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Evidence

active

BI-as-code platform: SQL + Markdown → polished data reports. No JS/Python required. YC S21, 6K stars, 76 contributors. Git-versioned reports for SQL-first analysts.

Score 78
Evidence in action

Where it wins

SQL + Markdown authoring — no JS/Python required

Git-versioned reports — fits developer workflows and agent-assisted authoring

YC S21 backed with strong launch traction (263 pts HN)

Clear, defensible niche: SQL-only BI as code

76 contributors — healthy open-source community

Alternative to Looker/Tableau for teams that prefer code over drag-and-drop

Where to be skeptical

Lower download numbers than peers (7.7K npm/mo)

Less AI-native than Marimo or Data Formulator — reporting tool, not conversational agent

No notebook/exploratory mode

Editorial verdict

Best BI-as-code platform for SQL-first analysts. If your team thinks in SQL and wants version-controlled, code-authored reports, Evidence beats every other tool. The only tool in the category that doesn't require a general-purpose programming language.

Related

Data & Analytics

#03of 7

SQL-first analysts who want version-controlled, code-authored BI reports — no JS/Python required

Marimo

93

Reactive Python notebook that replaces Jupyter. Pure .py files, reactive DAG execution, dual-mode (notebook → app). 19.8K stars, 1.9M monthly PyPI downloads, 261 contributors.

Streamlit

90

The dominant Python data app framework. 44K stars, 31.8M monthly PyPI downloads, acquired by Snowflake for $800M. Ecosystem giant for deploying data apps — the standard answer for sharing Python analysis as a web app.

Observable Framework

84

Static site generator for data apps with D3.js lineage. Full web dev power (HTML, CSS, JS, React). 3.4K stars, 16.7K npm monthly downloads, 360 pts on HN.

Data Formulator

82

AI-powered data visualization tool from Microsoft Research. Interactive AI agents iterate on chart design from raw data. 15.1K stars, MIT license, very active development.

Public evidence

Raw GitHub source

GitHub README peek

Constrained peek so you can sanity-check the source material without leaving the site.

<div id="top" align="center"> <picture> <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="./sites/docs/static/img/wordmark-dark.svg"> <img alt="Evidence Logo" src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/evidence-dev/evidence/main/sites/docs/static/img/wordmark-light.svg"> </picture>

Business Intelligence as Code: Generate reports using SQL and markdown

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Docs | Examples | Slack
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[!TIP] Try Evidence Studio: The new, faster way to build data products with SQL, markdown and AI.

How It Works

Evidence is an open-source, code-based alternative to drag-and-drop business intelligence tools.

how-it-works

Evidence generates a website from markdown files:

  • SQL statements inside markdown files run queries against your data sources
  • Charts and components are rendered using these query results
  • Templated pages generate many pages from a single markdown template
  • Loops and If / Else statements allow control of what is displayed to users

Install

  1. Download the Evidence VSCode Extension
  2. Open the Command Palette (F1) and enter Evidence: New Evidence Project
  3. Click the Start Evidence button in the bottom status bar

See docs for other install options (CLI, Docker, etc)

Publish

  • Self-hosted options include Netlify, Vercel, your own infra, and other static site hosting platforms.

Join the Evidence Community

Join our Slack channel to get involved in the community's discussion, share what you're working on, or ask for help.

Follow us on Twitter to receive the latest updates on Evidence.

Contributing

If you are interested in contributing, please join us on our slack channel, open an issue, or contribute a pull request.

License

Evidence is licensed under the MIT license. See the LICENSE file for licensing information.

View on GitHub →