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Business Intelligence · head to head

Databox vs Sigma Computing

Databox logo

Databox

Business Intelligence

KPI dashboards for business performance

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sigma Computing logo

Sigma Computing

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet-style analytics that queries a cloud data warehouse directly with no extract layer

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Databox has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Databox data sources are the billing unit, and the $159 Pro plan still includes only 3 before charging $5.60 for each additional one; Sigma Computing every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
  • They diverge on capability: Databox covers Pre-built Dashboards, Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Databox and Sigma Computing actually diverge.

Attributes where Databox and Sigma Computing differ
AttributeDataboxSigma Computing
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, TvWeb
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceSpreadsheets
Founded2011Unknown

Identical on both: 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
  • Goal Tracking
  • Alerts
  • Scorecards
  • Mobile App
  • HubSpot
  • Google Analytics
  • Facebook

Only in Sigma Computing

  • Spreadsheet interface over SQL
  • No extract layer
  • Input tables and write-back
  • Workbooks
  • Embedded analytics
  • Version control and dbt awareness

What people use each for

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

Databox

  • Building business dashboards from multiple SaaS data sourcesnot Sigma Computing
  • Tracking KPIs and metrics across marketing, sales and finance toolsnot Sigma Computing

Sigma Computing

  • A finance or operations team that lives in spreadsheets and needs warehouse-scale data without exporting CSVsnot Databox
  • An organisation that has consolidated on Snowflake or Databricks and wants one governed access layer rather than several desktop toolsnot Databox
  • Planning and scenario work where users need to type assumptions back into governed tables rather than into a local filenot Databox
  • Embedding customer-facing analytics into a product where each tenant must only see their own rowsnot 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, and the $159 Pro plan still includes only 3 before charging $5.60 for each additional one
  • The $64 Analyst plan is capped at 5 data sources and a single user
  • The free plan allows 3 data sources, 10 custom metrics and one user
  • AI credits are metered monthly, from 50 on free to 4,000 on Growth
  • Every published price assumes annual billing, with monthly costing 20% more

Sigma Computing

  • Every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
  • It cannot work without a supported cloud data warehouse, so an organisation running analytics on an on-premises database or a plain application database has nothing to connect to.
  • Pricing is not published and seats are differentiated by capability, so budgeting requires a sales cycle and a headcount forecast before you can compare it with a tool you could simply buy.
  • Performance is only as good as the warehouse behind it, which means slow or badly modelled tables surface as a slow interface and the fix is a data engineering project, not a Sigma setting.
  • Statistical and scientific visualisation is limited compared with dedicated tools, so anything beyond standard business charting has to be done elsewhere and brought back in.

Pricing, plan by plan

Databox

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 data sources
    • 1 user
    • 1 dashboard/report
  • Analyst$64/month
    • 5 data sources
    • 1 user
    • Unlimited dashboards and reports
  • Pro$159/month
    • 3 included data sources (additional at $5.60/month)
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited dashboards, reports, custom metrics
  • Growth$399/month
    • 3 included data sources (additional at $5.60/month)
    • Unlimited users
    • All Pro features plus full datasets and forecasting

Sigma Computing

On request
  • Sigma Computing$undefined/year
    • Quoted per organisation
    • Seat types are differentiated by whether a user views, explores or authors
    • Warehouse compute is billed separately by your cloud data warehouse vendor

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 goal tracking.
Databox review

Choose Sigma Computing if

  • You need spreadsheet interface over sql.
  • You also want no extract layer.
Sigma Computing review

Questions people ask

Is Databox or Sigma Computing better?
Neither clearly leads. Databox starts at Free and Sigma Computing at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Databox or Sigma Computing?
Databox has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Databox and On request for Sigma Computing.
Does Databox or Sigma Computing run on more platforms?
Databox runs on Web, Mobile, Tv. Sigma Computing runs on Web.
Can I use Databox for free?
Yes. Databox has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sigma Computing starts at On request.
What is Databox best used for?
Databox is most often used for building business dashboards from multiple saas data sources, tracking kpis and metrics across marketing, sales and finance tools. Of those, building business dashboards from multiple saas data sources and tracking kpis and metrics across marketing, sales and finance tools are not what Sigma Computing is typically brought in for.
What can Databox do that Sigma Computing cannot?
Databox covers Pre-built Dashboards, Goal Tracking, Alerts, Scorecards. Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL, No extract layer, Input tables and write-back, Workbooks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Databox: How much does Databox cost?

Databox is free for basic use with 3 data sources and 50 AI credits. Paid plans start at $64/month for the Analyst tier, $159/month for Pro, and $399/month for Growth (most popular). Prices shown are for annual billing; monthly billing costs more. Custom enterprise pricing is available.

Source
Sigma Computing: Does Sigma store a copy of my data?

No. Queries are executed on your warehouse and results are returned for display, which is why there is no extract refresh to manage.

Databox: What is the difference between Databox plans?

Free plan limits users to 1 with 3 data sources. Analyst tier allows 1 user with 5 data sources and API access. Pro tier adds unlimited users and hourly syncing. Growth tier (most popular) provides 15-minute sync, full forecasting, and a dedicated customer success manager.

Source
Sigma Computing: What does it actually cost?

The vendor does not publish prices. Expect an annual contract priced by seat type, plus a warehouse compute increase you should model separately.

Databox: How many users can I add to Databox plans?

Free and Analyst tiers are limited to 1 user. Pro, Growth, and Custom tiers offer unlimited users with no per-seat fees.

Source
Sigma Computing: Can business users break the warehouse?

They can run expensive queries. Warehouse sizing, query limits and materialised tables are the controls, and they need configuring before a wide rollout.

Sigma Computing: Is it a replacement for a modelling layer like dbt?

No. Sigma works best on top of modelled tables and is usually deployed alongside dbt rather than instead of it.

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