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Business Intelligence · head to head

Amazon QuickSight vs DuckDB

Amazon QuickSight logo

Amazon QuickSight

Business Intelligence

Scalable, serverless BI by AWS

From
$3/month per user
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
DuckDB logo

DuckDB

Database & Data Management

Fast in-process analytical database

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only DuckDB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Amazon QuickSight reader and Reader Pro roles charged separately at $3 and $20/month; DuckDB client-server setup remains in beta and not recommended for production distributed scenarios
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine, DuckDB covers In-process Execution.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon QuickSight and DuckDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon QuickSight and DuckDB differ
AttributeAmazon QuickSightDuckDB
Starting price$3/month per userFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsAWSLinux, macOS, Windows, WebAssembly
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDatabase & Data Management
Founded20062019

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Amazon QuickSight

  • SPICE In-memory Engine
  • ML Insights
  • Natural Language Queries
  • Embedded Analytics
  • Pay-per-session
  • Redshift
  • S3
  • Athena

Only in DuckDB

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

What people use each for

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

Amazon QuickSight

  • Business intelligence dashboards and analyticsnot DuckDB
  • Scalable embedded analytics for applicationsnot DuckDB

DuckDB

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

Where each one falls short

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

Amazon QuickSight

  • Reader and Reader Pro roles charged separately at $3 and $20/month
  • Author and Author Pro roles charged at $24 and $40/month
  • $250/month infrastructure fee required if Pro users or Q&A enabled
  • SPICE storage charged at $0.38/GB monthly (10 GB included)
  • Pixel-perfect reports start at $500/month for 500 monthly units
  • Alerts charged at $0.05-$0.50 per 1,000 metrics evaluated

DuckDB

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon QuickSight

$3/month per user

No published plan breakdown. See the Amazon QuickSight review.

DuckDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the DuckDB review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon QuickSight if

  • You need spice in-memory engine.
  • You work on AWS.
  • You also want ml insights.
Amazon QuickSight 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 Amazon QuickSight or DuckDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon QuickSight starts at $3/month per user and DuckDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon QuickSight or DuckDB?
DuckDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3/month per user for Amazon QuickSight and Free for DuckDB.
Does Amazon QuickSight or DuckDB run on more platforms?
Amazon QuickSight runs on AWS. DuckDB runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, WebAssembly.
Can I use DuckDB for free?
Yes. DuckDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Amazon QuickSight starts at $3/month per user.
What is Amazon QuickSight best used for?
Amazon QuickSight is most often used for business intelligence dashboards and analytics, scalable embedded analytics for applications. Of those, business intelligence dashboards and analytics and scalable embedded analytics for applications are not what DuckDB is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon QuickSight do that DuckDB cannot?
Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine, ML Insights, Natural Language Queries, Embedded Analytics. DuckDB covers In-process Execution, Columnar Storage, Vectorized Execution, Rich SQL Support.
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