Softwr

Databases · head to head

Amazon Redshift vs Enphase Enlighten

Amazon Redshift logo

Amazon Redshift

Databases

Fast, scalable cloud data warehouse from AWS

From
Free
Rated
-
E

Enphase Enlighten

Energy

Microinverter monitoring and management platform

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Redshift on-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery; Enphase Enlighten only works with Enphase microinverter systems, not compatible with other solar equipment
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Enphase Enlighten covers Real-time monitoring.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Redshift and Enphase Enlighten actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Redshift and Enphase Enlighten differ
AttributeAmazon RedshiftEnphase Enlighten
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryDatabasesEnergy
Founded20122006

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 Enphase Enlighten

  • Real-time monitoring
  • Per-module performance
  • Alert notifications
  • Mobile app
  • API access
  • SunPower
  • Tesla
  • SSL encryption

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Amazon Redshift

  • Business intelligencenot Enphase Enlighten
  • Data warehousingnot Enphase Enlighten
  • Real-time analyticsnot Enphase Enlighten
  • Reportingnot Enphase Enlighten
  • Machine learningnot Enphase Enlighten

Enphase Enlighten

  • System monitoringnot Amazon Redshift
  • Performance optimizationnot 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

Enphase Enlighten

  • Only works with Enphase microinverter systems, not compatible with other solar equipment
  • Requires 10-year paid subscription after initial free period for core monitoring
  • Cloud-based system requiring internet connection for real-time data access

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

Enphase Enlighten

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Enphase Enlighten review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Redshift if

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

Choose Enphase Enlighten if

  • You need real-time monitoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want per-module performance.

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Redshift or Enphase Enlighten better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Redshift starts at Free and Enphase Enlighten at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Redshift or Enphase Enlighten?
Amazon Redshift starts at Free and Enphase Enlighten at Free.
Does Amazon Redshift or Enphase Enlighten run on more platforms?
Amazon Redshift runs on Web. Enphase Enlighten runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 Enphase Enlighten is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Redshift do that Enphase Enlighten cannot?
Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Massively Parallel, Machine Learning, AQUA Acceleration. Enphase Enlighten covers Real-time monitoring, Per-module performance, Alert notifications, Mobile app. 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
Enphase Enlighten: Is Enphase Enlighten free to use?

The standard Enlighten app comes included with any Enphase microinverter system at no extra charge for the first 10 years from installation, after which it costs $49/year minimum.

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
Enphase Enlighten: What is the cost for Enlighten Manager premium upgrade?

Enlighten Manager upgrade costs $9.99/month with month-to-month cancellation, or a one-time lifetime subscription is available through the Enphase store.

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
Enphase Enlighten: What data does Enlighten monitor?

Enlighten pulls data from IQ Microinverters, the IQ Gateway, IQ Batteries, and Enphase EV chargers into a single monitoring view, showing near real-time panel-by-panel performance data.

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
Enphase Enlighten: Does Enlighten send alerts for system issues?

Yes, Enlighten continuously monitors system performance and highlights deviations, with customers able to choose to receive alerts upon certain conditions.

Source
Share

Related pages

Other head to heads