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Databases · head to head

Amazon Redshift vs Periscope Data

Amazon Redshift logo

Amazon Redshift

Databases

Fast, scalable cloud data warehouse from AWS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Periscope Data logo

Periscope Data

Business Intelligence

SQL and Python analytics platform

From
$1000/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Amazon Redshift has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Amazon Redshift on-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery; Periscope Data the periscopedata.com domain now redirects to sisense.com, so Periscope Data is no longer sold as a standalone product
  • They diverge on capability: Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Periscope Data covers SQL Editor.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Redshift and Periscope Data actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Redshift and Periscope Data differ
AttributeAmazon RedshiftPeriscope Data
Starting priceFree$1000/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Cloud
CategoryDatabasesBusiness Intelligence

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), founded (2012).

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 Periscope Data

  • SQL Editor
  • Python/R Integration
  • Version Control
  • Caching
  • Dashboards
  • Redshift
  • BigQuery
  • Snowflake

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Amazon Redshift

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

Periscope Data

  • SQL-based analytics and dashboards over a data warehousenot Amazon Redshift
  • Python and R analysis alongside SQL in one workflownot Amazon Redshift
  • Shared dashboards for data teamsnot 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

Periscope Data

  • The periscopedata.com domain now redirects to sisense.com, so Periscope Data is no longer sold as a standalone product
  • No Periscope Data pricing, plan or seat rate remains published at the original domain
  • Buyers must now purchase through Sisense, whose own pricing is not published as a rate card

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

Periscope Data

$1000/month
  • Team$1000/month
    • SQL Analytics
    • Python/R
    • Dashboards
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Advanced Features
    • Custom Integrations
    • Premium 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 Periscope Data if

  • You need sql editor.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want python/r integration.
Periscope Data review

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Redshift or Periscope Data better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Redshift starts at Free and Periscope Data at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Redshift or Periscope Data?
Amazon Redshift has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amazon Redshift and $1000/month for Periscope Data.
Does Amazon Redshift or Periscope Data run on more platforms?
Amazon Redshift runs on Web. Periscope Data runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use Amazon Redshift for free?
Yes. Amazon Redshift has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Periscope Data starts at $1000/month.
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 Periscope Data is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Redshift do that Periscope Data cannot?
Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Massively Parallel, Machine Learning, AQUA Acceleration. Periscope Data covers SQL Editor, Python/R Integration, Version Control, 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
Periscope Data: Does Sisense offer a free trial?

Yes. Sisense offers a free trial of their Self-Serve plan. You can try features like data warehouse connectivity, built-in AI for natural-language queries, auto-narratives, and customer assistant features.

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
Periscope Data: What is the difference between Sisense Self-Serve and Enterprise plans?

The Self-Serve plan is for startups and teams and includes basic connectivity and AI features with iframe embedding. The Enterprise plan is for regulated industries and includes multi-tenant architecture, HIPAA readiness, column-level security, single sign-on, on-premise deployment options, 99.99% SLA, and 30-day backups.

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
Periscope Data: How do I access the Sisense Enterprise plan?

The Enterprise plan requires contacting Sisense for a demo and custom quote. There is no self-service signup for this tier.

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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