Software · head to head
Redash vs Tableau
Tableau
Software
Visual analytics platform for business intelligence
- From
- $70/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Redash has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Redash a basic self-hosted deployment needs a minimum of 4GB of RAM, and more RAM and CPU as background workers and API processes grow; Tableau listed on UK G-Cloud at £9.47 per device per month for the Salesforce Tableau Platform edition, via reseller XMA Limited
- They diverge on capability: Redash covers SQL Query Editor, Tableau covers Interactive Dashboards.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Redash and Tableau actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Redash
- SQL Query Editor
- Multiple Data Sources
- Visualizations
- Dashboards
- Alerts
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- BigQuery
Only in Tableau
- Interactive Dashboards
- Data Blending
- Real-time Analytics
- Advanced Visualizations
- Mobile Support
- Salesforce
- SAP
- Oracle
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Redash
- Self-hosted SQL query editor and dashboarding over existing databasesnot Tableau
- Sharing scheduled query results with a team without buying a BI licencenot Tableau
Tableau
- Self-service analyticsnot Redash
- Data explorationnot Redash
- Ad-hoc reportingnot Redash
- Collaborative analysisnot Redash
- Embedded analyticsnot Redash
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Redash
- A basic self-hosted deployment needs a minimum of 4GB of RAM, and more RAM and CPU as background workers and API processes grow
- The official Docker images were not updated for V10, so the documented route is to deploy a V8 instance and then upgrade it
- Anyone not using a provided cloud image has to configure the environment variables and secrets by hand
Tableau
- Listed on UK G-Cloud at £9.47 per device per month for the Salesforce Tableau Platform edition, via reseller XMA Limited
Pricing, plan by plan
Redash
Free- Open SourceFree
- Full Features
- Self-hosted
- Community Support
- Cloud$49/month
- Managed Hosting
- Automatic Updates
- Support
Tableau
$70/month- Creator$70/month
- Full authoring capabilities
- Prep Builder
- Data Management
- Explorer$42/month
- Web editing
- Self-service analytics
- Viewer$15/month
- View and interact with dashboards
Which should you pick?
Choose Redash if
- You need sql query editor.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud.
- You also want multiple data sources.
Choose Tableau if
- You need interactive dashboards.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
- You also want data blending.
Questions people ask
- Is Redash or Tableau better?
- Neither clearly leads. Redash starts at Free and Tableau at $70/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Redash or Tableau?
- Redash has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Redash and $70/month for Tableau.
- Does Redash or Tableau run on more platforms?
- Redash runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud. Tableau runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
- Can I use Redash for free?
- Yes. Redash has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tableau starts at $70/month.
- What is Redash best used for?
- Redash is most often used for self-hosted sql query editor and dashboarding over existing databases, sharing scheduled query results with a team without buying a bi licence. Of those, self-hosted sql query editor and dashboarding over existing databases and sharing scheduled query results with a team without buying a bi licence are not what Tableau is typically brought in for.
- What can Redash do that Tableau cannot?
- Redash covers SQL Query Editor, Multiple Data Sources, Visualizations, Dashboards. Tableau covers Interactive Dashboards, Data Blending, Real-time Analytics, Advanced Visualizations. Both handle Web support.