Looker Studio vs Metabase
Looker Studio: Free Google tool for building shareable dashboards from Google Analytics, Sheets and more. Metabase: Open-source business intelligence tool for asking data questions and building dashboards. Here is how they compare on features, pricing, platforms, pros and cons.
Quick verdict
Looker Studio
Best for: Marketers and small businesses reporting on Google data.
Stands out for: Completely free; Easy sharing.
Metabase
Best for: Startups that want free, self-hosted dashboards.
Stands out for: Free open-source edition; Easy for beginners.
Side-by-side comparison
| Visit lookerstudio.google.com (opens in a new tab) | Visit metabase.com (opens in a new tab) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Free Google tool for building shareable dashboards from Google Analytics, Sheets and more. | Open-source business intelligence tool for asking data questions and building dashboards. |
| Pricing | Free | Open source |
| Free to use | Yes | Yes |
| Category | AI Data & Analytics | AI Data & Analytics |
| Editor rank | #5 in category | #7 in category |
| Made by | Metabase | |
| Best for | Marketers and small businesses reporting on Google data. | Startups that want free, self-hosted dashboards. |
| Key features |
|
|
| Pros |
|
|
| Cons |
|
|
| Use it to |
|
|
| Web app | ||
| API |
Looker Studio vs Metabase: questions
Is Looker Studio better than Metabase?
Neither wins for everyone. Our editors rank Looker Studio slightly higher overall in AI Data & Analytics, but Metabase can be the better fit: Startups that want free, self-hosted dashboards.
Which is free, Looker Studio or Metabase?
Both can be used without paying: Looker Studio is free and Metabase is open source. Paid plans add more usage or features.
Can I use Looker Studio and Metabase together?
Yes. Many people keep both and pick per task, for example build a website traffic dashboard with Looker Studio, and build a dashboard from your app's database with Metabase.