What this service covers and who needs it
This service models what it costs to run Metabase over time, not only the license line. The starting point is the edition: Open Source, Starter, Pro or Enterprise. From there the model carries through hosting, the PostgreSQL application database, upgrades, support and the internal skills needed to operate Metabase after go-live. Each line has a different owner and a different recurring pattern, so each needs its own estimate before the totals are added together.
Teams usually start this work for a specific reason. Common triggers include a pending renewal of a commercial BI tool, a requirement for single sign-on or row-level security, a budget request that needs a multi-year view, or a move away from a commercial BI platform whose per-seat costs have grown. Each trigger points at a different part of the model. An SSO or row-level permission requirement, for example, moves the edition decision toward a paid plan, because Metabase's pricing page places those features in Pro and Enterprise only.
Two questions sit inside this decision, and they should be answered separately. The edition question is largely answered by published prices. Metabase's pricing page lists Starter at $100 per month, or $90 per month billed yearly, with five users included, and Pro at $575 per month, or $517.50 per month billed yearly, with ten users included. Extra users cost $6 per month on Starter and $12 per month on Pro. Enterprise is priced by quote, starting at $20,000 per year. The self-hosting question, covering servers, backups, upgrades and the skills to run them, is where most teams need outside help, because it depends on their own infrastructure and staffing.
Teams can often model the license side in-house from the pricing page and a list of users. The hosting, support and skills side usually takes more work. It means estimating infrastructure for each environment, deciding who carries upgrades within the 14-month support window of an LTS release or the shorter window of a non-LTS release, and pricing engineering time that is already committed elsewhere. Many teams bring in a partner for this part because the recurring cost is hard to see from inside a single budget cycle. Ask any partner for a quote built from a written scope, and confirm current plan prices directly with Metabase before you finalize the model.
What the cost model includes
Six cards break the Metabase cost model into the decisions, components and checks that set its total. Work through them in order, because the edition choice drives everything that follows.
Feature-to-plan matrix
Map each required capability to the lowest plan that includes it before comparing totals. Metabase's pricing page places SSO, row and column permissions, multi-tenant data segregation, and usage analytics and auditing in Pro and Enterprise only. Google sign-in and LDAP work on Open Source and Starter. Confirm each row against the current pricing page and the people and groups documentation before you commit.
Per-user cost across named users
Model cost against named users and their planned growth over three years. List prices on Metabase's pricing page show Starter at $90 per month billed yearly with 5 users included and $6 per additional user, and Pro at $517.50 per month billed yearly with 10 users included and $12 per additional user. Illustrative: 20 users on Pro would add 10 billable users at $12 each. Ask how seat counts are measured and whether they can be reduced at renewal.
Hosting and application database sizing
Price the application servers and the application database as recurring infrastructure in your environment. Metabase ships with an embedded H2 database for demos and recommends PostgreSQL for production, with MySQL 8.4.0 or MariaDB 10.6.0 and later also supported. Size compute and storage with your platform team, then add backups, monitoring and a standby if uptime requires one. Confirm the sizing guidance with Metabase for your expected query load.
Support and upgrade effort
Budget for the upgrade cadence, not only the initial install. Metabase LTS releases are supported for 14 months, while non-LTS releases usually reach end of life after about 2 months. Metabase 64 is an LTS release with end of life on 1 December 2027. Each upgrade needs an application database backup, a temporary single-node step for major upgrades, and release-by-release steps from versions older than 40.
Three-year cost worksheet
Build one worksheet with a line for each cost and a written assumption beside it. Include subscriptions by year, user growth, servers and storage, database operations, backups, internal staff time for upgrades and incidents, and any external help. Separate one-time setup from recurring spend, and mark which figures come from published prices and which are your estimates so finance can change them.
Written decision record
Record the chosen plan, the features that justified it, the user forecast, the review dates and who approved the trade-offs. List open vendor questions with their answers, such as how mid-term plan changes are billed, what Enterprise terms cover, and which items require a quote. Revisit the record before each major Metabase upgrade and at each renewal.
What drives the cost and effort
This table lists the inputs that change the Metabase bill and workload, with the reason each matters and how to limit it, and per-user pricing is only one of them.
| Driver | Why it matters | How to keep it down |
|---|---|---|
| Edition required by security features | SSO (SAML, OIDC, JWT), SCIM, row and column permissions and auditing need Pro or Enterprise. Enterprise is quoted from $20,000 per year (Metabase pricing page). | List required controls before choosing a plan. Confirm whether Google sign-in or LDAP covers your needs on the lower tiers. |
| Named users and growth | Extra users cost $6 per month on Starter and $12 on Pro (Metabase pricing page), so headcount growth multiplies the license line. | Model seats by role, separating viewers from builders. Ask the vendor how inactive and group-managed users are counted. |
| Number of data sources and security models | Each connected database adds credentials, permission mapping and query load that someone must review and maintain. | Connect only sources with a named business owner. Use a least-privilege database account for each source. |
| Number of environments | Production, staging and disaster recovery each need an application database, a running instance and their own upgrade testing. | Keep staging small but representative for upgrade tests. Decide the disaster recovery model from your recovery requirements. |
| Compliance evidence needs | Assessors typically ask for access reviews, permission exports and change records, which take staff time to produce each cycle. | Use auditing on a plan that includes it, schedule permission reviews and link each upgrade to a change ticket. |
| Embedding plans | Guest embedding works on all plans, but all SSO-based embedding requires Pro or Enterprise (Metabase embedding docs). | Choose the embedding type early. Avoid the deprecated static embedding for new work. |
| Upgrade cadence | LTS versions are supported for 14 months and non-LTS versions usually reach end of life after 2 months (Metabase version support page), so frequent upgrades add test cycles. | Standardize on LTS releases where possible, plan upgrades inside each support window and budget test time per release. |
| Hosting, backup and staff time | Servers, a PostgreSQL application database, backups and monitoring are paid through your cloud and staff time, and these can outweigh the license line. | Size hosting from measured user and query load, automate backups and reuse existing database and monitoring tooling. |
How a cost model is built
The sequence turns a Metabase rollout into a cost model that separates one-time work from recurring spend, so the edition decision rests on the features and users you actually need.
Inventory required features and users
Your team lists the users by group, the data sources they query, and the features they need, such as SSO, row and column level permissions, multi-tenant data segregation, usage analytics and auditing, and embedding. The output is a written requirements list with a user count per group, which becomes the input for every later step.
Map requirements to edition and plan
Each requirement is checked against the plan details on Metabase's pricing page, including which features sit only in Pro and Enterprise and which identity protocols Open Source and Starter support. The output is an edition fit table showing the lowest plan that meets every requirement, with the per-user cost at your expected user count and the open points to confirm with Metabase.
Size infrastructure and the application database
Your infrastructure team and DeployOpen agree on hosting, the application database (the default H2 is for demos, and PostgreSQL is recommended for production), data source connections and the number of instances. The output is a sizing note with the recurring hosting and database costs, plus the one-time migration work if you start on H2 and later move to PostgreSQL.
Model support and upgrade effort
The upgrade cadence is set against Metabase's version support policy: LTS releases are supported for 14 months, while non-LTS releases usually reach end of life after about 2 months. Effort is estimated for backups, the single-node step for major upgrades, testing and rollback readiness. The output is a recurring support and upgrade effort model with the decision on whether to buy a retainer or keep the work in house.
Set a review date tied to price changes
The model records the plan prices, per-user rates and Enterprise pricing as of the review, then sets a date to recheck them against the live pricing page and version support page. The output is a dated cost model with its assumptions listed, so a change in plan price or edition scope triggers a revision rather than an outdated budget.
Recurring costs after go-live
This table lists each cost that recurs after a self-hosted Metabase goes live, with the published pricing figures and what drives each line up or down.
| Cost line | Figure or basis | What drives it or what to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Starter and Pro subscriptions | Starter: $100 per month, or $90 per month billed yearly, 5 users included. Pro: $575 per month, or $517.50 per month billed yearly, 10 users included (Metabase pricing page) | Recurring. Starter lacks SSO, row-level permissions and auditing, so confirm which features you need before choosing a plan. |
| Additional users | $6 per month each on Starter, $12 per month each on Pro (Metabase pricing page) | Scales with headcount. Confirm whether the yearly discount applies to added seats and how mid-term additions are billed. |
| Enterprise subscription | Priced by quote, starting at $20,000 per year (Metabase pricing page) | Recurring annual contract. Confirm what the quote includes, the renewal terms and any support levels. |
| Illustrative example | Illustrative: 15 Pro users billed monthly comes to $635 per month, or $7,620 over 12 months | Calculated as $575 plus 5 extra users at $12 each. Confirm billing terms with Metabase before relying on this figure. |
| Hosting compute and storage | Set by your cloud account or data center, not by Metabase | Recurring. Grows with user count, query volume and memory allocated to the application. Monitor and right-size. |
| PostgreSQL application database | Your managed database service or internal database staff time | Recurring. Needs backups, patching and capacity growth as saved questions and dashboards accumulate. |
| Backups, TLS and identity services | Backup storage, certificate issuance and renewal, identity provider licensing if applicable | Recurring. Confirm backup retention, certificate renewal ownership and whether your SSO provider charges per user. |
| Upgrade effort | LTS releases supported for 14 months, non-LTS releases usually end of life after 2 months (Metabase version support page) | Recurring staff time. Non-LTS tracking means more frequent upgrades, testing and rollback planning. |
| Internal skills | Platform, database and identity staff time for operating a Java application | Recurring. Confirm who owns on-call, upgrades, access reviews and cost monitoring after go-live. |
Where cost models go wrong
Most Metabase budgets fail on plan mapping, user growth, hidden operating work and upgrade cadence rather than on the license line. Check each card against your requirements before you approve a figure.
Buying Pro for features Starter already covers
Teams often buy Pro for basic sign-in, but Google sign-in and LDAP are available on Open Source and Starter. Pro is needed for JWT, OIDC, SAML, advanced LDAP group and attribute sync, SCIM, and row and column level permissions. Before you quote a tier, list each required feature and confirm its plan on the current Metabase pricing page.
Overlooking SSO-based embedding requirements
Guest authentication for embedded dashboards works on every plan, including Open Source. All SSO-based embedding requires Pro or Enterprise, so an embedding roadmap that assumes single sign-on can move the plan decision. Identify which embedding type each product surface needs, then price the plan that supports it.
Underestimating growth beyond included seats
Starter includes 5 users and Pro includes 10, with additional users billed per month at the plan rate: $6 on Starter and $12 on Pro, according to the Metabase pricing page. Model user counts at 12 and 24 months, including viewers and business users who need access to collections. Ask the vendor to confirm how billing counts active users before you sign.
Treating the free edition as zero cost
The Open Source edition carries no license fee, but hosting, database service, backups, monitoring, network egress and staff time recur every month. Count the engineering hours for installation, access administration, incident response and upgrades. Ask your provider or internal team for a written list of these recurring components so the comparison with a paid plan is complete.
Budgeting without the H2 database move
Metabase ships with an embedded H2 application database meant for demos, and it recommends PostgreSQL for production. The load-from-h2 migration must run with the same Metabase version that last updated the H2 file, and it needs a planned window and checks afterward. Budget for the target database service, its backups and the migration work, not only the server.
Missing upgrade effort on short release windows
LTS releases are supported for 14 months, while non-LTS releases usually reach end of life after 2 months. Upgrades run database migrations automatically, and the documentation recommends backing up the application database first and reducing a cluster to one node for major upgrades. Budget recurring upgrade cycles, testing time and rollback preparation, and confirm which release line your plan will follow.
What you need to provide
Start by giving the partner a named-user count split by group, not a single total. Metabase prices its paid plans per user, and the Starter and Pro plans include a set number of users before per-user charges apply. Group counts should separate people who only view dashboards from people who build questions and models, and each group should carry a growth forecast for the next one to two years. Ask finance to confirm how the organization counts users, including contractors, service accounts and read-only stakeholders, because that definition changes the license quote more than almost any other input.
Next, list the security and governance features you must have on day one. For each one, name the requirement precisely: the identity provider you use (for example, Google, Entra ID, Okta, Keycloak or another SAML or OIDC provider), whether you need SCIM provisioning or LDAP group sync, whether row-level or column-level permissions must be enforced, whether you need multi-tenant data segregation, and what audit records your security team expects to retain. On the pricing page, SSO, row and column level permissions, multi-tenant segregation and usage analytics with auditing sit in the Pro and Enterprise plans. A requirement that appears on this list is usually the reason a plan changes, so confirm each item with the people who own identity and audit.
Then document the data sources Metabase will query, with a count and the database type of each, and note which ones hold regulated or personal data. Also describe the planned environments (development, test and production), where the application database will run, and whether you need a PostgreSQL service or a MySQL or MariaDB service that your team already supports. Record your hosting preferences, including any existing cloud commitments, reserved capacity or data center contracts that the infrastructure cost should draw from.
Finally, name one owner for the license decision and make sure that person brings the finance and security reviewers into the same cost discussion. Finance should review the subscription terms, the per-user growth assumptions and the annual versus monthly billing choice. Security should review the controls each plan provides against your requirements list. The license owner is accountable for confirming that the chosen edition meets both sets of needs before a quote is accepted.
How the cost differs by starting point
Your current licence is replaced by a Metabase edition choice, so the comparison starts with which features you need on day one. Open Source has no licence fee but does not include SSO or row-level permissions.
- Licence fees: Compare your current per-seat or platform fee with Starter or Pro, which the Metabase pricing page lists as per-user monthly amounts.
- Identity features: If your current tool enforces SSO or row-level security, price Pro, since the pricing page lists those features only on Pro and Enterprise.
- Parallel running: Ask how long you will pay for both platforms during validation, since that overlap is a one-time cost driver.
- Training: Ask the partner to separate analyst training from administrator training in the quote.
- Infrastructure: Confirm which hosting lines you already own and which are new.
Staying on Open Source keeps the licence cost at zero, so an upgrade decision depends on which gated feature has become a requirement. Identify that requirement before pricing a plan.
- Feature trigger: Name the specific need, such as SSO, row and column permissions, or auditing, because each maps to Pro or Enterprise on the pricing page.
- Seat count: According to the Metabase pricing page, Pro includes the first 10 users at $575 per month or $517.50 billed yearly, with additional users at $12 per month.
- Starter fit: Starter includes the first 5 users at $100 per month, but it does not include the SSO and permission features that often trigger an upgrade, so check that first.
- Database move: If you still run the default H2 application database, moving to PostgreSQL is a separate cost line to plan.
- Support scope: Ask what support is included with each plan and what your team must cover internally.
Here the main costs are planning and downtime, because the licence line may not change. The supported window sets the deadline for the work.
- Support window: According to Metabase's version support page, LTS releases are supported for 14 months and non-LTS releases usually reach end of life after 2 months, so an old version may already be outside support. Check your release against that page.
- Release path: Upgrading from versions older than 40 requires release-by-release steps, which adds test cycles and effort.
- Backup and rollback: Budget for a tested application database backup and a documented rollback route.
- Outage window: Major upgrades in a cluster require reducing it to one node, so ask how the outage window is scoped.
- Target version: Ask which LTS line the partner recommends. Metabase 64 is an LTS release with end of life on 1 December 2027, which helps set the next upgrade date.
Embedding shifts the cost toward the end-user experience, and the authentication method you choose determines the plan. Guest authentication works on every plan, including Open Source.
- Authentication choice: SSO-based embedding requires Pro or Enterprise, so a single sign-on embed moves the plan up.
- Tenant isolation: Multi-tenant data segregation appears only on Pro and Enterprise, so confirm whether your product needs it.
- Enterprise quote: Enterprise is priced by quote starting at $20,000 per year. Ask what it includes beyond Pro.
- Embedding type: Modular embedding, full app embedding and public links carry different build effort. Ask which types the partner plans to use and why.
- End-user counts: Ask whether embedded end users count toward the per-user pricing for Starter and Pro.
In this setting, hosting, patch logistics and offline validation usually cost more than the licence line. Confirm how the chosen edition is delivered and updated inside the boundary before you request a quote.
- Hosting: Compute, storage and a PostgreSQL application database inside your facility are your costs. The partner's work covers their setup and configuration.
- Patch logistics: Each release must be staged into the enclosure and tested. Use the version support page to estimate how many releases your planning period will involve.
- Licence terms: Confirm the edition, licence files and any vendor terms with the vendor and your legal team before procurement.
- Dependency transfer: Plugins, drivers and container images must enter through your approved channel. Ask who maintains them after go-live.
- Rollback media: Keep pre-upgrade backups on approved storage, since rollback depends on them.
Questions buyers ask about Metabase cost
Is the Metabase open source edition free to use?
Yes, the Open Source edition is free to download and run. Metabase ships it under the AGPL, and it covers core analytics features. It lacks SSO beyond Google sign-in and LDAP, row and column level permissions, multi-tenant data segregation, and usage analytics and auditing. Those features are included only in Pro and Enterprise, so teams that need them must plan for a paid plan. Confirm the current edition comparison on Metabase's pricing page before you decide.
Which Metabase features require a Pro or Enterprise plan?
SSO methods beyond Google sign-in and LDAP require Pro or Enterprise, including JWT, OIDC, SAML and SCIM provisioning. Advanced LDAP group and attribute sync also needs a paid plan. Row and column level permissions, multi-tenant data segregation, and usage analytics and auditing are included only in Pro and Enterprise. SSO-based embedding also needs Pro or Enterprise, while guest embedding works on all plans. Starter does not include these features, so check the list against your requirements before choosing a tier.
How does Metabase Starter and Pro per-user pricing work?
Starter and Pro are priced per month, with a yearly billing option that lowers the monthly rate. Starter is $100 per month, or $90 per month billed yearly, and includes the first 5 users. Pro is $575 per month, or $517.50 per month billed yearly, and includes the first 10 users. Additional users cost $6 per month on Starter and $12 per month on Pro. These figures come from Metabase's pricing page and can change, so confirm them there before budgeting.
When is Metabase Enterprise worth considering, and what does it start at?
Consider Enterprise when your requirements go beyond what Pro covers, or when you need a negotiated agreement with the vendor. Enterprise is priced by quote, starting at $20,000 per year according to Metabase's pricing page. Before comparing it with Pro, request the written Enterprise feature list and contract terms, since those details are separate from the published Pro figures. Your implementation scope should then reflect the tier you select.
Is self-hosting Metabase cheaper than paying for a Metabase plan?
It depends on your user count, hosting model and staff time, and no total can be stated without your own figures. Self-hosting costs include servers or cloud capacity, a PostgreSQL application database, backups, monitoring, and the time to install, upgrade and secure Metabase. Paid plan costs recur per user and grow with headcount. Upgrades follow a 14-month LTS window or shorter non-LTS windows, so budget for recurring maintenance. Whether your team can run it alone depends on its database, identity and upgrade experience, which a scoping review can test.
How long does a Metabase cost model take, and how do I request a quote?
Duration depends on scope, and no fixed timeline applies to every team. A cost model needs your planned user counts for each tier, the features you require such as SSO, row-level permissions and auditing, your data sources and hosting environment, and your upgrade and support expectations. DeployOpen does not publish a price list, and a quote follows from the written scope, which is agreed before work starts. For Metabase Enterprise, request a quote directly from Metabase using the same inputs.
How DeployOpen approaches Metabase cost work
DeployOpen plans, implements and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks, so Metabase cost work is priced against the edition, plan and infrastructure you actually choose. Most engagements are fixed-scope, with the scope agreed in writing before work starts.
How we scope
- We map which features your users need, such as SSO, row-level permissions or auditing, to the plan that includes them before any quote is written.
- The written scope lists user counts by plan, application database, hosting components and the support model you want to fund.
- We agree in writing which costs are one-time setup and which recur each year, so the quote can be compared with your own estimate.
- Scope also records which Metabase edition versions and upgrade windows the estimate assumes, so cost and support remain comparable.
How we build
- We size the self-hosted infrastructure, including the application database, compute and backups, and document the assumptions behind each line item.
- We confirm current plan prices and included features directly from Metabase's published pricing, since those change, and record the date checked.
- We test the plan-gated features you depend on in a non-production environment, so licensing decisions rest on observed behavior, not assumptions.
- We produce a cost model workbook that separates licenses, infrastructure, implementation labor and ongoing support.
How we hand over
- You receive the written scope, the cost model, the feature-to-plan matrix and the infrastructure sizing notes.
- The handover includes a recurring cost checklist covering user growth, plan renewals, hosting and backup storage, and upgrade effort.
- We document the questions to ask Metabase and your reseller or procurement team before signing, so the quote can be checked line by line.
- Runbooks cover how to add users or move between plans, and what changes in cost when you do.
How we support
- Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as retainers, with coverage agreed in writing.
- A retainer can review Metabase release support windows, including LTS and non-LTS end-of-life dates, and plan upgrades around them.
- We can re-run the cost model when user counts, plan pricing or infrastructure changes, and report the effect on annual spend.
- Support can cover the upgrade and backup routine that keeps a self-hosted install on a supported version, which affects long-term cost.
