Compare software

Tableau DesktopMetabase
Freemium

Free to download, with Creator licenses and Tableau+ sold to organizations.

 Freemium

The open-source edition can be self-hosted for free, and paid cloud and business plans are…

Windows, macOS Web, Self-hosted
  • Drag-and-drop exploration without writing code
  • Connects directly to many data sources
  • Visual query builder for people who do not write SQL
  • SQL editor and dashboards in the same tool
  • Team and sharing features sit in paid Creator licenses
  • A successor product, Tableau Studio, has been announced
  • You need to run and maintain a server when self-hosting
  • Some features are part of paid plans
Downloadable app Self-hosted, Hosted service
Closed source Open source
License not stated License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline Not stated if it works offline

Checked October 1, 2026

Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.