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Alibaba Cloud vs DuckDB

Alibaba Cloud logo

Alibaba Cloud

Software

Asia's leading cloud computing provider

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
DuckDB logo

DuckDB

Software

Fast in-process analytical database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Alibaba Cloud technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included; DuckDB client-server setup remains in beta and not recommended for production distributed scenarios
  • They diverge on capability: Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, DuckDB covers In-process Execution.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alibaba Cloud and DuckDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Alibaba Cloud and DuckDB differ
AttributeAlibaba CloudDuckDB
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Api, CliLinux, macOS, Windows, WebAssembly
Founded20092019

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Alibaba Cloud

  • Elastic Compute Service
  • Object Storage Service
  • RDS Database
  • MaxCompute
  • Function Compute
  • CDN
  • Load Balancer
  • API Gateway

Only in DuckDB

  • In-process Execution
  • Columnar Storage
  • Vectorized Execution
  • Rich SQL Support
  • Parquet Support
  • CSV/JSON Import
  • Zero Dependencies
  • Python

Both cover

  • Linux support
  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Alibaba Cloud

  • Cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in China and Asia Pacificnot DuckDB
  • Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot DuckDB
  • Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot DuckDB
  • CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot DuckDB

DuckDB

  • Analytics and data warehousingnot Alibaba Cloud
  • OLAP queries and data explorationnot Alibaba Cloud
  • Data science and machine learning workflowsnot Alibaba Cloud
  • Multi-format data ingestion and processingnot Alibaba Cloud

Where each one falls short

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

Alibaba Cloud

  • Technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included
  • Service prices are not shown as a rate card and route through a calculator or sales
  • Committed discounts require savings plans, reserved instances or capacity packages rather than being automatic

DuckDB

  • Client-server setup remains in beta and not recommended for production distributed scenarios

Pricing, plan by plan

Alibaba Cloud

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Free tier credits
    • ECS instances
    • Cloud storage
  • Pay-as-You-GoFree
    • Flexible billing
    • No commitments
    • Global reach

DuckDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the DuckDB review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Alibaba Cloud if

  • You need elastic compute service.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
  • You also want object storage service.
Alibaba Cloud review

Choose DuckDB if

  • You need in-process execution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, WebAssembly.
  • You also want columnar storage.
DuckDB review

Questions people ask

Is Alibaba Cloud or DuckDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and DuckDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alibaba Cloud or DuckDB?
Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and DuckDB at Free.
Does Alibaba Cloud or DuckDB run on more platforms?
Alibaba Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. DuckDB runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, WebAssembly.
Can I use Alibaba Cloud for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Alibaba Cloud best used for?
Alibaba Cloud is most often used for cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific, pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment, committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloads, cdn and data transfer packages for content delivery. Of those, cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific and pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment are not what DuckDB is typically brought in for.
What can Alibaba Cloud do that DuckDB cannot?
Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. DuckDB covers In-process Execution, Columnar Storage, Vectorized Execution, Rich SQL Support. Both handle Linux support, Windows support.
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