# Alternatives to Tableau

Tableau is a data visualization and business intelligence platform from Salesforce for connecting to data, building interactive dashboards with drag-and-drop tools or custom SQL, and sharing them via self-hosted Tableau Server or hosted Tableau Cloud. It includes governance features such as row-level security, data-driven alerts, and scheduled subscriptions, plus a permanent free Tableau Desktop Free Edition for local use. Tableau Semantics adds a separate AI-infused semantic layer integrated with Salesforce Data 360.

Tableau ranks #7 of 8 in Business intelligence, with an Alt Score of 78. It is proprietary, freemium from $15/user/mo and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Web. 11 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/tableau/
Category: Business intelligence

## Where Tableau stands out

- **SSO (SAML/OIDC)** — 4 of 8 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Business analysts, data teams, and executives who need to explore data visually and build shareable dashboards, from individual free users up to large enterprises running self-hosted Tableau Server deployments.
- **What you get**: Tableau Desktop (Free, Public, or Professional Edition) for authoring visualizations, Tableau Server for self-hosted publishing or Tableau Cloud for hosted publishing, Tableau Mobile apps for iOS and Android, and Tableau Semantics for a governed semantic layer integrated with Salesforce Data 360.
- **How it works**: Users connect to data sources with drag-and-drop tools or custom SQL queries, build interactive views without writing code, then publish them to Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud where viewers are governed with row-level security, subscriptions, and data-driven alerts, or embed the visualizations in other applications via the Embedding API.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Starts at**: $15/user/mo (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-08-03)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Lightdash](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lightdash.md) | 93 | MIT (core); Source Available (enterprise ee/ module) | ? |
| 2 | [Apache Superset](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apache-superset.md) | 89 | Apache License 2.0 | Web |
| 3 | [Metabase](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/metabase.md) | 89 | AGPL | Web |
| 4 | [Microsoft Power BI](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/power-bi.md) | 89 | Proprietary | Windows, Web, iOS, Android |
| 5 | [Looker](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/looker.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android |
| 6 | [Sigma](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/sigma-computing.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web |
| 7 | [Redash](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/redash.md) | 59 | BSD-2-Clause | Web |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Business intelligence checklist | Tableau | Lightdash | Apache Superset | Metabase | Microsoft Power BI | Looker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | OSS + paid hosting | Free | OSS + paid hosting | Freemium | Subscription |
| Starts at | $15/user/mo | $3000/mo | Free | $100/mo | $14/user/mo | ? |
| License | Proprietary | MIT (core); Source Available (enterprise ee/ module) | Apache License 2.0 | AGPL | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | ? | Web | Web | Windows, Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Open source | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| SQL editor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| No-code query builder | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduled report delivery | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Embedded analytics | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Row-level security | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Data alerts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Semantic layer | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Git version control | No | Yes | ? | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML/OIDC) | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Yes |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |

## Sources

Sources for Tableau. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.tableau.com/eula> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://www.tableau.com/products/desktop-free/download> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Starts at**: $15/user/mo — <https://www.tableau.com/pricing/teams-orgs> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web — <https://www.tableau.com/products/desktop> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Status**: active — <https://help.tableau.com/current/desktopdeploy/en-us/desktop_deploy_download.htm> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Self-hostable**: Yes — <https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/install.htm> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Open source**: No — <https://www.tableau.com/eula> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **SQL editor**: Yes — <https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/customsql.htm> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **No-code query builder**: Yes — <https://www.tableau.com/products/desktop> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Scheduled report delivery**: Yes — <https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/subscribe.htm> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Embedded analytics**: Yes — <https://www.tableau.com/products/embedded-analytics> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Row-level security**: Yes — <https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/rls_options_overview.htm> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Data alerts**: Yes — <https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/data_alerts.htm> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Git version control**: No — <https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/revision_history_maintain.htm> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **SSO (SAML/OIDC)**: Yes — <https://www.tableau.com/products/mobile> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Free tier**: Yes — <https://www.tableau.com/products/desktop-free/download> (verified 2026-08-03)

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/