Business Intelligence · head to head
Mode vs Amazon QuickSight
Amazon QuickSight
Business Intelligence
Scalable, serverless BI by AWS
- From
- $3/month per user
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Mode has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Mode free tier limited to 4GB RAM and 1 CPU for SQL notebooks, insufficient for large datasets; Amazon QuickSight reader and Reader Pro roles charged separately at $3 and $20/month
- They diverge on capability: Mode covers SQL Editor, Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Mode and Amazon QuickSight actually diverge.
| Attribute | Mode | Amazon QuickSight |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $3/month per user |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web | AWS |
| Category | Business Intelligence | Unknown |
| Founded | 2013 | 2006 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Mode
- SQL Editor
- Python/R Notebooks
- Interactive Reports
- Version Control
- Scheduling
- Snowflake
- BigQuery
- PostgreSQL
Only in Amazon QuickSight
- SPICE In-memory Engine
- ML Insights
- Natural Language Queries
- Embedded Analytics
- Pay-per-session
- S3
- Athena
- Aurora
Both cover
- Redshift
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Mode
- Self-service analyticsnot Amazon QuickSight
- Data explorationnot Amazon QuickSight
- Ad-hoc reportingnot Amazon QuickSight
- Collaborative analysisnot Amazon QuickSight
- Embedded analyticsnot Amazon QuickSight
Amazon QuickSight
- Business intelligence dashboards and analyticsnot Mode
- Scalable embedded analytics for applicationsnot Mode
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Mode
- Free tier limited to 4GB RAM and 1 CPU for SQL notebooks, insufficient for large datasets
- Requires SQL knowledge for most analysis tasks, creating dependency on technical resources
- Paid plan pricing not publicly listed; requires sales consultation
- Recently acquired by ThoughtSpot in 2026, creating product direction uncertainty
- Limited customization options for visual aspects and embedded analytics
Amazon QuickSight
- Reader and Reader Pro roles charged separately at $3 and $20/month
- Author and Author Pro roles charged at $24 and $40/month
- $250/month infrastructure fee required if Pro users or Q&A enabled
- SPICE storage charged at $0.38/GB monthly (10 GB included)
- Pixel-perfect reports start at $500/month for 500 monthly units
- Alerts charged at $0.05-$0.50 per 1,000 metrics evaluated
Pricing, plan by plan
Mode
Free- FreeFree
- SQL Editor
- Python/R Notebooks
- Basic Charts
- Business$65/month
- Advanced Visualizations
- Collaboration
- Integrations
Amazon QuickSight
$3/month per userNo published plan breakdown. See the Amazon QuickSight review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Mode if
- You need sql editor.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want python/r notebooks.
Choose Amazon QuickSight if
- You need spice in-memory engine.
- You work on AWS.
- You also want ml insights.
Questions people ask
- Is Mode or Amazon QuickSight better?
- Neither clearly leads. Mode starts at Free and Amazon QuickSight at $3/month per user, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Mode or Amazon QuickSight?
- Mode has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mode and $3/month per user for Amazon QuickSight.
- Does Mode or Amazon QuickSight run on more platforms?
- Mode runs on Web. Amazon QuickSight runs on AWS.
- Can I use Mode for free?
- Yes. Mode has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Amazon QuickSight starts at $3/month per user.
- What is Mode best used for?
- Mode 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 Amazon QuickSight is typically brought in for.
- What can Mode do that Amazon QuickSight cannot?
- Mode covers SQL Editor, Python/R Notebooks, Interactive Reports, Version Control. Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine, ML Insights, Natural Language Queries, Embedded Analytics. Both handle Redshift, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Mode: What languages does Mode support for analysis?
Mode notebooks support SQL, Python (3.11 with pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, matplotlib), and R (4.2.0 with ggplot2, dplyr, tidyr). Both Python and R allow additional library installation at runtime.
SourceMode: Can I integrate Mode notebook results into reports?
Yes. Mode allows adding notebook cell results directly to reports, with synchronized scheduling so reports re-run to keep data current.
SourceMode: Does Mode support collaborative analysis?
Yes. Mode notebooks provide moveable code blocks and markdown cells enabling exploratory analysis and team collaboration on data queries and visualizations.
Source