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Business Intelligence · head to head

Fabi vs Helm

Fabi logo

Fabi

Business Intelligence

AI notebooks combining SQL, Python and no-code for small data teams

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit FabiFull review
H

Helm

Developer Tools

The package manager for Kubernetes

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit HelmFull review

The short version

  • Helm is a Kubernetes package manager, licensed Apache 2.
  • Helm is free; Fabi starts at $39/mo.
  • Where Fabi falls short: the free and Builder tiers cap AI requests, and the daily cap on Starter is reached quickly during genuine exploratory work.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fabi and Helm actually diverge.

Attributes where Fabi and Helm differ
AttributeFabiHelm
Pricing modelPer user per monthOpen-source
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web).

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 Fabi

  • Smartbooks
  • Smart Reports
  • AI analysis
  • Scheduled runs
  • Database connectors
  • Viewer seats

Only in Helm

Nothing recorded that Fabi does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Fabi

  • A single analyst at a startup fielding ad hoc questions faster than dashboards can be built for themnot Helm
  • An operations team that needs Python for a one-off analysis but has to hand the result to non-technical colleaguesnot Helm
  • Replacing a set of scheduled Jupyter notebooks that nobody outside the data team can read or rerunnot Helm
  • Exploratory work against a warehouse where building a semantic model first would cost more than the answer is worthnot Helm

Helm

  • Kubernetes package manager and deployment toolnot Fabi

Where each one falls short

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

Fabi

  • Fabi is an early-stage company with a small team, so the durability risk is real and there is no obvious migration path for Smartbooks if it stops trading
  • There is no meaningful governance layer: no data catalogue, no certified metric definitions and limited lineage, so it does not scale to an organisation that needs a single agreed number
  • The free and Builder tiers cap AI requests, and the daily cap on Starter is reached quickly during genuine exploratory work
  • Connector counts are limited by tier, so the Builder plan at 39 dollars connects to exactly one data source, which is rarely enough in practice
  • It overlaps heavily with what Snowflake, Databricks and Hex now ship natively, so a company already paying for one of those is buying a fourth notebook interface

Helm

  • Contributors must sign commits under the Developer Certificate of Origin to have them accepted, per helm.sh, a process requirement not all Kubernetes tools impose

Pricing, plan by plan

Fabi

Free
  • StarterFree
    • One builder seat
    • Ten dashboard viewers
    • Five Smartbooks
  • Builder$39/mo
    • Twenty-five Smart Report viewers
    • Ten Smartbooks with workflows
    • One data connector
  • Team$199/mo
    • Four builder seats, extra seats at 39 USD
    • Fifty viewers
    • Premium connector
  • EnterpriseOn request
    • Unlimited builder seats
    • Full connector access
    • Custom security review

Helm

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Helm review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Fabi if

  • You need smartbooks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want smart reports.
Fabi review

Choose Helm if

  • You want to start without paying.
Helm review

Questions people ask

Is Fabi or Helm better?
Neither clearly leads. Fabi starts at Free and Helm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fabi or Helm?
Fabi starts at Free and Helm at Free.
Does Fabi or Helm run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Fabi for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Fabi best used for?
Fabi is most often used for a single analyst at a startup fielding ad hoc questions faster than dashboards can be built for them, an operations team that needs python for a one-off analysis but has to hand the result to non-technical colleagues, replacing a set of scheduled jupyter notebooks that nobody outside the data team can read or rerun, exploratory work against a warehouse where building a semantic model first would cost more than the answer is worth. Of those, a single analyst at a startup fielding ad hoc questions faster than dashboards can be built for them and an operations team that needs python for a one-off analysis but has to hand the result to non-technical colleagues are not what Helm is typically brought in for.
What can Fabi do that Helm cannot?
Fabi covers Smartbooks, Smart Reports, AI analysis, Scheduled runs.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fabi: Is there a free plan?

Yes, a Starter tier with one builder, ten viewers, five Smartbooks and ten AI requests a day.

Helm: How much does Helm cost?

Helm is free and open-source. It is a graduated project in the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) with no commercial pricing model.

Source
Fabi: Do viewers cost money?

Viewers are bundled by tier rather than charged individually; builders are the priced seat.

Fabi: Can I run arbitrary Python?

Yes, Smartbooks include Python cells alongside SQL and no-code steps.

Fabi: How many data connectors does the entry paid plan include?

One. Additional and premium connectors come with the Team tier.

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