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Metabase

Free (self-hosted) / Cloud: $85/month (Starter) + $5/user
4.4/5

Open-source BI and dashboarding with zero coding required.

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Why founders use Metabase

Visual query builder (no SQL required)
Custom dashboards and charts
Scheduled reports (email/Slack)
Alert notifications
User permissions and roles
Database connections (20+ supported)
SQL queries for power users
Embeddable dashboards
Mobile-friendly reports

The Good

Completely free when self-hosted
No SQL required (visual query builder)
Unlimited dashboards and charts on free tier
One-click SQL generation for advanced users
Email/Slack scheduling and alerts
Embeddable dashboards
Active open-source community

The Bad

Self-hosting requires some DevOps knowledge
Limited support on free tier (community only)
Cloud pricing ($85/mo + $5/user) becomes expensive at scale
Performance can degrade with very large datasets

The Verdict

Metabase is an open-source business intelligence platform that turns your database into interactive dashboards and reports without SQL knowledge. You connect your data source (PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc.), build charts and dashboards visually, and share them with your team. The free, self-hosted version includes unlimited queries and dashboards—making it the cheapest way to build internal reporting.\n\nFor indie hackers running SaaS products or data-driven businesses, Metabase solves the reporting problem at near-zero cost. The free version covers 80% of use cases. Cloud hosting starts at $85/month (Pro at $500/month for teams), but self-hosting on a cheap VPS remains free forever. You get automatic SQL generation, scheduled reports via email/Slack, and embeddable dashboards—capabilities that would cost $5K+/month in enterprise BI tools.

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