Metabase vs Plausible — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Metabase starts at $100/mo. Plausible starts at $9/mo. Plausible is $91/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.
- Plausible (Per Usage) — Plausible bills purely on usage — Monthly pageviews. 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.
Privacy-first web analytics positioned as the alternative to Google Analytics for teams that want GDPR-native (no cookie banner needed) analytics. Distinctive for its "no personal data collected" claim and its lightweight script (<1KB) that doesn't slow sites. Priced $9-$149/mo based on pageview volume. Bootstrapped Estonian company. Popular with EU-based startups, indie hackers, and privacy-conscious teams tired of GA4's complexity.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Metabase monthly | Metabase annual | Plausible monthly | Plausible annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid | Starter | $100 | $90 | $9 | $7.5 |
| Pro / power | Pro / Growth | $575 | $517.5 | $14 | $11.67 |
| Teams | — / Business | — | — | $19 | $15.83 |
| 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.
Plausible is worth it if… privacy-conscious website owners and small teams who want simple, GDPR-compliant analytics without cookies — particularly if you value dashboard elegance over feature depth. Fixed monthly rate by pageviews (unlimited sites on paid tiers); Business adds team + email reports; self-hosted free forever.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Metabase is hybrid, Plausible is per usage.
Choose Metabase over Plausible 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 Plausible if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, from $9/mo).
- You match the profile Plausible is built for: privacy-conscious website owners and small teams who want simple, GDPR-compliant analytics without cookies — particularly if you value dashboard elegance over feature depth.
- You need a general-purpose analytics & data option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Metabase | Plausible | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Entry price | $100/mo | $9/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Hybrid | Per Usage |
| Last verified | September 11, 2026 | September 17, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 17, 2026. Tracked daily.
Frequently asked questions
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Common questions about Metabase and Plausible
- 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?
- How much does Plausible cost in 2026?
- Does Plausible have a free plan?
- How often does Plausible change prices?
- What are the best Plausible alternatives in 2026?