The Best Sigma Alternative for Startups

Sigma offers a spreadsheet-style interface for enterprises with existing data warehouses, but requires you to build the data stack first. Definite is a complete data platform with built-in ingestion, storage, modeling, visualization, and AI—no engineering required.

Connect everything, instantly

500+ pre-built connectors bring your product, ops, and SaaS data into Definite for analysis—no engineering needed.

One unified view

Combine data across all business functions for consistent insight. Everyone stays on the same page with governed, trustworthy metrics.

Millisecond-fast answers at any scale

Sub-second queries out of the box, from megabytes to terabytes, with zero knobs to turn and no data warehouse to manage.

Before you Hire a Data Team to Manage a Spreadsheet

Great spreadsheet interface, heavy infrastructure requirements. Sigma's Excel-style interface appeals to enterprise teams, but you need a fully built data stack before you can use it. With no built-in ingestion or storage, you must set up and manage ETL pipelines, data warehouses, and modeling layers separately—adding months of setup time and thousands in infrastructure costs before you can analyze your first dashboard.

Requires existing data warehouse

Sigma connects to cloud data warehouses but doesn't provide one. You need Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift ($500-2,000+/month) before Sigma can work.

No built-in ingestion

Sigma queries your warehouse but doesn't ingest data. You need separate ETL tools (Fivetran, Airbyte) and pipelines to bring data in—adding $200-500/month and weeks of setup.

Enterprise pricing model

Platform fees plus per-user licensing (~$1,000/user/year) make Sigma expensive for growing teams. Total costs typically exceed $60,000/year including infrastructure.

Spreadsheet complexity at scale

While familiar, spreadsheet-style interfaces can become unwieldy with large datasets and complex business logic, requiring technical knowledge to optimize.

Definite is a Complete Data Platform.

Unlike Sigma's BI-only layer that requires existing infrastructure, Definite includes ingestion, storage, a governed semantic layer, and a high‑performance query engine — zero admin required. Enjoy sub‑second performance from megabytes to terabytes without tuning.

Built‑in ingestion & storage

500+ connectors with managed syncs. Data lands in a lakehouse automatically — no ETL or warehouse to set up.

Governed metrics without SQL

Central semantic layer enforces consistent KPIs and transformations so everyone reports the same numbers.

Sub‑second at any scale

Columnar engine and smart caching keep dashboards fast from MBs to TBs — no knobs to turn.

Connect to everything

Python scripts, REST/GraphQL APIs, and embedded charts—integrate Definite into any workflow without custom engineering.

And you won't need to hire a data engineer to manage it.

How Sigma and Definite Stack Up

Sigma

Spreadsheet-style BI tool that connects to existing cloud data warehouses for analysis and visualization.

Key Features:

Spreadsheet UI

Live Data Queries

Custom Applications

Embedded Analytics

Pricing:

Free Trial30 Days

Full platform trial; then choose a plan.

30-day trial with full platform access; no credit card required. After the trial, pricing starts at $1,000+/month with platform fees and per-user licensing. Requires existing cloud data warehouse (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, etc.) which adds $500-2,000+/month in infrastructure costs.

Enterprise$1,000+/mo

Spreadsheet-style BI for teams with existing data infrastructure.

Significant platform fee plus per-user licensing (~$1,000/user/year for explorer/developer roles; viewer licenses may be free). Requires existing cloud data warehouse setup. Total cost typically $60,000+/year including warehouse infrastructure. Contact sales for exact pricing.

Not Included:

Data warehouse infrastructure (Snowflake, BigQuery, etc.), data ingestion pipelines, ETL tools, governed semantic layer for metric consistency.

Definite

Complete data platform with ingestion, storage, modeling, AI, and dashboards—all in one.

Key Features:

Complete Data Platform

AI Analyst (Fi)

500+ Connectors

Zero Engineering

Pricing:

Startup$0 /month

Access to Growth features for qualifying startups.

Data Storage: Up to 2 million rows

Data Sources: 2

Sync Frequency: Daily

Extras: All Growth features; Contact us for details

Growth$1,000 /month

Comprehensive tools to enable your business to make data driven decisions.

Data Storage: Up to 5 million rows

Data Sources: 5

Sync Frequency: Daily

Extras: Fully integrated AI Assistant; Managed data warehouse & BI; 500+ Data Sources

See What’s Included:

View Plans →

The Full Comparison

Enterprise businesses with existing data warehouses and engineering teams who prefer spreadsheet-style interfaces for data analysis.

Category	Definite	Sigma
Setup & Time-to-Value	Dashboards live in under 30 minutes. No ETL setup, no warehouse required.	Requires existing cloud data warehouse setup first (1-2 weeks), then ETL pipeline configuration (1-2 weeks), then Sigma connection. Total setup time: 2-4 weeks minimum.
Stack Coverage	Full stack: ingestion → modeling → AI → dashboards.	BI layer only. Needs Fivetran/dbt/Snowflake or equivalents to function at scale.
Data Ingestion	Built-in connectors to 500+ SaaS and GTM tools (Postgres, MySQL, HubSpot, Stripe, Salesforce, PostHog, etc.) with managed syncs.	No ingestion. Connects to existing cloud data warehouses only. Requires external ETL pipelines (Fivetran, Airbyte, etc.) to bring data into warehouse first.
Storage & Query Engine	Embedded DuckDB + DuckLake lakehouse with columnar performance and local caching.	No storage layer. Queries run live against external cloud data warehouses (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, etc.) which you must provision and manage separately.
Modeling & Metrics	Governed semantic layer (Cube.js) that enforces consistent KPI definitions and transformations — no SQL required.	Spreadsheet-style formulas and calculations for modeling, but no centralized governance. Metric definitions can vary across workbooks, leading to inconsistent reporting.
AI & Insights	Built-in AI Analyst (Fi) summarizes trends, finds anomalies, explains metrics, and automates reports.	AI-powered analytics and custom low-code applications available, but requires existing warehouse infrastructure and may have limitations based on warehouse capabilities.
Automation & Alerts	Slack and email alerts, live Google Sheet updates, Python automation.	Custom low-code applications with action triggers and writeback capabilities. Limited automation without custom application development.
Governance & Access	Fine-grained RBAC + metric-level permissions ensure KPI consistency.	Role-based access control with workspace and workbook permissions. No centralized metric governance—same metrics can be defined differently across workbooks.
APIs & Extensibility	Full REST + GraphQL APIs for embedding, activation, and integrations.	Embedded analytics with REST API and JavaScript SDK for custom integrations. Writeback capabilities for custom applications.
Ideal For	Startups that need a complete analytics stack with zero engineering overhead.	Enterprise businesses with existing data warehouses and engineering teams who prefer spreadsheet-style interfaces for data analysis.

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.)

Meet Fi. Your AI Analyst

Fi can work with any part of Definite’s Ecosystem to get you results faster.

Bring your own data

Sync data in near‑realtime latency from over 500 sources. Need a custom connection? We’ll build it for you.

Salesforce

HubSpot

Postgres

Snowflake

Stripe

500+ Data Sources

Definite's AI‑Integrated Data Platform

Sync Engine

Continuously updates data from connected sources.

Data Warehouse

Stores all your synced data securely in one place.

Data Transformation

Turns raw data into usable formats with governed models.

Semantic Layer

Standardizes querying and analyzing data from any source format.

Dashboards

Visualizes processed data for exploration and reporting.

APIs & Embedded Analytics

Integrates insights into your tools and workflows.

Connect to everything

Send scheduled or triggered alerts, sync data to Google Sheets or your CRM, or export it as downloads or from the API.

Slack

Google Sheets

CRMs

Webhooks

Flat Files

Make Every Decision Definite

Sigma gives you a spreadsheet-style BI interface, but you build the entire data stack underneath—warehouse, ETL, and modeling layers that add months of setup and thousands in costs. Definite gives you a complete, all-in-one data platform with built-in AI, transparent pricing, and zero engineering headaches.

Sigma gives you spreadsheets on top of a warehouse you still have to build; Definite gives you the complete data platform; AI included, pricing upfront.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers.

Common questions about Definite vs Sigma