We try to optimize our pricing pages for conversions (obviously), but making sign-ups easy means we have to skimp on some info. So this page answers some common questions, and leaves the details to the docs.
Pro versus Enterprise
Pro and Enterprise have the same set of features
It’s literally the same software.
Pro and Enterprise plans differ in support, procurement, and pricing
- Support. Pro has a 3-day SLA for support. Enterprise gets a 1-day SLA, plus a dedicated success engineer. Our engineers are actual experts, and having a dedicated engineer means you can chat with someone who already knows your setup.
- Procurement: Pro lets you pay by credit card or invoice. If you need custom terms, or have a lot of users or customers and want a deal that works for your business, talk to us about Enterprise.
- Pricing. Pro is self-serve pricing. If you have a ton of users or customers, we can work out Enterprise pricing that scales with your business.
Cloud versus self-hosted
Pro/Enterprise pricing is the same whether you host it or we do
Which is to say, if you sign up for a Pro or Enterprise plan on Metabase Cloud, we’re hosting Metabase for you for free. Plus, you can pick your region.
So you should only really host Metabase yourself if you have to self-host: for example if you want to run a fork, or have to air-gap, or require HIPAA compliance, or we don’t have a region that works for you.
The Starter plan is basically the OSS version of Metabase, hosted by us, plus 3-day SLA support.
Cloud and self-hosted Metabases have the same features
But there are some add-on differences:
- Basic transforms are free to run when self-hosting (on any plan); you’ll have to pay per run on Metabase Cloud.
- The Storage add-on, which powers spreadsheet syncing, is only available on Metabase Cloud.
- You can buy AI tokens directly from Metabase only on Metabase Cloud, where you can also bring your own model API key instead. If you’re self-hosting, you’ll need to bring your own.
AI
AI features are optional, and available for every plan
For AI in your Metabase, like for asking questions in English, chart analysis, code generation, and more, you can either:
- Bring your own API key.
- Subscribe to the Metabase AI Service.
- Skip AI altogether.
You can control your token spend
On Pro and Enterprise plans, Metabase ships with AI usage controls so your in-app token spend doesn’t explode your bank account.
You can interact with Metabase with AI clients you already use
For interacting with your Metabase from an AI client, like using Claude Code or an IDE to interact with your Metabase, you can:
- Use your Metabase’s MCP server.
- Have your coding agent interact with your Metabase via the Metabase CLI.
Unless you subscribe to the Metabase AI Service add-on, you don’t pay us for any AI stuff. You just pay whoever you normally pay for your tokens.
Add-ons
You don’t need any of the add-ons
Unless you lack a database to connect to, or you want to sync spreadsheets. In either case, you’ll need the Storage add-on.
The add-ons—transforms, the AI Service, and Storage—are worth checking out, though; we built them to solve real problems. But you can punt on that decision for now until you figure out how you’re going to use your Metabase.
Embedding Metabase
You don’t have to pay extra for embedding
You don’t need to buy an “embedded version” on top of a plan you already have. We just separate the pricing on the website so that the copy is more relevant to your use case.
If you’re embedding, you’ll probably want to go with Pro or Enterprise
Technically, you can embed using the Starter/OSS plans, but you can’t white-label charts, and you’ll get a “Powered by Metabase” on your charts. So most companies who embed Metabase in their apps go with a Pro or Enterprise plan.
You don’t need to pay for each person who views embedded charts in your app
If, however, you want to offer your customers a premium experience (and charge them for it), you’ll have to pay per user account. In which case you should consider Enterprise to get a deal that works with your business.
By premium experience, we mean true self-service analytics: people can drill through charts, create their own charts and dashboards, chat with AI, and more—all with permissions that work with your setup so everyone only sees their own data, whether you colocate your customer data, or give each customer their own database.
In either case, Metabase’s embedding options are flexible. You can start simple, then get as fancy as you want.