Airtable vs Metabase — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Airtable starts at $24/mo. Metabase starts at $100/mo. Airtable is $76/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Metabase.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- Airtable (Per Seat) — Airtable bills on a fixed plan from $24/mo, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
- Metabase (Hybrid) — Metabase is hybrid: a fixed subscription from $100/mo plus metered usage on top (User seats). Your real bill moves with volume, not seat count.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
Spreadsheet-database hybrid, valued $11B private. Positioned as the alternative to Excel + Access + Notion for teams building custom workflow apps without engineering. Distinctive for its "database that looks like a spreadsheet" positioning that made no-code databases accessible to non-technical users. Free tier is functional; paid tiers add automation, API access, and larger record limits. Pricing has increased steadily since 2022 as Airtable pivots toward enterprise use cases.
Open-source business intelligence tool positioned as the alternative to Tableau and Looker for engineering-led teams. Distinctive for its free self-hosted tier that runs on Docker — the go-to "first BI tool" for startups before they can justify a data team. Cloud version priced from $85/mo. Acquired minority stake by Insight Partners; still open-source. Popular with technical founders who want SQL access to their Postgres/BigQuery data.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Airtable monthly | Airtable annual | Metabase monthly | Metabase annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Free / — | Free | Free | — | — |
| Entry paid | Business / Starter | $54 | $45 | $100 | $90 |
| Pro / power | — / Pro | — | — | $575 | $517.5 |
| Teams | Team / — | $24 | $20 | — | — |
| Enterprise | Enterprise Scale / Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Airtable is worth it if… Airtable is worth it over Google Sheets or a coded database if your ops, marketing, or product team is spreadsheet-fluent but hitting Excel's collaboration and structure limits. Team covers most non-technical teams; Business adds advanced permissions and higher record limits.
Metabase is worth it if… teams (5-200) that want business intelligence + dashboards + ad-hoc SQL queries — particularly if you value open-source flexibility over Looker/Tableau enterprise sales. Starter covers small teams (self-hosted free); Pro adds Cloud hosting + row-level permissions; Enterprise adds advanced auditing.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Airtable is per seat, Metabase is hybrid.
Choose Airtable over Metabase if…
Choose Airtable if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $24/mo).
- You match the profile Airtable is built for: worth it over Google Sheets or a coded database if your ops, marketing, or product team is spreadsheet-fluent but hitting Excel's collaboration and structure limits.
- You need a general-purpose analytics & data option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Metabase if…
- You're fine with a base subscription plus metered usage on top (from $100/mo).
- You match the profile Metabase is built for: teams (5-200) that want business intelligence + dashboards + ad-hoc SQL queries — particularly if you value open-source flexibility over Looker/Tableau enterprise sales.
- You need a general-purpose analytics & data option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Airtable | Metabase | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $24/mo | $100/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | Hybrid |
| Verification | Checked September 23, 2026 | Verified July 28, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 24, 2026. Tracked daily.
Frequently asked questions
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Common questions about Airtable and Metabase
- How much does Airtable cost in 2026?
- Does Airtable have a free plan?
- How often does Airtable change prices?
- What are the best Airtable alternatives in 2026?
- How much does Metabase cost in 2026?
- Does Metabase have a free plan?
- How often does Metabase change prices?
- What are the best Metabase alternatives in 2026?