dbt Labs vs Metabase Pricing (2026)

Which one is cheaper?

They both start at the same price — $100/mo. The difference is in what you get at each tier.

Can I use either one for free?

Both offer free plans, so you can try each without paying. Start with whichever fits your workflow better and upgrade when you hit the limits.

How do they charge?

Both use a hybrid model, so the comparison is straightforward — it comes down to features and limits at each price point.

Which one is a better deal?

Depends on what you need. dbt Labs: At $100/user/month, Starter isn't cheap for what's essentially a small-team tier — it signals dbt Labs is positioning as the premium standard in the analytics engineering space rather than competing on price. They're betting that teams already sold on dbt as a category (versus building it themselves) will pay up rather than shop around. Metabase: Metabase sits mid-pack — cheaper and more transparent than Looker or Sigma, but pricier than just running an open-source BI tool yourself with zero support. They're clearly trying to win teams that outgrew spreadsheets or a DIY dashboard but aren't ready to pay enterprise-BI money yet.

Still deciding? See the best dbt Labs alternatives or the best Metabase alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.