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Developer Tools · head to head

Helm vs Zenlytic

H

Helm

Developer Tools

The package manager for Kubernetes

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit HelmFull review
Zenlytic logo

Zenlytic

Business Intelligence

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

From
On request
Free plan
No
Visit ZenlyticFull review

The short version

  • Helm is a Kubernetes package manager, licensed Apache 2.
  • Helm is free; Zenlytic prices on request.
  • Where Zenlytic falls short: pricing is not published and is negotiated per deal, so small buyers have no benchmark and no leverage.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Helm and Zenlytic actually diverge.

Attributes where Helm and Zenlytic differ
AttributeHelmZenlytic
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen-sourceQuote
Free tierYesNo
CategoryDeveloper ToolsBusiness Intelligence

Identical on both: 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 Helm

Nothing recorded that Zenlytic does not also cover.

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.

Helm

  • Kubernetes package manager and deployment toolnot Zenlytic

Zenlytic

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

Helm

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Helm review.

Zenlytic

On request
  • ZenlyticOn request
    • Annual contract quoted by seats and deployment
    • Semantic layer, dashboards and Zoe included
    • Embedded analytics licensed separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Helm if

  • You want to start without paying.
Helm review

Choose Zenlytic if

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

Questions people ask

Is Helm or Zenlytic better?
Neither clearly leads. Helm 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, Helm or Zenlytic?
Helm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Helm and On request for Zenlytic.
Does Helm or Zenlytic run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Helm for free?
Yes. Helm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zenlytic starts at On request.
What is Helm best used for?
Helm is most often used for kubernetes package manager and deployment tool. Of those, kubernetes package manager and deployment tool is not what Zenlytic is typically brought in for.
What can Helm do that Zenlytic cannot?
Zenlytic covers Zoe conversational agent, YAML semantic layer, LookML import, Row and column permissions.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Zenlytic: Does Zenlytic publish pricing?

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

Zenlytic: Can it read my Looker model?

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

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.

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