Metabase vs Mixpanel — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Metabase starts at $100/mo. Mixpanel starts at Free. Mixpanel is $100/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.
- 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.
- Mixpanel (Per Usage) — Mixpanel bills purely on usage — Free 1M events/mo, then $0.28 per 1,000 events on Growth plan. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
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.
Product analytics platform positioned as the alternative to Amplitude and PostHog for product teams tracking user behavior. Distinctive for its "anyone can analyze" self-serve UX and its Datawarehouse Connect feature that syncs from Snowflake/BigQuery. Priced free-$25/mo Growth to enterprise (custom). Owned by Bain Capital since 2018. Real cost bloat: monthly tracked events — high-scale products hit six-figure ARR quickly.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Metabase monthly | Metabase annual | Mixpanel monthly | Mixpanel annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | — / Free | — | — | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Starter / — | $100 | $90 | — | — |
| Pro / power | Pro / — | $575 | $517.5 | — | — |
| Enterprise | 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
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.
Mixpanel is worth it if… product/growth teams (5-500 people) that need behavioral event analytics — funnels, retention, cohorts — particularly if PostHog's open-source feels risky or Amplitude's pricing feels excessive. Free tier covers 1M events/month; Growth is pure usage-based per event; Enterprise custom.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Metabase is hybrid, Mixpanel is per usage.
Choose Metabase over Mixpanel if…
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.
Choose Mixpanel if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, a free entry tier).
- You match the profile Mixpanel is built for: product/growth teams (5-500 people) that need behavioral event analytics — funnels, retention, cohorts — particularly if PostHog's open-source feels risky or Amplitude's pricing feels excessive.
- You need a general-purpose analytics & data option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Metabase | Mixpanel | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $100/mo | Free |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Hybrid | Per Usage |
| Last verified | September 11, 2026 | September 19, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 19, 2026. Tracked daily.
Frequently asked questions
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Common questions about Metabase and Mixpanel
- How much does Metabase cost in 2026?
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- What are the best Metabase alternatives in 2026?
- How much does Mixpanel cost in 2026?
- Does Mixpanel have a free plan?
- How often does Mixpanel change prices?
- What are the best Mixpanel alternatives in 2026?