Pick Lightdash if
analytics teams who already own dbt and will self-host at $0, or buy Cloud Pro at $3,000/month after the 21-day trial — and will not treat embedding as the core product.
Read the Lightdash pageLightdash vs Steep
Our take
Pick Lightdash if you're on a analytics team who already own dbt and will self-host at $0, or buy Cloud Pro at $3,000/month after the 21-day trial — and will not treat embedding as the core product. Pick Steep if you're on a ops team who want a metrics home screen, not a SQL workbook. Skip Steep if you're an analyst who live in SQL + Python notebooks (Hex) or want OSS $0 (Metabase).
Lightdash
dbt-native BI desk
Best for
Lightdash Charts on your dbt semantic layer you start at $0 or $3,000
Steep A metrics catalog you start with three free seats
Free plan
Lightdash $0 · core BI. Unlimited seats. Community Slack only. Access to Lightdash OSS only
Steep No free plan
Lowest paid
Lightdash Cloud Pro $3/mo
Steep Pro $15
Next step up
Lightdash HIPAA BAA $490/mo
Steep
Runs where
Lightdash Local; you host it
Steep
Watch out
Lightdash Cloud Pro is $3,000/month
Steep Seat 4 is $15
Last checked
Lightdash 2026-10-23 · lightdash.com/pricing
Steep 2026-10-28 · steep.app/pricing
Which one, then?
Pick Steep if
ops teams who want a metrics home screen, not a SQL workbook.
Read the Steep page