Business intelligence tools turn raw data into dashboards and reports. If you want free options, there are strong desktop tools and open‑source platforms available in 2026.
Updated January 18, 2026: This list reflects widely used free BI tools and open‑source projects.
What to look for in free BI tools
- Data connections: CSV, databases, and cloud sources.
- Dashboards: interactive charts and reports.
- Self‑service: drag‑and‑drop analysis.
- Sharing: export or publish dashboards.
10 best free BI software options
1. Power BI Desktop
Free desktop BI with strong visualization tools.
2. Tableau Public
Free public dashboards with strong visuals.
3. Looker Studio (Google)
Cloud dashboards with Google integrations.
4. Qlik Sense Desktop
Associative analysis for local data.
5. Metabase (Open Source)
Easy self‑hosted BI with SQL support.
6. Apache Superset
Powerful open‑source dashboards for teams.
7. KNIME Analytics Platform
Workflow‑driven analytics and BI.
8. Redash
Open‑source dashboards and queries.
9. Grafana
Great for time‑series and monitoring dashboards.
10. BIRT
Report‑focused BI for embedded reporting.
Final thoughts
If you want free desktop BI, Power BI Desktop is the easiest start. For self‑hosting, Metabase or Superset are strong choices.
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