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Business Intelligence · head to head

Cyfe vs Lightdash

Cyfe logo

Cyfe

Business Intelligence

All-in-one business dashboard

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightdash logo

Lightdash

Business Intelligence

Open-source BI for dbt users

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cyfe dashboards are the billing unit, at 2 on the $29 Starter plan and 5 on the $39 Standard plan; Lightdash requires existing dbt infrastructure, not suitable for teams without data models
  • They diverge on capability: Cyfe covers Pre-built Widgets, Lightdash covers dbt Integration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cyfe and Lightdash actually diverge.

Attributes where Cyfe and Lightdash differ
AttributeCyfeLightdash
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, TvWeb, Cloud (managed), Self-hosted (on-premise)
Founded20122021

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

  • Pre-built Widgets
  • Custom Metrics
  • Historical Data
  • White-labeling
  • Embedding
  • Google Analytics
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Only in Lightdash

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

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Cyfe

  • Building business dashboards from marketing, sales and finance sourcesnot Lightdash
  • Displaying live metrics on office screens and shared public URLsnot Lightdash

Lightdash

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

Where each one falls short

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

Cyfe

  • Dashboards are the billing unit, at 2 on the $29 Starter plan and 5 on the $39 Standard plan
  • Users are capped separately, at 1 on Starter and 2 on Standard, so a two person team needs the second tier for seats alone
  • Unlimited users only appears on the $119 Premier plan
  • Additional dashboards beyond a plan are $5 each
  • The Agency plan includes 10 clients with further clients at $19 each

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

Cyfe

Free
  • Starter$29/month
    • 2 Dashboards
    • 1 User
    • 14-day free trial
  • Standard$39/month
    • 5 Dashboards
    • 2 Users
    • 14-day free trial
  • Pro$65/month
    • 10 Dashboards
    • 5 Users
    • 14-day free trial
  • Premier$119/month
    • 20 Dashboards
    • Unlimited Users
    • Additional dashboards available at $5 per dashboard

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 Cyfe if

  • You need pre-built widgets.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Tv.
  • You also want custom metrics.
Cyfe 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 Cyfe or Lightdash better?
Neither clearly leads. Cyfe starts at Free and Lightdash at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cyfe or Lightdash?
Cyfe starts at Free and Lightdash at Free.
Does Cyfe or Lightdash run on more platforms?
Cyfe runs on Web, Mobile, Tv. Lightdash runs on Web, Cloud (managed), Self-hosted (on-premise).
Can I use Cyfe for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cyfe best used for?
Cyfe is most often used for building business dashboards from marketing, sales and finance sources, displaying live metrics on office screens and shared public urls. Of those, building business dashboards from marketing, sales and finance sources and displaying live metrics on office screens and shared public urls are not what Lightdash is typically brought in for.
What can Cyfe do that Lightdash cannot?
Cyfe covers Pre-built Widgets, Custom Metrics, Historical Data, White-labeling. Lightdash covers dbt Integration, Metrics Layer, Dashboards, Scheduling. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cyfe: How much does Cyfe cost?

Cyfe offers five subscription plans: Starter at $29/month (2 dashboards, 1 user), Standard at $39/month (5 dashboards, 2 users), Pro at $65/month (10 dashboards, 5 users), Premier at $119/month (20 dashboards, unlimited users), and Agency at $190/month (100 dashboards, 15 users, 10 clients).

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
Cyfe: What features are included in all Cyfe plans?

All Cyfe tiers include unlimited history, TV mode for dashboard displays, public shareable URLs, custom logos and themes, custom SSL domain support, unlimited data exports, and embedded analytics capabilities. The 14-day free trial is available for every plan.

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
Cyfe: What is included in Cyfe's Agency plan?

The Agency plan at $190/month includes 100 dashboards, 15 users, and 10 clients. Additional clients cost $19 each. The plan provides 100% white label branding, branded widgets, custom CSS, and full client management features.

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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