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Business Intelligence · head to head

Chartio vs Steampipe

Chartio logo

Chartio

Business Intelligence

Cloud-based data exploration (discontinued)

From
On request
Free plan
No
Visit ChartioFull review
Steampipe logo

Steampipe

Developer Tools

Query cloud APIs, SaaS tools and code with SQL, with no extract or load step

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit SteampipeFull review

The short version

  • Chartio is free; Steampipe starts at $49/mo.
  • Only Chartio lists visual Query Builder; only Steampipe lists SQL over live APIs.
  • Where Chartio falls short: product was discontinued and sunset on March 1, 2022 after company acquisition by Atlassian.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chartio and Steampipe actually diverge.

Attributes where Chartio and Steampipe differ
AttributeChartioSteampipe
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebmacOS, Linux, Windows, Self-hosted, Web
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDeveloper Tools

Not yet recorded: pricing model for Chartio, founded for Steampipe.

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 Chartio

  • Visual Query Builder
  • Interactive Dashboards
  • Data Blending
  • Collaboration
  • Embedding
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • Redshift

Only in Steampipe

  • SQL over live APIs
  • Wide plugin set
  • Embedded Postgres
  • Compliance benchmarks
  • Joins across providers
  • Hosted option

What people use each for

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

Chartio

  • Drag and drop chart building over SQL databasesnot Steampipe
  • Shared business dashboards for non-technical teamsnot Steampipe
  • Exploring warehouse data without writing SQLnot Steampipe

Steampipe

  • Security teams answering posture questions against live cloud accounts rather than a nightly exportnot Chartio
  • Compliance evidence gathering where the answer must reflect the account at the moment it is askednot Chartio
  • Inventory and drift questions spanning several cloud providers in one querynot Chartio
  • Engineers who would rather write SQL than learn each provider command line toolnot Chartio

Where each one falls short

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

Chartio

  • Product was discontinued and sunset on March 1, 2022 after company acquisition by Atlassian
  • No current pricing available as service no longer operates
  • Users were migrated to alternative Atlassian solutions

Steampipe

  • AGPL-3.0 across all four engines is a procurement blocker at organisations that ban the licence outright, and the network clause reaches any internal portal or service that puts a web interface in front of it
  • Dashboards, benchmarks and mods were removed from Steampipe entirely at version 1.0 in October 2024 and now live in a separate product, so pre-2024 documentation and tutorials describe commands that no longer exist
  • Live querying is bound by cloud provider API rate limits and keeps no persistent store by default, which is why a separate DuckDB-backed product exists for log volumes and why large accounts return slowly
  • The company is fifteen people and bootstrapped, maintaining four command line tools plus a hosted service plus two further products, and the newer tools have thin community traction relative to that surface area
  • Hosted tiers include only three users regardless of tier, with additional Enterprise users charged separately, so a team of thirty costs an order of magnitude more than the headline figure before compute and storage are counted

Pricing, plan by plan

Chartio

On request
  • DiscontinuedFree
    • Service ended March 2022

Steampipe

Free
  • Steampipe CLIFree
    • AGPL-3.0
    • All plugins
    • No user or query limits
  • Pipes DeveloperFree
    • One user
    • 400 compute minutes
    • 3GB storage
  • Pipes Team$49/mo
    • Three users
    • 2,000 compute minutes
    • 20GB storage
  • Pipes Enterprise$249/mo
    • Three users
    • 10,000 compute minutes
    • 100GB storage

Which should you pick?

Choose Chartio if

  • You need visual query builder.
  • You also want interactive dashboards.
Chartio review

Choose Steampipe if

  • You need sql over live apis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, Linux, Windows, Self-hosted, Web.
  • You also want wide plugin set.
Steampipe review

Questions people ask

Is Chartio or Steampipe better?
Neither clearly leads. Chartio starts at On request and Steampipe at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chartio or Steampipe?
Steampipe has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Chartio and Free for Steampipe.
Does Chartio or Steampipe run on more platforms?
Chartio runs on Web. Steampipe runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Self-hosted, Web.
Can I use Steampipe for free?
Yes. Steampipe has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Chartio starts at On request.
What is Chartio best used for?
Chartio is most often used for drag and drop chart building over sql databases, shared business dashboards for non-technical teams, exploring warehouse data without writing sql. Of those, drag and drop chart building over sql databases and shared business dashboards for non-technical teams are not what Steampipe is typically brought in for.
What can Chartio do that Steampipe cannot?
Chartio covers Visual Query Builder, Interactive Dashboards, Data Blending, Collaboration. Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Chartio: Is Chartio still available?

No, Chartio was discontinued on March 1, 2022. The product was acquired by Atlassian and the service was shut down. Users were offered migration to alternative solutions.

Source
Steampipe: When did Steampipe become AGPL?

May 2021, about four months after the project went public. It is a settled licence rather than a recent change, and predates the Business Source Licence wave it is often confused with.

Chartio: What should I use instead of Chartio after its discontinuation?

Atlassian, which acquired Chartio, recommends users migrate to other data visualization and business intelligence tools within the Atlassian ecosystem or compatible alternatives.

Source
Steampipe: Where did the dashboards and benchmarks go?

Into Powerpipe. They were deprecated in March 2024 and removed from Steampipe at version 1.0 in October 2024, so the check, dashboard, mod and variable commands are gone.

Chartio: Can I still access Chartio's pricing information?

No, historical pricing is not relevant as Chartio ceased operations in March 2022. Any archived pricing information would not reflect current market options.

Source
Steampipe: Is it fast on a large cloud estate?

Not always. Queries call provider APIs at request time, so rate limits rather than query planning set the pace, and there is no persistent store by default.

Steampipe: Does the AGPL affect internal use?

Running it internally for your own analysis is fine. Putting a web interface in front of it that other people use is where the network clause becomes a question for your legal team.

Steampipe: Is a bootstrapped vendor a risk?

It cuts both ways. There is no investor pressure toward a licence change or an exit, and there are also fifteen people supporting a large product surface.

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