shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Chartbrew?

Connect databases and APIs to build live KPI dashboards for revenue, signups, usage, and client reporting. Start tracking product metrics with Chartbrew. - chartbrew.com

Depends. Buy it if you're a developer-led team wanting free, self-hosted, lightweight KPI dashboards and you can patch fast. Avoid it if you need compliance, hands-off hosting, or deep enterprise BI.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources: CVE databases, GitHub, Reddit threads, and review sites. Cloud pricing unverified.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence in sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

Cloud (hosted)

Not published; 14-day free trial

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • SaaS teams tracking signups and usage KPIs
  • Agencies building client-facing report dashboards
  • Self-hosters wanting open-source dashboards
  • Developers connecting APIs and databases

Not for

  • Enterprises needing SOC 2 or compliance posture
  • Non-technical teams without a developer to wire data
  • Heavy BI users needing warehouse modeling and ad-hoc SQL
  • Buyers wanting a polished, hands-off hosted vendor

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Self-hosting puts patching on you; unpatched instances face known RCE exploits

medium

Cloud use is commercially licensed — review license terms before sharing client dashboards

low

Cloud pricing not published in reviewed sources; 14-day trial is the entry point

low

Guess: open-core split may limit some self-host features versus paid cloud

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Open-source and self-hostable with a free core
  • Connects databases and APIs into live KPI dashboards
  • Client-reporting focus with 14-day hosted trial
  • Lightweight compared to heavy BI platforms
  • Prebuilt integrations including Strapi, Mailgun,

Cons

  • Two 2026 remote-code-execution CVEs published
  • SQL injection vulnerability in versions before 4.8.3
  • Own security overview admits no current compliance certification
  • Bootstrapped vendor (~$304.5K revenue) — thin support bench
  • Reddit BI users call it good but pass on it

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/25/2026 - 10 sources - Multiple 2026 CVEs including two RCEs, SQL injection, and access-control flaws; patch immediately if self-hosting.

official x3review x3security x3news x1
  • CVE-2026-25887 — Remote code execution, RCE vulnerability in Chartbrew tracked by SentinelOne.
  • CVE-2026-25888 — Code injection RCE, Code injection in Chartbrew API leading to remote code execution.
  • CVE-2026-27005 — SQL injection, SQL injection in date-type variable prior to version 4.8.3.
  • CVE-2026-40600 — Incorrect access control, Exposure in dataset and dataRequest endpoints per GitHub advisory.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • Not published; 14-day free trial

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Free self-host core; 14-day cloud trial
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Described as intuitive by reviewers
  • Feature depth: 3/5. DB/API dashboards, lacks deep BI modeling
  • Support quality. No support evidence in sources
  • Security posture: 2/5. Multiple 2026 CVEs including two RCEs
  • Yes Free tier Open-source, self-host via GitHub
  • 2022 Founded By Razvan, per 7wData
  • Bootstrapped Funding ~$304.5K estimated revenue

Pricing

Cloud (hosted)

Not published; 14-day free trial

  • Hosted client-reporting dashboards
  • Trial entry per pricing page

Security

Multiple 2026 CVEs including two RCEs, SQL injection, and access-control flaws; patch immediately if self-hosting.

  • CVE-2026-25887 — Remote code executionRCE vulnerability in Chartbrew tracked by SentinelOne.
  • CVE-2026-25888 — Code injection RCECode injection in Chartbrew API leading to remote code execution.
  • CVE-2026-27005 — SQL injectionSQL injection in date-type variable prior to version 4.8.3.⁸
  • CVE-2026-40600 — Incorrect access controlExposure in dataset and dataRequest endpoints per GitHub advisory.⁹

What users say

Reddit and review sites describe Chartbrew as an intuitive, lightweight open-source dashboard tool, though some BI users move on to alternatives.

“Chartbrew is a good option but not...”
Reddit, r/BusinessIntelligence
“Unlike heavy BI platforms,...”
7wData tool listing
“Chartbrew is an intuitive visualisat...”
SpotSaaS review

Alternatives

Compare Chartbrew with each alternative.

  • Looker Studio

    Free hosted Google dashboards; zero maintenance for non-developers.

Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources: CVE databases, GitHub, Reddit threads, and review sites. Cloud pricing unverified.

Solid lightweight open-source dashboard builder for dev-led teams; multiple 2026 RCE CVEs and no compliance make it risky for enterprises.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources: CVE databases, GitHub, Reddit threads, and review sites. Cloud pricing unverified.

Sources

  1. Chartbrew homepagechartbrew.com
    official
  2. Chartbrew pricingchartbrew.com
    official
  3. Chartbrew GitHub repositorygithub.com
    official
  4. Reddit r/BusinessIntelligence threadreddit.com
    review
  5. 7wData tool listing7wdata.be
    review
  6. SpotSaaS reviewspotsaas.com
    review
  7. CVE-2026-25888 RCEsentinelone.com
    security
  8. CVE-2026-27005 SQL injectionendorlabs.com
    security
  9. GHSA access-control advisorygithub.com
    security
  10. GetLatka company profilegetlatka.com
    news

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