As a developer in a software factory, it’s challenging to recommend Metabase to startups due to the large gap between the free version and the $500/month plan for embedding features. The attached image clearly highlights the lack of a mid-tier option to address this need.
Many startups require basic dashboard embedding, but they often turn to tools like Tableau, which offer more affordable plans in this category. Introducing a mid-tier plan for Metabase would make it more competitive and accessible for small and growing companies.
Yes, the free static embedding option is great, but the issue arises when a startup needs to display a dashboard on their home page or analytics section. For companies just starting out, it's difficult to justify showing the Metabase logo in such a visible area to their (often few) customers, as it can impact how professional their product appears.
On the other hand, jumping to $500/month just to remove the logo is simply not feasible for most startups. This often leads them to choose other, less powerful solutions.
In my opinion, rethinking the Starter plan and splitting it into two tiers could be a great solution:
A more affordable Starter Cloud Plan with more limitations.
A Self-Hosted Starter Plan at a slightly higher price that allows removing the logo.
I believe this restructuring would capture most startups looking to embed a dashboard into their applications and make Metabase far more appealing in this segment.
Or provide the option to remove the logo to the starter plan, although I understand that due to data protection and latency concerns, the cloud option might also be hard to justify in some cases.
