Domo is an enterprise-focused cloud BI platform with advanced automation and 500+ pre-built connectors, while Metabase is an open-source, self-hosted BI tool emphasizing ease-of-use and lower total cost of ownership. Domo suits large organizations needing sophisticated workflows; Metabase suits teams prioritizing simplicity and data independence.
Domo vs Metabase — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise cloud BI platform with advanced automation, 500+ connectors, and workflow orchestration.
Open-source SQL-based analytics and dashboarding platform with fast deployment and affordable licensing.
Deployment Model. Data Connectors. Starting Price (Annual). Workflow Automation. Learning Curve. Enterprise SSO Support. Mobile App Quality
Choose Domo if your organization needs enterprise-grade automation, 500+ data connectors, advanced governance, and mobile capabilities—and can justify per-user licensing costs ($2,000+/year). Choose Metabase if you prioritize quick implementation, open-source flexibility, ease-of-use for non-technical teams, and lower total cost of ownership (<$2,000/year).
Domo: SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, FedRAMP | Metabase: SOC 2 Type II (managed only)
Domo: Limited public info | Metabase: 30,000+
Domo: $3,500 (average) | Metabase: $90 (managed cloud)
Domo: Built-in with automated insight discovery | Metabase: No native AI features
Domo: Cloud-only (SaaS) | Metabase: Self-hosted, cloud, Docker, Kubernetes
Domo: 500+ (enterprise) | Metabase: 10-200 (startup/SMB)
Domo: $5,000 entry-level | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Basic (limited white-label) | Metabase: N/A
Maximum Concurrent Users (Standard Plan)
Domo: Unlimited (license-based) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: 75% within 60 days | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Native iOS/Android with full features | Metabase: N/A
Domo: 6/10 (Visual builders) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Domo AI with natural language queries | Metabase: N/A
Domo: SQL via connectors, limited direct database access | Metabase: N/A
Non-Technical User Friendliness (1-10 scale)
Domo: 8.5/10 (drag-and-drop design) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Good (operational focus) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Full feature parity with desktop | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Yes - alerts, routing, task execution | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Partial - via connectors | Metabase: N/A
Domo: $500+ (org-wide minimum) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Real-time (unlimited) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Limited, requires API | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Full editing capabilities | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Native data certification & lineage | Metabase: N/A
Domo: 4.3/5 (2,400 reviews) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: 500 GB (with optimization) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Yes (Domo Connector Framework) | Metabase: N/A
Maximum Dataset Size (Optimal Performance)
Domo: Yes (with offline mode) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: 500 million | Metabase: 100 million
Domo: Full interactivity + alerts | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Limited / add-on cost | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Static (role-based) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Unlimited (cloud-native) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Basic (predictive only) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: 500GB+ (with optimization) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: Complex (steep curve) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: 95% (with offline mode) | Metabase: N/A
Maximum Data Refresh Frequency (Standard Tier)
Domo: Real-time (continuous) | Metabase: N/A
Domo: $2,000–$4,000+ per user | Metabase: $0 (open-source) or $1,500 (pro tier)
Domo: $10,000–$20,000 | Metabase: $1,500 (self-hosted open-source or professional)
Domo: 2–4 hours (with IT/admin) | Metabase: 10–30 minutes (Docker/VPS)
Domo: Advanced (scheduled jobs, conditional logic, multi-step orchestration) | Metabase: Basic (alerts only)
Domo: SAML 2.0, OIDC, OAuth (3 methods) | Metabase: LDAP, SAML in pro tier (2 methods)
Domo: Full-featured iOS & Android apps with offline access | Metabase: Web-responsive only; no native apps
Domo: 40–80 hours (formal training often required) | Metabase: 4–8 hours (self-service learning)
Domo: Not open-source | Metabase: 40,000+
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Basic SQL, no templating
Domo: N/A | Metabase: $0 (open-source) or $11,940
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Native iOS/Android
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Unlimited (self-hosted)
Total Cost of Ownership (Year 1, 10 users)
Dashboard Auto-Refresh Speed (Premium tier)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: 60,000ms (1-minute minimum)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: 4 (self-hosted, Docker, cloud, hybrid)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: ~2,500 enterprises
Domo: N/A | Metabase: 0.5 GB (lightweight)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Basic aggregations only
Base Subscription Cost (Annual, 10 Users)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: ~15 basic functions
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Basic manual roles
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Full open-source self-hosting
Learning Hours to Intermediate Proficiency
Domo: N/A | Metabase: $120 for Professional
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Yes, unlimited with self-hosting
Domo: N/A | Metabase: 2-4 hours (UI-based)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: $2,000-5,000 annually (self-hosted)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Basic dataset-level permissions
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Limited (OAuth, LDAP)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: 8-15 hours for basic competency
Domo: N/A | Metabase: $0 (self-hosted) or $1,200 (cloud)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: 25+ databases and APIs
Domo: N/A | Metabase: SSPL (Elastic-style)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Basic SQL with visual query builder
User Interface Complexity (Learning Curve)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: 2-3 hours for dashboards
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Single docker-compose command, minimal config
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Basic caching (5-60 min intervals)
Total Cost of Ownership (First Year, 10 Users)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Basic (no native semantic layer)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Limited (via database views)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Native, no-code visual queries optional
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Single container, one command
Learning Curve (Days to First Dashboard)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Basic query result caching
Minimum Infrastructure Requirements (RAM)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Limited (basic parameter substitution)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Full drag-and-drop support for all data sources
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Email, Slack, webhooks (3 channels)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: 94% successful deployment
Domo: N/A | Metabase: No native ML features
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Query builder only (no custom language)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Fully open source (AGPL license)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Basic (trend detection)
Annual Total Cost of Ownership (10 users)
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Basic SQL, limited ML
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Web-responsive only
Domo: N/A | Metabase: Full open-source available
Domo vs Metabase — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Domo vs Metabase. Contains 186 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Domo vs Metabase — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Domo vs Metabase.
Domo is cloud-only SaaS with no on-premise option. Metabase offers both: free open-source self-hosted version (full control, no license fees) and a managed professional tier ($1,500/year). Self-hosting Metabase is straightforward—Docker in <15 minutes.
How many data sources can each platform connect to?
Domo has 500+ pre-built native connectors covering enterprise systems (SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, NetSuite, etc.). Metabase has ~35 native connectors but supports any SQL-compatible database directly. For niche systems, Metabase users can write custom SQL or use APIs; Domo users typically request connector development.
Metabase: ~$1,500/year (open-source self-hosted) or $1,500 for professional tier. Domo: $20,000–$40,000/year (per-user licensing at $2,000–$4,000/user). Metabase is ~13–27x cheaper for small teams; Domo's cost advantage appears only in 100+ user deployments with complex workflows.
Can non-technical users create dashboards without writing SQL?
Metabase: Yes—intuitive drag-and-drop query builder allows business analysts to build dashboards, filters, and joins without SQL. Domo: Also yes, but interface is more complex; users typically need training. Metabase has gentler learning curve for this use case.
Which is better for automated data pipelines and workflows?
Domo excels with advanced workflow orchestration—scheduled jobs, conditional branching, and multi-step transformations. Metabase is limited to alerts and scheduled queries; complex ETL requires external tools (Airflow, Dagster, etc.). Choose Domo if your team needs native workflow automation; choose Metabase + external ETL tool if you prefer flexibility and cost control.
Deployment Model: Domo has Cloud SaaS only, while Metabase has Open-source + self-hosted option.
Data Connectors: Domo has 500+ native connectors, while Metabase has ~35 native connectors.
Starting Price (Annual): Domo has $2,000+ per user, while Metabase has $0 (open-source) or $1,500 professional.
Workflow Automation: Domo has Advanced orchestration & alerts, while Metabase has Basic alerts only.
Learning Curve: Domo has Moderate to steep, while Metabase has Gentle (designed for non-technical users).
Enterprise SSO Support: Domo has SAML 2.0, OIDC, OAuth, while Metabase has LDAP, SAML (professional tier only).
Mobile App Quality: Domo has Full-featured native apps, while Metabase has Web-responsive, limited native features.