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Business Intelligence · head to head

Lightdash vs Preset

Lightdash logo

Lightdash

Business Intelligence

Open-source BI for dbt users

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Preset logo

Preset

Business Intelligence

Managed Apache Superset

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Lightdash requires existing dbt infrastructure, not suitable for teams without data models; Preset limited SQL IDE advanced features compared to specialized query tools
  • They diverge on capability: Lightdash covers dbt Integration, Preset covers Managed Superset.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lightdash and Preset actually diverge.

Attributes where Lightdash and Preset differ
AttributeLightdashPreset
PlatformsWeb, Cloud (managed), Self-hosted (on-premise)Web, Cloud
Founded20212019

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), 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 Lightdash

  • dbt Integration
  • Metrics Layer
  • Dashboards
  • Scheduling
  • Version Control
  • dbt
  • Self-hosted support

Only in Preset

  • Managed Superset
  • Auto-scaling
  • Enterprise Security
  • Custom Branding
  • API Access
  • Trino

Both cover

  • BigQuery
  • Snowflake
  • Redshift
  • PostgreSQL
  • Databricks
  • Web support
  • Cloud support

What people use each for

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

Lightdash

  • Self-service analytics
  • Data exploration
  • Ad-hoc reporting
  • Collaborative analysis
  • Embedded analytics

Preset

  • Self-service analytics
  • Data exploration
  • Ad-hoc reporting
  • Collaborative analysis
  • Embedded analytics

Both are used for self-service analytics, data exploration, ad-hoc reporting, collaborative analysis, embedded analytics, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

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

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

Lightdash

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • MIT-licensed core
    • Self-hostable
    • dbt integration
  • Cloud Managed$undefined/mo
    • Managed hosting
    • Premium features
    • AI agent capabilities

Preset

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Preset review.

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.
Lightdash review

Choose Preset if

  • You need managed superset.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want auto-scaling.
Preset review

Questions people ask

Is Lightdash or Preset better?
Neither clearly leads. Lightdash 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, Lightdash or Preset?
Lightdash starts at Free and Preset at Free.
Does Lightdash or Preset run on more platforms?
Lightdash runs on Web, Cloud (managed), Self-hosted (on-premise). Preset runs on Web, Cloud.
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.
What can Lightdash do that Preset cannot?
Lightdash covers dbt Integration, Metrics Layer, Dashboards, Scheduling. Preset covers Managed Superset, Auto-scaling, Enterprise Security, Custom Branding. Both handle BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, PostgreSQL.

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.

Source
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.

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
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.

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
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.

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
Preset: What is the enterprise pricing for Preset?

Enterprise plans are custom quoted. The median buyer pays $35,495 per year.

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
Preset: 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.

Source
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