Snapshot as of 2026-10-05 from vendor docs and repos (see each note’s Sources). Semantic-layer ratings (Light/Strong/None) are the author’s own characterisation, not vendor or independent ratings. ”?” = not verified.
| Tool | Licence | Self-host | Semantic layer | AI features (status) | MCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metabase | AGPL (OSS); Metabase Commercial Licence for the enterprise directory and paid editions | Yes | Light (models, metrics in UI) | Metabot in all editions (per Metabase docs, see the Metabase note); agent dev (Pro+); AI Service (Cloud add-on) | Yes, built-in server, OAuth, all editions |
| Apache Superset / Preset | Apache 2.0 | Yes | Light (dimensions, metrics, dataset folders) | No built-in chat in OSS; Preset Chatbot beta | Opt-in MCP service in 6.1 (per Preset posts; the 6.1.0 GitHub release text does not mention it); Preset MCP Enterprise-only, launched 2026-04-01 per Preset |
| Lightdash | MIT outside packages/backend/src/ee (ee directory under a separate licence); enterprise key | Yes | Code-defined in dbt-style YAML (author: strong) | AI agents GA (add-on); several beta pieces | Yes: server, external MCP, docs MCP |
| Evidence | MIT (Core) | Yes (static site) | None built in | Evidence Agent in hosted Studio; agent-ready for Claude Code/Cursor | Not found in docs read |
| Redash | BSD-2-Clause | Yes | None | None found | None found |
| Grafana | AGPL (OSS) | Yes | None (datasource-centric) | Grafana Assistant (Cloud, or self-managed via Cloud backend) | Yes: grafana/mcp-grafana, Apache-2.0 |
| Hex (closed) | Proprietary | No | Context Engine | Notebook Agent, Threads | Yes (vendor claim) |
Reading the table
- Governed AI (per the tool notes): Lightdash and Hex describe agents answering from a semantic layer of defined metrics; Metabase documents permission-scoped MCP/Metabot, and Preset describes RBAC for its MCP.
- Developer-first: Evidence and Lightdash keep analytics as files in git.
- Time-series and ops dashboards: Grafana, not a business-metrics tool.
- Legacy (author’s characterisation): the Redash note describes mostly maintenance/security releases; no formal maintenance status was verified and the GitHub page shows no archived flag.
- Not to confuse: Superset coding orchestrator.
- Related: looker-studio, business-intelligence.
Open items
- Verified 2026-10-07 against primary pages: licences of Metabase (AGPL plus commercial
enterprisedirectory), Superset (Apache 2.0), Lightdash (MIT with ee carve-out), Evidence (MIT), Redash (BSD-style licence file), Grafana (AGPL-3.0), mcp-grafana (Apache 2.0); Metabase built-in MCP server with its own OAuth 2.0 (docs, v0.64); Lightdash AI agents GA as a paid add-on with content-editing and coding-agent parts in beta, and an MCP server. - Not confirmed: Superset 6.1 MCP service (the 6.1.0 GitHub release text, dated 13 May, does not mention it; the vault note relies on Preset posts), Preset MCP Enterprise-only and 2026-04-01 launch (docs URL 404), Metabot per-edition availability, Hex and Grafana Assistant claims, Evidence MCP, Redash being in “maintenance mode” as a formal status.
- Redash licence: LICENSE file is BSD-style (Arik Fraimovich); the specific “2-Clause” label was not checked.
Sources (2026-10-07)
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/metabase/metabase/master/LICENSE.txt , https://www.metabase.com/docs/latest/ai/mcp
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lightdash/lightdash/main/LICENSE , https://docs.lightdash.com/guides/ai-agents
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/evidence-dev/evidence/main/LICENSE , https://raw.githubusercontent.com/grafana/grafana/main/LICENSE , https://raw.githubusercontent.com/grafana/mcp-grafana/main/LICENSE , https://raw.githubusercontent.com/getredash/redash/master/LICENSE , https://raw.githubusercontent.com/apache/superset/master/LICENSE.txt
- https://github.com/apache/superset/releases/tag/6.1.0 , https://github.com/getredash/redash