Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Metabase vs TIBCO Spotfire comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 1, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Metabase
Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
25th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
TIBCO Spotfire
Ranking in BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
74
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the BI (Business Intelligence) Tools category, the mindshare of Metabase is 1.0%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of TIBCO Spotfire is 1.1%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
TIBCO Spotfire1.1%
Metabase1.0%
Other97.9%
BI (Business Intelligence) Tools
 

Featured Reviews

Ibrahim Izz El-Deen - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Engineer at USYTech
Modern analytics tool enhances user interactions with neat visualizations for improved decision-making
One area for improvement could be in offering more advanced features even in the open-source edition or making the paid versions more cost-effective. Data scalability, especially if the data grows, requires manual infrastructure management, which could be improved. Increased customization and visualization options in the open-source edition would be beneficial. Additionally, it might be helpful if more complex queries and stored procedures were supported.
reviewer2774796 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Governance System Specialist at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Clinical teams have transformed trial data into real-time, governed insights for faster decisions
Our client was a biotech company whose clinical pipeline was expanding with teams across clinical operations, biometrics, safety, and translational sciences. All these organizations and departments were drowning in data. Every week, teams stitched together different PowerPoint decks, SAS listings, spreadsheets, and extracts from central labs, CTMS, and warehouses. The problem was not a lack of data but a lack of timely insights. We were constantly asked which sites were falling behind, whether there was any worrying safety drift, or which biomarkers were correlating with response. Analysts would manually rerun scripts or pull static listings, which resulted in delays ranging from two weeks to a month. There were also many inconsistencies in definitions between ORR, PFS censoring rules, and protocol deviation categories, causing confusion and rework. Our client wanted a single analytic environment to serve as a one-stop place where their teams could explore, visualize, and collaborate in real time while maintaining security and regulatory expectations. TIBCO Spotfire became their live analytics workspace. Previously, teams had to collect emailed spreadsheets and various documents. By having one combined place, teams could open dynamic dashboards that were directly governed by curated datasets. The data canvas showed every transformation step, which helped the client maintain traceability for audits. Data functions written in R or Python allowed statisticians to encode and have approved analytic methods that could be used everywhere. Before implementing the tool, we built a framework and strategy. First, we mapped their high-value pain points including trial enrollment forecasting, safety drift monitoring, protocol deviation detection, and biomarker response analysis. Based on these priorities, we defined common language and common rules by aligning calculations with CDISC standards and creating shared data functions for lab shift rules and biomarker classifications. This prevented inconsistent interpretations across studies. We then built the technical foundation by connecting TIBCO Spotfire securely to their EDC, R environment, data lake, and row-level security to ensure adherence to PHI, PII, and regulatory compliances. Clinical operations dashboards provided real-time insights into enrollments and deviations. Safety dashboards were deployed to visualize patterns, biomarker distributions, and tumor burden changes for their cancer-related drug studies. The business validated the dashboards based on GxP principles, and we trained the study teams and built new templates so that trials could launch analytics much faster.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its interface, which is used to query data into Metabase. I think it is very useful and handy for a novice."
"Metabase's key advantage is its modern approach to business intelligence."
"It is easy for a new user to learn the tool."
"I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten."
"R and automation services."
"It's scalable."
"One of the main features is integrated statistical analysis."
"TIBCO Spotfire offers excellent features, including flexibility and the ability to do much better compared to other analytical tools."
"Data discovery is very simple."
"The two features that I have found most valuable are its ability to customize the dashboards when it comes to the evaluation. The second feature is its ability to handle a large amount of data, which is also something very unique about it."
"Spotfire is excellent for scientific applications, especially because of its integration with RNG."
"The out-of-the-box features are simple and easy to use across the board."
 

Cons

"The tool must be made more user-friendly."
"The solution could provide more customization."
"I think there is a need to add a few more advanced visuals in the tool. There are a standard set of visuals in the tool which are available."
"One area for improvement could be in offering more advanced features even in the open-source edition or making the paid versions more cost-effective."
"The initial setup can be difficult."
"We encountered difficulties connecting the special data sets, as the post data set did not contain any shared columns, making it difficult to establish a connection between the data sets."
"The initial setup is complicated and needs experience and knowledge."
"Our política in the company is to hire or get licenses year by year, but most recently, TIBCO Spotfire asked us to have a three-year license term. That made things a little bit tougher for the commercial relationship."
"Print capability and trigger-based events."
"I think TIBCO Spotfire could be improved; the user interface could be more modern and intuitive for first-time users."
"The solution might be generic."
"The web client of TIBCO Spotfire lacked the full authoring capabilities available in the analyst client."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Using the open-source edition of Metabase on AWS EC2 cost us around $29 per month for the EC2 instance, which was affordable."
"The product is open-sourced."
"I would not say it is a cheap tool, but it's viable."
"The price-point for this solution is negotiable depending on usage levels."
"The ROI is nearly impossible to calculate."
"This product carries a monthly licensing charge, with the amount depending on the features that are to be included. This costs also covers the use of technical support."
"The solution is affordable one."
"The Tibco sales teams have been very difficult to work with - ignoring requests, misrepresenting level of demand, etc."
"I would describe TIBCO Spotfire as an averagely-priced product."
"The pricing seems competitive and reasonable. The value delivered by the product far exceeds the cost."
"The cost of TIBCO Spotfire could improve. It should be less expensive. It's the most expensive visualization tool in our company."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which BI (Business Intelligence) Tools solutions are best for your needs.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
Energy/Utilities Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise42
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Metabase?
Using the open-source edition of Metabase on AWS EC2 cost us around $29 per month for the EC2 instance, which was affordable.
What needs improvement with Metabase?
One area for improvement could be in offering more advanced features even in the open-source edition or making the paid versions more cost-effective. Data scalability, especially if the data grows,...
What is your primary use case for Metabase?
I used Metabase for business intelligence and analytics in my organization. We connected Metabase to AWS Athena, allowing us to query and visualize data stored in S3 buckets.
What do you like most about TIBCO Spotfire?
TIBCO Spotfire is easy to use. We initiated Spotfire as POC, with support from a tech team based in South Africa. While they assisted with the setup, we conducted the POC ourselves.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for TIBCO Spotfire?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for TIBCO Spotfire appears fair, and I think they are fairly priced as far as the features are concerned.
What needs improvement with TIBCO Spotfire?
TIBCO Spotfire can be improved in several areas. The UI can be enhanced, and the usage and flexibility need to be better compared to other analytical tools.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Spotfire
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Allergan, ASSS de Montreal, Avantium, Blue River, Bank of Montreal, Citibank, FrieslandCampina, Hellmann Logistics, Merck, Novartis
Find out what your peers are saying about Metabase vs. TIBCO Spotfire and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.