Metabase vs Netron
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Metabase
Open-source business intelligence and dashboards
VS
Netron
Visualizer for neural network and machine learning models
| Feature | Metabase | Netron |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Clojure | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 48,597 | ★ 33,323 |
| First released | 2015 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Tableau, Looker | — |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Netron if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 33.3k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Metabase or Netron 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 Metabase and Netron free and open-source?
Yes. Metabase is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Netron under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Metabase and Netron with Docker?
Metabase: yes. Netron: check the project docs for container support.