Free Tableau alternatives
Tableau is a paid data visualization and analytics platform used by analysts and businesses to build interactive dashboards. Licenses are priced per user, which is costly for individuals exploring data. Tableau Public is free for publishing public visualizations, while Looker Studio and Metabase are free dashboard tools.
Best free alternative to Tableau: Tableau Public. Drag-and-drop charts and dashboards, but every workbook you publish is public.
Side by side
| Option | What you get | What you miss |
|---|---|---|
| Tableau Public | Drag-and-drop charts and dashboards, but every workbook you publish is public. | Private workbooks, private data connections and enterprise governance. |
| Looker Studio | Free dashboards with many Google and database connectors, shared by link or scheduled email. | Advanced data modeling, enterprise governance and the richer chart options in Tableau. |
| Metabase | Open source BI with a no-code question builder, SQL editor and dashboards you can self-host. | Managed hosting, enterprise security features and Tableau's advanced visualization types. |
Questions people ask
What is the best free alternative to Tableau?
Tableau Public. Drag-and-drop charts and dashboards, but every workbook you publish is public.
Is there a free version of Tableau?
Yes: Tableau Public. Drag-and-drop charts and dashboards, but every workbook you publish is public.
What do you miss with a free Tableau alternative?
Private workbooks, private data connections and enterprise governance.