Metabase vs Rowy — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Metabase starts at $100/mo. Rowy uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
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.
- Rowy (Per Seat) — Rowy bills on a fixed plan, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
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.
Low-code internal tools platform — build admin panels, dashboards, and internal apps on top of Firestore or Postgres, with an AI copilot. Pricing: Free (up to 3 users), Pro $25/user/mo, Business $50/user/mo (SSO + audit logs), Enterprise custom. Popular with product engineers who need internal tooling fast without frontend work.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Metabase monthly | Metabase annual | Rowy monthly | Rowy annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | — / Free | — | — | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Starter / Pro | $100 | $90 | $25 | $20 |
| Pro / power | Pro / — | $575 | $517.5 | — | — |
| Teams | — / Business | — | — | $50 | $40 |
| 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.
Rowy is worth it if… product engineers who need to build internal tools (admin panels, ops dashboards) without spinning up a full frontend. Free tier good for evaluation; Pro ($25/user/mo) suits small teams; Business ($50/user/mo) adds SSO + audit.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Metabase is hybrid, Rowy is per seat.
Choose Metabase over Rowy 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 Rowy if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, custom pricing).
- You match the profile Rowy is built for: product engineers who need to build internal tools (admin panels, ops dashboards) without spinning up a full frontend.
- You need a general-purpose analytics & data option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Metabase | Rowy | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $100/mo | Custom |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Hybrid | Per Seat |
| Last verified | September 11, 2026 | — |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 11, 2026. Tracked daily.