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Business Intelligence · head to head

Deepnote vs Lightdash

Deepnote logo

Deepnote

Business Intelligence

Collaborative cloud workspace for data analytics and machine learning

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: Deepnote free plan limited to 3 editors, restricting team usage; Lightdash requires existing dbt infrastructure, not suitable for teams without data models
  • They diverge on capability: Deepnote covers Collaborative notebooks, Lightdash covers dbt Integration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Deepnote and Lightdash actually diverge.

Attributes where Deepnote and Lightdash differ
AttributeDeepnoteLightdash
Pricing modelSubscription with free tierUnknown
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, Cloud (managed), Self-hosted (on-premise)
FoundedUnknown2021

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 Deepnote

  • Collaborative notebooks
  • Interactive dashboards
  • Data agent building
  • Scheduled pipelines
  • Model management
  • 100+ integrations
  • GPU support
  • API deployment

Only in Lightdash

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

What people use each for

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

Deepnote

  • Data exploration and analysis workflowsnot Lightdash
  • Building interactive business intelligence dashboardsnot Lightdash
  • Collaborative machine learning model developmentnot Lightdash
  • Automating ETL and data pipeline orchestrationnot Lightdash
  • Creating shareable reports without exportsnot Lightdash

Lightdash

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

Where each one falls short

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

Deepnote

  • Free plan limited to 3 editors, restricting team usage
  • Limited revision history on free plan compared to competitors
  • Requires Team plan or higher for automated scheduling
  • GPU support incurs additional charges beyond base subscription
  • No mentioned offline capability

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

Deepnote

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 3 editors
    • Up to 5 projects
    • Limited Deepnote AI
  • Team$39/month
    • Unlimited viewers and notebooks
    • Full Deepnote AI access
    • Premium integrations
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Everything in Team plan
    • Custom contracts
    • Priority support

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 Deepnote if

  • You need collaborative notebooks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want interactive dashboards.
Deepnote 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 Deepnote or Lightdash better?
Neither clearly leads. Deepnote 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, Deepnote or Lightdash?
Deepnote starts at Free and Lightdash at Free.
Does Deepnote or Lightdash run on more platforms?
Deepnote runs on Web, API. Lightdash runs on Web, Cloud (managed), Self-hosted (on-premise).
Can I use Deepnote for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Deepnote best used for?
Deepnote is most often used for data exploration and analysis workflows, building interactive business intelligence dashboards, collaborative machine learning model development, automating etl and data pipeline orchestration. Of those, data exploration and analysis workflows and building interactive business intelligence dashboards are not what Lightdash is typically brought in for.
What can Deepnote do that Lightdash cannot?
Deepnote covers Collaborative notebooks, Interactive dashboards, Data agent building, Scheduled pipelines. Lightdash covers dbt Integration, Metrics Layer, Dashboards, Scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Deepnote: What is included in the free Deepnote plan?

The free plan includes up to 3 editors, up to 5 projects, limited Deepnote AI, basic machines with 5 GB RAM, and 7-day revision history.

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
Deepnote: What data sources can Deepnote integrate with?

Deepnote integrates with 100+ data sources including major data warehouses like Snowflake, BigQuery, and Redshift, as well as BI platforms like Looker, Tableau, and Power BI.

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
Deepnote: Does Deepnote support collaboration?

Yes, Deepnote provides real-time collaborative notebooks where multiple team members can work simultaneously. The Team plan allows unlimited viewers and notebooks.

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
Deepnote: What compliance certifications does Deepnote have?

Deepnote is SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliant and offers role-based access control, single sign-on, and directory synchronization.

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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