Sema vs Synopsis Semantic Layer
Sema
semalayer.comSynopsis Semantic Layer
getsynopsis.aiSide by side
| Figure | Sema | Synopsis Semantic Layer |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $49/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Spec score · Semantic Layer Software | 8.7 (#4) | 6.9 (#25) |
| Company | Sema says it was founded in 2025 and is remote-first. | The company says its team is based in Chicago and Fort Lauderdale and identifies the business as Part II Inc. doing business as Synopsis. |
| Connectors | The connectors page lists PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, and any SQLAlchemy URI as available; ClickHouse and Amazon Redshift are in beta, while SQL Server, Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, and dbt metadata are on the roadmap. | Synopsis advertises 500+ data sources across APIs, databases, and files, and says its AI can build connectors for custom APIs from their documentation. |
| Founded | 2025 | 2024 |
| Integrations | 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. | The product page describes Excel and Google Sheets integrations, Slack access, MCP connections for AI tools, browser extension, SQL, API, and CSV or Excel exports. |
| Security | 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. | Synopsis states it is SOC 2 Type II and says its report is available under NDA. |
| Support | The Pro plan includes email support, Business includes priority support, and Enterprise includes a named customer success manager. | The platform fee includes configuration and support with named contacts and response times; support level is one factor in pricing. |
Plans
In their own words
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.
Synopsis Semantic Layer
Synopsis Semantic Layer has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.