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Alteryx vs Databricks

Alteryx logo

Alteryx

Software

Analytics automation platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Databricks logo

Databricks

Software

Unified analytics platform for data engineering and data science

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Alteryx starter is $250 per user per month billed annually, and the Professional and Enterprise editions are quote-only; Databricks cloud compute is billed separately by the cloud provider on top of Databricks DBU charges
  • They diverge on capability: Alteryx covers Data preparation, Databricks covers Delta Lake.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alteryx and Databricks actually diverge.

Attributes where Alteryx and Databricks differ
AttributeAlteryxDatabricks
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsWindows, WebWeb, Aws, Azure, Gcp
Founded19972013

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 Alteryx

  • Data preparation
  • Data blending
  • Predictive analytics
  • Spatial analytics
  • Reporting
  • Python
  • R
  • Snowflake

Only in Databricks

  • Delta Lake
  • Apache Spark
  • MLflow
  • Unity Catalog
  • Photon Engine
  • Collaborative Notebooks
  • Auto-scaling
  • Azure

Both cover

  • AWS
  • Tableau
  • 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 Databricks
  • Predictive analytics without writing codenot Databricks
  • Automating and orchestrating repeatable analytics workflowsnot Databricks
  • Enterprise reporting with governed, reusable logicnot Databricks
  • Connecting to Snowflake, Databricks and cloud warehouses alongside on-premises systemsnot Databricks

Databricks

  • Running Spark data engineering pipelines on managed clustersnot Alteryx
  • Building a lakehouse over data in cloud object storagenot Alteryx
  • Training and serving machine learning models alongside the 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

Databricks

  • Cloud compute is billed separately by the cloud provider on top of Databricks DBU charges
  • The free trial lasts 14 days
  • Discounts require a Committed Use Contract, with larger commitments needed for larger discounts
  • Azure Databricks pricing is set by Microsoft rather than by Databricks
  • Security and compliance capabilities are sold as separate platform add ons rather than included in the base rate

Pricing, plan by plan

Alteryx

Free
  • TrialFree
    • 14-day trial
    • Full features
  • Designer Desktop$5195/year
    • Data prep
    • Blending
    • Analytics

Databricks

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Limited cluster
    • Notebook environment
    • Community support
  • Standard$0.07/DBU
    • Jobs compute
    • SQL compute
    • Standard support

Which should you pick?

Choose Alteryx if

  • You need data preparation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want data blending.
Alteryx review

Choose Databricks if

  • You need delta lake.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Aws, Azure, Gcp.
  • You also want apache spark.
Databricks review

Questions people ask

Is Alteryx or Databricks better?
Neither clearly leads. Alteryx starts at Free and Databricks at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alteryx or Databricks?
Alteryx starts at Free and Databricks at Free.
Does Alteryx or Databricks run on more platforms?
Alteryx runs on Windows, Web. Databricks runs on Web, Aws, Azure, Gcp.
Can I use Alteryx for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Databricks is typically brought in for.
What can Alteryx do that Databricks cannot?
Alteryx covers Data preparation, Data blending, Predictive analytics, Spatial analytics. Databricks covers Delta Lake, Apache Spark, MLflow, Unity Catalog. Both handle AWS, Tableau, Web support.
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