# Grafana vs Metabase

> Pick Grafana for real-time dashboards over metrics, logs and time-series data; pick Metabase for business intelligence questions over SQL databases that non-technical users can answer.

## Verdict

Grafana is built for observability: Prometheus, Loki and time-series sources, alerting and operational dashboards. Metabase is built for business analytics: anyone can ask questions of a PostgreSQL or MySQL database with a point-and-click query builder and share the results.

- Best for Grafana: Infrastructure and application monitoring dashboards
- Best for Metabase: Self-serve business analytics for non-technical teams

## Key differences

| Aspect | Grafana | Metabase |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 (Grafana Enterprise is a separate commercial build) | AGPL-3.0 outside the enterprise directory, which is under the Metabase Commercial License |
| Language/stack | Go backend, TypeScript and React frontend | Clojure backend on the JVM, TypeScript and React frontend |
| Data sources | Prometheus, Loki, InfluxDB, Elasticsearch, SQL databases and many plugins | SQL databases and warehouses such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, BigQuery and Snowflake |
| Standout features | Alerting, time-series panels, plugin ecosystem, logs and traces correlation | Visual query builder, saved questions, models, scheduled reports by email or Slack |
| Database | SQLite by default, MySQL or PostgreSQL supported | H2 by default, PostgreSQL recommended for production |

## GitHub numbers

| Metric | Grafana | Metabase |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 77,096 | 49,547 |
| Forks | 14,816 | 6,880 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 11,362 | 6,378 |
| Last commit | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Latest release | v13.2.3 | v0.63.19 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| License type | Open source | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | Clojure |
| Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| Repository | https://github.com/grafana/grafana | https://github.com/metabase/metabase |

App pages: [Grafana](https://appsgit.com/apps/grafana), [Metabase](https://appsgit.com/apps/metabase)

## FAQ

### Can Grafana be used for business intelligence?

It can chart SQL data, but it is designed for time-series and monitoring. Metabase is easier for ad hoc business questions.

### Does Metabase do alerting?

Metabase can send alerts when a saved question returns results or crosses a goal line, but it is not a monitoring alerting system like Grafana's.

### Can I run both?

Yes, many teams use Grafana for operations dashboards and Metabase for product and business reporting.

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/compare/grafana-vs-metabase
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