SSubrupt
Skip to content

Best Cheap Data Warehouses of 2026

Updated · 5 picks · live pricing · affiliate disclosure

Google's serverless data warehouse with pay-per-terabyte scanned and one terabyte monthly free queries.

BEST OVERALL10.0/10

Google BigQuery

Google's serverless data warehouse with pay-per-terabyte scanned and one terabyte monthly free queries.

Free tier permanent; cancel-anytime
Try Google BigQuerySee full review

How it stacks up

  • Free 1 TB/mo

    vs Redshift Serverless

  • On-demand $6.25/TB

    vs MotherDuck per-user

  • Editions Standard $0.04/slot-hr

    vs ClickHouse OSS

#2
Amazon Redshift9.8/10

Free

View
#3
ClickHouse Cloud9.8/10

Free

View

All picks at a glance

#PickBest forStartingScore
1Google BigQueryBest cheap serverless, 1 TB free monthly with query-billed pricingFree10.0/10
2Amazon RedshiftBest cheap AWS-native, Serverless pay-per-use plus reserved discountsFree9.8/10
3ClickHouse CloudBest cheap OSS columnar, Apache 2.0 plus managed cloud trialFree9.8/10
4FireboltBest cheap sub-second analytics, aggregating indexes for ecommerceFree8.3/10
5MotherDuckBest cheap DuckDB-hybrid, predictable per-user pricing$25.00/mo4.6/10

Quick pick by use case

If you only have thirty seconds, find your situation below and skip to that pick.

If I am a startup on Google Cloud or want the most generous free tierGoogle BigQueryBigQuery Free 1TB monthly; On-demand $6.25/TB; Editions Standard $0.04/slot-hr.If I am AWS-locked with variable analytics workloadsAmazon RedshiftRedshift Serverless $0.375/RPU-hr with auto-scale; Free trial 750 hr for 2 months.If I am an analytics team of 1-50 users running ad-hoc queries on small-to-mid dataMotherDuckMotherDuck Free 10GB; Standard $25/user. Predictable per-user pricing.If I want open-source columnar with managed cloud or self-host flexibilityClickHouse CloudClickHouse Apache 2.0 OSS plus Cloud Development $0.21/CU-hr with auto-pause.If I am running customer-facing ecommerce analytics where sub-second mattersFireboltFirebolt Small engine $0.50/engine-hr with aggregating indexes for sub-second.

Compare all 5 picks

Top spec
#1Google BigQuery10.0/10Free——Free 1 TB/mo
#2Amazon Redshift9.8/10Free——Free 750 hr trial
#3ClickHouse Cloud9.8/10Free——Trial $300/30d
#4Firebolt8.3/10Free——Trial $200
#5MotherDuck4.6/10$25.00/mo$300.00/yr$156/yr moreFree 10 GB
#1

Google BigQuery

10.0/10

Best cheap serverless, 1 TB free monthly with query-billed pricing

Try Google BigQuerySee Google BigQuery alternatives

Google's serverless data warehouse with pay-per-terabyte scanned and one terabyte monthly free queries.

PlanMonthlyWhat you get
Free tierFree1 TB queries monthly plus 10 GB storage free for ongoing personal use.
On-demandFree$6.25 per TB scanned plus tiered storage pricing for variable workloads.
Editions StandardFree$0.04 per slot-hour with autoscaling for predictable production use.
Editions EnterpriseCustom$0.06 per slot-hour with column-level security and CMEK.
Editions Enterprise PlusCustom$0.10 per slot-hour with multi-region Dataplex and 99.99% SLA.

BigQuery is the cheapest mainstream DW pick with the most generous free tier in the category. Launched 2010 by Google. The wedge for cheap readers: one terabyte free monthly query scan plus ten gigabytes free storage covers most startup analytics workloads at zero cost, the only catalog free tier where production analytics fits within the free ceiling for first-year operation.

Free covers one terabyte monthly queries plus ten gigabytes storage. On-demand at six dollars twenty-five cents per terabyte scanned covers variable workloads. Editions Standard at four cents per slot-hour with autoscaling covers predictable workloads. Most cheap-cloud-DW startups stay on Free tier indefinitely until query volume crosses one terabyte monthly.

The trade-off versus Redshift is cloud lock-in; BigQuery is GCP-only. The trade-off versus MotherDuck is per-user pricing; BigQuery bills per query. For startups on Google Cloud or wanting the most generous free tier, BigQuery is the right call.

Pros

  • Most generous free tier with one terabyte queries plus ten gigabytes storage monthly
  • Serverless query-billed eliminates idle compute cost during off-hours
  • On-demand at fixed dollar per terabyte scanned eliminates pricing surprise
  • Strong ML integration via BigQuery ML for in-warehouse model training
  • Editions Standard at four cents per slot-hour for predictable production workloads

Cons

  • GCP-only deployment with no AWS or Azure native option
  • Cost surprise risk if SQL queries scan unintended data without cost controls
Free 1 TB/moOn-demand $6.25/TBEditions Standard $0.04/slot-hrFree tier permanent; cancel-anytime

Best for: Startups on Google Cloud or teams that want the most generous free tier with serverless query-billed simplicity.

Compliance & residency
8
Query performance
9
Setup complexity
9
Value
10
Support
8
Try Google BigQuery
#2

Amazon Redshift

9.8/10

Best cheap AWS-native, Serverless pay-per-use plus reserved discounts

Try Amazon RedshiftSee Amazon Redshift alternatives

AWS-native data warehouse with deep S3, Glue, IAM, and EMR integration for AWS-locked teams.

PlanMonthlyWhat you get
Free trialFree750 hours monthly for 2 months on dc2.large or ra3.xlplus with no commit.
Provisioned ra3.xlplusFree$3.26/hr on-demand with managed storage and 50% reserved discount.
ServerlessFree$0.375 per RPU-hour with auto-scale and 60 GB free credit for variable use.
RA3.4xlargeFree$13.04/hr per node for production-scale workloads with high concurrency.

Redshift Serverless is the cheap AWS-native DW pick. Launched 2012 by AWS with Serverless added 2022. The wedge for cheap readers on AWS: pay-per-RPU-hour Serverless mode pairs with reserved instance discounts on Provisioned mode for up to fifty percent off. Teams already running AWS infrastructure save on cross-cloud egress fees that BigQuery or Snowflake multi-cloud incur.

Free trial ships seven hundred fifty hours monthly for two months. Serverless ships at thirty-seven and a half cents per RPU-hour with auto-scale by query for variable workloads. Provisioned ra3.xlplus at three dollars twenty-six cents per hour on-demand drops by roughly fifty percent on reserved instances. Most AWS-locked startups land on Serverless for variable workloads.

The trade-off versus BigQuery is free-tier ceiling; Redshift trial is two months while BigQuery free tier is permanent. The trade-off versus MotherDuck is operational complexity; Redshift requires AWS expertise. For AWS-locked teams wanting cheap variable workloads, Redshift Serverless is the right call.

Pros

  • Serverless at thirty-seven and a half cents per RPU-hour for variable workloads
  • Reserved instances drop on-demand cost by roughly fifty percent for steady production
  • Deep AWS S3, Glue, IAM, EMR integration eliminates cross-cloud egress
  • Free trial covers seven hundred fifty hours monthly for two months for evaluation
  • Auto-scale by query in Serverless mode handles unpredictable traffic

Cons

  • AWS-only with no multi-cloud deployment option
  • Free trial is two months only, not permanent like BigQuery
Free 750 hr trialServerless $0.375/RPU-hrra3.xlplus reserved750 hours free trial for 2 months; cancel-anytime

Best for: AWS-locked startups with variable analytics workloads who want pay-per-use Serverless without cross-cloud egress.

Compliance & residency
8
Query performance
8
Setup complexity
7
Value
9
Support
8
Try Amazon Redshift
#3

ClickHouse Cloud

9.8/10

Best cheap OSS columnar, Apache 2.0 plus managed cloud trial

Try ClickHouse CloudSee ClickHouse Cloud alternatives

Open-source columnar database under Apache 2.0 with managed cloud and self-hosting options.

PlanMonthlyWhat you get
Free trialFree$300 free credits over 30 days with all features on Development tier.
DevelopmentFree$1 per GB storage and $0.21 per compute unit-hour with auto-pause when idle.
ProductionFree$0.71 per compute unit-hour with multi-region replication and dedicated VPC.
EnterpriseCustomCustom pricing with custom SLA, BYOC option, and dedicated support.

ClickHouse Cloud is the cheap OSS-columnar DW pick and the right call for teams wanting open-source license posture plus low-cost managed cloud. Founded 2016 originally at Yandex. The wedge for cheap readers: Development tier at twenty-one cents per compute-unit-hour with auto-pause is the cheapest managed columnar entry tier in the category, and Apache 2.0 self-host on customer infrastructure eliminates licensing cost entirely.

Free trial ships three hundred dollars credits over thirty days. Development at twenty-one cents per compute-unit-hour with auto-pause covers variable workloads. Production at seventy-one cents per compute-unit-hour adds multi-region replication. Self-hosted Apache 2.0 ships free on customer infrastructure. Most cheap-DW teams land on Development or self-host based on SRE capacity.

The trade-off versus BigQuery is brand recognition; ClickHouse has lower mainstream visibility. The trade-off versus MotherDuck is workload scope; ClickHouse handles real-time analytics at higher volume than MotherDuck. For teams wanting OSS columnar with cheap managed cloud, ClickHouse Cloud is the right call.

Pros

  • Apache 2.0 OSS self-host eliminates licensing cost entirely on customer infrastructure
  • Development at twenty-one cents per compute-unit-hour with auto-pause for variable workloads
  • Excellent for real-time analytics including CDN logs, ad tech, observability
  • Production at seventy-one cents per compute-unit-hour with multi-region replication
  • BYOC option on Enterprise tier for data sovereignty requirements

Cons

  • Smaller mainstream brand recognition than BigQuery or Snowflake
  • Steep learning curve for ClickHouse-specific SQL dialect
Trial $300/30dDev $0.21/CU-hrSelf-host free$300 free credits over 30 days; cancel-anytime

Best for: Teams wanting open-source columnar with cheap managed cloud or self-hosted for cost optimization on real-time analytics.

Compliance & residency
9
Query performance
10
Setup complexity
7
Value
10
Support
8
Try ClickHouse Cloud
#4

Firebolt

8.3/10

Best cheap sub-second analytics, aggregating indexes for ecommerce

Try FireboltSee Firebolt alternatives

Sub-second analytics with aggregating indexes for ecommerce and BI dashboards.

PlanMonthlyWhat you get
Free trialFree$200 free credits with full feature access for evaluation.
Small engineFree$0.50 per engine hour for sub-second analytics with aggregating indexes.
Medium engineFree$2.00 per engine hour with higher concurrency for production analytics.
EnterpriseCustomCustom pricing with single-tenant deployments and dedicated support.

Firebolt is the cheap sub-second analytics DW pick and the right call for ecommerce teams running customer-facing analytics. Founded 2019 in Israel. The wedge for cheap readers in the customer-facing analytics lane: aggregating indexes pre-compute common query patterns to deliver sub-second query latency on cost-efficient compute, the only catalog cheap pick designed for customer-facing analytics where query latency directly impacts conversion.

Free trial ships two hundred dollars credits with full feature access. Small engine at fifty cents per engine hour with multi-cluster scaling covers variable customer-facing analytics. Medium engine at two dollars per engine hour with higher concurrency covers production volumes. Enterprise ships custom pricing with single-tenant deployments. Most ecommerce-analytics teams land on Small for entry workloads.

The trade-off versus BigQuery is workload focus; Firebolt targets customer-facing sub-second while BigQuery targets batch analytics. The trade-off versus MotherDuck is workload scale; Firebolt scales further than MotherDuck on real-time queries. For ecommerce teams running customer-facing analytics, Firebolt is the right call.

Pros

  • Sub-second query latency for customer-facing analytics on ecommerce dashboards
  • Aggregating indexes pre-compute common query patterns to reduce compute time
  • Small engine at fifty cents per engine hour with multi-cluster scaling
  • Free trial covers two hundred dollars credits with full feature access
  • Single-tenant Enterprise deployments for compliance-strict ecommerce platforms

Cons

  • Narrow use case beyond customer-facing analytics for ecommerce or BI
  • Smaller mainstream brand recognition than BigQuery or Snowflake
Trial $200Small $0.50/engine-hrMedium $2/engine-hr$200 free credits with full feature access

Best for: Ecommerce teams running customer-facing analytics where sub-second query latency directly impacts conversion.

Compliance & residency
8
Query performance
10
Setup complexity
7
Value
8
Support
8
Try Firebolt
#5

MotherDuck

4.6/10$156/yr more

Best cheap DuckDB-hybrid, predictable per-user pricing

Try MotherDuckSee MotherDuck alternatives

DuckDB-native hybrid local plus cloud execution for analytics teams.

PlanMonthlyAnnualWhat you get
FreeFree—10 GB storage and 10 compute hours monthly for single-user testing.
Standard$25.00/mo$300.00/yr$25 per user with 100 GB storage and shared databases for team collaboration.
BusinessFree$0.00/yrCustom pricing with higher compute, SSO, RBAC, and priority support.
EnterpriseCustomCustomCustom pricing with on-prem hybrid deployment and dedicated CSM.

MotherDuck is the cheap DuckDB-hybrid pick and the right call for analytics teams of one to fifty users. Founded 2022 by ex-Google and ex-Snowflake engineers. The wedge for cheap readers: per-user pricing at twenty-five dollars per user monthly is the only fixed-cost option in cloud DW dominated by usage-based variance, and DuckDB-native hybrid execution combines local query speed with cloud sync for predictable analytics costs.

Free covers ten gigabytes storage plus ten compute hours monthly. Standard at twenty-five dollars per user monthly with one hundred gigabytes storage plus shared databases. Business adds SAML SSO plus RBAC. Most analytics-team startups land on Free for solo or Standard for teams under fifty users.

The trade-off versus BigQuery is workload scope; MotherDuck targets analytics teams under one terabyte while BigQuery handles production pipelines. The trade-off versus Redshift is cloud-native integration; MotherDuck is platform-agnostic. For analytics teams wanting predictable per-user cost, MotherDuck is the right call.

Pros

  • Only fixed per-user pricing in cloud DW lineup at twenty-five dollars per user monthly
  • DuckDB-native hybrid local plus cloud execution for ad-hoc analytics
  • Free tier with ten gigabytes storage and ten compute hours monthly
  • Excellent for ad-hoc analytics on small-to-mid datasets under one terabyte
  • Predictable monthly cost eliminates usage-based pricing surprise risk

Cons

  • Built for analytics teams of one to fifty users, not terabyte-scale pipelines
  • Smaller ecosystem than BigQuery or Snowflake for tooling integrations
Free 10 GBStandard $25/userBusiness customFree tier permanent; cancel-anytime on Standard

Best for: Analytics teams of one to fifty users who want predictable per-user pricing and DuckDB-native hybrid execution.

Compliance & residency
8
Query performance
9
Setup complexity
9
Value
10
Support
7
Try MotherDuck

How we picked

Each pick gets a transparent composite score from price, features, free-tier availability, and editor fit. Pricing flows from our live database, so when a vendor changes prices the score updates here too.

We weight price at 40 percent, features at 30, free tier at 15, fit at 15. BigQuery leads because the one terabyte free monthly tier with serverless query-billed pricing matches startup launch shape. See the parent /best/data-warehouse guide for enterprise-scale picks excluded from this lens.

We don't claim "30,000 hours of testing." Our methodology is the formula above plus the editor's published verdict for each pick. Verifiable, auditable, and updated when the underlying data changes.

Why trust Subrupt

We're a subscription tracker first, a buying guide second. Every claim on this page is something you can check.

By use case

Best cheap serverless query-billed

Google BigQuery

Read the full review →

Try Google BigQuery

Best cheap AWS-native serverless

Amazon Redshift

Read the full review →

Try Amazon Redshift

Best cheap OSS columnar

ClickHouse Cloud

Read the full review →

Try ClickHouse Cloud

Best cheap DuckDB hybrid

Firebolt

Read the full review →

Try Firebolt

How to choose your Cheap Data Warehouse

Free tier ceilings vary across the cheap data warehouse lineup

The five catalog cheap picks differ on free-tier shape. BigQuery Free is most generous on raw query volume with one terabyte monthly query scan plus ten gigabytes storage permanently. Redshift Free Trial covers seven hundred fifty hours monthly for two months only. MotherDuck Free covers ten gigabytes storage plus ten compute hours monthly permanently with per-user upgrade. ClickHouse Cloud Free Trial covers three hundred dollars credits over thirty days. Firebolt Free Trial covers two hundred dollars credits with full feature access. The decision pivots on whether the workload fits within the permanent free ceiling (BigQuery, MotherDuck) or needs trial-only evaluation (Redshift, ClickHouse, Firebolt).

Pricing models vary across cheap DW alternatives

Cloud DW pricing models split into three shapes that drive cost economics. Query-billed (BigQuery on-demand) charges per terabyte scanned, optimal for variable workloads where idle time dominates. Slot-hour or RPU-hour-billed (BigQuery Editions, Redshift Serverless) charges per compute time at fixed rate, optimal for predictable production. Per-user-billed (MotherDuck Standard) charges per user monthly, optimal for analytics teams with predictable user counts. Per-engine-hour-billed (Firebolt) charges per running engine hour, optimal for customer-facing workloads with sustained traffic. The decision pivots on which billing model matches workload pattern more than per-unit price.

When does MotherDuck per-user pricing beat usage-based?

MotherDuck per-user pricing at twenty-five dollars per user monthly beats usage-based competitors when the team has stable headcount and predictable analytics workloads under one terabyte. A team of five analysts pays one hundred twenty-five dollars monthly on MotherDuck regardless of query volume; on BigQuery the same team might pay fifty to five hundred dollars depending on query volume variability. The decision pivots on whether the team's analytics is read-heavy bursty (MotherDuck wins) or steady throughput (BigQuery or Redshift wins). Analytics teams under fifty users with predictable headcount often save twenty to fifty percent on MotherDuck versus BigQuery pay-per-scan.

Cost surprise prevention for cheap DW

Pay-per-query pricing models can surprise teams when SQL queries scan unintended data. Three approaches reduce cost surprise risk. First, set query cost controls; BigQuery supports query-level cost limits, ClickHouse supports query-level resource limits. Second, use materialized views or aggregating indexes to pre-compute common queries and avoid full-table scans on every query. Third, partition tables by date and use partition pruning in WHERE clauses; this dramatically reduces scanned data. For cost-conscious startups, BigQuery's billing alerts plus query-level cost limits provide the strongest cost-surprise protection in the cheap-DW lineup.

When to upgrade past cheap to enterprise (cross-link to parent)

Cheap DW paths cover most startup and SMB workloads but each pick has a clear upgrade trigger. BigQuery Free outgrows past one terabyte monthly query scan; On-demand or Editions is the upgrade. Redshift Free Trial expires after two months; Serverless or Provisioned is the upgrade. MotherDuck Free outgrows past ten gigabytes storage; Standard at twenty-five dollars per user monthly is the upgrade. ClickHouse Cloud trial expires; Development or self-host is the upgrade. Firebolt trial expires; Small engine is the upgrade. At any of those triggers, see [our /best/data-warehouse guide](/best/data-warehouse) for the broader paid lineup including enterprise-scale Snowflake and Databricks SQL lakehouse.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest data warehouse for a startup?

BigQuery Free at one terabyte monthly query scan plus ten gigabytes storage is the absolute cheapest for most startup workloads with permanent free tier and no time limit. MotherDuck Free at ten gigabytes storage plus ten compute hours monthly is similarly cheap for analytics teams under fifty users. ClickHouse self-host on Apache 2.0 has zero licensing cost on customer infrastructure but requires SRE capacity for operations.

Should I use BigQuery or Redshift for a cheap startup data warehouse?

Depends on cloud provider. Startups on Google Cloud lean BigQuery for the most generous free tier and serverless query-billed simplicity. Startups on AWS lean Redshift Serverless for native S3 and Glue integration without cross-cloud egress. Startups not yet locked to either cloud often pick BigQuery on the larger free tier and broader analytics ecosystem maturity.

Can MotherDuck handle production workloads?

Yes for production analytics workloads under one terabyte with predictable user counts. MotherDuck Standard at twenty-five dollars per user monthly handles ad-hoc analytics for teams of one to fifty users on small-to-mid datasets. Production pipelines processing terabytes daily exceed MotherDuck design parameters; teams at that scale upgrade to BigQuery or Redshift for managed-pipeline scale.

Does Subrupt earn a commission from these cheap picks?

On most. We disclose this on every /best page. Free tiers themselves have no transaction. Paid tiers on BigQuery, Redshift, MotherDuck, ClickHouse Cloud, and Firebolt have plans where we earn commission only on conversion. The composite ranking weights price at 40 percent, features at 30, free tier at 15, fit at 15; none tuned by affiliate rate.

Why is BigQuery ranked first over the cheaper MotherDuck?

BigQuery wins on free-tier generosity for startup launch shape because one terabyte monthly query scan covers most production analytics within the free ceiling. MotherDuck Free is more restrictive at ten gigabytes storage and ten compute hours monthly. The decision pivots on workload shape; analytics teams of one to fifty users with predictable headcount often save on MotherDuck Standard, but startups with one engineer or analyst lean BigQuery on the larger free tier.

Is the migration from one cheap DW to another painful?

SQL dialect differences plus operational model adjustment are the main migration pains. BigQuery, Redshift, and Snowflake share most SQL syntax but differ on functions, date handling, and JSON operations. ClickHouse uses its own dialect with steeper learning curve. MotherDuck uses DuckDB SQL which is PostgreSQL-compatible. Plan for a 30 to 60 day overlap period running both vendors during migration. Most startup teams complete migration within four to eight weeks.

How do I prevent cost surprise on BigQuery on-demand?

Three approaches reduce cost surprise risk. First, set query-level cost limits with maximum bytes billed per query. Second, use partition pruning in WHERE clauses on date-partitioned tables to avoid full-table scans. Third, configure project-level billing alerts to fire at 50 and 80 percent of expected monthly volume. Most BigQuery cost surprises come from accidental full-table scans on poorly-partitioned tables.

What about DuckDB OSS vs MotherDuck cloud?

DuckDB OSS under MIT license is free embedded execution within applications for single-user analytics workloads. MotherDuck adds cloud sync, shared databases, multi-user collaboration on top of DuckDB. The decision pivots on whether the team needs cloud collaboration. Solo analysts on DuckDB OSS save the per-user fee. Analytics teams of two-plus users benefit from MotherDuck Standard cloud collaboration.

EU data residency: which cheap picks store data in the EU?

BigQuery ships EU regions on multi-region or single-region deployments. Redshift ships EU regions including Frankfurt and Ireland. MotherDuck ships EU regions on Standard and above. ClickHouse Cloud ships EU regions. Firebolt ships EU regions on paid tiers. All five cheap alternatives support EU residency on their respective tiers.

How often is this guide updated?

We re-review pricing and features annually at minimum, with mid-year refreshes when major vendor announcements happen. BigQuery added Editions Standard and Enterprise tiers in 2023. Redshift added Serverless mode in 2022. MotherDuck repriced in 2026. ClickHouse Cloud launched 2022. Firebolt added aggregating indexes in 2022. The lastReviewed date reflects the most recent editorial pass.

Subrupt Editorial

The team behind subrupt.com. We track subscriptions, surface cheaper alternatives, and publish buying guides where the score formula is on the page so you can recompute it yourself. We do not claim 30,000 hours of testing. What we claim is live pricing from our database, a transparent composite score, and honest savings math against a category baseline.

Last reviewed

Citations

Affiliate disclosure: Subrupt earns a commission when you switch to a service through our recommendation links. This never changes the price you pay. We only recommend services where there's a real cost or feature advantage for you, and our picks are based on the data on this page, not on which programs pay the most.

Related buying guides

Buying guide

Best Threat Intelligence Platforms of 2026

Read guide

Buying guide

Best VPNs of 2026

Read guide

Buying guide

Best Free VPNs of 2026

Read guide

Track your subscriptions on Subrupt

Add the Cheap Data Warehouse you pay for and see how much you'd save by switching.

Open dashboard

More buying guides

Independent rankings for the subscriptions worth paying for.

See all guides