SHSelfHostIndex

Metabase vs Redash

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 RE Redash Connect, query, visualize, and share your data
FeatureMetabaseRedash
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score100 · Excellent94 · Excellent
CategoryWeb AnalyticsWeb Analytics
LicenseAGPL-3.0BSD-2-Clause
LanguageClojurePython
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM2,048 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, binarydocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 49,398★ 28,808
First released20152013
ReplacesTableau, LookerTableau, Mode Analytics

What are Metabase and Redash?

Metabase

Metabase is an open-source business intelligence tool that lets teams ask questions of their data and build dashboards without SQL. It connects to many databases and supports scheduled reports.

  • No-SQL question builder
  • Interactive dashboards
  • Many database connectors
  • Scheduled reports

Read the full Metabase guide →

Redash

Redash is an open-source tool for querying data sources, visualizing results, and assembling dashboards. It supports a wide range of databases and APIs with collaborative query editing.

  • SQL query editor
  • Many data sources
  • Dashboards and alerts
  • Collaborative sharing

Read the full Redash guide →

Metabase vs Redash: key differences

Metabase is written in Clojure, while Redash is built with Python. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Metabase versus BSD-2-Clause for Redash. Redash is the more established project (first released 2013), while Metabase arrived in 2015.

Why pick each one

Choose Metabase if…

  • No-SQL question builder
  • Wide database support
  • Easy Docker deploy

Watch out for

  • Advanced features paid
  • JVM memory hungry
Metabase details

Choose Redash if…

  • SQL-first query editor
  • Many data source connectors
  • Scheduled reports and alerts

Watch out for

  • Slow release cadence
  • Multi-service Docker stack
Redash details

Frequently asked questions

Is Metabase or Redash 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 Redash free and open-source?

Yes. Metabase is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Redash under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Metabase and Redash with Docker?

Metabase: yes. Redash: yes.

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