Business Intelligence · head to head
Databox vs Preset

Databox
Business Intelligence
KPI dashboards that pull from the tools you already run on
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Databox data sources are the billing unit, so cost tracks the number of tools you connect rather than the value you get from them; Preset limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
- They diverge on capability: Databox covers Pre-built dashboards, Preset covers Managed Superset.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 25 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Databox and Preset actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Databox
- Pre-built dashboards
- Dashboard designer
- Metric library
- Goal tracking
- Scorecards
- Alerts
- Scheduled reports
- Client reporting
Only in Preset
- Managed Superset
- Auto-scaling
- Enterprise Security
- Custom Branding
- API Access
- Snowflake
- BigQuery
- Redshift
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Databox
- Watching marketing, sales and finance KPIs from separate SaaS tools on one shared dashboardnot Preset
- Agencies reporting campaign performance to many clients without rebuilding a report per accountnot Preset
- Putting a live KPI board on an office TV or a recurring email to a leadership teamnot Preset
- Replacing a manually maintained spreadsheet that someone updates from tool exports each weeknot Preset
- Tracking goals and getting alerted when a metric moves past a thresholdnot Preset
Preset
- Self-service analyticsnot Databox
- Data explorationnot Databox
- Ad-hoc reportingnot Databox
- Collaborative analysisnot Databox
- Embedded analyticsnot Databox
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Databox
- Data sources are the billing unit, so cost tracks the number of tools you connect rather than the value you get from them
- The $71 Analyst plan is a single seat: adding even a second person means the $199 Core plan, a 2.8x jump
- AI credits are metered monthly, from 50 on Free to 1,000 on Scale, so heavier AI use pushes you up a tier
- Every published price assumes annual billing; monthly billing forfeits the advertised 20% saving
- Free and Analyst plans sync daily and hourly respectively, so neither suits anything close to real-time monitoring
- It is a dashboarding layer, not a warehouse: there is no transformation or modelling step for messy source data
Preset
- Limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
- Viewer licenses add substantial cost for embedded analytics deployments
- Dataset-centric approach requires preprocessing by data teams for some use cases
Pricing, plan by plan
Databox
Free- FreeFree
- 3 data sources
- 1 user
- 50 AI credits per month
- Analyst$71/month
- 5 data sources
- 1 user
- 150 AI credits per month
- Team - Core$199/month
- 10 data sources
- 3 users
- 500 AI credits per month
- Team - Scale$319/month
- 30 data sources
- 10 users
- 1,000 AI credits per month
Preset
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Preset review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Databox if
- You need pre-built dashboards.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Tv.
- You also want dashboard designer.
Choose Preset if
- You need managed superset.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want auto-scaling.
Questions people ask
- Is Databox or Preset better?
- Neither clearly leads. Databox starts at Free and Preset at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Databox or Preset?
- Databox starts at Free and Preset at Free.
- Does Databox or Preset run on more platforms?
- Databox runs on Web, Mobile, Tv. Preset runs on Web, Cloud.
- Can I use Databox for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Databox best used for?
- Databox is most often used for watching marketing, sales and finance kpis from separate saas tools on one shared dashboard, agencies reporting campaign performance to many clients without rebuilding a report per account, putting a live kpi board on an office tv or a recurring email to a leadership team, replacing a manually maintained spreadsheet that someone updates from tool exports each week. Of those, watching marketing, sales and finance kpis from separate saas tools on one shared dashboard and agencies reporting campaign performance to many clients without rebuilding a report per account are not what Preset is typically brought in for.
- What can Databox do that Preset cannot?
- Databox covers Pre-built dashboards, Dashboard designer, Metric library, Goal tracking. Preset covers Managed Superset, Auto-scaling, Enterprise Security, Custom Branding.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Databox: How much does Databox cost?
Databox has a free forever plan with 3 data sources and 1 user. Paid plans are Analyst at $71 per month, Team Core at $199 per month and Team Scale at $319 per month, with an Agency plan from $79 per month plus $20 client packs and a Custom tier on request. All prices are billed annually; monthly billing forfeits the 20% annual saving.
SourcePreset: Is Preset free?
Preset offers a free tier for small teams called Starter with 5 users and no credit card required. Paid plans start at $25 per user per month.
SourceDatabox: Does Databox have a free plan or a free trial?
Both. The Free plan is free forever and covers 3 data sources, 1 user, 50 AI credits a month and daily syncing. Paid plans also offer a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
SourcePreset: Can I export my data from Preset?
Yes. Preset uses Apache Superset and the founders contribute over 75% of commits to the open-source project, enabling migration to Superset without vendor lock-in.
SourceDatabox: How many users does each Databox plan include?
Free and Analyst are single-user. Team Core includes 3 users and Team Scale includes 10. The Agency and Custom plans include unlimited users.
SourcePreset: Does Preset include embedded analytics?
Yes. Embedded dashboards are available on Professional and Enterprise plans, with viewer licenses starting at $500 per month for 50 licenses.
SourceDatabox: How many tools does Databox integrate with?
Databox connects to more than 130 tools, spreadsheets, databases and APIs, including HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Analytics, Google and Facebook Ads, Shopify, Stripe, QuickBooks, Google Sheets and custom API sources.
SourcePreset: What is the enterprise pricing for Preset?
Enterprise plans are custom quoted. The median buyer pays $35,495 per year.
SourceDatabox: How often does Databox refresh its data?
The Free plan syncs daily. Analyst, Team Core, Team Scale, Agency and Custom plans all sync hourly.
SourcePreset: Does Preset support AI-powered analytics?
Yes. As of 2026, Preset includes an AI Chatbot and MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration for building charts and dashboards via natural language.
SourceDatabox: Who makes Databox?
Databox, Inc., founded in 2012 by Davorin Gabrovec, who is now President and Chief Product Officer. Pete Caputa became CEO in 2017 after a decade at HubSpot. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with its product and engineering team based in Ptuj, Slovenia.
SourceRelated pages
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