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Databases · head to head

Amazon Redshift vs Apache Superset

Amazon Redshift logo

Amazon Redshift

Databases

Fast, scalable cloud data warehouse from AWS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apache Superset logo

Apache Superset

Spreadsheets

Modern data exploration and visualization platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Redshift on-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery; Apache Superset no commercial pricing; open-source project
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Apache Superset covers 40+ Visualizations.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Redshift and Apache Superset actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Redshift and Apache Superset differ
AttributeAmazon RedshiftApache Superset
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
PlatformsWebWeb, Self-hosted, Docker
CategoryDatabasesSpreadsheets
Founded20121999

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Redshift

  • Columnar Storage
  • Massively Parallel
  • Machine Learning
  • AQUA Acceleration
  • Data Sharing
  • Federated Query
  • Concurrency Scaling
  • S3

Only in Apache Superset

  • 40+ Visualizations
  • SQL IDE
  • Semantic Layer
  • Caching
  • Security
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • Presto

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Amazon Redshift

  • Business intelligencenot Apache Superset
  • Data warehousingnot Apache Superset
  • Real-time analyticsnot Apache Superset
  • Reportingnot Apache Superset
  • Machine learningnot Apache Superset

Apache Superset

  • Self-service analyticsnot Amazon Redshift
  • Data explorationnot Amazon Redshift
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Amazon Redshift
  • Collaborative analysisnot Amazon Redshift
  • Embedded analyticsnot Amazon Redshift

Where each one falls short

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

Amazon Redshift

  • On-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery
  • Requires significant manual tuning including managing concurrency scaling costs and configuring Workload Management queues
  • Performance degrades without proper design of distribution keys and sort keys
  • Limited elastic resize options - can only halve or double current cluster size
  • AWS lock-in makes it unsuitable for multi-cloud architectures

Apache Superset

  • No commercial pricing; open-source project
  • Commercial hosting available via Preset.io (separate vendor)

Pricing, plan by plan

Amazon Redshift

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • 750 DC2.Large hours
    • 2 months free
    • Full features
  • On-Demand$0.25/hour
    • Pay per node hour
    • All features
    • Standard support

Apache Superset

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full Features
    • Self-hosted
    • Community Support

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Redshift if

  • You need columnar storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want massively parallel.
Amazon Redshift review

Choose Apache Superset if

  • You need 40+ visualizations.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Docker.
  • You also want sql ide.
Apache Superset review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Redshift or Apache Superset better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Redshift starts at Free and Apache Superset at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Redshift or Apache Superset?
Amazon Redshift starts at Free and Apache Superset at Free.
Does Amazon Redshift or Apache Superset run on more platforms?
Amazon Redshift runs on Web. Apache Superset runs on Web, Self-hosted, Docker.
Can I use Amazon Redshift for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amazon Redshift best used for?
Amazon Redshift is most often used for business intelligence, data warehousing, real-time analytics, reporting. Of those, business intelligence and data warehousing are not what Apache Superset is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Redshift do that Apache Superset cannot?
Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Massively Parallel, Machine Learning, AQUA Acceleration. Apache Superset covers 40+ Visualizations, SQL IDE, Semantic Layer, Caching. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon Redshift: What deployment options does Amazon Redshift offer?

Redshift offers Provisioned Cluster (with RA3 or DC2 nodes) and Serverless options to match varying workloads. The new Redshift RG instance family, powered by Graviton, delivers 2.4x faster performance than RA3 at 30% lower cost per vCPU.

Source
Apache Superset: What does Apache Superset cost?

Apache Superset is open-source software available free under the Apache 2.0 license. There are no licensing costs, subscription fees, or per-seat charges for using Superset itself.

Source
Amazon Redshift: What does Amazon Redshift cost?

Provisioned cluster pricing: RA3 on-demand starts at $1.086/hour for ra3.xlplus. Serverless costs approximately $0.375 per RPU-hour with 4-RPU minimum (roughly $1.50/hour active workload). Managed storage costs $0.024/GB-month.

Source
Apache Superset: Is there a paid version of Apache Superset?

Apache Superset itself is free and open-source. Preset.io offers commercial Superset hosting with premium support, but this is a separate vendor service, not an official paid tier of Superset.

Source
Amazon Redshift: Does Redshift work with data lakes?

Yes, Redshift's integrated data lake query engine processes workloads on Apache Iceberg tables and other supported formats in Amazon S3, allowing you to run SQL analytics across your data warehouse and data lake from the same engine.

Source
Amazon Redshift: Is there a free tier for Amazon Redshift?

AWS offers a free trial with $300 USD in Serverless credits valid for 90 days, but Redshift is not part of the permanent AWS Free Tier.

Source
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