Observable

Name: Observable
Author: Observable

Free plan Self-hostedWeb

What Observable is

Observable is a notebook platform for analyzing and visualizing data, explaining ideas with code, and building data-driven workflows and custom apps. Notebooks are organized into cells, display live values alongside code, and include a dataflow panel for understanding program behavior. Collaboration features include real-time editing, comments, fork-and-merge workflows, access controls, and version history. Built-in capabilities include file attachments, databases, secrets, libraries, and inputs; hosted connectors cover databases including Redshift, BigQuery, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, and SQL Server. Database clients are available in private notebooks, but sharing or publishing a notebook that uses a connector revokes that notebook’s database access. Observable supports web use, local development, and self-hosting, and its free open-source tools can produce static sites. Notebooks use human-readable plain text and can import web-compatible npm libraries. Free includes 1 GB per month of file attachments; Pro costs $22 per user per month billed annually and lists 50 minutes of monthly compute. Free has standard support, while Pro and Team list priority support.

Who it suits

Observable suits people working with data through code-based notebooks, as well as teams that need collaborative editing and controlled access. It also supports local development and self-hosting.

What it does well

Cells display live values alongside code.
Real-time editing, comments, and version history.
Hosted connectors cover multiple databases.
Supports local development and self-hosting.

What to know first

Sharing a connected notebook revokes its database access.
Free includes only 1 GB monthly file attachments.
Pro compute is limited to 50 minutes monthly.

Limits

Free lists a few tokens per day and 1 GB per month of file attachments. Pro lists 50 minutes per month of compute and 1 GB per month of attachments; Team lists 50 minutes per editor per month of compute and 1 GB per editor per month of attachments.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free	Few tokens / day · 1 GB / mo. file attachments · Embed with watermark · Standard support	Free
Pro	$22 per month or $25 billed monthly · More tokens / day · 1 GB / mo. file attachments · 50 min. / mo. compute · Priority support	$22 a month
Team	$40 per editor per month or $45 billed monthly · More tokens / editor / day · 1 GB / editor / mo. file attachments · 50 min. / editor / mo. compute · $10 / viewer / mo. private viewers · Priority support	On request
Enterprise	Custom · Custom agent, file attachments, compute, and private viewers · Dedicated support	On request

As observablehq.com lists them, read 29 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit the Observable website.
Start with the Free plan or choose Pro, Team, or Enterprise.
Create notebooks using cells, data inputs, and any web-compatible npm libraries you need.
For database access, use a connector from a private notebook.
Use Observable for local development or self-hosting if that fits your workflow.

Verdict

Observable brings data analysis, explanation, and collaboration into notebook documents. Check the plan limits and database-access behavior before sharing work that uses a connector.

Questions

Is Observable free?

Yes. The Free plan costs nothing and includes standard support.

How much does Pro cost?

Pro is listed from $22/user/mo when billed annually; the pricing details also list $25 per month when billed monthly.

Which databases have hosted connectors?

Connectors are listed for Amazon Redshift, BigQuery, Databricks, Mongo SQL, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, and SQL Server.

Can I share a notebook that uses a database connector?

Sharing or publishing a notebook that uses a connector revokes that notebook's database access. Database clients are accessible from private notebooks.

Can Observable be self-hosted?

Yes. Observable says notebooks can be used for local development and self-hosting, and its free open-source tooling can generate static sites.

Who makes Observable, and when was it founded?

The maker is Observable, founded in 2016.

Facts from Observable's own pages

Collaboration: Observable supports real-time multiplayer editing, fork-and-merge workflows, comments, fine-grained access, and version history. · observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
Connection security: Observable recommends SSL-encrypted connections and read-only database users; its documentation says SSL connections are encrypted but not yet verified. · old.observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
Database access: Database clients are accessible from a user's or team's private notebooks, and sharing or publishing a notebook that uses a database connector revokes that notebook's database access. · old.observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
Database integrations: Observable documentation lists hosted connectors for Amazon Redshift, BigQuery, Databricks, Mongo SQL, MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, and SQL Server. · old.observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
Data inputs: The product lists file attachments, databases, secrets, libraries, and inputs among its built-in capabilities. · observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
File format and libraries: Notebooks use a human-readable plain-text format, and Observable says users can import any npm library that runs on the web. · observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
Founded: 2016 · observablehq.com, 28 Sept 2026
Free plan: Yes · observablehq.com, 20 Sept 2026
Local development and publishing: Observable says notebooks can be used for local development and self hosting, and its free open-source tooling can generate static sites. · observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
Notebook features: Notebooks use cells, show live values alongside code, and include a dataflow panel to help users understand program behavior. · observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
Plan limits: The pricing page lists 1 GB per month of file attachments for Free and Pro, and 50 minutes per month of compute for Pro. · observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
Private projects: Yes · observablehq.com, 20 Sept 2026
Purpose: Observable notebooks are lightweight documents for analyzing and visualizing data, explaining ideas with code, and supporting data-driven workflows with custom apps. · observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
Support: The pricing page lists standard support for Free, priority support for Pro and Team, and dedicated support for Enterprise. · observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026
Team plan limits: The Team plan lists 1 GB per editor per month of file attachments, 50 minutes per editor per month of compute, and private viewers at $10 per viewer per month. · observablehq.com, 29 Sept 2026