Best Business Intelligence Tools in 2026
Updated
In short: Microsoft Power BI is ranked #1 of 92 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of Metabase and Zoho Analytics. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Zoho Analytics. The lowest first paid tier on this page is ThoughtSpot at $0.10/mo.
Business intelligence tools help you analyze data and share findings with colleagues. Compared on deployment, embedded analytics, and natural-language queries, the entries also differ in refresh frequency and row-level security. Scheduled reports and viewer seats can help you assess how information reaches people who need it, while free plans and paid-from pricing provide cost context. Microsoft Power BI, Metabase, and Zoho Analytics are among the tools to consider. Think about where your data needs to run, how current the results should be, and who should be able to see them. Comparing these listed capabilities can help clarify which option aligns with your reporting and access needs.
92 business intelligence tools ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
12 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 1 has open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Power BIWindows · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $14/mo | 8.1 | |
| 2 | MetabaseSelf-hosted | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | $6/mo | 8.0 | |
| 3 | Zoho AnalyticsSelf-hosted | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | $24/mo | 7.9 | |
| 4 | Apache SupersetWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 7.8 | |
| 5 | PresetWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $20/mo | 7.4 | |
| 6 | ModeWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 7.3 | |
| 7 | KNIME Analytics PlatformWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.3 | |
| 8 | DataboxWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $6.58/mo | 7.2 | |
| 9 | TableauSelf-hosted | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | $15/mo | 6.9 |
| 10 | Pyramid AnalyticsWeb · Windows · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 6.9 |
| 11 | ManageEngine Analytics PlusWeb · Windows · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 6.9 |
| 12 | CluvioWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $279/mo | 6.9 | |
| 13 | Data StudioWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $9/mo | 6.8 |
| 14 | CyfeWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $29/mo | 6.8 | |
| 15 | SeekTableWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $25/mo | 6.7 | |
| 16 | Bold BIWeb · Windows · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 6.6 |
| 17 | Databricks NotebooksWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 18 | SAS Visual AnalyticsNo platforms listed | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 6.5 |
| 19 | BirstNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 6.5 |
| 20 | ClicDataWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 6.5 |
| 21 | Trevor.ioWeb · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $75/mo | 6.5 | |
| 22 | LookerWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 6.4 |
| 23 | ThoughtSpotWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $0.10/mo | 6.4 |
| 24 | Yellowfin BIWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 6.4 |
| 25 | Sigma ComputingWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 6.4 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment | Refresh frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Power BI | 8.1 | Free plan | $14/mo | Yes | $14/user/mo | hybrid | hourly |
| 2 | Metabase | 8.0 | No | $6/mo | Yes | $6/user/mo | hybrid | real-time |
| 3 | Zoho Analytics | 7.9 | Free plan | $24/mo | Yes | — | hybrid | hourly |
| 4 | Apache Superset | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | self-hosted | — |
| 5 | Preset | 7.4 | Free plan | $20/mo | Yes | $20/user/mo | hybrid | — |
| 6 | Mode | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 7 | KNIME Analytics Platform | 7.3 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 8 | Databox | 7.2 | Free plan | $6.58/mo | Yes | — | cloud | hourly |
| 9 | Tableau | 6.9 | No | $15/mo | Yes | $15/user/mo | hybrid | real-time |
| 10 | Pyramid Analytics | 6.9 | No | — | Yes | — | hybrid | real-time |
| 11 | ManageEngine Analytics Plus | 6.9 | No | — | Yes | — | hybrid | hourly |
| 12 | Cluvio | 6.9 | Free plan | $279/mo | Yes | — | cloud | real-time |
| 13 | Data Studio | 6.8 | No | $9/mo | Yes | $9/user/mo | cloud | hourly |
| 14 | Cyfe | 6.8 | Free plan | $29/mo | Yes | Free | — | Real-time |
| 15 | SeekTable | 6.7 | Free plan | $25/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 16 | Bold BI | 6.6 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | real-time |
| 17 | Databricks Notebooks | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 18 | SAS Visual Analytics | 6.5 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | — |
| 19 | Birst | 6.5 | No | — | — | — | — | real-time |
| 20 | ClicData | 6.5 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 21 | Trevor.io | 6.5 | Free plan | $75/mo | Yes | — | hybrid | hourly |
| 22 | Looker | 6.4 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | hourly |
| 23 | ThoughtSpot | 6.4 | No | $0.10/mo | No | $25/user/mo | cloud | real-time |
| 24 | Yellowfin BI | 6.4 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | real-time |
| 25 | Sigma Computing | 6.4 | No | — | — | — | cloud | real-time |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which business intelligence tool is ranked first on Freedom251?
Microsoft Power BI is ranked #1 of 92 with a score of 8.1. Metabase is second and Zoho Analytics third.
How many of these have a free plan?
12 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, ThoughtSpot has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.10/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.