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Steampipe vs Zoho Analytics

Steampipe logo

Steampipe

Developer Tools

Query cloud APIs, SaaS tools and code with SQL, with no extract or load step

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit SteampipeFull review
Zoho Analytics logo

Zoho Analytics

Business Intelligence

Self-service BI and analytics platform

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit Zoho AnalyticsFull review

The short version

  • Zoho Analytics is a self-service business intelligence and analytics platform.
  • Free plans on both; paid from $49/mo and $24/mo.
  • Only Steampipe lists SQL over live APIs; only Zoho Analytics lists AI Assistant.
  • Where Zoho Analytics falls short: the free plan is limited to 2 users, 10,000 rows and 5 workspaces.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Steampipe and Zoho Analytics actually diverge.

Attributes where Steampipe and Zoho Analytics differ
AttributeSteampipeZoho Analytics
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid hosting through Turbot PipesSubscription
PlatformsmacOS, Linux, Windows, Self-hosted, WebWeb, iOS, Android, Embedded
CategoryDeveloper ToolsBusiness Intelligence

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

Not yet recorded: founded for Steampipe.

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 Steampipe

  • SQL over live APIs
  • Wide plugin set
  • Embedded Postgres
  • Compliance benchmarks
  • Joins across providers
  • Hosted option

Only in Zoho Analytics

  • AI Assistant
  • Drag-and-drop Reports
  • Auto-blending
  • Embedded Analytics
  • White-labeling
  • Zoho CRM
  • Salesforce
  • Google Analytics

What people use each for

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

Steampipe

  • Security teams answering posture questions against live cloud accounts rather than a nightly exportnot Zoho Analytics
  • Compliance evidence gathering where the answer must reflect the account at the moment it is askednot Zoho Analytics
  • Inventory and drift questions spanning several cloud providers in one querynot Zoho Analytics
  • Engineers who would rather write SQL than learn each provider command line toolnot Zoho Analytics

Zoho Analytics

  • Self-service dashboards and reports over business datanot Steampipe
  • Blending data from Zoho apps, databases and cloud services into one workspacenot Steampipe
  • Embedding white-labelled analytics inside another productnot Steampipe

Where each one falls short

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

Steampipe

  • AGPL-3.0 across all four engines is a procurement blocker at organisations that ban the licence outright, and the network clause reaches any internal portal or service that puts a web interface in front of it
  • Dashboards, benchmarks and mods were removed from Steampipe entirely at version 1.0 in October 2024 and now live in a separate product, so pre-2024 documentation and tutorials describe commands that no longer exist
  • Live querying is bound by cloud provider API rate limits and keeps no persistent store by default, which is why a separate DuckDB-backed product exists for log volumes and why large accounts return slowly
  • The company is fifteen people and bootstrapped, maintaining four command line tools plus a hosted service plus two further products, and the newer tools have thin community traction relative to that surface area
  • Hosted tiers include only three users regardless of tier, with additional Enterprise users charged separately, so a team of thirty costs an order of magnitude more than the headline figure before compute and storage are counted

Zoho Analytics

  • The free plan is limited to 2 users, 10,000 rows and 5 workspaces
  • Plans are sold with a minimum user count: Basic starts at 2 users, Standard at 5, Premium at 15 and Enterprise at 50
  • Row capacity is part of the plan, starting at 0.5 million rows on Basic, and additional rows are sold as add-ons
  • Viewer licences are sold in blocks of 25 minimum rather than one at a time
  • Data alerts are capped per plan at 10, 30 and 100 active alerts across the whole account
  • REST API usage is metered in API units per day, from 4,000 per day on the lowest paid tier, with extra units sold separately
  • Logo rebranding and hiding the Powered By Zoho Analytics message on embedded reports are not available on the lower plans
  • Activity logs and cluster analysis are excluded from the lower plans
  • The white label embedded analytics offering has no published price and requires contacting Zoho
  • Local taxes such as VAT and GST are charged on top of the listed prices

Pricing, plan by plan

Steampipe

Free
  • Steampipe CLIFree
    • AGPL-3.0
    • All plugins
    • No user or query limits
  • Pipes DeveloperFree
    • One user
    • 400 compute minutes
    • 3GB storage
  • Pipes Team$49/mo
    • Three users
    • 2,000 compute minutes
    • 20GB storage
  • Pipes Enterprise$249/mo
    • Three users
    • 10,000 compute minutes
    • 100GB storage

Zoho Analytics

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2 Users
    • Basic Features
    • 10K Rows
  • Basic$24/mo
    • 2 Users
    • 500K Rows
    • Email Support

Which should you pick?

Choose Steampipe if

  • You need sql over live apis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on macOS, Linux, Windows, Self-hosted, Web.
  • You also want wide plugin set.
Steampipe review

Choose Zoho Analytics if

  • You need ai assistant.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Embedded.
  • You also want drag-and-drop reports.
Zoho Analytics review

Questions people ask

Is Steampipe or Zoho Analytics better?
Neither clearly leads. Steampipe starts at Free and Zoho Analytics at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Steampipe or Zoho Analytics?
Steampipe starts at Free and Zoho Analytics at Free.
Does Steampipe or Zoho Analytics run on more platforms?
Steampipe runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Self-hosted, Web. Zoho Analytics runs on Web, iOS, Android, Embedded.
Can I use Steampipe for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Steampipe best used for?
Steampipe is most often used for security teams answering posture questions against live cloud accounts rather than a nightly export, compliance evidence gathering where the answer must reflect the account at the moment it is asked, inventory and drift questions spanning several cloud providers in one query, engineers who would rather write sql than learn each provider command line tool. Of those, security teams answering posture questions against live cloud accounts rather than a nightly export and compliance evidence gathering where the answer must reflect the account at the moment it is asked are not what Zoho Analytics is typically brought in for.
What can Steampipe do that Zoho Analytics cannot?
Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks. Zoho Analytics covers AI Assistant, Drag-and-drop Reports, Auto-blending, Embedded Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Steampipe: When did Steampipe become AGPL?

May 2021, about four months after the project went public. It is a settled licence rather than a recent change, and predates the Business Source Licence wave it is often confused with.

Zoho Analytics: Is there a free plan available?

Yes, Zoho Analytics offers a permanent free plan with 2 users, 10,000 rows, and 5 workspaces. A 15-day free trial is also available for paid plans, no credit card required.

Source
Steampipe: Where did the dashboards and benchmarks go?

Into Powerpipe. They were deprecated in March 2024 and removed from Steampipe at version 1.0 in October 2024, so the check, dashboard, mod and variable commands are gone.

Zoho Analytics: Can I cancel my subscription at any time?

Yes, you can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your subscription at any time. It operates as a month-to-month, pay-as-you-go service with full flexibility.

Source
Steampipe: Is it fast on a large cloud estate?

Not always. Queries call provider APIs at request time, so rate limits rather than query planning set the pace, and there is no persistent store by default.

Zoho Analytics: What is the difference between monthly and yearly billing?

Yearly billing provides a 20% discount compared to monthly rates. Both options are available for all subscription tiers.

Source
Steampipe: Does the AGPL affect internal use?

Running it internally for your own analysis is fine. Putting a web interface in front of it that other people use is where the network clause becomes a question for your legal team.

Zoho Analytics: How much do additional users and data rows cost beyond what is included in my plan?

Additional users, data rows, and viewers are available as paid add-ons. The page does not specify the exact per-unit cost for these add-ons.

Source
Steampipe: Is a bootstrapped vendor a risk?

It cuts both ways. There is no investor pressure toward a licence change or an exit, and there are also fifteen people supporting a large product surface.

Zoho Analytics: How often can I refresh my data in each tier?

Basic allows 1 refresh per day, Standard and Premium allow 8 per day, and Enterprise allows 24 per day. Dedicated Compute offers custom refresh rates.

Source
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