Supaboard.ai vs Metabase for Nonprofits
Choosing a business intelligence tool for your nonprofit comes down to one fundamental question: how much technical capacity do you have? Supaboard.ai removes every barrier with AI-powered natural language queries and 700+ integrations, making instant insights available to any team member. Metabase offers a proven, SOC 2-certified open-source platform that is completely free to self-host, making it remarkably powerful for nonprofits willing to invest a little technical setup time.
Quick Verdict
Choose based on your nonprofit's technical capacity and data priorities:
Choose Supaboard.ai if:
- •You have no technical staff and need data analysis running in under 15 minutes
- •You use many SaaS tools (Salesforce, Mailchimp, Airtable) and need one unified dashboard
- •You need real-time dashboards for live campaign or event monitoring
- •You want board members to ask follow-up questions within shared dashboards
- •Your team has zero SQL knowledge and needs AI to handle every query
Choose Metabase if:
- •You have a volunteer developer or data-capable staff member for initial setup
- •Budget is your top constraint and you need a free, powerful BI tool
- •You handle sensitive beneficiary data requiring SOC 2 or HIPAA compliance
- •You need unlimited users without per-seat pricing escalating your costs
- •Full data ownership matters and you want nothing leaving your servers
At-a-Glance Comparison
| Feature | Supaboard.ai | Metabase | Winner / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | 30 questions/month (very limited) | Full-featured self-hosted (unlimited) | Metabase: genuinely usable free plan |
| Paid Starting Price | $85/month (Individual) | $85/month (Starter cloud, 5 users) | Tie at entry level; Metabase scales better |
| Setup Time | Under 15 minutes, cloud only | Under 1 hour (cloud); 2-4 hours (self-hosted) | Supaboard: fastest to launch |
| Technical Skill Required | None | None (cloud); Docker knowledge (self-hosted) | Supaboard: zero barrier |
| Data Integrations | 700+ (SaaS, databases, APIs, sheets) | 20+ database types (SQL-focused) | Supaboard: far broader ecosystem |
| AI Capabilities | Domain-specific AI agents; real-time chat | Metabot AI (basic, early stage) | Supaboard: significantly more advanced |
| Real-Time Data | Yes, true real-time updates | 60-minute minimum refresh interval | Supaboard: real-time; Metabase: near-real-time |
| Security Compliance | Role-based permissions; certifications not published | SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA | Metabase: certified compliance documented |
| Self-Hosted Option | No (cloud only) | Yes (free open-source) | Metabase: full data sovereignty |
| User Limits | 1 user (Individual); multiple (Business+) | Unlimited (open-source); 5 included (Starter) | Metabase: better for larger teams |
| Nonprofit Discount | None published; inquire directly | None published; open-source is effectively free | Metabase: free plan is the nonprofit discount |
| Best For | Non-technical teams, multi-tool organizations | Tech-capable teams, data-sensitive orgs | Context-dependent |
Last updated: February 28, 2026. Pricing and features subject to change; verify directly with vendors before purchasing.
Why Data Tools Matter for Nonprofits
Nonprofits face a unique challenge: they collect significant amounts of data across donor databases, program tracking systems, grant reporting tools, and marketing platforms, but they rarely have the data analyst capacity to turn that information into actionable insights. Board members want impact reports. Funders demand outcome metrics. Program staff need real-time feedback to adjust their approaches. All of this creates demand for business intelligence tools that historically required expensive enterprise software or dedicated data teams.
Supaboard.ai and Metabase represent two very different answers to this problem. Supaboard.ai emerged from the AI-native BI movement, built around the premise that anyone should be able to get answers from data simply by asking questions in plain English. Metabase took a different path: a mature, open-source platform that has been refined over years of real-world use by thousands of organizations, including nonprofits, universities, and social enterprises. Both approaches have merit, and understanding which fits your organization is the core purpose of this comparison.
The decision ultimately comes down to technical capacity and data sensitivity. Organizations without technical staff and with data spread across cloud SaaS tools will find Supaboard.ai remarkably empowering. Organizations with any technical help available and who need airtight compliance documentation will find Metabase's free open-source offering genuinely transformative. This guide walks through both tools comprehensively so you can make an informed choice for your specific situation.
What Is Supaboard.ai?
Supaboard.ai is an AI-native business intelligence platform launched in early 2026. It is built around the concept of "agentic BI," where domain-specific AI agents understand your organization's data definitions and business logic to answer questions in plain English. Rather than requiring users to learn SQL, build queries, or configure chart types manually, Supaboard's AI handles the translation from natural language question to visual answer automatically.
AI Agents Architecture
Trained on your nonprofit's data definitions
Supaboard's core differentiator is its ability to create domain-specific AI agents trained on your organization's specific terminology. You can define what "a retained donor" means, what constitutes a "successful program outcome," or how your fiscal year differs from calendar year, and the AI applies these definitions consistently across all queries.
- Finance, program, donor, and custom domain agents
- Real-time follow-up questions in the same session
- Embedded AI chat within shared dashboards
Integration Breadth
700+ data sources from cloud to database
One of Supaboard.ai's strongest advantages over Metabase is its integration ecosystem. Rather than connecting only to SQL databases, Supaboard pulls data directly from the SaaS tools nonprofits already use, eliminating the need to first consolidate data in a central database before analyzing it.
- CRMs: Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive
- Email: Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Brevo
- Spreadsheets: Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion
Supaboard.ai is cloud-only with no self-hosted option, which means all your data queries pass through their servers. The platform uses read-only database access by default and includes role-based permissions, but it does not publicly document SOC 2 or HIPAA compliance certifications at this stage. For nonprofits handling non-sensitive operational data (program counts, email metrics, donor totals from a non-sensitive CRM), this is unlikely to be a barrier. For organizations handling health information, immigration status, or other sensitive beneficiary data, the lack of documented compliance certifications warrants caution.
What Is Metabase?
Metabase is a mature, open-source business intelligence platform with a long track record across nonprofits, universities, startups, and enterprises. It has been downloaded millions of times, serves thousands of organizations globally, and maintains a large community of contributors and users. The core product is free to self-host with no user limits, no licensing fees, and no feature restrictions beyond what is listed in the paid plans.
Visual Query Builder
No SQL required for standard analysis
Metabase's point-and-click query builder lets staff members explore data visually without writing a single line of SQL. Users select their data source, choose filters, group by dimensions, and create visualizations through a guided interface. For organizations that do have SQL knowledge, Metabase also includes a full SQL editor with autocomplete.
- Point-and-click filters, joins, and aggregations
- Full SQL editor with autocomplete for analysts
- Scheduled email and Slack report subscriptions
Compliance and Security
Documented certifications for sensitive data
For nonprofits handling sensitive data, Metabase's compliance documentation is a significant asset. The platform has achieved SOC 2 Type II certification (independently audited with no exceptions noted), and has documented HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliance, making it one of the most thoroughly certified free BI tools available.
- SOC 2 Type II certified (clean audit)
- HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliance documented
- Annual third-party penetration testing
The self-hosted open-source version is Metabase's most powerful offering for nonprofits on tight budgets. With Docker installed on a small cloud server, an organization can run a full-featured BI platform for approximately $12-50/month in hosting costs, with unlimited users and unlimited dashboards. The main barrier is finding someone with basic technical skills to handle initial setup and occasional maintenance. For many nonprofits, this means engaging a board member, volunteer, or pro-bono tech partner for a one-time setup session rather than ongoing technical staff investment.
Head-to-Head Feature Comparison
Five critical dimensions where the tools diverge most significantly for nonprofit use cases.
AI and Natural Language Querying
Supaboard.ai
Supaboard's AI agent system is purpose-built for this use case. Users type questions like "How many donors gave more than $500 last quarter compared to the same period last year?" and receive immediate charts with explanatory text. The AI handles query generation, visualization selection, and follow-up drill-downs automatically. Domain-specific agents can be configured to understand your organization's unique terminology, making the AI more accurate over time.
Verdict: Best-in-class for non-technical users
Metabase
Metabase's Metabot AI is available but explicitly described as early-stage. It can generate basic charts from natural language and summarize existing visualizations, but it cannot handle complex multi-table queries, custom expressions, or multi-level aggregations. For straightforward questions about a single data source, Metabot works. For anything nuanced, users typically need to use the visual query builder or SQL editor instead.
Verdict: Basic AI with meaningful limitations
Data Integration and Source Connectivity
Supaboard.ai
With 700+ supported data sources, Supaboard can connect directly to almost any tool a nonprofit uses. This includes CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, email platforms like Mailchimp, payment processors like Stripe, spreadsheet tools like Google Sheets and Airtable, project management platforms like Notion, and databases like PostgreSQL and MongoDB. The breadth of integration means organizations can analyze data from multiple systems without first building a data warehouse.
Verdict: Unmatched integration breadth
Metabase
Metabase connects to 20+ database types, primarily SQL databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, and SQLite. It does not directly integrate with SaaS tools like Salesforce or Mailchimp. This means that for Metabase to analyze data from multiple systems, those systems must first push their data into a central database, which adds setup complexity. For organizations with existing data warehouses, Metabase is well-suited. For those without one, Supaboard's direct integrations eliminate a substantial technical requirement.
Verdict: SQL-focused; requires data warehouse for multi-system analysis
Security, Compliance, and Data Ownership
Supaboard.ai
Supaboard uses read-only database access by default and supports role-based permissions to restrict what different team members can see. However, as of early 2026, the platform does not publicly document SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, or CCPA compliance certifications. All data processing occurs on Supaboard's cloud infrastructure. For organizations handling sensitive beneficiary health data, immigration documentation, or other protected information, this gap in documented compliance is a meaningful concern.
Verdict: Suitable for non-sensitive operational data; compliance gap for sensitive data
Metabase
Metabase's compliance documentation is among the strongest available for a free BI tool. SOC 2 Type II certification was achieved with a clean audit by Sensiba LLP, with no exceptions noted. HIPAA compliance is documented for healthcare data handling, making it appropriate for health-focused nonprofits. When self-hosted, data never leaves your infrastructure at all, eliminating third-party data processing concerns entirely. This level of documented compliance is typically found only in enterprise software costing thousands per year.
Verdict: Excellent documented compliance, full data sovereignty option
Sharing, Collaboration, and Board Reporting
Supaboard.ai
Supaboard's signature sharing feature is the interactive shared dashboard: board members or funders can receive a link and not only view the dashboard but ask their own follow-up questions via embedded AI chat without needing a login. This is particularly valuable for board meetings where members want to explore data interactively rather than receiving static slides. Dashboards can also be shared as live decks, embedding real-time data updates into presentations.
Verdict: Interactive AI-powered sharing is innovative for board engagement
Metabase
Metabase supports shareable public links and embeddable iframes for external stakeholders without requiring accounts. Its most practical feature for nonprofits, however, is scheduled email and Slack subscriptions: board members can receive automatically generated reports on a weekly, monthly, or custom schedule without ever visiting the platform. This hands-off delivery model means board members get relevant data even if they never log into a BI tool. Comments and teammate tagging support async collaboration within the platform.
Verdict: Scheduled email reports are practical for board governance
Real-Time Data and Dashboard Performance
Supaboard.ai
Supaboard provides true real-time dashboard updates, making it suitable for live operational monitoring. For nonprofits running a fundraising campaign, telethon event, or time-sensitive program response, real-time dashboards allow staff to monitor progress and make immediate adjustments. This is particularly useful for organizations running giving day campaigns, emergency fundraisers, or events where live data visibility influences on-the-ground decisions.
Verdict: True real-time capability for live event monitoring
Metabase
Metabase's minimum dashboard auto-refresh interval is 60 minutes, which is adequate for most standard nonprofit reporting (weekly program metrics, monthly donor reports, quarterly board dashboards) but insufficient for live event monitoring. Dashboard performance can also slow with many simultaneous visualizations or large datasets, particularly on self-hosted instances with modest server resources. For the vast majority of nonprofit data needs, the 60-minute refresh cycle is entirely acceptable.
Verdict: Adequate for periodic reporting; not suitable for live monitoring
Pricing Breakdown and Total Cost of Ownership
Understanding the true cost for nonprofits of different sizes.
Supaboard.ai Pricing
- Free$0/month. 30 questions per month. Sufficient for occasional, exploratory testing only.
- Individual~$85/month. Single user. Suitable for one-person data roles or solo analysts.
- Business~$191/month. Multiple AI agents, team collaboration. For organizations with multiple staff analyzing data.
- EnterpriseCustom pricing. White-labeling, unlimited agents, dedicated support.
Metabase Pricing
- Open Source (Self-Hosted)Free. Unlimited users. Full features. Hosting costs ~$12-50/month on basic cloud server.
- Starter (Cloud)$85/month base. 5 users included, $5/user/month additional. Managed hosting, standard support.
- Pro (Cloud or Self-Hosted)$500/month (10 users included). SSO, row-level security, interactive embedding, version control.
- Enterprise$20,000+/year. Dedicated success engineer, custom pricing and SLAs.
Total Cost of Ownership: Three Nonprofit Scenarios
Small Nonprofit (1-10 staff, no technical person)
Example: Community arts organization, food pantry, small advocacy group
Supaboard.ai
- Individual plan: $85/month ($1,020/year)
- Setup time: Under 1 hour, no technical help needed
- Ongoing maintenance: Minimal; fully managed cloud
- Staff training: 2-3 hours (natural language interface)
Metabase (Self-Hosted)
- Hosting: $15/month ($180/year)
- Setup: 4-6 hours of volunteer/pro-bono time
- Ongoing maintenance: 1-2 hours/month for updates
- Staff training: 4-8 hours (more complex interface)
Recommendation: If no volunteer tech help is available, Supaboard.ai's $85/month is worth the immediate value. If any technical volunteer can be engaged, Metabase self-hosted saves $840+/year.
Medium Nonprofit (10-50 staff, one data-capable person)
Example: Youth services organization, regional environmental nonprofit, mid-size human services agency
Supaboard.ai
- Business plan: $191/month ($2,292/year)
- Multi-user collaboration for program staff
- Multiple AI agents for different departments
- No server costs or IT overhead
Metabase (Self-Hosted)
- Hosting (slightly larger server): $25/month ($300/year)
- Unlimited users across all departments
- Data analyst staff time: 2-4 hours/month for maintenance
- Full feature access at no additional licensing cost
Recommendation: With a data-capable staff member, Metabase self-hosted saves nearly $2,000/year while providing unlimited users. The savings could fund additional programs.
Large Nonprofit (50+ staff, dedicated IT or analyst)
Example: National health nonprofit, large social services agency, established arts organization
Supaboard.ai
- Enterprise plan: Custom (likely $500+/month)
- White-labeling for funder reports
- Advanced AI agents for multiple departments
- No self-hosted option; data sovereignty concerns
Metabase Pro (Self-Hosted)
- Pro self-hosted: $500/month ($6,000/year)
- SSO, row-level security, interactive embedding
- Robust server infrastructure: $50-150/month
- Full compliance documentation (SOC 2, HIPAA)
Recommendation: For large nonprofits handling sensitive data, Metabase Pro self-hosted provides superior compliance documentation and data sovereignty. Supaboard.ai Enterprise may offer advantages for organizations heavily invested in SaaS tool ecosystems.
Nonprofit Discounts and Special Pricing
Neither Tool Has a Formal Nonprofit Discount Program
Unlike tools such as Canva (which offers free nonprofit access) or Asana (which has a formal nonprofit program), neither Supaboard.ai nor Metabase publishes a dedicated nonprofit discount. However, there are practical paths to reduced cost for both platforms.
Supaboard.ai: Getting the Best Price
- Contact sales directly: As a newer platform building its nonprofit user base, Supaboard.ai may offer extended trials, custom pricing, or nonprofit rates upon request. Reach out with your organization's mission and 501(c)(3) documentation.
- Annual billing: Most SaaS platforms offer 10-20% off for annual vs monthly billing. Ask specifically about annual nonprofit pricing.
- Free tier testing: The 30-question free tier is limited, but sufficient to verify the tool works with your data sources before committing to a paid plan.
Metabase: Getting the Best Price
- Self-host the open-source version: This is genuinely free with no user limits and no feature restrictions on core BI functionality. For most nonprofits, this provides everything they need at ~$15-50/month in hosting costs only.
- Engage a tech volunteer: Organizations like Catchafire, Taproot+, and local Code for Good chapters can connect you with volunteer developers for initial setup at no cost to your organization.
- Cloud Starter negotiation: If cloud hosting is preferred, contact Metabase directly for nonprofit enterprise pricing, especially for organizations with documented 501(c)(3) status.
Ease of Use and Learning Curve
The gap between these two tools in terms of accessibility is one of the most dramatic in this comparison. Supaboard.ai is designed specifically to eliminate the learning curve entirely for non-technical users, while Metabase offers more power at the cost of a steeper initial investment in setup and learning.
Supaboard.ai: Immediate Accessibility
Difficulty: Beginner
Supaboard's entire design philosophy is accessibility. Connecting a data source takes a few clicks, and the first question can be asked in plain English within minutes of signing up. Staff members who have never worked with data tools can typically become productive on their first day.
Metabase: Moderate Initial Investment
Difficulty: Beginner (cloud) / Intermediate (self-hosted)
Metabase's cloud-hosted Starter plan is reasonably accessible for non-technical users, but the visual query builder has a steeper learning curve than Supaboard's natural language interface. The self-hosted option requires Docker knowledge upfront, though once deployed it runs largely without ongoing intervention.
The Self-Hosting Question
For nonprofits considering Metabase's free self-hosted option, the key question is whether technical setup help is accessible. Organizations like Catchafire and Taproot Plus connect nonprofits with skilled volunteers who can handle initial infrastructure setup pro bono. A one-time investment of 4-6 hours of volunteer time can unlock years of free, powerful data analysis. If that path is not feasible, Supaboard.ai's immediate accessibility makes it the practical alternative despite its monthly cost.
Integration and Compatibility
Understanding how each tool fits into your existing nonprofit technology stack is critical. The right BI tool should connect to where your data already lives, not require you to reorganize your systems to accommodate it.
Common Nonprofit Tool Compatibility
| Tool Category | Example Tools | Supaboard.ai | Metabase |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRM | Salesforce, HubSpot, Bloomerang | Direct integration | Via data warehouse only |
| Email Marketing | Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Brevo | Direct integration | Via data warehouse only |
| Spreadsheets | Google Sheets, Airtable | Direct integration | Limited (via CSV import) |
| SQL Databases | PostgreSQL, MySQL, BigQuery | Direct integration | Native, full support |
| Fundraising Platforms | Stripe, Donorbox, Givebutter | Stripe direct; others via API | Via database export |
| Analytics | Google Analytics | Direct integration | Via BigQuery export |
| Project Management | Notion, Airtable, Monday.com | Direct integration | Via API or webhook to database |
Metabase's integration model assumes that data from various systems has been consolidated into a central SQL database or data warehouse. For organizations using tools like Notion for knowledge management or spreadsheet-based program tracking, Supaboard.ai's direct integrations eliminate a significant data engineering requirement. For organizations that already maintain a PostgreSQL or MySQL database, or use BigQuery or Snowflake as part of their data infrastructure, Metabase's native connectivity is more than sufficient.
Pros and Cons for Nonprofits
Supaboard.ai: Pros
- Zero technical barrier: any staff member can get data answers immediately
- 700+ integrations connect directly to CRMs, email tools, and SaaS platforms nonprofits already use
- True real-time dashboards for live campaign and event monitoring
- Shareable dashboards with embedded AI chat allow board members to ask questions interactively
- Domain-specific AI agents can learn your organization's unique definitions and terminology
- No server infrastructure costs or IT overhead
Supaboard.ai: Cons
- Free tier is limited to 30 questions per month, insufficient for any regular use
- No documented SOC 2, HIPAA, or GDPR compliance certifications as of early 2026
- No self-hosted option; all data processing occurs on Supaboard's cloud
- Newer platform with shorter track record and fewer user reviews than Metabase
- Individual plan ($85/month) covers only a single user; team collaboration requires Business plan at $191/month
- No formal nonprofit discount program
Metabase: Pros
- Free open-source self-hosted plan provides unlimited users and full features at near-zero cost
- SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and CCPA compliance fully documented and independently audited
- Self-hosted option keeps data entirely within your infrastructure for maximum data sovereignty
- Large, active community with extensive documentation, tutorials, and community support
- Scheduled email and Slack subscriptions deliver automatic reports to board members
- Proven nonprofit use cases with documented impact tracking for donor reporting
Metabase: Cons
- Self-hosted setup requires Docker knowledge; prohibitive for organizations with no technical support
- Metabot AI is early-stage and significantly less capable than Supaboard's agent system
- Does not directly integrate with SaaS tools; requires SQL database as central data store
- Minimum dashboard refresh is 60 minutes; not suitable for real-time monitoring needs
- Row-level security and SSO require Pro plan ($500/month); free plan lacks these security features
- Dashboard performance can degrade with many simultaneous visualizations on modest self-hosted servers
Migration and Switching Considerations
Before committing to either tool, it is worth understanding what happens if your organization's needs evolve. Both Supaboard.ai and Metabase serve different maturity levels in nonprofit data capability, and organizations often move between tools as they grow.
Starting with Supaboard.ai
Organizations starting with Supaboard.ai and later considering Metabase should plan for a transition period. Supaboard's dashboards and AI agent configurations are not exportable in formats that Metabase natively imports. A migration would require recreating questions and dashboards in Metabase's query builder from scratch. The underlying data connections would also need to be reconfigured through a central database rather than direct SaaS integrations.
Migration timeline: Expect 2-4 weeks of transition work, including setting up a central database and recreating key dashboards in Metabase, for an organization with 5-15 active dashboards.
Starting with Metabase
Organizations using Metabase who want to switch to Supaboard.ai face a less complex technical transition, since Supaboard can connect to the same SQL databases Metabase uses. However, all dashboard configurations would need to be recreated, and organizations would need to decide whether to migrate their central database model to Supaboard's direct SaaS integration approach.
Migration timeline: Expect 1-3 weeks, primarily for setting up Supaboard integrations and recreating dashboards, if the underlying data infrastructure remains unchanged.
Avoiding Vendor Lock-In
To minimize lock-in risk for either tool, maintain your source data in systems you control (your CRM, databases, spreadsheets) rather than transforming it into tool-specific formats. Both Metabase and Supaboard.ai are read-only tools that layer analysis on top of existing data, so neither creates irreversible changes to your underlying data. The switching cost is primarily rebuilding dashboards and configurations, not data recovery.
Which Tool Should You Choose?
A decision framework based on five key questions.
Do you have any technical capacity for setup and maintenance?
Does your organization handle sensitive beneficiary data?
Where does your data live today?
What is your budget constraint?
Do you need real-time data visibility?
Final Verdict Summary
Choose Supaboard.ai when:
You are a small nonprofit without technical capacity who needs immediate, no-code data analysis across multiple SaaS tools. The AI-first approach genuinely democratizes data access for organizations that would otherwise have no way to analyze their data at all. The monthly cost is justified if it replaces hours of manual reporting work per week.
Choose Metabase when:
You have any technical capacity available, need to handle sensitive data compliantly, or need unlimited users at minimal cost. Metabase's free self-hosted option is genuinely one of the best tools available to nonprofits at any price point, and the investment in initial setup pays back quickly for organizations that use it consistently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for nonprofits: Supaboard.ai or Metabase?
It depends on your technical capacity and data sensitivity. Supaboard.ai is better for nonprofits with no technical staff who need instant, no-code AI-powered data analysis with 700+ integrations. Metabase is better for nonprofits with any technical capacity who need a free, powerful, SOC 2-compliant BI tool with unlimited users and full data ownership via self-hosting.
Is Metabase really free for nonprofits?
Yes. Metabase's open-source edition is completely free to self-host. You only pay for hosting (typically $12-50/month for a small server), and you get unlimited users, unlimited dashboards, and a full-featured BI tool. The trade-off is that initial setup requires Docker knowledge and someone to manage ongoing maintenance. Many nonprofits solve this through tech volunteers or pro-bono services.
Does Supaboard.ai offer a nonprofit discount?
Supaboard.ai does not publicly advertise a nonprofit discount program. However, as a newer platform actively building its customer base, it is worth contacting their sales team directly to ask about nonprofit pricing or extended trials. Metabase similarly has no formal nonprofit discount, but the open-source self-hosted version is free.
Can Supaboard.ai connect to our Salesforce or Mailchimp account?
Yes. Supaboard.ai supports 700+ data source integrations including Salesforce, Google Analytics, Stripe, Mailchimp, Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion, and many other SaaS tools popular in the nonprofit sector. This is one of its key advantages over Metabase, which focuses primarily on SQL database connections.
Is Metabase HIPAA compliant for organizations handling health data?
Yes. Metabase has documented HIPAA compliance alongside SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and CCPA certifications. This makes it suitable for healthcare nonprofits, social services organizations, and any nonprofit handling sensitive beneficiary data. Supaboard.ai does not publicly document equivalent compliance certifications, which is an important consideration for data-sensitive organizations.
How long does it take to set up each tool?
Supaboard.ai takes under 15 minutes to set up: sign up, connect your data sources, and start asking questions. Metabase's cloud-hosted Starter plan also sets up quickly in under an hour. Metabase's self-hosted open-source version requires installing Docker, setting up a server environment, and configuring the application, which typically takes 2-4 hours for someone with basic technical experience.
Can I share dashboards with board members who don't have accounts?
Both tools support public shareable dashboard links that don't require recipients to log in. Supaboard.ai adds an interactive AI chat layer to shared dashboards, allowing board members to ask follow-up questions. Metabase supports public links and additionally offers scheduled email and Slack subscriptions so board members receive regular automated reports without needing to visit the platform.
Which tool is better for live fundraising campaign monitoring?
Supaboard.ai is clearly better for real-time monitoring. It provides true real-time dashboard updates, making it suitable for live giving day campaigns, fundraising telethons, or event monitoring where immediate data visibility influences decisions. Metabase's minimum auto-refresh interval of 60 minutes makes it unsuitable for genuine real-time use cases, though it is fully adequate for standard periodic reporting.
Still Deciding?
Book a free consultation and we will help you evaluate which data tool best fits your nonprofit's technical capacity, budget, and data strategy.