Software · head to head
Lightdash vs Cyfe
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Lightdash requires existing dbt infrastructure, not suitable for teams without data models; Cyfe dashboards are the billing unit, at 2 on the $29 Starter plan and 5 on the $39 Standard plan
- They diverge on capability: Lightdash covers dbt Integration, Cyfe covers Pre-built Widgets.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Lightdash and Cyfe actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Lightdash
- dbt Integration
- Metrics Layer
- Dashboards
- Scheduling
- Version Control
- dbt
- BigQuery
- Snowflake
Only in Cyfe
- Pre-built Widgets
- Custom Metrics
- Historical Data
- White-labeling
- Embedding
- Google Analytics
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Lightdash
- Self-service analyticsnot Cyfe
- Data explorationnot Cyfe
- Ad-hoc reportingnot Cyfe
- Collaborative analysisnot Cyfe
- Embedded analyticsnot Cyfe
Cyfe
- Building business dashboards from marketing, sales and finance sourcesnot Lightdash
- Displaying live metrics on office screens and shared public URLsnot Lightdash
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Lightdash
- Requires existing dbt infrastructure, not suitable for teams without data models
- Enterprise features and AI agents unavailable in open-source MIT-licensed core
Cyfe
- Dashboards are the billing unit, at 2 on the $29 Starter plan and 5 on the $39 Standard plan
- Users are capped separately, at 1 on Starter and 2 on Standard, so a two person team needs the second tier for seats alone
- Unlimited users only appears on the $119 Premier plan
- Additional dashboards beyond a plan are $5 each
- The Agency plan includes 10 clients with further clients at $19 each
Pricing, plan by plan
Lightdash
Free- Open SourceFree
- MIT-licensed core
- Self-hostable
- dbt integration
- Cloud Managed$undefined/mo
- Managed hosting
- Premium features
- AI agent capabilities
Cyfe
Free- FreeFree
- 5 Widgets
- Basic Features
- Community Support
- Solo$19/month
- 10 Dashboards
- Premium Widgets
- Email Support
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Cyfe if
- You need pre-built widgets.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Tv.
- You also want custom metrics.
Questions people ask
- Is Lightdash or Cyfe better?
- Neither clearly leads. Lightdash starts at Free and Cyfe at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Lightdash or Cyfe?
- Lightdash starts at Free and Cyfe at Free.
- Does Lightdash or Cyfe run on more platforms?
- Lightdash runs on Web, Cloud (managed), Self-hosted (on-premise). Cyfe runs on Web, Mobile, Tv.
- Can I use Lightdash for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Lightdash best used for?
- Lightdash is most often used for self-service analytics, data exploration, ad-hoc reporting, collaborative analysis. Of those, self-service analytics and data exploration are not what Cyfe is typically brought in for.
- What can Lightdash do that Cyfe cannot?
- Lightdash covers dbt Integration, Metrics Layer, Dashboards, Scheduling. Cyfe covers Pre-built Widgets, Custom Metrics, Historical Data, White-labeling. Both handle Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
SourceLightdash: 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.
SourceLightdash: 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.
SourceLightdash: 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.
SourceLightdash: 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