Softwr

Business Intelligence · head to head

Cube vs Earthly

Cube logo

Cube

Business Intelligence

AI-native analytics platform with semantic layer and governed access

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit CubeFull review
Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit EarthlyFull review

The short version

  • Earthly is free; Cube starts at $40/mo.
  • Only Cube lists analytics Chat; only Earthly lists policy as code.
  • Where Cube falls short: per-developer licensing can be expensive for large analytics teams.
  • Where Earthly falls short: pricing model not published; requires sales contact.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cube and Earthly actually diverge.

Attributes where Cube and Earthly differ
AttributeCubeEarthly
Pricing modelPer-developer seats with volume pricingNo pricing published on website
PlatformsWeb, Self-hostedWeb, API
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: founded for Cube.

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 Cube

  • Analytics Chat
  • Workbooks
  • Dashboards
  • Embedded Analytics
  • AI Integrations
  • Core Data APIs
  • Caching and pre-aggregations

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

What people use each for

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

Cube

  • Building governed semantic data models for analyticsnot Earthly
  • Embedding analytics into customer-facing productsnot Earthly
  • Enabling natural language data queries for teamsnot Earthly
  • Creating conversational dashboards with AI assistancenot Earthly

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot Cube
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot Cube
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot Cube
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot Cube

Where each one falls short

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

Cube

  • Per-developer licensing can be expensive for large analytics teams
  • Additional cost for Explorer and Viewer roles beyond developers
  • Semantic layer approach requires upfront modeling investment
  • Smaller connector ecosystem than dedicated BI platforms
  • May be overengineered for simple reporting needs

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

Pricing, plan by plan

Cube

Free
  • FreeFree
    • For hobbyists and personal projects
    • Basic data source connection
    • Semantic modeling
  • Starter$40
    • Extended agent limits
    • Premium LLMs
    • Unlimited workbooks
  • Premium$80
    • All Starter features
    • Embedded dashboards
    • Embedded analytics chat
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • 99.990% uptime SLA
    • Dedicated single-tenant installation
    • Bring Your Own Cloud

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Cube if

  • You need analytics chat.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want workbooks.
Cube review

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Questions people ask

Is Cube or Earthly better?
Neither clearly leads. Cube starts at Free and Earthly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cube or Earthly?
Cube starts at Free and Earthly at Free.
Does Cube or Earthly run on more platforms?
Cube runs on Web, Self-hosted. Earthly runs on Web, API.
Can I use Cube for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cube best used for?
Cube is most often used for building governed semantic data models for analytics, embedding analytics into customer-facing products, enabling natural language data queries for teams, creating conversational dashboards with ai assistance. Of those, building governed semantic data models for analytics and embedding analytics into customer-facing products are not what Earthly is typically brought in for.
What can Cube do that Earthly cannot?
Cube covers Analytics Chat, Workbooks, Dashboards, Embedded Analytics. Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cube: What is the cost per developer on Cube?

Starter plan costs $40/developer/month. Premium adds embedded analytics at $80/developer/month. Explorer and Viewer roles cost $40 and $20/month respectively.

Source
Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

Source
Cube: What uptime SLAs does Cube offer?

Premium plan offers 99.950% uptime SLA. Enterprise plan provides 99.990% uptime SLA with dedicated support.

Source
Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

Source
Cube: Can I use Cube for free?

Yes, the Free plan includes basic data source connection, semantic modeling, workbooks, and dashboards for hobbyists and personal projects.

Source
Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Cube

More on Earthly

Keep looking

Other head to heads