Software · head to head
Apache Druid vs Amazon Redshift
Apache Druid
Software
Real-time analytics database for sub-second OLAP queries
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Apache Druid open-source offering lacks high-availability, distributed architecture, and enterprise security features; Amazon Redshift on-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery
- They diverge on capability: Apache Druid covers Real-time Ingestion, Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Apache Druid and Amazon Redshift actually diverge.
| Attribute | Apache Druid | Amazon Redshift |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | usage-based |
| Platforms | Docker, Kubernetes, Native deployment (Java-based) | Web |
| Founded | 1999 | 2012 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Apache Druid
- Real-time Ingestion
- Sub-second Queries
- Column-oriented Storage
- Streaming Integration
- Approximate Algorithms
- Flexible Schemas
- Time-based Partitioning
- Kafka
Only in Amazon Redshift
- Columnar Storage
- Massively Parallel
- Machine Learning
- AQUA Acceleration
- Data Sharing
- Federated Query
- Concurrency Scaling
- S3
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Apache Druid
- Real-time analytics platforms ingesting millions of events per second from streaming sourcesnot Amazon Redshift
- Applications requiring sub-second queries over high-cardinality datasets (billions to trillions of rows)not Amazon Redshift
- Time-series and event analysis at massive scale with columnar storage efficiencynot Amazon Redshift
Amazon Redshift
- Business intelligencenot Apache Druid
- Data warehousingnot Apache Druid
- Real-time analyticsnot Apache Druid
- Reportingnot Apache Druid
- Machine learningnot Apache Druid
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Apache Druid
- Open-source offering lacks high-availability, distributed architecture, and enterprise security features
- Requires native integration with Apache Kafka or Amazon Kinesis for real-time ingestion; custom integrations need development
- High-concurrency query support (hundreds of thousands QPS) requires significant cluster infrastructure investment
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Apache Druid
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Apache Druid review.
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
Which should you pick?
Choose Apache Druid if
- You need real-time ingestion.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Docker, Kubernetes, Native deployment (Java-based).
- You also want sub-second queries.
Choose Amazon Redshift if
- You need columnar storage.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want massively parallel.
Questions people ask
- Is Apache Druid or Amazon Redshift better?
- Neither clearly leads. Apache Druid starts at Free and Amazon Redshift at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Apache Druid or Amazon Redshift?
- Apache Druid starts at Free and Amazon Redshift at Free.
- Does Apache Druid or Amazon Redshift run on more platforms?
- Apache Druid runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Native deployment (Java-based). Amazon Redshift runs on Web.
- Can I use Apache Druid for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Apache Druid best used for?
- Apache Druid is most often used for real-time analytics platforms ingesting millions of events per second from streaming sources, applications requiring sub-second queries over high-cardinality datasets (billions to trillions of rows), time-series and event analysis at massive scale with columnar storage efficiency. Of those, real-time analytics platforms ingesting millions of events per second from streaming sources and applications requiring sub-second queries over high-cardinality datasets (billions to trillions of rows) are not what Amazon Redshift is typically brought in for.
- What can Apache Druid do that Amazon Redshift cannot?
- Apache Druid covers Real-time Ingestion, Sub-second Queries, Column-oriented Storage, Streaming Integration. Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Massively Parallel, Machine Learning, AQUA Acceleration.
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.
SourceAmazon 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.
SourceAmazon 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.
SourceAmazon 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