, and whether they expect a guided query interface. A pilot with two or three real business users, on the data they actually need, will show the gap faster than any feature list.

What do the paid features cost in Metabase and Grafana?

Metabase publishes prices for Starter at $100 per month or $90 per month billed yearly with the first 5 users included, and Pro at $575 per month or $517.50 per month billed yearly with the first 10 users included, with additional users at $6 (Starter) or $12 (Pro) per month, according to the Metabase pricing page. Enterprise is priced by quote starting at $20,000 per year. Row and column permissions, SSO and auditing are Pro or Enterprise features. In Grafana, SAML, team sync and SCIM provisioning are limited to Grafana Enterprise and Grafana Cloud, and Grafana Enterprise is a separate commercial edition. Grafana Cloud Enterprise has a minimum commitment of $25,000 per year, per the Grafana pricing page. Ask any quote to list which features are included, the user count and the billing period.

How much extra work does running Metabase and Grafana side by side take?

Running both means two application databases, two upgrade cycles, two authentication configurations and two sets of users, groups and permissions to review. Metabase needs its application database backed up before upgrades, and it runs migrations automatically. Grafana stores configuration in SQLite by default, but the installation docs say SQLite does not scale for production, so MySQL or PostgreSQL is needed for production and high availability. The effort grows with the number of identity integrations and data sources each tool connects to. Ask for a list of each system, its database, its identity method and its upgrade owner in any scoping document.

What skills does the internal team need to run either tool?

The internal team needs Linux administration, a production-grade relational database for the application state, and enough SQL and data modeling knowledge to connect and govern data sources. Grafana adds a need for familiarity with its provisioning files, which can be defined in YAML or JSON and loaded at startup, along with options such as Terraform and Git Sync. Metabase needs someone who can manage groups, permissions and embedding settings. Both need a named owner for security hardening, including cookies, the Content Security Policy and restricted metrics endpoints in Grafana. If those skills are thin, plan for outside help during setup and upgrades.

Can our team implement Metabase or Grafana without outside help?

A capable team with a clear scope can install either tool, but the work that tends to stall is identity integration, permissions design, high availability and upgrade rehearsal. Most DeployOpen engagements are fixed-scope, with scope, deliverables and timelines agreed in writing before work starts. DeployOpen plans, implements, integrates, hardens, backs up, upgrades and documents self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own infrastructure, and offers ongoing support and upgrades as retainers. A quote should follow from a written scope that lists your data sources, identity provider, edition needs and high availability requirements.

How do upgrade cycles and support windows change the plan?

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 published on 16 September 2026 with end of life on 1 December 2027. Grafana major releases come about once a year, minor releases every other month, and patch releases at least monthly, with each minor release supported for 9 months and the last minor of a major version for 15 months. Choose the release line that matches your staffing, pick a fixed upgrade rehearsal schedule, and confirm the support commitments in any written quote.

Which license terms should legal review before we deploy?

Metabase's repository ships the open source edition under the AGPL and its commercial editions under the Metabase Commercial Software License. Grafana, Loki and Tempo moved from Apache License 2.0 to AGPLv3 on April 20, 2021, while plugins, SDKs and agent software kept other licenses. Grafana Enterprise is a non-AGPL commercial option. Legal teams should review how AGPL obligations apply to their modifications and hosting model, and confirm which components carry which license. This is a planning question for your counsel, not a determination DeployOpen makes.

How DeployOpen helps choose, implement and migrate

DeployOpen plans, implements, integrates, hardens, backs up, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own infrastructure, so the choice between Metabase and Grafana can be tested against your actual data sources, identity provider and hosting footprint. Engagements are fixed-scope, with deliverables agreed in writing before work starts.

How we scope

Inventory which warehouse, database and time series sources each team needs to query, and who needs to build questions versus watch alerts.
Record the identity requirements, such as SAML, SCIM or team sync, and map them to the edition each tool needs.
Agree in writing which parts of the Metabase or Grafana deployment, if either or both, fall in scope and what the deliverables are.

How we build

Deploy the chosen tool in your cloud account, data center or air-gapped network, with the application database set up for production use.
Configure data sources, dashboards and alerting as code where the tool supports provisioning, so the setup can be reviewed and repeated.
Test access controls, data source permissions and alert routing against the written requirements before anything goes live.

How we hand over

Document the architecture, configuration, backup and upgrade steps so your own platform team can run the instance without us.
Provide a runbook for the upgrade routine that matches the release support windows of the tool you select.
Walk through the edition and licensing position so procurement and security reviewers can confirm what is in and out of scope.

How we support

Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as a retainer after handover, scoped separately from the original build.
Retainer scope can cover patching, upgrade testing and periodic review of access and alerting configuration.
Confirm with DeployOpen the retainer terms, response expectations and what is excluded before signing.

Metabase vs Grafana