Machine Learning · head to head
Alteryx vs BigQuery ML
The short version
- Only BigQuery ML has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Alteryx starter is $250 per user per month billed annually, and the Professional and Enterprise editions are quote-only; BigQuery ML not available in BigQuery's Standard edition, so the cheapest tier cannot use it
- They diverge on capability: Alteryx covers Data preparation, BigQuery ML covers SQL-based ML.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Alteryx and BigQuery ML actually diverge.
| Attribute | Alteryx | BigQuery ML |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $250/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | usage-based |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Windows, Web | Web |
| Founded | 1997 | 2008 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Machine Learning).
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 Alteryx
- Data preparation
- Data blending
- Predictive analytics
- Spatial analytics
- Reporting
- Python
- R
- Snowflake
Only in BigQuery ML
- SQL-based ML
- AutoML Tables
- Model export
- Prediction functions
- Feature preprocessing
- BigQuery
- Vertex AI
- TensorFlow
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Alteryx
- Data preparation and building AI-ready datasetsnot BigQuery ML
- Predictive analytics without writing codenot BigQuery ML
- Automating and orchestrating repeatable analytics workflowsnot BigQuery ML
- Enterprise reporting with governed, reusable logicnot BigQuery ML
- Connecting to Snowflake, Databricks and cloud warehouses alongside on-premises systemsnot BigQuery ML
BigQuery ML
- Training models in SQL without exporting datanot Alteryx
- Linear and logistic regression on warehouse datanot Alteryx
- K-means clustering and matrix factorisation for recommendationsnot Alteryx
- Time series forecasting with ARIMA_PLUSnot Alteryx
- Running imported ONNX, TensorFlow or XGBoost models against BigQuery datanot Alteryx
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Alteryx
- Starter is $250 per user per month billed annually, and the Professional and Enterprise editions are quote-only
- Automation runs are metered, with 50 included on Starter and 15,000 on Professional, and more must be bought
- Cost depends on three separate dimensions at once: edition, user role and automation capacity
- Advanced analytics, governance and orchestration are withheld from the entry edition
BigQuery ML
- Not available in BigQuery's Standard edition, so the cheapest tier cannot use it
- Billed through BigQuery compute and storage rather than as its own product, so training cost tracks data scanned
- Remote models incur extra Agent Platform charges on top
- Externally trained model types such as boosted trees and AutoML run through Agent Platform rather than inside BigQuery
Pricing, plan by plan
Alteryx
$250/month- Starter Edition$250/month
- 1-10 users
- 50 automation runs included
- Cloud only
- Professional Edition$null/month
- Basic and Full users
- 15,000 automation runs included
- Cloud and desktop deployment
- Enterprise Edition$null/month
- All user types
- 15,000 automation runs included
- All deployment options
BigQuery ML
Free- Free TierFree
- 10GB storage
- 1TB queries
- On-Demand$5/TB
- Pay per TB scanned
- ML training costs
Which should you pick?
Choose Alteryx if
- You need data preparation.
- You work on Windows, Web.
- You also want data blending.
Choose BigQuery ML if
- You need sql-based ml.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want automl tables.
Questions people ask
- Is Alteryx or BigQuery ML better?
- Neither clearly leads. Alteryx starts at $250/month and BigQuery ML at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Alteryx or BigQuery ML?
- BigQuery ML has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $250/month for Alteryx and Free for BigQuery ML.
- Does Alteryx or BigQuery ML run on more platforms?
- Alteryx runs on Windows, Web. BigQuery ML runs on Web.
- Can I use BigQuery ML for free?
- Yes. BigQuery ML has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Alteryx starts at $250/month.
- What is Alteryx best used for?
- Alteryx is most often used for data preparation and building ai-ready datasets, predictive analytics without writing code, automating and orchestrating repeatable analytics workflows, enterprise reporting with governed, reusable logic. Of those, data preparation and building ai-ready datasets and predictive analytics without writing code are not what BigQuery ML is typically brought in for.
- What can Alteryx do that BigQuery ML cannot?
- Alteryx covers Data preparation, Data blending, Predictive analytics, Spatial analytics. BigQuery ML covers SQL-based ML, AutoML Tables, Model export, Prediction functions. Both handle Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Alteryx: How much does Alteryx Starter cost?
Alteryx Starter Edition costs $250 USD per user per month when billed annually, for teams of 1-10 users.
SourceBigQuery ML: How much does Google Cloud BigQuery ML cost?
BigQuery ML pricing is not specified separately on Google Cloud's pricing page. It follows the same pay-as-you-go model as BigQuery, charging per terabyte of data scanned during analysis. Customers receive $300 in free credits and can use 20+ products free up to monthly limits.
SourceAlteryx: Is there a free trial for Alteryx?
Yes, Alteryx offers a 30-day free trial to evaluate the platform before committing to a paid plan.
SourceBigQuery ML: Does Google Cloud offer a free trial?
Yes, new customers get $300 in free credits and all customers can use 20+ Google Cloud products free up to their monthly usage limits.
SourceAlteryx: What differentiates Alteryx Professional from Starter?
Professional Edition supports both Basic and Full user roles, includes 15,000 automation runs, offers cloud and desktop deployment, connects to 100+ data sources, and enables advanced data preparation and macros. Professional and Enterprise editions require contacting sales for pricing.
SourceRelated pages
More on BigQuery ML
Other head to heads
- Alteryx vs Palantir Foundry
- Alteryx vs Azure Machine Learning
- Alteryx vs DataRobot
- Alteryx vs Google Vertex AI
- Alteryx vs AWS SageMaker
- Alteryx vs IBM SPSS
- Alteryx vs RapidMiner
- Alteryx vs SAS
- Alteryx vs Snowflake
- Alteryx vs KNIME
- Alteryx vs Databricks
- Alteryx vs Dataiku
- Alteryx vs LangChain
- Alteryx vs Pinecone
- Alteryx vs Python
- Alteryx vs PyTorch
- Alteryx vs scikit-learn
- Alteryx vs Weka
- Alteryx vs MATLAB
- Alteryx vs Apache Spark MLlib
- Alteryx vs Hugging Face
- Alteryx vs Kubeflow
- Alteryx vs Langwatch
- Alteryx vs LlamaIndex
- Alteryx vs Milvus
- Alteryx vs Neptune.ai
- Alteryx vs Amazon Redshift ML
- BigQuery ML vs Palantir Foundry
- BigQuery ML vs Azure Machine Learning
- BigQuery ML vs DataRobot
- BigQuery ML vs Google Vertex AI
- BigQuery ML vs AWS SageMaker
- BigQuery ML vs IBM SPSS
- BigQuery ML vs RapidMiner
- BigQuery ML vs SAS
- BigQuery ML vs Snowflake
- BigQuery ML vs KNIME
- BigQuery ML vs Databricks
- BigQuery ML vs Dataiku
- BigQuery ML vs LangChain
- BigQuery ML vs Pinecone
- BigQuery ML vs Python
- BigQuery ML vs PyTorch
- BigQuery ML vs scikit-learn
- BigQuery ML vs Weka
- BigQuery ML vs MATLAB
- BigQuery ML vs Apache Spark MLlib
- BigQuery ML vs Hugging Face
- BigQuery ML vs Kubeflow
- BigQuery ML vs Langwatch
- BigQuery ML vs LlamaIndex
- BigQuery ML vs Milvus
- BigQuery ML vs Neptune.ai
- BigQuery ML vs Amazon Redshift ML