Evidence
Business intelligence as code — build data reports with SQL and markdown
About Evidence
Evidence is an open-source framework that turns markdown files with embedded SQL queries into fully interactive BI dashboards and data product pages. It is a code-driven alternative to drag-and-drop BI tools, designed for analysts and data engineers who prefer working in version-controlled, text-based environments with deployment to any static hosting platform.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fully open-source and self-hostable with no vendor lock-in
- Git-native workflow enables version control and code review for reports
- Fast static site output with flexible deployment options
- Low learning curve for analysts already familiar with SQL
Cons
- Requires SQL knowledge — not suitable for non-technical business users
- No drag-and-drop interface for quick ad-hoc queries
- Self-hosted version requires infrastructure setup and maintenance
- Smaller ecosystem compared to mature BI platforms like Tableau
Key Features
SQL queries embedded directly in markdown files
Connects to PostgreSQL, Snowflake, BigQuery, MySQL, DuckDB, and more
Rich built-in charts: line, bar, scatter, heatmap, maps, and tables
Interactive inputs with dropdowns, date pickers, and sliders
Templated pages for generating many reports from one template
Static site output deployable to Vercel, Netlify, or GitHub Pages
Git-native workflow with version control and CI/CD for reports
Evidence Studio with schema-aware autocomplete and AI coding agent
Pricing
- Full open-source framework
- MIT license
- Unlimited users
- All data connectors
- Cloud hosting
- Row-level security
- Page-level access control
- Google SSO
- Everything in Team
- SAML SSO
- SCIM directory sync
- Private Slack support
- SOC 2 Type II
- White labeling
- Embedded reports
- Multi-region
- Dedicated support
Featured In
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Evidence is the best Looker Studio alternative for data engineering teams that want reports as code. If your team already works in git and dbt, Evidence reports feel like a natural extension of that workflow.
7 Best Open-Source BI & Data Visualization Tools for Data Teams (2026)
Best code-first BI tool — treats analytics as code with SQL + Markdown, ideal for data engineers who want version-controlled reports without maintaining BI infrastructure.
Data Visualization Tools With Embedded Dashboard Sharing (2026)
Best for engineering teams that want version-controlled, zero-infrastructure embedded dashboards — the 'BI as code' approach is ideal when you want full control and narrative-driven data sharing.