The Best Mode Alternative for Startups
Mode gives SQL analysts a collaborative BI workspace, but it expects you to own the warehouse, pipelines, and governance. Definite bundles ingestion, storage, governed metrics, and AI answers so startups ship insights without hiring data engineers.
And you won’t need to hire a data engineer to manage it.
How Mode and Definite Stack Up
Mode
SQL-first BI workspace for data teams that already run a modern warehouse and pipelines.
Key Features:
Pricing:
Individual analysts start in minutes.
Includes SQL, Python, and R, private database connections, and up to three users with 10 MB per query limits. Ideal for testing Mode if you already manage the stack.
Collaboration features for data teams.
Requires at least three users. Adds schedules, Slack/email sharing, permissioning, 250 GB/month data processing, API access, and standard support under ThoughtSpot.
Not Included:
Managed ingestion, storage, governed metrics, AI assistance for business users, and startup-fast onboarding.
Definite
Complete data-stack-in-a-box with governed metrics, AI analysis, and startup-friendly onboarding.
Key Features:
Pricing:
Access to Growth features for qualifying startups.
Comprehensive tools to enable your business to make data driven decisions.
See What’s Included:
The Full Comparison
Definite delivers the full modern data stack in one platform, while Mode stays a BI layer that relies on SQL-heavy data teams and your existing infrastructure.
Setup & Time-to-Value
Live dashboards and governed metrics in under 30 minutes with onboarding support and no engineering prerequisites.
Spin up quickly if analysts connect a database, but every dataset and model must be prepared outside Mode first.
Stack Coverage
Bundles ingestion, storage, modeling, visualization, AI, and activation in one contract.
Focuses on BI and collaboration; you still assemble and fund ETL, warehouse, and governance layers.
Data Ingestion
500+ managed connectors sync SaaS and product data on autopilot.
No ingestion—relies on external pipelines or manual uploads.
Storage & Query Engine
Managed lakehouse (DuckDB + Iceberg) delivers sub-second performance without tuning.
Queries run directly against your warehouse; performance depends on external infrastructure.
Modeling & Metrics
Semantic layer (Cube.dev) enforces governed KPIs and reusable logic without SQL.
Analysts craft metrics via SQL, Saved Questions, or dbt outside the tool—no central governance.
AI & Insights
Fi AI analyst answers questions, explains trends, and automates analyses for every team.
Metabot-style assistants remain analyst-oriented and limited to generating SQL or chart suggestions.
Automation & Alerts
Schedule Slack, email, and reverse ETL automations directly from governed metrics.
Basic schedules and webhooks require analyst configuration; broader automation lives elsewhere.
Governance & Access
Role- and metric-level controls maintain consistent definitions across teams.
Role tiers govern content folders, but metric governance and lineage happen outside Mode.
APIs & Extensibility
REST and GraphQL APIs, embeds, and activation endpoints cover internal and external use cases.
Core and Discovery APIs expose queries and embeds but depend on your external stack for activation.
Ideal For
Startups and SMBs that want analytics without hiring data engineers or stitching multiple vendors.
Data teams with SQL expertise that already operate a warehouse and just need a collaborative BI layer.
| Category | Definite | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Setup & Time-to-Value | Live dashboards and governed metrics in under 30 minutes with onboarding support and no engineering prerequisites. | Spin up quickly if analysts connect a database, but every dataset and model must be prepared outside Mode first. |
| Stack Coverage | Bundles ingestion, storage, modeling, visualization, AI, and activation in one contract. | Focuses on BI and collaboration; you still assemble and fund ETL, warehouse, and governance layers. |
| Data Ingestion | 500+ managed connectors sync SaaS and product data on autopilot. | No ingestion—relies on external pipelines or manual uploads. |
| Storage & Query Engine | Managed lakehouse (DuckDB + Iceberg) delivers sub-second performance without tuning. | Queries run directly against your warehouse; performance depends on external infrastructure. |
| Modeling & Metrics | Semantic layer (Cube.dev) enforces governed KPIs and reusable logic without SQL. | Analysts craft metrics via SQL, Saved Questions, or dbt outside the tool—no central governance. |
| AI & Insights | Fi AI analyst answers questions, explains trends, and automates analyses for every team. | Metabot-style assistants remain analyst-oriented and limited to generating SQL or chart suggestions. |
| Automation & Alerts | Schedule Slack, email, and reverse ETL automations directly from governed metrics. | Basic schedules and webhooks require analyst configuration; broader automation lives elsewhere. |
| Governance & Access | Role- and metric-level controls maintain consistent definitions across teams. | Role tiers govern content folders, but metric governance and lineage happen outside Mode. |
| APIs & Extensibility | REST and GraphQL APIs, embeds, and activation endpoints cover internal and external use cases. | Core and Discovery APIs expose queries and embeds but depend on your external stack for activation. |
| Ideal For | Startups and SMBs that want analytics without hiring data engineers or stitching multiple vendors. | Data teams with SQL expertise that already operate a warehouse and just need a collaborative BI layer. |
One Choice: One Platform
Definite pulls in all your data, stores it in a fast, reliable data warehouse, applies consistent models, turns it into interactive dashboards, and lets you query it with AI — all in one managed platform. (Skip the three-month build, five different vendors, and full-time data engineer.)
Fi can work with any part of Definite’s Ecosystem to get you results faster.
Sync data in near‑realtime latency from over 500 sources. Need a custom connection? We’ll build it for you.
Send scheduled or triggered alerts, sync data to Google Sheets or your CRM, or export it as downloads or from the API.
Make Every Decision Definite
Mode remains a powerful SQL workspace for analytics teams, but it keeps startups dependent on specialists and a stack of other vendors. Definite gives every function governed insights, automation, and AI answers without the engineering overhead.
Mode gives you a SQL-driven BI workspace. Definite gives you a complete, governed data stack with instant answers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers.
Common questions about Definite vs Mode