Softwr

Business Intelligence · head to head

Amazon QuickSight vs DynamoDB

Amazon QuickSight logo

Amazon QuickSight

Business Intelligence

Scalable, serverless BI by AWS

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

DynamoDB

Database & Data Management

Fast, flexible NoSQL database service for any scale

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon QuickSight reader and Reader Pro roles charged separately at $3 and $20/month; DynamoDB noSQL-only; does not support complex relational queries or SQL joins
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine, DynamoDB covers Single-digit Millisecond Latency.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Amazon QuickSight and DynamoDB differ
AttributeAmazon QuickSightDynamoDB
Starting price$3/month per userOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDatabase & Data Management

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (AWS), user rating (Not yet rated), founded (2006).

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 DynamoDB

  • Single-digit Millisecond Latency
  • Serverless
  • Auto-scaling
  • Global Tables
  • Point-in-time Recovery
  • Encryption
  • Streams
  • Lambda

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Amazon QuickSight

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

DynamoDB

  • High-scale, variable-workload applicationsnot Amazon QuickSight
  • Mobile and IoT device backendsnot Amazon QuickSight
  • Real-time analytics and dashboardsnot Amazon QuickSight
  • Multi-region, globally distributed applicationsnot 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

DynamoDB

  • NoSQL-only; does not support complex relational queries or SQL joins
  • Limited query flexibility; requires thinking in terms of keys and indexes rather than ad-hoc queries

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon QuickSight

$3/month per user

No published plan breakdown. See the Amazon QuickSight review.

DynamoDB

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the DynamoDB 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 DynamoDB if

  • You need single-digit millisecond latency.
  • You work on AWS.
  • You also want serverless.
DynamoDB review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon QuickSight or DynamoDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon QuickSight starts at $3/month per user and DynamoDB at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon QuickSight or DynamoDB?
Amazon QuickSight starts at $3/month per user and DynamoDB at On request.
Does Amazon QuickSight or DynamoDB run on more platforms?
Both run on AWS, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 DynamoDB is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon QuickSight do that DynamoDB cannot?
Amazon QuickSight covers SPICE In-memory Engine, ML Insights, Natural Language Queries, Embedded Analytics. DynamoDB covers Single-digit Millisecond Latency, Serverless, Auto-scaling, Global Tables. Both handle Web support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Amazon QuickSight

More on DynamoDB

Keep looking

Other head to heads