Mode
Code-first BI platform that unites SQL, Python, and R analytics with governed self-service dashboards, now part of ThoughtSpot.
Mode is a strong pick when your analysts genuinely live in SQL, Python, and R and you need governance wrapped around that code-first work. The combination of a fast SQL editor, integrated notebooks, Visual Explorer charts, and governed Datasets is hard to match in a no-code BI tool, and it slots on top of Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks, or Athena without forcing a rigid data model. The free tier (up to 5 users, public reports, all core features) makes it cheap to evaluate. The catch is the paid path: Professional and Enterprise are custom-quoted, so budgeting takes a sales conversation, and the code-first design means non-technical users lean on the dashboards and Datasets your
Verified 8d ago · liveness 87/100 · cite: rightaichoice.com/tools/mode
- Data teams that write SQL or Python and want ad hoc analysis and dashboards in one place
- Organizations on Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks, or Athena that need a BI layer on their warehouse
- Teams combining code-driven analytics with governed self-service for business users
- Companies building custom internal tools with embedded analytics and data apps
- Teams that need a purely no-code, drag-and-drop experience for business users
- Small startups with simple reporting needs and no SQL expertise
- Buyers who require a fixed, published price before starting a vendor conversation
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Skip Mode if your business users need to build their own analyses from scratch without writing SQL or Python, or if you need a published, fixed price before you can start a vendor evaluation.
The free tier caps you at 5 users, so a sixth teammate means moving to a custom-quoted Professional plan.
Mode's free tier (up to 5 users, public reports, all core features) fits a small data team evaluating the platform. Once you need private reporting or more than 5 seats, Professional and Enterprise are custom-quoted, so cost depends on your negotiation — typically a mid-market-to-enterprise commitment rather than the flat per-seat pricing you'd see from lighter reporting tools.
In short
Mode — Code-first BI platform that unites SQL, Python, and R analytics with governed self-service dashboards, now part of ThoughtSpot. Best for Data teams that write SQL or Python and want ad hoc analysis and dashboards in one place, Organizations on Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks, or Athena that need a BI layer on their warehouse, Teams combining code-driven analytics with governed self-service for business users. Free to use.
What's new in Mode
Checked 8 days agoAcross the latest 1 update: 1 feature update.
Viability Score
How well maintained and how widely used is Mode? Built from what the vendor actually publishes (docs, changelog, tutorials, integrations, pricing), whether the site is live, and how much real users discuss it. How we calculate this
Last calculated: October 2026
How we score →Key Features
- SQL editor with autocomplete and rapid query iteration
- Integrated Python notebooks
- Integrated R notebooks
- Visual Explorer drag-and-drop charts
- Interactive dashboards with drill-down filters
- Reports and standalone reports for ad hoc questions
- Reusable, governed Datasets
- Natural language to SQL with AI Assist
- Custom Data Apps for internal tools
- Embedded analytics
- Report scheduling and email distribution
- Role-based access control and data permissions
- Connections to Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks, Amazon Athena, Presto, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server
- dbt integration
- Google Sheets integration
About Mode
Mode is a business intelligence platform built for data teams that work in code. Analysts write SQL in an editor with autocomplete, dig into Python and R in integrated notebooks, and chart the results in Visual Explorer, all connected to the same warehouse so ad hoc analysis and governed self-service reporting live in one place. Mode connects directly to warehouses including Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks, Amazon Athena, and Presto, plus PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Server, and it also pulls spreadsheet data through a Google Sheets integration launched in September 2024. Datasets give you reusable, governed definitions so self-service reports don't drift from the source of truth, while role-based access control and data permissions keep sensitive data scoped. Beyond dashboards, Mode lets you build custom data apps for internal tools, embed analytics into other products, and schedule reports by email. ThoughtSpot acquired Mode in January 2026, framing the deal around collaborative BI; Mode remains separate from no-code tools like Tableau and Looker because its workflows start in code, and the platform markets itself as the intelligence layer across your data stack rather than just another dashboarding tool. It's aimed at mid-market to enterprise teams with dedicated analysts who write SQL or Python and need business users to explore governed data on their own.
Behind the Verdict
Mode's pitch is that it's the intelligence layer for your data stack, and the feature set backs that up more than most vendors' marketing does. The SQL editor supports autocomplete and rapid query iteration, integrated notebooks handle Python and R, and Visual Explorer turns any query or notebook into a chart business users can filter and drill into. The piece that actually differentiates it from a pile of dashboards is Datasets — reusable, governed definitions so a self-service report built by someone in marketing still resolves to the same logic your analyst wrote. Layer role-based access control and data permissions on top and you get a platform where business teams can explore without wandering off the reservation. AI Assist adds natural language to SQL, and embedded analytics and custom data apps let you push that analysis into internal tools rather than keeping it behind a login. On the data side, Mode connects to Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks, Amazon Athena, Presto, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Server, with dbt and Google Sheets in the mix — the Google Sheets integration landed in September 2024 and is genuinely useful for pulling spreadsheet data into governed analysis. Where Mode asks something of you: it's code-first, so the leverage accrues to teams with real SQL or Python skill. Non-technical users can consume dashboards and query governed Datasets, but they aren't building deep analysis without help. The pricing structure reinforces that — the free tier covers up to 5 users with public reports and all core features, but Professional and Enterprise are custom-quoted, which means procurement and a demo are part of the path once you outgrow free. The ThoughtSpot acquisition in January 2026 is the biggest recent context shift; it signals investment in collaborative BI rather than an abandonment of the product. Compared with Looker, Mode is less tied to a semantic-model-first mindset; compared with Tableau, it's less drag-and-drop and more code. That's the trade: depth and flexibility for teams that write code, a bit more setup and self-selection for everyone else.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Mode actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
Connect Mode to Snowflake, write the first ad hoc SQL queries in the editor, and turn the results into Datasets that a marketing analyst can chart in Visual Explorer without touching raw tables.
Outcome: Governed self-service reporting on day one, with business users answering their own questions against trusted definitions instead of filing tickets.
Use integrated notebooks for modeling, then publish the notebook's output as an interactive dashboard with drill-down filters for the product team.
Outcome: One platform for modeling and presentation, so the analysis doesn't get re-implemented in a separate charting tool.
Build a custom data app in Mode and embed the analytics into an internal operations tool so the ops team sees live warehouse data in the workflow they already use.
Outcome: Analytics delivered inside the tool rather than behind a separate BI login.
Use Cases
- Running ad hoc SQL analysis and iterating on queries fast
- Building governed self-serve dashboards for business stakeholders
- Creating custom internal analytics tools with data apps
- Sharing interactive reports via embedded dashboards
- Combining Python and SQL in one workflow for advanced modeling
- Pulling Google Sheets data into governed analysis alongside warehouse data
- Scheduling recurring reports to distribute insights by email
Models Under the Hood
as of 2026-09-22
Limitations
- Mode is code-first: SQL, Python, and R do the heavy lifting, so non-technical users need training or a teammate's help before they can go deep.
- Governed Datasets and self-service reporting let business users explore curated data, but advanced modeling still assumes programming skill.
- Professional and Enterprise pricing are quoted by the vendor rather than listed, which makes cost comparison against fixed-price tools harder until you've talked to sales.
- Live group demos are the vendor's own recommended starting point for evaluation.
as of 2026-09-30
Verification history
We have re-verified Mode 18 times since . Each pass re-reads the vendor's own pages and re-checks every listed field against that evidence; passes where nothing had changed are marked as such.
- — re-checked, vendor evidence unchanged
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
Showing the 6 most recent of 18 verification passes.
Free to cite with attribution — this page re-verifies continuously.
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Plans compared
For each published Mode tier: who it actually fits, and what it adds vs. the previous tier. Cross-reference the cost calculator above for projected annual outlay.
Free
$0/mo
Ideal for
A small data team of up to 5 people evaluating Mode or running non-sensitive analysis on public reports.
What this tier adds
Free entry point: up to 5 users, public reports, and access to all core features with community support.
Professional
Custom
Ideal for
Growing data teams that need private reporting and stronger governance before sharing analysis across the business.
What this tier adds
Adds private reporting, advanced governance, priority support, and additional integrations over the Free tier.
Enterprise
Custom
Ideal for
Mid-market to enterprise organizations with security, audit, and SLA requirements that rule out lower tiers.
What this tier adds
Adds SAML/SSO, audit logs, dedicated support, and custom SLAs on top of Professional.
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Mode's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
Mode's free tier (up to 5 users, public reports, all core features) fits a small data team evaluating the platform. Once you need private reporting or more than 5 seats, Professional and Enterprise are custom-quoted, so cost depends on your negotiation — typically a mid-market-to-enterprise commitment rather than the flat per-seat pricing you'd see from lighter reporting tools.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Mode — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
The vendor states your team can be up and running in 30 minutes or less on the free tier. Realistically, budget that 30 minutes for a first warehouse connection and query; getting governed Datasets, permissions, and dashboards fully wired takes longer and scales with how many stakeholders you onboard.
Switching to or from Mode
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
- →From Tableau: rebuild chart logic in Visual Explorer and Datasets, then point dashboards at warehouse tables directly.
- →From Looker: move LookML-derived metrics into governed Datasets and re-create explores as ad hoc SQL and dashboards.
- →From spreadsheets: bring Google Sheets data in through the Google Sheets integration and join it to warehouse tables in governed analysis.
- ↗To Looker: port governed Datasets into LookML models and rebuild dashboards on the semantic layer.
- ↗To Sigma: re-create Mode dashboards on Sigma's spreadsheet-style workbook model and repoint to the same warehouse.
Integrations
Resources & Guides
- Resourcemode.com
Sql Tutorial
Helpful link from mode.com
- Resourcemode.com
Mode Python Tutorial |
Python is an extremely versatile programming language. This plain English tutorial for business analysis covers the basics you need to get real work done.
- Resourcemode.com
Mode Example Gallery |
Data visualization gallery with sample reports. Copy them with your own data for a quick start with Mode Analytics
- Resourcemode.com
Mode Blog
Mode Analytics
Tutorials & Learning
YouTube returned 6 videos for “Mode”, and we withheld 6: 6 could not be judged, because “Mode” is a single word that other videos use for other things. We are showing none, because we could not prove any of them are about Mode.
Official links
Tools that pair well with Mode
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside Mode, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
Domo
Domo prepares governed data for AI agents, giving you a platform for BI dashboards, workflows, and embedded analytics.
Querio
Governed natural-language analytics where every answer ships with the SQL or Python that produced it, in a git repo you own.
Hex
Hex is an AI analytics workspace where SQL and Python teams ask questions, explore data, and ship governed data apps.
Alternatives to Mode
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