Business Intelligence · head to head
Fabi vs Preset
Fabi
Business Intelligence
AI notebooks combining SQL, Python and no-code for small data teams
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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.; Preset limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
- They diverge on capability: Fabi covers Smartbooks, Preset covers Managed Superset.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fabi and Preset actually diverge.
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 Fabi
- Smartbooks
- Smart Reports
- AI analysis
- Scheduled runs
- Database connectors
- Viewer seats
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.
Fabi
- A single analyst at a startup fielding ad hoc questions faster than dashboards can be built for themnot Preset
- An operations team that needs Python for a one-off analysis but has to hand the result to non-technical colleaguesnot Preset
- Replacing a set of scheduled Jupyter notebooks that nobody outside the data team can read or rerunnot Preset
- Exploratory work against a warehouse where building a semantic model first would cost more than the answer is worthnot Preset
Preset
- Self-service analyticsnot Fabi
- Data explorationnot Fabi
- Ad-hoc reportingnot Fabi
- Collaborative analysisnot Fabi
- Embedded analyticsnot 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.
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
Fabi
Free- StarterFree
- One builder seat
- Ten dashboard viewers
- Five Smartbooks
- Builder$39/month
- Twenty-five Smart Report viewers
- Ten Smartbooks with workflows
- One data connector
- Team$199/month
- Four builder seats, extra seats at 39 USD
- Fifty viewers
- Premium connector
- Enterprise$undefined/year
- Unlimited builder seats
- Full connector access
- Custom security review
Preset
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Preset review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Fabi if
- You need smartbooks.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want smart reports.
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 Fabi or Preset better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fabi 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, Fabi or Preset?
- Fabi starts at Free and Preset at Free.
- Does Fabi or Preset run on more platforms?
- Fabi runs on Web. Preset runs on Web, Cloud.
- 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 Preset is typically brought in for.
- What can Fabi do that Preset cannot?
- Fabi covers Smartbooks, Smart Reports, AI analysis, Scheduled runs. Preset covers Managed Superset, Auto-scaling, Enterprise Security, Custom Branding.
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.
Preset: 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.
SourceFabi: Do viewers cost money?
Viewers are bundled by tier rather than charged individually; builders are the priced seat.
Preset: 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.
SourceFabi: Can I run arbitrary Python?
Yes, Smartbooks include Python cells alongside SQL and no-code steps.
Preset: 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.
SourceFabi: How many data connectors does the entry paid plan include?
One. Additional and premium connectors come with the Team tier.
Preset: What is the enterprise pricing for Preset?
Enterprise plans are custom quoted. The median buyer pays $35,495 per year.
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.
SourceRelated pages
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