Redash vs Superset
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted web analytics options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Redash | Superset |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Web Analytics | Web Analytics |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 28,808 | ★ 74,902 |
| First released | 2013 | None |
| Replaces | Tableau, Mode Analytics | Tableau, Power BI |
What are Redash and Superset?
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
Superset
Apache Superset is a data exploration and visualization platform with a SQL IDE, dozens of chart types and dashboard sharing. It targets analytics teams wanting a self-hosted BI tool. It is deployed via Docker Compose or Helm with a metadata database.
- SQL Lab query IDE
- Dozens of chart types
- Dashboard sharing and permissions
- Connects to most SQL databases
Redash vs Superset: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Redash versus Apache-2.0 for Superset. Superset is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Redash. Superset has the considerably larger community, at 74,902 GitHub stars versus 28,808. Redash lists first-class Docker deployment; Superset does not.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Superset if…
- Rich visualization options
- Powerful SQL exploration
- Scales to large teams
Watch out for
- Setup can be involved
- Needs metadata database
- Resource heavy
Frequently asked questions
Is Redash or Superset better?
Neither is universally better. Superset has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Redash and Superset free and open-source?
Yes. Redash is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Superset under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Redash and Superset with Docker?
Redash: yes. Superset: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Redash or Superset?
Superset has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Redash. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.