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Equals alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll business intelligence tools

Top picks

  • Metabase logo

    Best overall

    Metabase

    Starting price: $100/month (Starter)

  • Rows logo

    Best free option

    Rows

    Starting price: $8 per user/month ($6 billed annually)

  • Metabase logo

    Best open source

    Metabase

    Starting price: $100/month (Starter)

Common reasons people leave Equals: annual pricing in the tens of thousands of dollars puts it out of reach for small teams, and no self-serve free plan; you start through a demo. We ranked 6 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Equals, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Metabase currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Metabase logoMetabaseOpen source$100/month (Starter)YesWeb, Self-hosted5 of 574.3
2Rows logoRowsFree plan + paid$8 per user/month ($6 billed annually)NoWeb5 of 566.2
3Google Sheets logoGoogle SheetsFree—NoWeb, iOS, Android3 of 365.0
4Microsoft Power BI logoMicrosoft Power BIFree plan + paid$14 per user/month (Pro, paid yearly)NoWeb, Windows, iOS +15 of 561.8
5DaData Studio (Looker Studio)Free plan + paid$9 per user per project/monthNoWeb4 of 459.4
6Zoho Analytics logoZoho AnalyticsFree plan + paid$60 a month for 5 users, billed monthlyNoWeb, iOS, Android +17 of 755.9
  1. Metabase logo

    1. MetabaseTop pick

    Best for: Startups and product teams wanting quick, self-hosted dashboards on top of their own database

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    74.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Equals

    Open-source BI you can self-host for free, with a simple question builder over your database.

    Pros

    • Free open-source edition with unlimited users
    • Point-and-click question builder plus a SQL editor
    • Easy to self-host with Docker or a single JAR file
    • Popular choice for embedding analytics in a product

    Cons

    • Row-level permissions and SSO need a paid plan
    • Lighter data modelling than Tableau or Power BI
    • Paid cloud plans start at a noticeable monthly base price
    Visit Metabase Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.1563
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Metabase a good Equals alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    AGPL (Open Source Edition)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026metabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    Open Source, unlimited users
    Checked Nov 8, 2026metabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $100/month (Starter)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026metabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    14 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026metabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    Docker or JAR
    Checked Nov 8, 2026metabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Rows logo

    2. RowsAcquired

    Best for: Small teams building live reports from SaaS data in a spreadsheet format

    Free plan + paidWeb

    66.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Equals

    Spreadsheet with built-in data integrations and AI, with a free plan and far lower prices.

    Pros

    • Integrations work like spreadsheet functions
    • Published sheets look clean enough to share as reports
    • AI extracts and analyses data from PDFs and imports

    Cons

    • Future uncertain after joining Superhuman
    • Not a relational database; records and permissions are basic
    • AI task limits are tight on the free plan
    Visit Rows Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.360
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.1563
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Rows a good Equals alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, $0
    Checked Nov 8, 2026rows.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Plus plan
    $8 per user/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026rows.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Owner
    Superhuman
    Checked Nov 8, 2026rows.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $8 per user/month ($6 billed annually)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026rows.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro plan
    $79/month + $8 per user/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026rows.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Google Sheets logo

    3. Google Sheets

    Best for: Teams sharing trackers, budgets and lists that several people update

    FreeWeb, iOS, Android

    65.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from Equals

    Free spreadsheet with connectors and add-ons, if manual or scripted imports are acceptable.

    Pros

    • Live multi-user editing and cell comments with no file passing
    • Free, with Apps Script automation and many add-ons
    • Edits Excel files directly

    Cons

    • Slows down noticeably with large datasets
    • No equivalent to Excel's Power Query or VBA
    • Offline use needs Chrome or Edge
    Visit Google Sheets Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.338
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.15100
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Google Sheets a good Equals alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free plan
    Anyone with a Google account
    Checked Nov 8, 2026workspace.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Offline mode
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026workspace.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Excel files
    Convert or edit directly
    Checked Nov 8, 2026workspace.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Microsoft Power BI logo

    4. Microsoft Power BI

    Best for: Organisations on Microsoft 365 that want affordable, full-featured dashboards and reports

    Free plan + paidWeb, Windows, iOS, Android

    61.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Equals

    Low per-user pricing and deep Excel integration for teams already on Microsoft 365.

    Pros

    • Free Desktop authoring app with strong data modelling
    • Lower per-user price than most enterprise BI tools
    • Fits closely with Excel, Teams and Microsoft Fabric

    Cons

    • Desktop authoring app runs only on Windows
    • Sharing reports requires paid per-user or capacity licences
    • Licensing tiers and Fabric capacity options are hard to follow
    Visit Microsoft Power BI Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Microsoft Power BI a good Equals alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Starting price
    $14 per user/month (Pro, paid yearly)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Premium Per User
    $24 per user/month (paid yearly)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free desktop app
    Power BI Desktop
    Checked Nov 8, 2026microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Platforms
    Windows desktop app, web, mobile apps
    Checked Nov 8, 2026learn.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Premium Per User plan
    $24 per user/month (paid yearly)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Da

    5. Data Studio (Looker Studio)

    Best for: Marketers and small teams reporting on Google Analytics, Ads and Sheets data

    Free plan + paidWeb

    59.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from Equals

    Free Google dashboarding tool that connects to Sheets, BigQuery and many sources.

    Pros

    • Free self-service tier
    • Native connectors for Google Analytics, Ads, Sheets and BigQuery
    • Shares and collaborates like a Google Doc
    • Reports can be embedded on any web page

    Cons

    • Can get slow with large or blended datasets
    • Basic data modelling compared with Power BI
    • Many third-party connectors charge separately
    Visit Data Studio (Looker Studio) Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Data Studio (Looker Studio) a good Equals alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free tier
    Self-service tier at no cost
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro price
    $9 per user per project/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Community connectors
    1,300+
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Embedding
    Embed reports on any web page
    Checked Nov 8, 2026lookerstudio.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
  6. Zoho Analytics logo

    6. Zoho Analytics

    Best for: Small and mid-size businesses, especially Zoho users, wanting affordable self-service BI

    Free plan + paidSelf-hostableWeb, iOS, Android, Self-hosted

    55.9

    score / 100

    Why switch from Equals

    Affordable BI with many SaaS connectors and an AI assistant, aimed at smaller businesses.

    Pros

    • Free plan and published, user-based pricing
    • Hundreds of connectors with ready-made dashboards for common business apps
    • Cloud or on-premises deployment

    Cons

    • Free plan is capped at 2 users and 10K rows
    • Paid tiers also cap data rows, with more rows sold as add-ons
    • Busy interface with many settings to learn
    Visit Zoho Analytics Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.357
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Zoho Analytics a good Equals alternative?

    Verified facts

    7 of 7 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, 2 users and 10,000 rows
    Checked Nov 8, 2026zoho.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    15 days, no card
    Checked Nov 8, 2026zoho.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data sources
    500+
    Checked Nov 8, 2026zoho.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Deployment
    Cloud or on-premise
    Checked Nov 8, 2026zoho.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Standard plan
    $60 a month for 5 users, billed monthly
    Checked Nov 8, 2026zoho.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Premium plan
    $145 a month, billed monthly
    Checked Nov 8, 2026zoho.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Extra users
    From $8 per user/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026zoho.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Equals alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Metabase logo

Best Equals alternative for most people

Metabase

Open-source BI you can self-host for free, with a simple question builder over your database.

Google Sheets logo

Best Equals alternative for a free option

Google Sheets

Free spreadsheet with connectors and add-ons, if manual or scripted imports are acceptable.

Rows logo

Best Equals alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Rows

Spreadsheet with built-in data integrations and AI, with a free plan and far lower prices.

Metabase logo

Best Equals alternative for open source

Metabase

Open-source BI you can self-host for free, with a simple question builder over your database.

Zoho Analytics logo

Best Equals alternative for self-hosting

Zoho Analytics

Affordable BI with many SaaS connectors and an AI assistant, aimed at smaller businesses.

Microsoft Power BI logo

Best Equals alternative for Windows

Microsoft Power BI

Low per-user pricing and deep Excel integration for teams already on Microsoft 365.

Google Sheets logo

Best Equals alternative for iPhone and Android

Google Sheets

Free spreadsheet with connectors and add-ons, if manual or scripted imports are acceptable.

Da

Best Equals alternative for working in the browser

Data Studio (Looker Studio)

Free Google dashboarding tool that connects to Sheets, BigQuery and many sources.

Equals alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Equals?

Metabase ranks first right now. Open-source BI you can self-host for free, with a simple question builder over your database. Rows and Google Sheets follow it in our ranking.

Equals vs Metabase: what's the difference?

Equals is a paid product; Metabase is free and open source. Verified prices: Equals $24k/year (Essential), Metabase $100/month (Starter). Metabase is open source and Equals is not. Both run on Web.

Is Equals free?

Equals is a paid product. Starting price: $24k/year (Essential); Free trial: Yes, tailored length. Checked on Equals's own site, November 2026.

How much do Equals alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked Equals alternatives: Metabase, $100/month (Starter); Rows, $8 per user/month ($6 billed annually); Microsoft Power BI, $14 per user/month (Pro, paid yearly); Data Studio (Looker Studio), $9 per user per project/month; Zoho Analytics, $60 a month for 5 users, billed monthly. Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to Equals?

Yes. Metabase (open source), Rows (free plan + paid), Google Sheets (free) and Microsoft Power BI (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Equals?

Yes: Metabase. Metabase can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Equals?

The complaints we hear most: annual pricing in the tens of thousands of dollars puts it out of reach for small teams; no self-serve free plan; you start through a demo; lower plan syncs data only every six hours and limits connectors.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Equals, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.