Bridge
Bridge vs Metabase

Metabase is an engineering build. Bridge is on your API in minutes.

Custom fields, dashboards, exports. Handled in chat by your CSM. No engineering integration.

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Free for 14 days on one of your customers. No card.

At a glance
MetabaseBridge
How it ships
Engineered into your product
Installed on your API in minutes
Engineering needed
Embed project, ongoing maintenance
None
Custom dashboards
Engineering ticket per ask
Handled in chat
Custom fields
Schema work and migration
Live on every record
Custom exports
Engineering ticket per ask
Handled in chat
Time to deliver
Engineering sprint, if on the roadmap
Minutes
6 of 11 differences shownSee all

Why choose Bridge over Metabase.

Metabase lives inside your product, so every custom ask runs through engineering. Bridge sits on your API and handles them in chat.

01Workflow

Handled in chat, not in a ticket queue.

Metabase is embedded into your product, so every new dashboard is an engineering build. Bridge sits on your API. The CSM types the ask in chat, Bridge builds the view, the link goes back in the same conversation. No engineering pulled in.

See the full comparison
bridge_chat
live
Show every load 24h+ late, by carrier and lane.
calling /shipments · grouping by carrier · building view
late-loads.bridge.link/acme
shared
Sent back in the same conversation. No ticket opened.
02Custom dashboards

Built in chat, not engineered.

Metabase ships the dashboards your data team can predict, each one an engineering build. Bridge builds the one your customer asked for once, in chat against your API, scoped to that customer and shared as a white-labeled link they open themselves.

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late_loads_view
shared
loads late
42
carriers
7
avg delay
31h
late by lane
03Custom fields

Calculated live, not migrated.

Bridge adds calculated fields across every record without a schema change. No engineering ticket, no migration scheduled. The field is live the moment the formula resolves.

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contacts
calculated
ContactActivity 90dchampion_strength
Acme Corp142 events92High
Globex88 events64Med
Initech31 events27Low
calculated live · no schema change
04Custom exports

In their format, not yours.

Bridge writes a CSV in the shape your customer asked for, with custom and calculated columns included. Saved as a view they can re-run. Their format becomes the default, not yours.

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export.csv
custom format
invoicedays_overduepriority_score
INV-204161High
INV-203834Med
INV-210212Low
custom + calculated columnsdownload
05Speed

Minutes, not an engineering sprint.

In Metabase, a custom ask is an engineering ticket: schema work, query writing, embed updates. In Bridge, the CSM types the ask, Bridge calls your API and builds the view, and the link goes back in the same conversation.

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time_to_delivered
measured
Bridge4 min
MetabaseDays. Quarters.

from the moment the CSM relays the ask

Where they actually differ.

The capabilities that decide which tool fits the ask in front of you.

Metabase
Bridge
Built by your CSM, no engineering
Metabase: no
Bridge: yes
Installed on your API in minutes, no integration project
Metabase: no
Bridge: yes
Delivered in minutes, not a sprint
Metabase: no
Bridge: yes
Custom dashboards, handled in chat
Metabase: no
Bridge: yes
Custom fields without a schema change
Metabase: no
Bridge: yes
Custom exports in the customer's format
Metabase: no
Bridge: yes
Delivered as a chat link, no embed to build
Metabase: no
Bridge: yes
Customer stays in the conversation, no portal
Metabase: no
Bridge: yes
Per-customer scoping from your API
Metabase: no
Bridge: yes
Unlimited CS seats, no per-seat fees
Metabase: no
Bridge: yes
Customer self-serve data exploration
Metabase: yes
Bridge: no
Alerts and scheduled reports
Metabase: yes
Bridge: no
Embedded BI inside your product (engineering build)
Metabase: yes
Bridge: no
Open source, self-host free
Metabase: yes
Bridge: no
Verified June 2026metabase.com/pricing

Should you choose Bridge or Metabase?

Bridge sits on your API and handles custom asks in chat. Metabase is embedded into your product so customers can explore their own data. They solve different jobs.

Best for most teams

Choose Bridge

  • Custom dashboards
    The one your customer asked for once, built in chat and scoped to them.
  • Custom fields
    Calculated across every record, live, with no schema change or engineering ticket.
  • Custom exports
    A CSV in the customer's format, with calculated columns included.
  • One-off asks
    Anything that does not fit a template, handled in minutes by your CSM. No engineering involved.
Start a free pilot

14-day pilot. One customer. No card.

Narrow use case

Choose Metabase only if

  • Your customers want to explore their own data in a BI tool.
  • The dashboards they need repeat across accounts.
  • You want a self-hosted, open-source option.
  • You have engineering capacity to integrate and maintain it inside your product.

Still deciding which tool fits the ask?

If you have engineering capacity to embed BI in your product, that is Metabase. If you want custom asks handled in chat without an engineering build, that is Bridge.

Start a free pilot
  • 14-day pilot on one customer
  • No card to start
  • Keep Metabase for self-serve BI

The questions we get most.

Yes. They solve different jobs, so you can run both. Metabase for the dashboards your customers explore on their own. Bridge for the asks they make through your CSM.

Yes. They type the ask in plain English. Bridge calls your API, computes whatever needs computing, and builds the view. No SQL. No schema work. No engineering pulled in.

Two different things. A full embedded BI portal your customers explore on their own is Metabase Pro's job, not Bridge's. But the view your CSM shares is white-labeled: the customer opens a link with your brand on it, not Bridge's. Bridge handles the one-off ask that does not fit a dashboard your team already built. For a portal customers explore on their own, you want Metabase.

No. Bridge is hosted only. The Bridge value is removing the engineering ticket your CSM was about to open. If you want self-host BI free, use Metabase OSS. It is a real, well-supported option.

Metabase is the right tool. Bridge generates a view from a single ask. It does not replace BI exploration. If your customer wants to pivot, filter, and slice for an hour, give them Metabase.

Metabase Starter is $100/month plus $6 per additional user (5 users included). Pro is $575/month plus $12 per additional user (10 included). Self-host is free under AGPL. Bridge is $199/month for up to 5 connected customers, with unlimited CS seats. Past 5, pricing moves to enterprise and we size it with you. The pilot is free for 14 days, no card. Different models. See the Bridge pricing page for detail.

Only what your API exposes. Queries are authenticated per session. Per-customer activity logs are on by default. We do not train models on your data.

Still on the fence?Book 20 minutes with the founder

Start saying yes to custom asks without the engineering ticket.

14 days. One customer. Free. Then $199/month for up to five connected customers, enterprise past that.

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