Apache Superset vs Redash
Self-host pick — both replace Tableau (Business intelligence / dashboards / data exploration).
Both Apache Superset and Redash self-host as a replacement for Tableau (Business intelligence / dashboards / data exploration). Pick Apache Superset if you want a Apache-licensed codebase (Apache-2.0); pick Redash for BSD (BSD-2-Clause). Both run in roughly the same cost bracket — $15 vps for the multi-container stack; production setups want a dedicated postgres + redis vs $10 vps; lighter than superset but heavier than metabase.
| Apache Supersetopen-source | Redashopen-source | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Setup time | 30min docker-compose (Superset + Postgres + Redis + Celery worker) | 20min docker-compose (Redash server + Postgres + Redis + worker) |
| Monthly cost | $15 VPS for the multi-container stack; production setups want a dedicated Postgres + Redis. | $10 VPS; lighter than Superset but heavier than Metabase. |
| GitHub | apache/superset | getredash/redash |
| Replaces | Tableau | Tableau |
Good fit for
Apache Superset
Engineering-heavy teams that want SQL-first authoring, Jinja-templated queries, and embedding into other apps via dashboards-as-iframe.
Weak at:Drag-and-drop chart authoring is less fluid than Metabase or Tableau; permissions model is finicky.
Redash
Teams whose Tableau use is essentially canned SQL → chart, where Tableau Desktop's authoring fluency was overkill.
Weak at:Project pace has slowed since Databricks acquired the original team; check the freshness pill before adopting.
In a terminal? npx -y github:SolvoHQ/os-alt-cli tableau prints Tableau's self-host options including both —
how the CLI works →
FAQ
Which is easier to self-host, Apache Superset or Redash?
Apache Superset: 30min docker-compose (Superset + Postgres + Redis + Celery worker). Redash: 20min docker-compose (Redash server + Postgres + Redis + worker).
What does each cost to run?
Apache Superset: $15 VPS for the multi-container stack; production setups want a dedicated Postgres + Redis.. Redash: $10 VPS; lighter than Superset but heavier than Metabase.. Both projects are free and open source.
Do Apache Superset and Redash replace the same SaaS?
Yes — both are open-source alternatives to Tableau.