Softwr

Business Intelligence · head to head

Databox vs Zenlytic

Databox logo

Databox

Business Intelligence

KPI dashboards for business performance

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zenlytic logo

Zenlytic

Business Intelligence

Conversational analytics on a governed semantic layer that shows you the SQL it ran

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; Zenlytic answer quality is bounded by the semantic model, so a team without a maintained dbt project and metric definitions must complete a modelling project before the AI is useful at all.
  • They diverge on capability: Databox covers Pre-built Dashboards, Zenlytic covers Zoe conversational agent.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Databox and Zenlytic actually diverge.

Attributes where Databox and Zenlytic differ
AttributeDataboxZenlytic
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, TvWeb
Founded2011Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Databox

  • Pre-built Dashboards
  • Goal Tracking
  • Alerts
  • Scorecards
  • Mobile App
  • HubSpot
  • Google Analytics
  • Facebook

Only in Zenlytic

  • Zoe conversational agent
  • YAML semantic layer
  • LookML import
  • Row and column permissions
  • Dashboards
  • dbt integration
  • Embedded analytics
  • Query transparency

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 Zenlytic
  • Tracking KPIs and metrics across marketing, sales and finance toolsnot Zenlytic

Zenlytic

  • A data team of three fielding sixty ad hoc requests a week from operators who could answer them in chat insteadnot Databox
  • An ecommerce company where merchandisers need cohort and margin questions answered without waiting for an analystnot Databox
  • A Looker customer looking for an exit that can import existing LookML rather than remodel from scratchnot Databox
  • A finance team that needs every AI-generated number to show its SQL before it goes in a board packnot 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

Zenlytic

  • Answer quality is bounded by the semantic model, so a team without a maintained dbt project and metric definitions must complete a modelling project before the AI is useful at all.
  • It is a small venture-funded company in a category that Snowflake, Databricks and Microsoft are all building into natively, which is a real procurement risk on a multi-year contract.
  • Pricing is not published and is negotiated per deal, so small buyers have no benchmark and no leverage.
  • The visualisation and dashboard layer is thinner than established BI tools, so teams wanting pixel control over reporting will find it limiting.
  • It assumes a cloud data warehouse; organisations with data spread across operational databases and spreadsheets have to consolidate first, which is the expensive part of the project.

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

Zenlytic

On request
  • Zenlytic$undefined/year
    • Annual contract quoted by seats and deployment
    • Semantic layer, dashboards and Zoe included
    • Embedded analytics licensed separately

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 Zenlytic if

  • You need zoe conversational agent.
  • You also want yaml semantic layer.
Zenlytic review

Questions people ask

Is Databox or Zenlytic better?
Neither clearly leads. Databox starts at Free and Zenlytic at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Databox or Zenlytic?
Databox has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Databox and On request for Zenlytic.
Does Databox or Zenlytic run on more platforms?
Databox runs on Web, Mobile, Tv. Zenlytic runs on Web.
Can I use Databox for free?
Yes. Databox has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zenlytic 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 Zenlytic is typically brought in for.
What can Databox do that Zenlytic cannot?
Databox covers Pre-built Dashboards, Goal Tracking, Alerts, Scorecards. Zenlytic covers Zoe conversational agent, YAML semantic layer, LookML import, Row and column permissions.

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
Zenlytic: Does Zenlytic publish pricing?

No. Contracts are quoted annually based on seats and deployment scope.

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
Zenlytic: Can it read my Looker model?

Yes, it imports LookML, which is the main reason Looker customers evaluate it.

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
Zenlytic: Does it write arbitrary SQL against my warehouse?

No. Queries are constrained to the semantic layer, and the generated SQL is shown with every answer.

Zenlytic: Do I need dbt?

Not strictly, but the product is designed around a modelled warehouse and works poorly without one.

Share

Related pages

More on Databox

More on Zenlytic

Keep looking

Other head to heads