Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Fluent.
Want the closest match?
PolymerMost similar to Fluent in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Polymer in a new tab)Need a free plan?
Zoho AnalyticsHas a free plan, rated 4.3 out of 5.
Visit (opens Zoho Analytics in a new tab)Want to pay less than Fluent?
AI2SQLFrom $15/mo, against from $29/mo for Fluent.
Visit (opens AI2SQL in a new tab)Want the best rated?
DolphinDBRated 4.1 out of 5 in our review, against 4.0 for Fluent.
Visit (opens DolphinDB in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Fluent, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 FluentBaseline | 4.0 | $29/mo | Yes | AI data analyst that answers business questions asked in plain English. | |
| Polymer | 4.3+0.3 | $25/mo$4 less | Yes | Turns spreadsheets and business apps into dashboards, no SQL needed | vs Fluent |
 Airbook | 3.9−0.1 | $99/mo$70 more | Yes | A GTM data platform that lets revenue and operations teams query business data in plain English or SQL. | vs Fluent |
| DolphinDB | 4.1+0.1 | Free | Yes | Time-series database and real-time computing platform with AI features on top: Chat-to-Query text-to-SQL, RAG-based Smart Q&A, native MCP support for LLMs, in-database ML inference and the DolphinMind assistant. | vs Fluent |
| Zoho Analytics | 4.3+0.3 | $22/mo$7 less | Yes | Accessible BI bundled inside Zoho's much larger business suite | vs Fluent |
| AI2SQL | 4.1+0.1 | $15/mo$14 less | Yes | A narrow, focused text-to-SQL converter, nothing else bolted on | vs Fluent |
 Kater.ai | 3.8−0.2 | Not listed | No | AI data agent that writes and validates its own SQL queries to answer business questions in plain English. | vs Fluent |
 Keboola | 3.9−0.1 | Free | Yes | Unified data and AI platform with 1,500+ sources, the Kai assistant, finance agents and an open-source MCP server. | vs Fluent |
 Raw Query | 3.2−0.8 | Free | Yes | Ask your database a question in plain English instead of writing SQL - GPT-3-powered, connects to Postgres, MySQL, and MariaDB, with connection strings hashed and no data stored. | vs Fluent |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Fluent.
Polymer
4.3$25/mo
vs Fluent$4 less+0.3
Turns spreadsheets and business apps into dashboards, no SQL needed.
- Direct connections to Airtable, Shopify, and similar business apps
- No SQL or data pipeline required
- Automatic dashboard generation from connected data
No SQL knowledge required to build working dashboards
Less flexible than code-first BI tools for complex custom analysis
Airbook
3.9$99/mo
vs Fluent$70 more−0.1
A GTM data platform that lets revenue and operations teams query business data in plain English or SQL.
- Connects CRM, product, marketing, and support data into one workspace
- Natural-language querying alongside a SQL IDE and no-code builder
- AI-generated dashboards and visualizations from connected data
Free tier covers a single analyst working across connected databases at no cost
Jump from Starter ($99/mo) to Growth ($599/mo) is steep for scaling teams
DolphinDB
4.1Free
vs Fluent+0.1
Time-series database and real-time computing platform with AI features on top: Chat-to-Query text-to-SQL, RAG-based Smart Q&A, native MCP support for LLMs, in-database ML inference and the DolphinMind assistant.
- Chat-to-Query text-to-SQL for plain-language questions
- Smart Q&A with retrieval-augmented search
- Native MCP support so LLMs can query the database
Community Edition comes with a perpetual license
No prices published for the Enterprise edition
Zoho Analytics
4.3$22/mo
vs Fluent$7 less+0.3
Accessible BI bundled inside Zoho's much larger business suite.
- Native integration with Zoho's broader business app suite
- AI-assisted natural-language querying
- Accessible pricing relative to enterprise BI platforms
Significantly more accessible than enterprise-tier BI competitors
Less powerful than dedicated enterprise BI platforms for complex analysis
AI2SQL
4.1$15/mo
vs Fluent$14 less+0.1
A narrow, focused text-to-SQL converter, nothing else bolted on.
- Natural-language to SQL query generation
- Support for multiple SQL dialects
- Narrow, focused scope without bundled dashboards
Simple, focused tool without unnecessary bundled features
No dashboards or reporting layer for business users
Kater.ai
3.8Not listed
vs Fluent−0.2
AI data agent that writes and validates its own SQL queries to answer business questions in plain English.
- Butler AI agent that auto-generates and validates SQL queries
- Auto-documented data map capturing a team's tribal data knowledge
- Plain-English question answering for non-technical employees
Opens data access to any employee, not only those fluent in SQL or a BI tool
No published pricing, so cost comparison against other AI-analytics tools needs a direct sales conversation
Keboola
3.9Free
vs Fluent−0.1
Unified data and AI platform with 1,500+ sources, the Kai assistant, finance agents and an open-source MCP server.
- Kai assistant for natural-language questions
- Audit and Controlling Agents for finance monitoring
- Open-source Keboola MCP Server for AI clients and IDEs
The free plan includes the MCP Server and the full connector library
The free plan is small: one project and 60 compute minutes a month
Raw Query
3.2Free
vs Fluent−0.8
Ask your database a question in plain English instead of writing SQL - GPT-3-powered, connects to Postgres, MySQL, and MariaDB, with connection strings hashed and no data stored.
- Natural language database querying via GPT-3
- Multi-database support - Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB
- Data insertion and updates, not just read-only queries
Named, real underlying model (GPT-3)
Insert/update operations currently limited to Postgres only
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Fluent free?
Fluent has a free plan, and paid plans start from $29/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Fluent?
Polymer is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.3 out of 5). Other free options: Zoho Analytics, DolphinDB, AI2SQL.
What is the cheapest alternative to Fluent?
Among paid plans, AI2SQL has the lowest starting price (from $15/mo). If you need it free, start with Polymer.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.