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Databases · head to head

Aiven vs Amazon Redshift

Aiven logo

Aiven

Databases

Fully managed open source data infrastructure cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Amazon Redshift logo

Amazon Redshift

Databases

Fast, scalable cloud data warehouse from AWS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Aiven the free plan gives 1 VM with 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM and 1 GB storage, and cannot pick a specific cloud or region; Amazon Redshift on-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery
  • They diverge on capability: Aiven covers Multi-cloud Support, Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Aiven and Amazon Redshift actually diverge.

Attributes where Aiven and Amazon Redshift differ
AttributeAivenAmazon Redshift
PlatformsWeb, Aws, Azure, Gcp, DoWeb
Founded20162012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Databases).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Aiven

  • Multi-cloud Support
  • Automated Backups
  • Seamless Upgrades
  • VPC Peering
  • End-to-end Encryption
  • Compliance
  • Observability
  • PostgreSQL

Only in Amazon Redshift

  • Columnar Storage
  • Massively Parallel
  • Machine Learning
  • AQUA Acceleration
  • Data Sharing
  • Federated Query
  • Concurrency Scaling
  • S3

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Aws support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Aiven

  • Running managed open source databases without operating themnot Amazon Redshift
  • Multi-cloud deployment across AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, DigitalOcean, OVH and UpCloudnot Amazon Redshift
  • Highly available data services with automatic failovernot Amazon Redshift
  • Prototyping on a small free instance before scaling upnot Amazon Redshift

Amazon Redshift

  • Business intelligencenot Aiven
  • Data warehousingnot Aiven
  • Real-time analyticsnot Aiven
  • Reportingnot Aiven
  • Machine learningnot Aiven

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Aiven

  • The free plan gives 1 VM with 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM and 1 GB storage, and cannot pick a specific cloud or region
  • Free and Developer tiers have no integrations and no connection pooling
  • Connection pooling, database forks and dynamic disk sizing need the Business or Premium plan
  • A 99.99 percent uptime SLA starts at the Startup plan from $75 a month
  • High availability with automatic failover starts at Business from $180 a month

Amazon Redshift

  • On-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery
  • Requires significant manual tuning including managing concurrency scaling costs and configuring Workload Management queues
  • Performance degrades without proper design of distribution keys and sort keys
  • Limited elastic resize options - can only halve or double current cluster size
  • AWS lock-in makes it unsuitable for multi-cloud architectures

Pricing, plan by plan

Aiven

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • $300 credits
    • 30 day trial
    • All services
  • Startup$19/month
    • Single node
    • Basic support
    • Daily backups

Amazon Redshift

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • 750 DC2.Large hours
    • 2 months free
    • Full features
  • On-Demand$0.25/hour
    • Pay per node hour
    • All features
    • Standard support

Which should you pick?

Choose Aiven if

  • You need multi-cloud support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Aws, Azure, Gcp, Do.
  • You also want automated backups.
Aiven review

Choose Amazon Redshift if

  • You need columnar storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want massively parallel.
Amazon Redshift review

Questions people ask

Is Aiven or Amazon Redshift better?
Neither clearly leads. Aiven starts at Free and Amazon Redshift at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Aiven or Amazon Redshift?
Aiven starts at Free and Amazon Redshift at Free.
Does Aiven or Amazon Redshift run on more platforms?
Aiven runs on Web, Aws, Azure, Gcp, Do. Amazon Redshift runs on Web.
Can I use Aiven for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Aiven best used for?
Aiven is most often used for running managed open source databases without operating them, multi-cloud deployment across aws, google cloud, azure, digitalocean, ovh and upcloud, highly available data services with automatic failover, prototyping on a small free instance before scaling up. Of those, running managed open source databases without operating them and multi-cloud deployment across aws, google cloud, azure, digitalocean, ovh and upcloud are not what Amazon Redshift is typically brought in for.
What can Aiven do that Amazon Redshift cannot?
Aiven covers Multi-cloud Support, Automated Backups, Seamless Upgrades, VPC Peering. Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Massively Parallel, Machine Learning, AQUA Acceleration. Both handle Web support, Aws support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Aiven: What does Aiven's free tier include and does it have any time limit?

The free tier includes PostgreSQL with 1 VM, 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM, and 1 GB storage with access to limited cloud and region selections. There are no time limitations on the free tier, though Aiven reserves the right to shut down accounts that violate policies or remain unused for extended periods.

Source
Amazon Redshift: What deployment options does Amazon Redshift offer?

Redshift offers Provisioned Cluster (with RA3 or DC2 nodes) and Serverless options to match varying workloads. The new Redshift RG instance family, powered by Graviton, delivers 2.4x faster performance than RA3 at 30% lower cost per vCPU.

Source
Aiven: How is Aiven billed and what are the monthly costs for each tier?

Aiven bills services by the hour and invoices monthly, charging only for what you actually run. PostgreSQL pricing starts at 5 dollars per month for Developer, 12 dollars per month for Hobbyist, 75 dollars per month for Startup, 180 dollars per month for Business, and 270 dollars per month for Premium. All paid tiers offer hourly billing options as well.

Source
Amazon Redshift: What does Amazon Redshift cost?

Provisioned cluster pricing: RA3 on-demand starts at $1.086/hour for ra3.xlplus. Serverless costs approximately $0.375 per RPU-hour with 4-RPU minimum (roughly $1.50/hour active workload). Managed storage costs $0.024/GB-month.

Source
Aiven: What backup retention periods are included at different Aiven tiers?

Backup retention increases with tier level: Startup tier provides 2 days of backup retention, Business tier offers 14 days, and Premium tier includes 30 days. Point-in-time restore is available on all paid tiers.

Source
Amazon Redshift: Does Redshift work with data lakes?

Yes, Redshift's integrated data lake query engine processes workloads on Apache Iceberg tables and other supported formats in Amazon S3, allowing you to run SQL analytics across your data warehouse and data lake from the same engine.

Source
Aiven: Is high availability included in Aiven pricing or charged separately?

High availability, backups, and routine maintenance are all included in the tier costs with no separate charges. The Business tier includes 2 VMs with automatic failover, and Premium includes 3 VMs with a second standby node.

Source
Amazon Redshift: Is there a free tier for Amazon Redshift?

AWS offers a free trial with $300 USD in Serverless credits valid for 90 days, but Redshift is not part of the permanent AWS Free Tier.

Source
Aiven: Does Aiven offer a trial period to test premium features?

Aiven offers a 30-day free trial to access premium features beyond what the free plan provides.

Source
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