Metabase vs Apache Superset: what their users struggle with

Not a verdict and not a star rating: the problems users of Metabase and Apache Superset describe in public, side by side, each one linked to its source (as of 2026-10-15).

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Every count in this table is of open reports in the recent window (Metabase since 2023-10, Apache Superset since 2023-10); older and fixed reports are not counted. The counts measure how much public discussion exists for each product, not which is better: a popular tool collects more reports.

Problems mostly raised about Metabase

• Models and questions look identical and models silently revert to questions · UI & usability · Blocks work
• Applying one filter to many charts means duplicating charts by hand · UI & usability · Blocks work
• Serialization only available to paying self-hosted customers · Pricing & plans · Annoyance
• Dashboard auto-refresh causes browser memory to grow until a crash · Reliability & bugs · Blocks work
• PostgreSQL metadata sync can take tens of minutes or longer · Performance · Blocks work

Problems mostly raised about Apache Superset

• Time period filter is overly complicated for users · UI & usability · Annoyance
• Handlebars chart CSS appears as plain text · Customization · Blocks work
• SQL Lab async tasks fail with serialization errors after upgrade · Reliability & bugs · Blocks work
• Float columns cannot be used to create histogram charts · Reporting & analytics · Blocks work
• Dashboard API returns inconsistent json_metadata · API & developer experience · Annoyance

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Open Metabase and Apache Superset in the compare tool to filter by area and severity, Metabase alternatives, Apache Superset alternatives, or the state of business intelligence.

How the data is built. A theme is a group of reports about the same problem; unique means not matched to a theme on the other product.