Definite vs Sema
Definite
definite.appSema
semalayer.comSide by side
| Figure | Definite | Sema |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $250/mo | $49/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 4 |
| Spec score · Semantic Layer Software | 8.3 (#9) | 8.7 (#4) |
| Compliance | Definite states that GDPR and CCPA requirements are met, SOC 2 Type II is in progress, and a HIPAA BAA is available for Enterprise customers on request. | Sema’s trust page says SOC 2 Type II is in progress, GDPR-ready data processing terms are available, and HIPAA support with a BAA is available for eligible plans on request. |
| Deployment | Definite says it can run as a private deployment in a customer's cloud, including AWS, GCP, Azure, or a Kubernetes environment. | Sema says it can run in the customer’s VPC or its own environment; its self-hosted Kubernetes deployment uses a Helm chart and customer-provided Postgres and object storage. |
| Integrations | The integrations directory lists 525 sources and names Salesforce, Stripe, PostgreSQL, Shopify, and Google Analytics among popular sources. | Sema describes its capabilities as MCP tools for use with Claude, Cursor, or an in-house agent, and supports OAuth2/OIDC identity providers including Okta, Entra, Auth0, and Google Workspace. |
| Product | Definite combines data connectors, storage, modeling, BI, and an AI analyst in one data platform. | Sema is a semantic layer for enterprise AI that connects databases, infers data meaning, and answers business questions in plain English with governance. |
| Security | The security page states that data is encrypted in transit with TLS 1.2+ and at rest with AES-256, and that role-based access controls are available. | Sema says it uses TLS in transit and encryption at rest, role-based access, restricted-column masking, workspace isolation, and an append-only log of queries, plans, and configuration changes. |
| Support | Enterprise includes dedicated support and an SLA, and the security team says it turns around most requested security documents within 1–2 business days. | The Pro plan includes email support, Business includes priority support, and Enterprise includes a named customer success manager. |
Plans
In their own words
Definite
Definite combines data connectors, storage, modeling, business intelligence, and an AI analyst in one data platform. Its analyst, Fi, takes plain-English questions and can build data apps with filters, KPIs, tables, and charts. The integrations directory lists 525 sources, including Salesforce, Stripe, PostgreSQL, Shopify, and Google Analytics. Pipelines ingest CSV, Parquet, JSON, and NDJSON files, and support log-based change data capture for Postgres, MySQL, and Oracle where supported. Definite also supports MCP clients such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor, providing schema, lineage, and semantic context. Users can build custom data applications and search millions of rows in a browser using DuckDB-Wasm. Security measures include TLS 1.2+ encryption in transit, AES-256 encryption at rest, and role-based access controls. The Free plan has two users, two connectors, 1 GB of storage, five monthly credits, and daily sync. Standard costs $250 a month and includes 100 monthly credits and hourly sync. Enterprise pricing is custom and not listed.
Sema
Sema is a semantic layer for enterprise AI that connects databases and answers business questions in plain English, with governance controls. It maps tables, joins, metrics, and business terms into a typed graph; verified inferred joins can be reused in later answers. It can ask clarifying questions, show the SQL and graph nodes behind an answer, and select a chart. Users can save and schedule reports for email delivery and set metric alerts for thresholds or deviations. Available connectors include PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, and SQLAlchemy URIs; ClickHouse and Amazon Redshift are in beta, while SQL Server, Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, and dbt metadata are on the roadmap. Sema can run in a customer VPC or its own environment; self-hosting uses Kubernetes and Helm with customer-provided Postgres and object storage. The free Sandbox costs nothing and limits use to one connector, one user, 100 monthly chat queries, and five saved reports, without scheduled delivery or alerts. Pro costs $49 a month per user, with a three-seat minimum and a 14-day trial.