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Metabase Embedding: Free vs Paid

Important Clarification​

There are two different embedding features in Metabase:

✅ Static Embedding (FREE - What We're Using)​

  • Available in: Metabase Open Source (self-hosted)
  • Cost: FREE
  • Location: Settings → Admin → Embedding → Static embedding tab
  • What it does: Allows you to embed dashboards using JWT tokens
  • Perfect for: Internal dashboards, authenticated users, multi-tenant apps

This is what we're using in our implementation. It's completely free and included with the open-source version.

💰 Embedded Analytics (PAID - Not Needed)​

  • Available in: Metabase Cloud/Enterprise
  • Cost: $575/month+ (what you saw on the pricing page)
  • Location: Settings → Admin → Embedding → Embedded Analytics tab
  • What it does: Advanced customer-facing analytics with additional features
  • Includes: White-labeling, advanced permissions, analytics API, etc.

We don't need this! The free Static Embedding is sufficient for our use case.

How to Enable Static Embedding (Free)​

  1. Go to Settings → Admin → Embedding
  2. Click the "Static embedding" tab (NOT "Embedded Analytics")
  3. Toggle "Enable static embedding" to ON
  4. Copy the Secret key that appears
  5. Use this secret key in your backend .env as METABASE_EMBED_SECRET_KEY

What You'll See​

When you go to Settings → Admin → Embedding, you'll see:

  • Static embedding tab (FREE) ← Use this one
  • Embedded Analytics tab (PAID) ← Ignore this one

If you accidentally click on "Embedded Analytics" and see a pricing page, just go back and use "Static embedding" instead.

Our Implementation Uses Static Embedding​

Our implementation uses:

  • JWT token signing (free)
  • Static embedding URLs (free)
  • Locked parameters for multi-tenancy (free)

All of this is available in the free open-source version. No payment required!

References​