4 Snowflake Alternatives & Competitors to Consider for Data Warehousing Services

Snowflake's innovative blend of shared-disk and shared-nothing database architecture has enabled it to become a leading provider of cloud-native data warehousing. Businesses love the clear focus on scalability, performance, and ease of use. However, it might be a little out of budget for some teams.

That’s why, in this guide, we look at five leading Snowflake competitors diving into the strengths and drawbacks of each. We'll cover areas like processing capacity and analytics capability, and provide thorough cost breakdowns across tools. 

The tools covered include:

• Amazon Redshift
• Google BigQuery
• Microsoft Azure Synapse
• Databricks
• IBM Db2 Warehouse

We’ll also take a look at how Vendr clients can leverage internal pricing data and expert negotiation methods to get you a low price on data warehousing solutions.

Get a low price on Snowflake using insights from our Buyer Guides or direct in the Vendr Marketplace.

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Amazon Redshift 

Amazon Redshift is a cloud-based, fully managed data warehouse service that’s part of the wider Amazon Web Services (AWS) ecosystem. It’s engineered for large-scale operations, with features for complex querying and analytics and integration with the wider AWS platform.

Key features

• Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) for parallel query execution across multiple nodes simultaneously
• Columnar storage for high-performance data warehousing with advanced compression to reduce cost and speed up query time
• Seamless integration with the broader AWS ecosystem such as Amazon S3 for storage, AWS Glue for ETL processes, and Amazon SageMaker for machine learning

Who it’s for

Amazon Redshift is particularly well-suited for companies already leveraging tools in the wider AWS ecosystem, as the quick integration greatly simplifies management and analytics. 

Unique selling points and considerations

The MPP architecture of Redshift enables rapid processing of large datasets and lends itself well to complex analytical queries. The deep integration with other AWS services is ideal for data movement and cloud processing if you’re already using other tools in the ecosystem.

Redshift is also focused on large sets of structured data, so businesses constantly dealing with unstructured or semi-structured data will probably need other tools or data formats.

Amazon Redshift pricing breakdown

Amazon Redshift offers a few different pricing models. These include:

• On-demand pricing. Charged based on compute and storage used. Starts at $0.25 per hour for a single DC2. Large node, scaling for amount of nodes and instance type.
• Reserved instances. You can purchase reserved instances for terms from 1-3 years, offering big discounts of up to 75% versus on-demand pricing.
• Managed storage. This separates storage from computing, starting at $0.024 per GB per month for managed storage.

The average contract value comes in at $7322K for Vendr users, and Redshift also has Concurrency Scaling to retain performance during sudden spikes in query loads. This is charged per second based on any usage beyond performance capacity.

Learn more about Amazon Redshift pricing and negotiation strategies in our Buyer Guide.

Google BigQuery

Google BigQuery is a fully managed data warehouse based on serverless architecture. It focuses on high-performance analytics at scale and can process large volumes of data with minimal latency. It also integrates with the wider Google Cloud ecosystem.

Key features

• Serverless architecture to scale with any workload size without resource provisioning
• Real-time data streaming to allow up-to-the-minute processing and analysis 
• Integrated machine learning for predictive analytics using SQL with BigQueryML

Who it’s for

Google BigQuery is perfect for businesses already using Google’s services or those looking to leverage cloud-native data analytics without managing its infrastructure. Big Query is designed to perform large-scale data analytics quickly and is capable of real-time data processing. 

Unique selling points and considerations

A unique strength of BigQuery is its ability to manage petabytes of data analytics with high performance and low latency. This is made possible by architecture optimized for parallel processing. 

Google BigQuery pricing breakdown

As standard, BigQuery works on a pay-as-you-go pricing model. This means your costs are based on data processed via queries and data stored. Pricing for 2024 is:

• Query processing. A rate of $5 per terabyte (TB) of data processed applies to both scheduled and ad hoc queries.
• Storage. It costs $0.02 per gigabyte (GB) per month for active storage, and $0.01 per GB per month for long-term storage (defined as data not modified for 90 days).
• Flat rate. If you mainly handle predictable workloads, it may be worth opting for this. Prices start at $10,000 per month.

The average contract value for Vendr users is $460K and Google also offers free data transfers from Google Cloud Storage to BigQuery.

Learn more about Google BigQuery pricing and negotiation strategies with our Buyer Guide.

(Microsoft) Azure Synapse Analytics

Azure Synapse is an integrated analytics service from Microsoft that combines big data and warehousing functionality. Synapse offers a unified platform for analyzing big data sets.

Key features

• Seamlessly integrates with other Azure services like machine learning and Power BI
• Supports on-demand and provisioned resources for flexibility in scaling
• Offers real-time data analytics with built-in integration with SQL and Apache Spark

Who it’s for

Microsoft Azure Synapse is aimed at organizations that need a scalable solution for enterprise-level data warehousing and large-scale analytics. It’s especially well suited for businesses that already use the Azure ecosystem or those looking to leverage the flexibility of cloud-based analytics. 

Unique selling points and things to consider

Azure Synapse combines big data and data warehousing into a single easy-to-manage service. This streamlined approach to data management can save significant time and resources. 

Microsoft Azure Synapse pricing breakdown

Pricing for Azure Synapse depends entirely on the specific resources and services you need to use. As a general guide, compute costs tend to start at $0.276 per DWU (Data Warehousing Unit) per hour, while storage is charged separately at $0.125 per GB per month. There’s also a pay-as-you-go model. 

The average contract value is around $693K for Vendr users.

Learn more about Microsoft Azure Synapse pricing and negotiation strategies with our Buyer Guide.

Databricks

Databricks is a unified data analytics platform that ties its warehouse architecture into big data and AI functionality. It offers enhanced collaboration between data science, engineering, and business analytics.

Key features

• Strong integration with major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud 
• Supports both structured and unstructured data processing with Apache Spark
• Databricks allows real-time data ingestion, transformation, and analysis

Who it’s for

Databricks is especially useful for companies developing AI models and focusing on big data analytics, machine learning, and real-time processing. 

Unique selling points and considerations

Databricks stands out for its ability to integrate with multiple major cloud platforms. This allows for flexibility and scalability in deployment. Its collaborative environment also lends itself to innovation by empowering different teams to work together seamlessly on the same platform. 

Databricks pricing breakdown

Databricks pricing will vary depending on your cloud provider and usage. As a general guide, compute pricing starts at around $0.07 per DBU (Databricks Unit) for standard instances, with additional costs for storage and bolt-on services.

The average contract value for Vendr users is $691K. Long-term customers and power users can also get certain discounts and extra credits.

Learn more about Databricks pricing and negotiation strategies with our Buyer Guide.

Leverage Vendr’s expertise for optimizing software procurement

Vendr helps teams navigate the procurement process and find a fair price on cloud-based tools. Here we look at how.

Vendr’s procurement support

First, we help you set an accurate budget by finding your exact requirements — for example, how much storage you’ll need. Then, with insights from industry experts, SKU-level pricing benchmarks, and insider negotiation tips, we help you negotiate a low price. This includes assessing discount levers such as optimized contract length and payment terms and using competitor quotes to help you save.

How Brex saved $4.2M+ by partnering with Vendr

By working with Vendr to negotiate deals on new SaaS solutions, fintech company Brex saved $800k in the first year alone.

CAO Erik Zhou said, “It's very difficult to get to the right choice and the right cost...working with Vendr has provided very significant savings.”

Get a low price on your data intelligence tools. 

Sign up to Vendr for free. 

Snowflake alternatives FAQs

Are there more cost-effective alternatives to Snowflake?

Yes, solutions such as Google BigQuery can be more affordable than Snowflake. You can also use Vendr to negotiate a lower price on your cloud-based tool. 

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