What is the main difference between Grafana and Metabase?

Grafana and Metabase are both data visualization tools but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Grafana or Metabase?

The choice between Grafana and Metabase depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Grafana to Metabase?

Migration between Grafana and Metabase is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Grafana vs Metabase

Learn how Grafana and Metabase differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these data visualization tools is best for you.

Grafana

Grafana unifies metrics, logs, traces, profiles, and business data into one OpenTelemetry-native platform with AI-assisted root cause analysis and adaptive cost controls.

Visit Grafana Read more

76,514stars+622(+0.8%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
7 hours ago
Repository age
13 years
Version
v13.2.0
License
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
grafana/grafana

Metabase

Open-source business intelligence platform for data exploration, visualization, and sharing. Empowers teams to make data-driven decisions effortlessly.

Visit Metabase Read more

48,998stars+524(+1.1%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
7 hours ago
Repository age
12 years
Version
v0.63.15
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
metabase/metabase

Detailed Comparison

Grafana appears to have several advantages over Metabase, particularly in popularity, maturity and licensing. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Grafana wins

Community & Popularity

Grafana leads in popularity with 76,514 stars vs 48,998 stars for Metabase. The 56% higher star count indicates stronger community adoption. In terms of developer contributions, Grafana has 14,660 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Metabase wins

Growth Momentum

Metabase is growing faster, adding 524 stars in the last 30 days (+1.1%) against adding 622 stars for Grafana (+0.8%). Metabase is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Grafana last updated 7 hours ago and Metabase 7 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Bash, Typescript, JSX. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Grafana uses Python, Golang, Ruby while Metabase leverages Clojure.

Grafana wins

Project Maturity

Grafana has been in development longer, starting 13 years ago, compared to Metabase which began 12 years ago. This 1.2-year head start suggests Grafana may have more mature features and established processes.

Grafana wins

Licensing

Grafana is licensed under AGPL-3.0, while Metabase's license terms are not publicly specified.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Data Visualization. However, they also have distinct specializations: Grafana also focuses on Infrastructure Monitoring, Performance Monitoring (APM) while Metabase extends into BI Platforms.

Comparable