Preset Cloud

Preset Cloud is a fully-managed, cloud-hosted version of Apache Superset, the open-source business intelligence platform. It is designed for data teams and organizations that want the power of Superset without the operational overhead of self-hosting, including managing Docker containers, configuring OAuth, or handling scaling. The service targets SQL-savvy analysts, data engineers, and enterprise analytics teams who need governed, collaborative BI at a lower cost than traditional platforms like Tableau or Power BI. Preset offers a free Starter plan for up to 5 users, making it accessible for small teams to explore Superset in the cloud. The platform is built and maintained by the same core contributors behind Apache Superset, ensuring deep expertise and alignment with the open-source project.

Preset Cloud provides a managed infrastructure that includes multiple isolated instances called Workspaces — the Professional plan includes 3 Workspaces, while Enterprise plans offer more. Key capabilities include a Collaborative SQL Editor for team-based query writing, a Semantic Layer for last-mile SQL transformations, Row-Level Security to restrict data access, and Alerts & Reports that notify users when dashboard events trigger. The platform also features Preset Chatbot, a conversational analytics assistant built into the product, and Preset MCP, which allows any MCP-compatible AI client to query governed data. Preset integrates with dbt Cloud for metadata and supports OAuth connections to popular databases. Security is enterprise-grade with SOC 2 Type II certification and HIPAA compliance, and data remains in the customer's cloud database — Preset only caches query results.

In the BI market, Preset competes directly with self-hosted Apache Superset, Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, and open-source alternatives like Metabase and Visivo. Compared to self-hosted Superset, Preset eliminates setup and maintenance effort — users report it is 'cheap and fast' with easy time-series charts. Unlike Power BI or Tableau, Preset offers a lower total cost of ownership (Professional plan at $20/user/month) and avoids vendor lock-in by using open-source Superset under the hood. However, it lacks advanced collaboration features like Git integration and fine-grained content permissions that mature BI tools provide. Preset also does not support real-time streaming or a drag-and-drop interface as polished as Tableau's, and its visualization library, while rich, is identical to Superset's — custom viz plugins require React/D3 development.

The honest trade-offs with Preset Cloud are clear: you gain a managed, governed Superset experience but sacrifice some flexibility and advanced features. The platform is best for teams that already have transformed data in a cloud database and need quick, cost-effective visualization — it is not a full ETL or data warehousing solution. Users report that SQL knowledge is often needed for custom queries, and the UI can be less intuitive for non-technical business users compared to Power BI. Additionally, Preset's AI features (Chatbot and MCP) are still maturing, and the platform's collaboration tools (comments, Slack integration) are less sophisticated than those in Tableau or Looker. For organizations needing BI-as-code with CI/CD pipelines, tools like Visivo may be more suitable, while those seeking a completely free, self-hosted solution can still use Apache Superset directly.

Starter: $0 for up to 5 users. Professional: $20/user/month for unlimited users and 3 Workspaces. Enterprise: Custom pricing with additional Workspaces and dbt integration.