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Business Intelligence · head to head

Celonis vs Lightdash

Celonis logo

Celonis

Business Intelligence

German process mining platform that analyzes, designs and operates AI-driven business processes

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightdash logo

Lightdash

Business Intelligence

Open-source BI for dbt users

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Lightdash has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Celonis celonis does not publish pricing on their pricing page or website; Lightdash requires existing dbt infrastructure, not suitable for teams without data models
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Celonis and Lightdash actually diverge.

Attributes where Celonis and Lightdash differ
AttributeCelonisLightdash
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Cloud (managed), Self-hosted (on-premise)
FoundedUnknown2021

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Business Intelligence).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Celonis

Nothing recorded that Lightdash does not also cover.

Only in Lightdash

  • dbt Integration
  • Metrics Layer
  • Dashboards
  • Scheduling
  • Version Control
  • dbt
  • BigQuery
  • Snowflake

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Celonis

  • Process mining and analyticsnot Lightdash

Lightdash

  • Self-service analyticsnot Celonis
  • Data explorationnot Celonis
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Celonis
  • Collaborative analysisnot Celonis
  • Embedded analyticsnot Celonis

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Celonis

  • Celonis does not publish pricing on their pricing page or website
  • Company directs customers to contact sales team for pricing information
  • No indication of pricing tiers, starting prices, or quote-based model on public pages
  • Pricing inquiry requires using a contact form or reaching out directly

Lightdash

  • Requires existing dbt infrastructure, not suitable for teams without data models
  • Enterprise features and AI agents unavailable in open-source MIT-licensed core

Pricing, plan by plan

Celonis

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Celonis review.

Lightdash

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • MIT-licensed core
    • Self-hostable
    • dbt integration
  • Cloud Managed$undefined/mo
    • Managed hosting
    • Premium features
    • AI agent capabilities

Which should you pick?

Choose Celonis if

Nothing in the data separates Celonis from Lightdash on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Celonis review

Choose Lightdash if

  • You need dbt integration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud (managed), Self-hosted (on-premise).
  • You also want metrics layer.
Lightdash review

Questions people ask

Is Celonis or Lightdash better?
Neither clearly leads. Celonis starts at On request and Lightdash at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Celonis or Lightdash?
Lightdash has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Celonis and Free for Lightdash.
Does Celonis or Lightdash run on more platforms?
Celonis runs on Web. Lightdash runs on Web, Cloud (managed), Self-hosted (on-premise).
Can I use Lightdash for free?
Yes. Lightdash has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Celonis starts at On request.
What is Celonis best used for?
Celonis is most often used for process mining and analytics. Of those, process mining and analytics is not what Lightdash is typically brought in for.
What can Celonis do that Lightdash cannot?
Lightdash covers dbt Integration, Metrics Layer, Dashboards, Scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Celonis: How much does Celonis cost?

Celonis does not publish pricing on their website. The company offers process mining and analytics solutions but requires customers to contact their sales team or use the Get in touch form on their pricing page to receive custom pricing quotes.

Source
Lightdash: Is Lightdash free?

Yes. Lightdash is free and open source under the MIT license. Self-hosting is completely free. Managed cloud services and enterprise features require separate licensing.

Source
Celonis: What is Celonis' pricing model?

Celonis' pricing model and pricing tiers are not publicly disclosed. Customers must request pricing information directly from Celonis through their sales contact channels.

Source
Lightdash: How does Lightdash integrate with dbt?

Lightdash reads dbt models and metric definitions directly. A team defines metrics once in dbt and reuses them across dashboards, exploration, and AI agents without redefinition.

Source
Celonis: Does Celonis offer a free trial or demo?

Celonis offers resources through Celonis Academy for training and has specialized programs (Academic Alliance, Aspire, Labs), but specific pricing for trials or demos is not disclosed. Contact Celonis directly for information on trial availability and pricing.

Source
Lightdash: Does Lightdash support SQL queries?

Yes. As a modern BI platform for analysts, Lightdash supports full SQL capabilities alongside dbt model exploration and visual query builders.

Source
Lightdash: What are Lightdash AI agents?

Lightdash AI agents, available on paid plans, allow natural language queries against your data, generating SQL and visualizations automatically from questions.

Source
Lightdash: Can Lightdash be self-hosted?

Yes. Lightdash's MIT-licensed core is completely self-hostable and free. Enterprise features and AI agents ship under separate licensing.

Source
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