kepler.gl vs Metabase
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
kepler.gl
Open-source geospatial data visualization tool
VS
Metabase
Open-source business intelligence and dashboards
| Feature | kepler.gl | Metabase |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Maps & GIS | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Clojure |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,954 | ★ 48,597 |
| First released | 2018 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Tableau, ArcGIS | Tableau, Looker |
Why pick each one
Choose kepler.gl if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 12k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Metabase if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 48.6k GitHub stars
- Written in Clojure
Frequently asked questions
Is kepler.gl or Metabase better?
Neither is universally better. Metabase has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are kepler.gl and Metabase free and open-source?
Yes. kepler.gl is licensed under MIT and Metabase under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run kepler.gl and Metabase with Docker?
kepler.gl: check the project docs for container support. Metabase: yes.