Which analytics tool is right for your team? Compare pricing, data privacy, collaboration, and setup — side-by-side.
| Feature | Flowframe | Metabase |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free forever / $49/mo Pro | Free (self-hosted) / $85/mo Cloud |
| Hosting | Fully managed cloud | Self-hosted or Cloud |
| Data Privacy | Query results never stored on servers | Stores query results on servers |
| Visual Canvas | Node-based infinite canvas | Traditional dashboard builder |
| Setup Time | Minutes — no infrastructure needed | Hours (self-hosted requires Docker) |
| Real-time Collaboration | Figma-style live cursors and co-editing | Limited — no simultaneous editing |
| No-Code Query Builder | Yes — drag-and-drop visual builder | Yes — visual query builder |
| Best For | Teams wanting managed, collaborative analytics | Teams with DevOps resources for self-hosting |
FlowFrame is a collaborative, visual data analytics platform built for modern teams. It features a node-based infinite canvas where you can build SQL queries (or use the no-code builder), create interactive dashboards, and collaborate in real-time with Figma-style live cursors. Query results pass through servers transiently but are never stored.
Flowframe is great if you:
Want managed hosting without self-hosting complexity
Need real-time collaboration with live cursors
Want a visual, node-based canvas for data workflows
Prefer flat pricing without per-seat surprises
Metabase is a popular open-source business intelligence tool that lets teams query databases and create dashboards without writing SQL. Founded in 2014, it offers a visual query builder and has a large community. The self-hosted version is free, but the cloud-hosted version starts at $85/month for 5 users.
Metabase is great if you:
Have DevOps resources to manage self-hosted infrastructure
Want a completely free option via self-hosting
Need a mature, battle-tested tool with a large community
Prefer open-source software with full code transparency
FlowFrame
Query results are transient — they pass through servers but are never persisted or stored
Database credentials are encrypted end-to-end with AES-256
All data encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.3)
Client-side file encryption for uploaded CSV/Parquet/JSON files
Metabase
Self-hosted: You control everything, but you manage all security patching and updates
Cloud: Your query results and data are stored on Metabase's servers in the US
Encryption depends on your infrastructure setup (self-hosted) or Metabase's defaults (Cloud)
GDPR compliance: Your responsibility to configure and maintain
Metabase self-hosted gives you full infrastructure control. FlowFrame gives you managed hosting with built-in privacy guarantees and zero query result storage.
FlowFrame
Connect your database in minutes — enter credentials and start querying immediately
No infrastructure to provision, manage, or scale
Automatic updates and maintenance handled by FlowFrame
Upload CSV, Parquet, or JSON files for instant browser-based analysis with DuckDB
Metabase
Self-hosted: Requires Docker, a server, database configuration — plan for 2-4 hours minimum setup
Cloud: Faster setup but limited control over infrastructure and data residency
Ongoing maintenance, patching, and scaling required for self-hosted deployments
FlowFrame for speed and simplicity. Metabase self-hosted for teams that want full infrastructure control.
FlowFrame
Figma-style real-time collaboration with live cursors and presence indicators
Multiple users can edit the same project simultaneously with zero conflicts (CRDT-based)
See exactly who is working on what with presence indicators
Invite stakeholders to workspaces with role-based access, or share via public link for open distribution
Metabase
Multiple users can view shared dashboards simultaneously
No real-time co-editing — changes require page refresh to see
No simultaneous query editing or live cursors
Dashboard sharing via URLs and embedding
FlowFrame — real-time collaboration with live cursors is a significant advantage for distributed teams.
FlowFrame
Free: Unlimited personal projects, all chart types, file uploads, public sharing
Pro: $49/month per workspace — includes 5 editor seats, unlimited viewers
Additional editor seats: $10/user/month
Enterprise: Custom pricing for SSO, dedicated support, and custom connectors
Metabase
Open Source: Free forever (self-hosted — you pay for infrastructure)
Pro Cloud: $85/month for 5 users, plus $5 per additional user
Enterprise: Custom pricing with SSO and advanced permissions
Example: 10-person team on Cloud = ~$110/month
Metabase self-hosted is unbeatable at $0. For managed hosting, FlowFrame Pro ($49/mo) is more affordable than Metabase Cloud ($85/mo).
FlowFrame
Node-based infinite canvas — see your entire data workflow at a glance
Visual dependency tracking: connect queries to see how data flows
Drag queries, charts, parameters, and text nodes onto one canvas
Non-linear workflow: build, branch, and iterate visually
Metabase
Traditional dashboard builder with grid-based layouts
Questions and saved queries organized in collections
No visual dependency tracking between queries
Linear workflow: write query → view results → create chart
FlowFrame's node-based canvas is fundamentally different from Metabase's traditional dashboard approach — better for complex, multi-step analyses.
FlowFrame
PostgreSQL, MySQL, MS SQL Server, MongoDB, BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, Databricks
File uploads: CSV, Parquet, JSON — analyzed instantly in-browser with DuckDB-WASM
Growing connector library with new integrations added regularly
Metabase
20+ database connectors including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, BigQuery, Snowflake
Mature, well-tested connectors with years of community contributions
Support for NoSQL databases like MongoDB
Metabase has more connectors overall. FlowFrame covers the most popular databases and adds browser-based file analysis.
You want managed hosting without DevOps overhead — no servers to manage or patch
You need real-time collaboration — Figma-style live cursors for distributed teams
You want a visual, node-based canvas — see data dependencies and workflows at a glance
You prefer flat, predictable pricing — $49/mo Pro vs per-seat models
You want fast setup — connect a database and start querying in minutes
You care about data privacy — query results are never stored on servers
You have DevOps resources and want to self-host for free — Metabase open source can't be beaten on price
You need 20+ database connectors — Metabase has a larger connector library
You prefer open-source software with full code transparency and community plugins
You need a battle-tested tool — Metabase has been around since 2014 with a large user base
You don't need real-time collaboration — traditional dashboard sharing works fine
Choose Metabase if you have DevOps resources for self-hosting, want open-source transparency, and are comfortable with a traditional dashboard interface.
Choose FlowFrame if you want a managed, visual analytics platform with real-time collaboration, a node-based canvas, and fast setup — all without managing infrastructure.
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