# Metabase > Turn your business data into charts your whole team can use. - Page: https://cgt.octabyte.io/templates/metabase/ - Category: Analytics - Replaces: Tableau and Looker - Ease of use: Some setup. You create the admin account, then connect Metabase to the database your business data lives in; it then suggests your first charts. - App price: Free. To run it you need Cloudgate (hosted, or free to install yourself) and a server, which hosted Cloudgate can provide. - License: AGPL-3.0-only - Good for: Teams that want shared dashboards without hiring a data analyst - Official website: https://www.metabase.com - Documentation: https://www.metabase.com/docs/latest/ - Source code: https://github.com/metabase/metabase - Last updated: 2026-11-13 ## What is Metabase? Self-hosted Metabase: open-source business intelligence and a free Tableau or Looker alternative. Build charts and dashboards from your data, no SQL needed. Metabase is an open-source business intelligence tool that turns the data your business already collects into charts and dashboards anyone on your team can read. You pick what you want to see, such as orders per week or revenue by region, and Metabase draws it. No spreadsheets to update by hand. It suits teams whose data lives in a database, for example from an online shop, a booking system or an app, and who want everyone to see the same numbers. An operations manager, for example, can build a dashboard of daily orders, returns and delivery times, and have it emailed to the team every Monday morning. When sales fall below a target, Metabase can send an alert. Metabase connects to PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, MongoDB and more, and sends reports by email or Slack once you connect them. There is no phone app, but dashboards work in a phone's browser and can be shared by link or embedded in another website. Cloudgate installs the free open-source edition of Metabase on a server Cloudgate provides or one you connect, with its own database for your dashboards, and gives it a secure web address. The first person to sign in becomes the admin, connects your business data and invites colleagues. Setting up good dashboards takes some thought, but you never pay per viewer. ## What you can do with Metabase - **Ask questions without code**: Pick a table, filter and group it, and Metabase draws the chart for you. - **Build dashboards**: Put your key numbers on one page that updates itself, with filters anyone can use. - **Share with your team**: Everyone sees the same figures, and you choose who can see which data. - **Get regular reports**: Have a dashboard sent to your inbox or Slack every Monday morning. - **Set alerts**: Get told when sales drop below a target or a number goes past a limit. - **Upload a spreadsheet**: Turn a CSV file into a table you can chart, next to the rest of your data. - **Write SQL when you want to**: Analysts can write their own queries and save them for everyone else. ## Replaces Tableau and Looker Metabase does the same job as Tableau and Looker. Here is what changes when you switch. ### What you gain - No price per viewer, so the whole team can look at the numbers - Your business data stays on your own server - Most questions are answered by choosing from menus, without code - Quick to set up compared with large BI tools ### What is different - Your data needs to be in a database Metabase can read - Fewer chart styles and less design control than Tableau - Some features, such as SAML single sign-on and white-labelling, are only in Metabase's paid editions - Large data sets need a bigger server ## What happens when you click Deploy? Deploy link: https://cloudgate.octabyte.app/get-started?template=metabase 1. **Click Deploy and create your account.** Deploy takes you to Cloudgate. Create an account, or log in if you have one. Metabase itself is free. 2. **Choose a server.** No server? Get one from Cloudgate: pick a size and a country, and Cloudgate gets it ready. Already have one? Connect it instead. 3. **Cloudgate sets up Metabase.** It prepares the server, makes the passwords the app needs and starts it. There is nothing to install and nothing to write down. 4. **Open your app and sign in.** Your app gets a free web address to start, without https. Add your own domain, like app.yourshop.com, and Cloudgate secures it with https for you. ## Questions ### Is Metabase free? Yes, the open-source edition of Metabase is free under the AGPL licence, with no limit on users or dashboards. You pay only for hosting; paid editions add extras such as SAML single sign-on. ### Is Metabase a good alternative to Tableau or Looker? Yes, for most small and mid-sized teams Metabase covers the everyday work of charts, dashboards and scheduled reports at no licence cost. Tableau offers more design control and Looker a central data model, which large data teams may still want. ### Do I need to know SQL to use Metabase? No, most questions are built by choosing a table, filters and a grouping from menus. SQL is there for people who want it. ### Which data can Metabase read? Metabase connects to common databases and warehouses, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift and MongoDB. You can also upload CSV files into a connected database. ### How do I self-host Metabase? With Cloudgate you pick Metabase, choose a server and press Set up; Cloudgate runs it with its own PostgreSQL database and a secure web address. The first person to open that address creates the admin account and connects the first data source. ### What server size do I need for Metabase? Cloudgate starts Metabase on a server with 2 GB of memory, which suits a small team. Many users, large data sets or heavy dashboards need a bigger server. ### Is my data safe with self-hosted Metabase? Yes, your questions, dashboards and connection details stay on your own server, and saved database passwords are encrypted with a key Cloudgate generates. Metabase reads your business data where it lives and does not copy it elsewhere. ### Do I need technical skills? No. Click Deploy, create your Cloudgate account and choose a server, and Cloudgate sets up Metabase and gives it a web address. You use it in your browser like any other online tool. ### Do I need my own server? No. When you deploy Metabase, hosted Cloudgate can provide a server. If you already rent one, you can connect it instead. ### Can I move my data from Tableau? Most people export from Tableau and import into Metabase. The official guides at www.metabase.com walk through it.