6 Best Hex Alternatives in 2026
Six Hex alternatives compared on notebooks, scheduling and per-editor pricing, from a like-for-like notebook to a plain shared SQL workspace.
Updated 3 October 2026. Prices checked 3 October 2026 against each vendor’s own pricing page.
- Deepnote$39/editor/mo (yearly)
The closest like-for-like Hex replacement, notebooks and all
- Count$49/editor/mo
Teams that want a shared canvas instead of a linear notebook
- ModeFree / contact sales
Analyst-led reporting with SQL, Python and R notebooks
- Try SaturnSQL freeSaturnSQL€19/user/mo
Teams whose Hex projects are really shared SQL on a schedule
- MetabaseFree OSS / $100/mo
Self-serve dashboards for people who do not write code
- JupyterLabFree
Python-first teams happy to run their own notebook server
Feature comparison
| SaturnSQL | Hex | Deepnote | Count | Mode | Metabase | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SQL and Python in one notebook | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Apps or dashboards for stakeholders* | ~ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free tier usable in production* | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✓ |
| Shared query library | ✓ Paid | ✓ Paid | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduled runs* | ✓ Paid | ✓ Paid | ✓ Paid | ✓ Paid | ✓ Paid | ✓ |
| Schedules more often than hourly* | ✓ Paid | — | — | ? | ? | ? |
| Scheduled results to Google Sheets* | ✓ Paid | — | ? | ? | ? | — |
| Send to Slack* | ✓ Paid | ✓ Paid | ✓ Paid | ✓ Paid | ✓ Paid | ✓ |
| PostgreSQL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BigQuery | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Oracle* | ✓ | — | ? | ? | ✓ | ✓ |
| Snowflake | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Starting paid price | €19/user/mo | $36/editor/mo | $39/editor/mo | $49/editor/mo | Contact sales | $100/mo (5 users) |
✓ available · ✓ Paid = not on the free tier · Pro (beta) = Pro plan, limited beta · ~ partial · ? not documented by the vendor · — not available
- Apps or dashboards for stakeholders: SaturnSQL has basic charts and dashboards built from saved queries, not an app builder.
- Free tier usable in production: Hex Community: small compute, up to 5 published apps. Deepnote: 3 editors, 5 projects. Count: CSV files only. Mode Studio: 3 users, 10 MB per query. Metabase is free but self-hosted. SaturnSQL: 1 connection, 1 saved query.
- Scheduled runs: Hex Professional allows one scheduled run per project; full scheduling is on Team at $75 per editor. Deepnote Team schedules daily, weekly or monthly. Count Pro includes 2 alerts.
- Schedules more often than hourly: Hex schedules run at most hourly. Deepnote offers hourly only on Enterprise. SaturnSQL cron schedules can run every 5 minutes.
- Scheduled results to Google Sheets: Hex’s docs suggest writing to Google Drive from your own code rather than a built-in destination.
- Send to Slack: Hex and Deepnote send a run notification or app link; SaturnSQL posts the result table itself.
- Oracle: Not listed among Hex’s native data connections. Deepnote and Count do not name it in their integration docs.
Prices checked 3 October 2026 against each vendor’s own pricing page: SaturnSQL · Hex · Deepnote · Count · Mode · Metabase.
Why people look for Hex alternatives
Hex is a very good product. SQL, Python and no-code cells in one notebook, published as an app a stakeholder can click through, is a hard combination to beat, and few people leave because it disappointed them. They leave because of the step from Professional at $36 per editor per month to Team at $75 per editor per month. Hex’s docs limit Professional to one scheduled run per project, with no Slack notifications or cron schedules, so the moment a team wants a set of reports to run on their own, every editor costs $75.
That splits the alternatives into two groups. If you use the Python and the apps, you want another notebook, and Deepnote, Count, Mode and JupyterLab are the real candidates. If you look at your Hex workspace and most projects are a SQL cell, a table and a schedule, the notebook was never the point, and a smaller tool will do the job for less.
If your Hex projects are mostly SQL on a schedule
SaturnSQL is a shared SQL workspace, not a notebook. Saved queries run on a schedule straight into Google Sheets or Slack, with scheduling included on Starter at €19 per user per month. There is no Python and no app builder, so test it against the projects you actually run before you move anything.
The 6 best Hex alternatives
Deepnote
Best for: The closest like-for-like Hex replacement, notebooks and allDeepnote is the most direct Hex alternative: a collaborative cloud notebook with SQL and Python blocks, interactive apps and real-time editing, with scheduled notebooks on its Team plan at $39 per editor per month billed yearly.
Strong
- + SQL, Python, chart and text blocks in one collaborative notebook
- + Interactive apps and dashboards, even on the free plan
- + Scheduled notebooks with email or Slack notifications on Team
Limits
- − Team schedules run daily, weekly or monthly; hourly and cron schedules are Enterprise only
- − Free plan is capped at 3 editors and 5 projects, with no scheduling
- − Still a notebook, so it carries the same learning curve as Hex
Pricing: Free plan for up to 3 editors and 5 projects. Team $39 per editor per month billed yearly, including scheduled notebooks and monthly AI and compute credits. Enterprise custom. pricing page, checked 3 October 2026.
Count
Best for: Teams that want a shared canvas instead of a linear notebookCount replaces the linear notebook with an infinite canvas where SQL, Python and no-code cells sit side by side, which suits teams who explore data together, and its Pro plan at $49 per editor per month includes 75 free collaborators.
Strong
- + SQL and Python cells on a shared, whiteboard-style canvas
- + 75 collaborators included on Pro without buying more editor seats
- + Reports and dashboards built from the same canvases
Limits
- − The free plan connects to CSV files only, not a live database
- − Pro includes 2 database connections and 2 alerts
- − Scale ($69 per editor) has a 15-editor minimum
Pricing: Free for up to 3 editors and 3 canvases, CSV connections only. Pro $49 per editor per month with 75 collaborators, 2 database connections and 2 alerts. Scale $69 per editor per month, minimum 15 editors. Enterprise custom. pricing page, checked 3 October 2026.
Mode
Best for: Analyst-led reporting with SQL, Python and R notebooksMode is the longest-standing tool in this category, with a strong SQL editor, Python and R notebooks and scheduled reports on its Pro plan, but it is now part of ThoughtSpot and its paid plans have no published price.
Strong
- + SQL, Python and R in the free Studio plan
- + Schedules plus email and Slack sharing on Pro
- + Mature reporting, with a long list of supported databases
Limits
- − Pro and Enterprise prices are only available through a demo with sales
- − Free Studio is capped at 3 users and 10 MB per query
- − Owned by ThoughtSpot since 2023, so check the roadmap before standardising on it
Pricing: Free Studio plan for up to 3 users. Pro (with schedules) and Enterprise prices are not published; see vendor pricing. pricing page, checked 3 October 2026.
SaturnSQL
Best for: Teams whose Hex projects are really shared SQL on a scheduleSaturnSQL is not a notebook and will not replace Hex’s Python cells or app builder, but if most of your Hex projects are SQL cells that run on a schedule and feed a spreadsheet or a Slack channel, it does that job at €19 per user per month.
Strong
- + Shared SQL library, so a query outlives whoever wrote it
- + Scheduled delivery to Google Sheets and Slack, with cron schedules as often as every 5 minutes
- + Scheduling is on Starter at €19 per user per month, not a $75 tier
- + PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, Redshift, ClickHouse, BigQuery and DynamoDB
- + Hosted MCP server on Starter, so Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor can query your databases
Limits
- − No Python, no notebooks, and no app builder; everything here is SQL
- − Charts and dashboards are basic next to Hex’s visualisation and drill-down
- − No Snowflake connection today, and the free tier is a demo: 1 connection, 1 saved query
Pricing: Starter €19 per user per month, including scheduling, Google Sheets, Slack and the MCP server. Pro €29 is in limited beta. Free tier is 1 connection and 1 saved query with no sharing. pricing page, checked 3 October 2026.
Metabase
Best for: Self-serve dashboards for people who do not write codeMetabase is the pick when what Hex was really doing for you was dashboards for non-technical colleagues: its question builder is the best in the category and the Open Source edition is free with unlimited users, though it has no Python notebooks at all.
Strong
- + Open Source edition is free with unlimited users, if you host it
- + A question builder people who do not write SQL can actually use
- + Dashboards with scheduled subscriptions and alerts
Limits
- − No Python, so notebook-style analysis has nowhere to go
- − Hosted Starter is $100 per month for 5 users; permissions and SSO are in Pro at $575 per month
- − Self-hosting the free edition means you run and upgrade it
Pricing: Open Source free and self-hosted, unlimited users. Starter $100 per month ($90 per month billed annually) including 5 users, then $6 per user per month. Pro $575 per month ($517.50 billed annually) including 10 users, then $12 per user per month. Enterprise from $20,000 per year. pricing page, checked 3 October 2026.
JupyterLab
Best for: Python-first teams happy to run their own notebook serverJupyterLab is the free, open source notebook that Hex and Deepnote both grew out of, and if your team mainly needs Python notebooks and can run JupyterHub, it costs nothing in licences, though collaboration, publishing and scheduling are all things you assemble yourself.
Strong
- + Free and open source, with the largest notebook ecosystem there is
- + JupyterHub serves notebooks to a whole team on your own infrastructure
- + Scheduling is available through the Jupyter Scheduler extension
Limits
- − You host, secure and upgrade everything
- − SQL is a Python library call rather than a first-class cell
- − No built-in app publishing, Slack delivery or shared query library
Pricing: Free and open source. Self-hosted, alone or for a team with JupyterHub; hosting costs are yours. pricing page, checked 3 October 2026.
Where Hex itself stands
Hex
Best for: SQL and Python notebooks that turn into polished data appsHex is one of the best collaborative notebooks available, mixing SQL, Python and no-code cells and publishing the result as an interactive app, and the usual reason people look elsewhere is the bill: full scheduled runs, Slack notifications and cron schedules sit on the Team plan at $75 per editor per month.
Strong
- + SQL, Python and no-code cells in one notebook
- + Interactive data apps that non-technical stakeholders can actually use
- + Deep charting, drill-down and semantic models on the higher plans
Limits
- − Professional ($36 per editor) allows one scheduled run per project, with no Slack notifications or cron
- − Team ($75 per editor) is where scheduling, unlimited apps and shared collections live
- − Schedules run at most hourly, and Hex’s docs list no native Oracle or DynamoDB connection
Pricing: Community free (small compute, up to 5 published apps, 7-day version history). Professional $36 per editor per month. Team $75 per editor per month, which includes scheduled runs and alerts. Enterprise custom. pricing page, checked 3 October 2026.
When a notebook is more than the job needs
A common pattern: a team buys Hex for exploratory analysis, and a year later the projects that matter are a dozen SQL queries that refresh a spreadsheet every morning and post a number to Slack on Mondays. Nobody opens the Python cells. Every analyst still needs a Team seat because the schedules need Team.
That is the case SaturnSQL is built for. Queries live in a shared library, any saved query can run on a schedule as often as every five minutes, and the result lands in Google Sheets or a Slack channel. It connects to PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, Redshift, ClickHouse, BigQuery and DynamoDB, and the Starter plan includes a hosted MCP server so Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor can query the same databases. See pricing for the plans.
And if the notebook is the point, none of that applies. We have no Python, no app builder, and our charts are basic next to Hex’s. We do not connect to Snowflake today, so if that is your warehouse, choose one of the notebooks above.
How we judged
We ranked on how much of what Hex is used for each tool covers: SQL and Python analysis, apps and dashboards for stakeholders, and scheduled runs. We treated the price of scheduling as a feature of its own, because that is the step that sends most people looking. Every price and plan limit was read from the vendor’s own pricing page or docs on 3 October 2026 and is linked from its entry above. Mode does not publish prices for its paid plans, so we say so rather than guess. For a closer look at one pairing, see SaturnSQL vs Hex, and if dashboards are the real need, our Metabase alternatives guide goes deeper on BI tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Hex?
It depends on which part of Hex you use. For SQL and Python notebooks with interactive apps, Deepnote is the closest like-for-like replacement, with scheduled notebooks on its Team plan at $39 per editor per month billed yearly. If your team explores data together, Count’s canvas is the more interesting take. If your Hex projects are mostly SQL cells that run on a schedule and feed Google Sheets or Slack, SaturnSQL does that at €19 per user per month without the notebook.
How much does Hex cost?
Hex Community is free, with small compute and up to 5 published apps. Professional is $36 per editor per month and Team is $75 per editor per month; Enterprise is custom. Scheduling is the step most teams notice: Hex’s docs limit Professional to one scheduled run per project, without Slack notifications or cron schedules, so full scheduled runs and alerts mean the Team plan.
Is there a free Hex alternative?
JupyterLab is free and open source, and JupyterHub serves it to a whole team, but you host it and assemble collaboration and scheduling yourself. Metabase’s Open Source edition is free with unlimited users if you self-host, though it has no Python. Among hosted tools, Deepnote’s free plan covers 3 editors and 5 projects, and Mode’s free Studio plan covers 3 users; neither includes scheduling.
What is the cheapest Hex alternative for scheduled queries?
SaturnSQL, if the work is SQL. Scheduling is included on Starter at €19 per user per month, schedules can run as often as every 5 minutes, and results land in Google Sheets or Slack. Deepnote Team at $39 per editor per month billed yearly schedules notebooks daily, weekly or monthly, with hourly reserved for Enterprise. Count Pro at $49 per editor includes 2 alerts. Hex itself puts full scheduling on Team at $75 per editor.
Hex vs Deepnote: which should I choose?
They are close. Both are collaborative cloud notebooks with SQL and Python cells and publishable apps. Deepnote is cheaper per editor and includes apps and real-time collaboration on its free plan; Hex has the deeper charting, drill-down and semantic modelling on its upper plans, and allows hourly and cron schedules on Team, where Deepnote keeps those for Enterprise. If your schedules are daily or weekly and the bill matters, Deepnote is the easier case to make.
Is SaturnSQL a Hex alternative?
Only for part of what Hex does, and we would rather say so. SaturnSQL has no Python, no notebooks and no app builder, and its charts and dashboards are basic next to Hex’s. What it does is a shared SQL library with scheduled delivery to Google Sheets and Slack, across PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, Redshift, ClickHouse, BigQuery and DynamoDB. If your Hex workspace is mostly SQL on a schedule, that is the case where we fit. If the Python and the apps matter, stay on Hex or move to Deepnote.
Does SaturnSQL connect to Snowflake like Hex does?
No, not today. Hex, Deepnote, Count, Mode and Metabase all connect to Snowflake, so if Snowflake is your main warehouse, one of them is the better choice. SaturnSQL connects to PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle, Redshift, ClickHouse, BigQuery and DynamoDB, including Oracle and DynamoDB, which Hex’s docs do not list as native connections.
Is there a Hex alternative that works with Claude or ChatGPT?
Yes. SaturnSQL includes a hosted MCP server on the Starter plan. Add https://mcp.saturnsql.com/mcp to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Claude Code, sign in with your SaturnSQL account, and the assistant can list your connections, read schemas and run queries with the same row limits as the editor. It never sees your database passwords, and no API key is needed.
Shared SQL and scheduled delivery to Sheets and Slack, from €19 per user per month.
