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Apache Superset Review

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Should I use Apache Superset?

Community website for Apache Superset™, a data visualization and data exploration platform - superset.apache.org

· 1 month ago

Great fit if you have engineers to host it and want powerful BI without per-seat licenses. Skip it if you need plug-and-play dashboards or lack security staff to patch CVEs.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources including G2, Reddit, vendor blogs, and security databases; many snippets truncated, so some claims rest on partial text.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Self-hosted (Apache License)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Managed hosting (Preset, D23, elest.io)Contact sales / flat fee

Best for

  • Data teams with SQL skills
  • Orgs escaping per-seat BI licensing
  • Self-hosting, cloud-native shops
  • Warehouse-scale dashboards (Snowflake, BigQuery)

Not for

  • Small teams without an engineer to host it
  • Non-technical users wanting plug-and-play BI
  • Orgs with nobody to patch CVEs promptly
  • Anyone needing vendor SLAs out of the box

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Total cost is hosting, admin time, and optional paid support — not just $0 license

high

Unpatched instances with default secret keys have enabled auth bypass attacks

medium

Managed hosting (Preset, D23,) removes ops but adds subscription cost

medium

Slow dashboards are a known complaint; bottlenecks need tuning

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free and open source — yes, really free
  • Stronger for complex analytics than simpler tools like Metabase
  • Managed Superset can cost roughly 60% less than Looker
  • Granular security controls including row-level security
  • G2 users consistently praise its ease of use

Cons

  • “Free” isn't free — infrastructure and admin time add up
  • Self-hosting means you own setup, scaling, and patching
  • No single vendor; support is community or third-party managed
  • Chart render times can need real performance tuning

Sources & method

- 10 sources - Active open-source project with published CVEs — a critical auth bypass and RCE research mean you must patch fast.

official x3review x3security x2news x2
  • CVE-2023-27524 — authentication bypass, Session validation flaw via insecure default configuration allowed auth bypass in affected versions.
  • RCE and credential harvesting research, Researchers demonstrated RCE, credential harvesting, and further attack paths against Superset deployments.
  • Critical access control flaw, Reported vulnerability let low-privileged users access sensitive data belonging to unauthorized roles.
  • CVE-2026-23980 — improper neutralization, Listed on Superset's official CVEs-fixed-by-release page with affected versions.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free core; managed options undercut rivals
  • Ease of use: 3/5. G2 users praise ease; Power BI users adjust
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Strong for complex analytics and enterprise dashboards
  • Support quality: 2/5. Community-driven unless you pay a managed vendor
  • Security posture: 2/5. Multiple published CVEs including critical auth bypass
  • $0 Starting price Open source, self-hosted
  • Yes Free tier Full product free; managed hosting costs extra
  • 53 G2 reviews Small review base
  • 4,397 Companies using it Per enlyft market-share data

Pricing

Self-hosted (Apache License)

$0

  • Full BI platform
  • You manage hosting, upgrades, security

Managed hosting (Preset, D23, elest.io)

Not disclosed

  • Fully hosted
  • Support included

Security

Active open-source project with published CVEs — a critical auth bypass and RCE research mean you must patch fast.

  • CVE-2023-27524 — authentication bypassSession validation flaw via insecure default configuration allowed auth bypass in affected versions.⁸
  • RCE and credential harvesting researchResearchers demonstrated RCE, credential harvesting, and further attack paths against Superset deployments.⁹
  • Critical access control flawReported vulnerability let low-privileged users access sensitive data belonging to unauthorized roles.
  • CVE-2026-23980 — improper neutralizationListed on Superset's official CVEs-fixed-by-release page with affected versions.

What users say

Users praise its power and zero license cost but say it rewards technically capable teams most.

“Apache Superset is stronger for complex analytics”
Reddit, r/dataanalysis
“big fan of Apache superset”
Reddit, r/opensource

Companies that use it

  • Dropbox10
  • Scarf
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources including G2, Reddit, vendor blogs, and security databases; many snippets truncated, so some claims rest on partial text.

Powerful free BI for teams with engineers; overkill and risky for small teams wanting plug-and-play charts.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources including G2, Reddit, vendor blogs, and security databases; many snippets truncated, so some claims rest on partial text.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Apache Superset official sitesuperset.apache.org
    official
  2. Apache Superset Reviews — G2g2.com
    review
  3. Pros and Cons of Apache Superset (Straight Talk Review)dashboardfox.com
    review
  4. TURBOARD vs. Apache Superset: When “Free” Isn't Freeturboard.com
    review
  5. Apache Superset vs Tableau — Preset.iopreset.io
    official
  6. Preset pricingpreset.io
    official
  7. Managed Apache Superset pricing vs Looker — D23d23.io
    news
  8. CVE-2023-27524 — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  9. Apache Superset RCE research — Horizon3horizon3.ai
    security
  10. Why Dropbox chose Apache Supersetdropbox.tech
    news

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