Databricks now ships its own dashboards, and most BI tools connect to Databricks SQL warehouses. So the question is less "can it chart this" and more who needs the dashboard, whether they have workspace access, and what they do after they see a number.
Below are seven Databricks dashboard tools, with the point where each one stops. For building full apps, see the best Databricks frontend builders.
The seven tools at a glance
| Tool | Type | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Jet Admin | Dashboards plus internal tools | Free plan; paid tiers |
| Databricks AI/BI dashboards | Built-in dashboards | Included; compute billed |
| Power BI | Microsoft BI | Paid per user |
| Tableau | Enterprise BI | Paid |
| Sigma | Spreadsheet-style BI | Paid |
| Looker | Semantic-layer BI | Paid, enterprise |
| Apache Superset | Open-source BI | Free self-hosted |
The tools
1. Jet Admin
Jet Admin connects to a Databricks SQL warehouse and builds dashboards with charts, KPIs and tables, next to the screens where people act on what they see, including writing to operational databases or APIs. You describe the app and Jet generates it, then refine it visually or in code. Data stays in Databricks.
People sign in without workspace seats and see only what their role allows. Granular permissions, SSO and audit logs are on the Business plan and above; unlimited users are on every plan, including Free.
Where it stops: it is not a semantic-layer BI tool for analysts modeling the lakehouse.
2. Databricks AI/BI dashboards
Databricks' own dashboards sit next to your data under Unity Catalog, with Genie for natural-language questions.
Where it stops: read-only, and designed around workspace users.
3. Power BI
Power BI has a native Databricks connector and fits Microsoft-centric companies.
Where it stops: per-user licensing and import-versus-DirectQuery trade-offs.
4. Tableau
Tableau connects to Databricks for deep visual analysis.
Where it stops: license cost and extract management.
5. Sigma
Sigma queries Databricks live through a spreadsheet interface, with input tables for write-back.
Where it stops: BI first, not operational screens.
6. Looker
Looker models metrics in LookML and serves governed dashboards on Databricks.
Where it stops: enterprise pricing and a modeling team to maintain it.
7. Apache Superset
Superset connects to Databricks SQL for free, self-hosted dashboards.
Where it stops: you host and maintain it.
Which to use
- Teams need Databricks dashboards they can act on, without workspace seats: Jet Admin.
- Everyone is already in the workspace: AI/BI dashboards.
- Your company runs on Microsoft: Power BI.
- Analysts want deep exploration: Tableau or Sigma.
- You need governed metrics: Looker.
- You want free and open source: Superset.
Frequently asked questions
Do Databricks dashboards cost compute?
Yes. Every dashboard query runs on a SQL warehouse, so use serverless warehouses with auto-stop and cache results where possible.
Can external users see Databricks dashboards?
Sharing options exist, but for broad external or cross-team access with row-level control, an external tool is usually simpler.
Take the numbers beyond the workspace
Connect Databricks to Jet Admin and build a dashboard.