Softwr

Databases · head to head

Amazon Redshift vs RubyMine

Amazon Redshift logo

Amazon Redshift

Databases

Fast, scalable cloud data warehouse from AWS

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
RubyMine logo

RubyMine

Developer Tools

JetBrains IDE for Ruby and Ruby on Rails development

From
$24/month
Free plan
No

The short version

  • Amazon Redshift is a fast, fully managed cloud data warehouse.
  • Amazon Redshift has a free plan, then $0.25/mo; RubyMine starts at $24/mo.
  • Only Amazon Redshift lists columnar Storage; only RubyMine lists rails-aware coding assistance.
  • Where Amazon Redshift falls short: on-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery.
  • Where RubyMine falls short: no permanently free tier for commercial use; requires an ongoing subscription.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amazon Redshift and RubyMine actually diverge.

Attributes where Amazon Redshift and RubyMine differ
AttributeAmazon RedshiftRubyMine
Starting priceFree$24/month
Pricing modelUsage-basedSubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWindows, macOS, Linux
CategoryDatabasesDeveloper Tools
Founded20122000

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 RubyMine

  • Rails-aware coding assistance
  • Integrated debugger
  • Test runner integration
  • Database tools
  • Version control integration
  • Docker support

What people use each for

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

Amazon Redshift

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

RubyMine

  • Building and maintaining Ruby on Rails applicationsnot Amazon Redshift
  • Debugging Ruby web applicationsnot Amazon Redshift
  • Running and managing RSpec or Minitest suitesnot Amazon Redshift
  • Working across Ruby, JavaScript, and SQL in one projectnot 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

RubyMine

  • No permanently free tier for commercial use; requires an ongoing subscription
  • More resource-intensive than lightweight editors such as Sublime Text
  • Focused primarily on Ruby, so polyglot teams may prefer IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate with plugins instead
  • Startup time can be slower than simpler text editors on older hardware

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

RubyMine

$24/month
  • Individual$24/mo
    • Personal use license
    • Access to RubyMine
    • Free for students and open-source maintainers
  • Organization$34/mo
    • Business use license
    • Access to RubyMine
    • Volume and renewal discounts

Which should you pick?

Choose Amazon Redshift if

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

Choose RubyMine if

  • You need rails-aware coding assistance.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want integrated debugger.

Questions people ask

Is Amazon Redshift or RubyMine better?
Neither clearly leads. Amazon Redshift starts at Free and RubyMine at $24/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Redshift or RubyMine?
Amazon Redshift has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Amazon Redshift and $24/month for RubyMine.
Does Amazon Redshift or RubyMine run on more platforms?
Amazon Redshift runs on Web. RubyMine runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use Amazon Redshift for free?
Yes. Amazon Redshift has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. RubyMine starts at $24/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 RubyMine is typically brought in for.
What can Amazon Redshift do that RubyMine cannot?
Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Massively Parallel, Machine Learning, AQUA Acceleration. RubyMine covers Rails-aware coding assistance, Integrated debugger, Test runner integration, Database tools.

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
RubyMine: How much does RubyMine cost?

RubyMine is sold as a JetBrains Toolbox subscription starting around $24/month for individuals and $34/month for organizations, with free licenses available for students and open-source maintainers.

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
RubyMine: Is there a free trial?

JetBrains provides a free trial period for RubyMine so developers can evaluate it before purchasing a subscription.

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
RubyMine: What platforms does RubyMine support?

RubyMine runs as a desktop application on Windows, macOS, and Linux via JetBrains Toolbox.

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
Share

Related pages

Other head to heads