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Business Intelligence · head to head

Snowplow vs Supermetrics

Snowplow logo

Snowplow

Business Intelligence

Behavioural data pipeline you run in your own cloud, relicensed away from Apache 2.0 in 2024

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Supermetrics logo

Supermetrics

Marketing

Bring all your marketing data into one place

From
€49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Snowplow the core pipeline was relicensed from Apache 2.0 on 8 January 2024 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement and a Confluent-derived community licence, so organisations that adopted it as permissively licensed software must now review their entitlement, buy a licence, or migrate.; Supermetrics every package includes only 1 core destination; sending the same data to a second destination is a paid extra
  • They diverge on capability: Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment, Supermetrics covers Multi-source data connectors.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Snowplow and Supermetrics actually diverge.

Attributes where Snowplow and Supermetrics differ
AttributeSnowplowSupermetrics
Starting priceOn request€49/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsLinux, Web, DockerWeb, Google-sheets, Data-studio, Excel, Api
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceMarketing
FoundedUnknown2010

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Snowplow

  • Own-cloud deployment
  • Schema enforcement
  • Warehouse loading
  • Enrichment
  • Trackers
  • Streaming output
  • Data models
  • Snowplow BDP

Only in Supermetrics

  • Multi-source data connectors
  • Real-time data sync
  • Custom dimensions
  • Data blending
  • Scheduled reports
  • API access
  • Data transformation
  • Visualization

What people use each for

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

Snowplow

  • A data team that needs full-fidelity event data in its own warehouse to build attribution or machine learning features rather than to populate dashboardsnot Supermetrics
  • A regulated business that cannot send behavioural data to a third-party analytics vendor and must keep collection inside its own cloud accountnot Supermetrics
  • A product organisation tired of silently malformed events, which wants a schema contract enforced at collection timenot Supermetrics
  • A company modelling customer behaviour across web, mobile and server events that needs them in one consistent structurenot Supermetrics

Supermetrics

  • Pulling marketing platform data into Google Sheets, Looker Studio, Excel or Power BInot Snowplow
  • Loading advertising data into BigQuery or Snowflake for reportingnot Snowplow
  • Automating recurring client marketing reports at an agencynot Snowplow

Where each one falls short

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

Snowplow

  • The core pipeline was relicensed from Apache 2.0 on 8 January 2024 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement and a Confluent-derived community licence, so organisations that adopted it as permissively licensed software must now review their entitlement, buy a licence, or migrate.
  • You run the pipeline in your own cloud, which means the infrastructure bill, the on-call rota and the upgrade work are yours, and at high event volume that operational cost frequently exceeds what a hosted product would have charged.
  • Schema enforcement is the main benefit and the main friction, because every new event requires a schema to be authored and versioned, and teams without discipline around that end up blocked on their own governance process.
  • There is no analysis layer: Snowplow delivers data to your warehouse and nothing else, so you still need modelling, a BI tool and the people to run them before anyone sees a number.
  • The licence change fractured the community, spawning an Apache 2.0 fork, which means community contributions and third-party tooling are now split across two codebases with uncertain long-term maintenance.

Supermetrics

  • Every package includes only 1 core destination; sending the same data to a second destination is a paid extra
  • The Starter plan at 49 EUR per month billed monthly includes 1 user, 3 data sources and 3 accounts per data source
  • Data refreshes are weekly on Starter, daily on Growth and hourly on Pro; on-demand refreshes require Enterprise
  • Refresh scheduling on those tiers is stated for Google Sheets only
  • Snowflake and BigQuery data warehouse destinations require the Enterprise package
  • SAML SSO is Enterprise only; lower tiers get basic single sign-on
  • Data transformations, data residency and region control, multiple teams and Management API access are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise carries no published price and is quote only
  • The 20% saving is only available on yearly billing
  • AI credits are metered per plan at 4,000 monthly on Starter and 12,000 on Growth

Pricing, plan by plan

Snowplow

On request
  • Snowplow BDP$undefined/year
    • Commercial pricing quoted by event volume and deployment
    • Core pipeline components under the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement, not Apache 2.0
    • Trackers, analytics SDKs and Iglu SDKs remain Apache 2.0

Supermetrics

€49/month
  • Starter$49/month
    • 1 core destination
    • 3 data sources
    • 1 user
  • Growth$199/month
    • 1 core destination
    • 7 data sources
    • 2 users
  • Pro$499/month
    • 1 core destination
    • 10 data sources
    • 3 users

Which should you pick?

Choose Snowplow if

  • You need own-cloud deployment.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Docker.
  • You also want schema enforcement.
Snowplow review

Choose Supermetrics if

  • You need multi-source data connectors.
  • You work on Web, Google-sheets, Data-studio, Excel, Api.
  • You also want real-time data sync.
Supermetrics review

Questions people ask

Is Snowplow or Supermetrics better?
Neither clearly leads. Snowplow starts at On request and Supermetrics at €49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Snowplow or Supermetrics?
Snowplow starts at On request and Supermetrics at €49/month.
Does Snowplow or Supermetrics run on more platforms?
Snowplow runs on Linux, Web, Docker. Supermetrics runs on Web, Google-sheets, Data-studio, Excel, Api.
What is Snowplow best used for?
Snowplow is most often used for a data team that needs full-fidelity event data in its own warehouse to build attribution or machine learning features rather than to populate dashboards, a regulated business that cannot send behavioural data to a third-party analytics vendor and must keep collection inside its own cloud account, a product organisation tired of silently malformed events, which wants a schema contract enforced at collection time, a company modelling customer behaviour across web, mobile and server events that needs them in one consistent structure. Of those, a data team that needs full-fidelity event data in its own warehouse to build attribution or machine learning features rather than to populate dashboards and a regulated business that cannot send behavioural data to a third-party analytics vendor and must keep collection inside its own cloud account are not what Supermetrics is typically brought in for.
What can Snowplow do that Supermetrics cannot?
Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment, Schema enforcement, Warehouse loading, Enrichment. Supermetrics covers Multi-source data connectors, Real-time data sync, Custom dimensions, Data blending.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Snowplow: Is Snowplow still open source?

Not in the permissive sense. On 8 January 2024 the core pipeline moved from Apache 2.0 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement, with version 1.1 following in December 2024, alongside a community licence based on the Confluent Community Licence. Trackers and analytics SDKs remain Apache 2.0.

Supermetrics: How much does Supermetrics cost?

Supermetrics offers three subscription plans: Starter at EUR 49 per month, Growth at EUR 199 per month, and Pro at EUR 499 per month. Annual billing provides a 20% discount. Enterprise plans require a custom quote.

Source
Snowplow: Can we still run it for free in production?

Free use of the relicensed core components is materially constrained and commercial use generally requires an agreement. Read the current licence text against your intended use rather than relying on older documentation.

Supermetrics: Can I add extra users or data sources to my Supermetrics plan?

Yes, additional features are available for all plans. Additional users cost EUR 29 to EUR 124 per month depending on plan tier, and additional data sources cost EUR 29 to EUR 37 per month. Additional destinations and ad accounts also carry separate monthly fees.

Source
Snowplow: Is there an Apache 2.0 alternative?

Yes, a fork called OpenSnowcat was created in response to the relicensing and continues under Apache 2.0.

Snowplow: What does Snowplow BDP cost?

Not published. It is quoted by event volume and deployment, and your own cloud infrastructure costs are separate and additional.

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