Lightdash 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?
Lightdash
Open-source BI built on top of dbt
VS
Metabase
Open-source business intelligence and dashboards
| Feature | Lightdash | Metabase |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Web Analytics |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Clojure |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,022 | ★ 48,597 |
| First released | 2021 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Looker | Tableau, Looker |
Why pick each one
Choose Lightdash if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 6k GitHub stars
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 Lightdash 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 Lightdash and Metabase free and open-source?
Yes. Lightdash is licensed under MIT and Metabase under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lightdash and Metabase with Docker?
Lightdash: yes. Metabase: yes.