Comparing Hex vs. Sigma

Choosing between Hex and Sigma? Modern data teams choose Hex to power faster, deeper insights with AI.

Trusted by leading data companies

"Our vision for Notion’s data team is that anyone, regardless of technical proficiency, is comfortable using data to answer their own questions – and Hex enables that."Abhishek Modi, Software Engineer
"We like to embed Hex dashboards where teams work."Ian Macomber, Head of Data and Analytics Engineering
"We’re regarded as top performers because the work we are doing is deemed more credible and more widely surfaced than before Hex."Kate Urquiola, Director, Go-to-Market Analytics
"Hex has helped us empower business analysts to explore and dig into data on their own"Meghana Reddy, Head of Data at Stubhub

Why companies choose Hex over Sigma

A toolkit for data teams to explore any question

Hex gives data teams everything they need to answer any question—from quick lookups to deep analysis. Agentic notebooks blend SQL, Python, no-code, and visualization with AI for fast, reproducible results.

Sigma works for basic metric slicing and simple queries, but data teams hit a wall when questions go deeper.

Compare features

Comparison breakdown

Features

Hex

Sigma

SQL + Python exploration

Code-first analysis with seamless language switching

Hex

Notebooks let you mix SQL, Python, and no-code cells interchangeably; a reactive graph engine keeps analyses clear, connected, and reproducible.

Sigma

Python runs only on a limited set of supported warehouse runtimes, with no unified execution model between SQL and Python for seamless workflows.

Visualizations

Charts and plots to explore and share insights

Hex

Native charts and Python libraries (Plotly, Matplotlib, Altair) in one place.

Sigma

Native charts with plugin support for custom visuals.

Agentic analytics

AI agent for helping data teams query, analyze, and visualize data

Hex

Built-in AI agents assist directly in the notebook—writing and editing SQL, Python, charts, and multi-step analyses.

Sigma

No built-in AI assistance for code or analysis creation.

Agentic modeling

AI-assisted modeling for curated, reusable metrics

Hex

AI modeling agent helps build and edit semantic models that can be used across notebooks, apps, and Threads.

Sigma

Modeling must be authored manually; no AI support for creation or editing.

Business users self-serve in plain language

Sigma constrains business users to clicking through spreadsheets or one-shot AI interfaces. It’s fine for showing what happened, but rarely answers why or what’s next.

With Hex, stakeholders use Threads to ask questions in plain language and get rich answers they can refine through follow-ups.

Compare features

Comparison breakdown

Features

Hex

Sigma

Conversational AI

Converse in natural language, get instant insights

Hex

Threads supports true back-and-forth Q&A with live data; context persists and any Thread can open as a notebook for deeper analysis/inspection.

Sigma

Ask Sigma handles single-turn natural language questions but doesn’t maintain conversational context or multi-step follow ups.

No code exploration

Spreadsheet-style analysis with pivots and drag-and-drop

Hex

Combine spreadsheets, pivots, and visualizations in drag & drop explorations.

Sigma

Spreadsheet-like Workbooks for slicing, filtering, and pivoting data tables without SQL.

Interactive data apps

Outputs accessible and explorable by every user type

Hex

First-class data apps with inputs, pages, and controls, driven by live projects.

Sigma

App-like Workbooks with parameters and actions.

Connected workflows unlock collaboration and context

In Hex, every workflow stays connected. Whether analyzing in Notebooks, exploring in Threads, or interacting with Apps—data teams and business users all work from the same project. Updates flow automatically, keeping everyone in sync.

In Sigma, follow-ups mean switching tools or rebuilding logic, siloing context and slowing down analysis.

Compare features

Comparison breakdown

Features

Hex

Sigma

Real-time collaboration

Live sharing and iteration across code, queries, and results

Hex

True multiplayer editing in notebooks and apps, with built-in comments and snapshots that keep feedback in context.

Sigma

Teams can edit and comment together in Workbooks, mainly when building or reviewing dashboards.

Connected workflows

Stay in one context across modes of work

Hex

All parts of Hex--Notebooks, Threads, and Apps--run from the same live project, so teams can collaborate back and forth on the same shared context.

Sigma

Workbooks, dashboards, and Ask Sigma are connected by lineage but run separately. Each re-runs its own query, so context doesn't persist between them.

Compounding context

AI that gets smarter with every project

Hex

Every project in Hex can be referenced by AI, so future analyses gain more context over time. Threads and the Notebook Agent build on past work to improve suggestions and reasoning.

Sigma

No shared AI memory or project context; each chat or query starts from scratch without awareness of prior analyses.

Unify the full cycle of data work with Hex.

Leave disconnected workflows behind.

Compounding accuracy

Deep analysis

Trusted context

Conversational self-serve

Hear from data teams that chose Hex

Learn how the best companies in the world increase team efficiency using Hex.

"OM1 uses Hex to work with constantly evolving, massive datasets and to provide a user-friendly, dynamic data application."

"Hex has helped us empower business analysts to explore and dig into data on their own"

"Calendly's analytics team is 2x more efficient in Hex."

"We're amazed at how useful Hex has been for the needs of a data science team while also being easy to use for our product engineering teams."

View all Customer stories

FAQ

Isn't Hex mainly for data teams? What about non-technical users?

Hex gives business users approachable ways to engage with data, like interactive apps and natural-language queries, while still offering the depth analysts need for technical work. Both groups share the same workspace, which means stakeholders get answers faster and data teams don’t have to rework analysis across multiple tools.

How is Hex different from traditional BI tools?

BI dashboards are built to show what happened—fixed KPIs and standard cuts of the data. Hex is built to answer how it happened, why it happened, and what if it changes. With data-team-first workflows in a notebook that supports SQL, Python, and no-code, teams can move quickly from simple KPI lookups to deep, iterative analysis, without bouncing between tools.

Why combine BI and technical data workflows in one tool?

Business questions come in all shapes and forms. Sometimes it’s a simple KPI trend, other times it’s “why is this happening?” or “what can we expect next?”, which requires deeper analysis. Splitting BI and technical analysis across different tools creates friction, duplicate effort, and inconsistent answers. Hex unifies it all in one place so the workflow stays connected.

Can you create dashboards in Hex?

Yes. Hex supports traditional dashboards, but also goes further, letting teams build interactive data apps, parameterized views, and even workflows with predictive models. That flexibility means you can cover executive reporting and deeper analysis in the same place, instead of maintaining separate tools.

Are there no-code ways for users to explore data in Hex?

Yes. Hex lets users self-serve insights with natural language Q&A, interactive charts, pivot tables, spreadsheet-style views, and simple formula-based calculations—all without writing SQL or Python.

Should I build semantic models in Hex?

Hex takes an interoperable approach to semantic models, giving you the flexibility to build directly in Hex or sync from other sources. Building in Hex lets you define and edit models right where you already work with data—with autocomplete, inline validation, and AI-assisted code generation in the modeling workbench.

Alternatively, you can sync existing semantic models from dbt, Snowflake, or Cube. Either way, your semantic models live alongside notebooks, self-serve, and agents, ensuring governed, reusable logic powers every workflow.

How can we start evaluating Hex?

Anyone can sign up for a free 14-day trial of Hex's Team plan. If you'll require more time to evaluate Hex or are curious about our Enterprise plan, please reach out and we'll get you set up!

Can't find your answer here? Get in touch.