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Business Intelligence · head to head

ChartMogul vs DuckDB

ChartMogul logo

ChartMogul

Business Intelligence

Subscription analytics platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
DuckDB logo

DuckDB

Databases

MIT-licensed analytical SQL database that runs inside your process, with no server, no dependencies and one writer at a time.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ChartMogul the free tier stops at $10K MRR, so it lapses precisely as a company starts to matter; DuckDB a database file accepts one read-write process at a time; other processes must open it read-only and will not see subsequent writes, so DuckDB cannot be the shared database behind several services.
  • They diverge on capability: ChartMogul covers MRR Analytics, DuckDB covers In-process execution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ChartMogul and DuckDB actually diverge.

Attributes where ChartMogul and DuckDB differ
AttributeChartMogulDuckDB
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
PlatformsWeb, ApiLinux, macOS, Windows, WebAssembly
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceDatabases
Founded20142019

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 ChartMogul

  • MRR Analytics
  • Churn Analysis
  • Cohort Analysis
  • Customer Segmentation
  • Revenue Recognition
  • Stripe
  • Chargebee
  • Recurly

Only in DuckDB

  • In-process execution
  • Vectorised columnar engine
  • Direct file querying
  • Zero dependencies
  • Larger-than-memory queries
  • MIT licence
  • Postgres-flavoured SQL
  • Extension ecosystem

What people use each for

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

ChartMogul

  • MRR trackingnot DuckDB
  • Churn analysisnot DuckDB
  • Revenue analyticsnot DuckDB
  • Subscription metricsnot DuckDB
  • Financial forecastingnot DuckDB

DuckDB

  • Transformation steps in a data pipeline that would otherwise need Spark, replaced by SQL over Parquet in a single processnot ChartMogul
  • Analytical queries embedded in an application or a dashboard where shipping a database server alongside it is not acceptablenot ChartMogul
  • Local exploration of files that are too large for a pandas dataframe but far too small to justify a warehousenot ChartMogul
  • Continuous integration and testing of analytical SQL, where a real engine can run in the test process without provisioning anythingnot ChartMogul

Where each one falls short

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

ChartMogul

  • The free tier stops at $10K MRR, so it lapses precisely as a company starts to matter
  • Starter is capped at 3 team members and a single billing system connection
  • Two-way CRM sync and warehouse integration require the Pro tier
  • Pricing scales with your ARR rather than with usage, so the bill rises as the business grows
  • Enterprise starts at $19,900 a year and is required above $10M ARR

DuckDB

  • A database file accepts one read-write process at a time; other processes must open it read-only and will not see subsequent writes, so DuckDB cannot be the shared database behind several services.
  • There is no network protocol, authentication or user management, so exposing it to remote clients means writing and securing your own service around it.
  • It is built for scans and aggregations, not for many small transactions, so a workload of high-frequency single-row inserts and updates performs badly compared with SQLite or Postgres.
  • Storage files are backwards compatible but not forwards compatible, so a file written by a newer version cannot be read by an older one and every consumer of a shared file must be upgraded together.
  • Query memory settings matter: some operations still need to hold significant state, so an under-configured memory limit turns a large join or a high-cardinality aggregation into a spill-heavy query or an out-of-memory failure rather than a slow success.

Pricing, plan by plan

ChartMogul

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to $120K ARR tracked
    • 1 billing source
    • Unlimited team members
  • Starter$59/month
    • $59-$707/month based on ARR
    • Up to $10M ARR tracked
    • 1 billing source
  • Pro$99/month
    • $99-$1,199/month based on ARR
    • Up to $10M ARR tracked
    • 5 billing sources
  • Enterprise$19900/year
    • Custom pricing available
    • Unlimited ARR tracked
    • 15 billing sources

DuckDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the DuckDB review.

Which should you pick?

Choose ChartMogul if

  • You need mrr analytics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want churn analysis.
ChartMogul review

Choose DuckDB if

  • You need in-process execution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, WebAssembly.
  • You also want vectorised columnar engine.
DuckDB review

Questions people ask

Is ChartMogul or DuckDB better?
Neither clearly leads. ChartMogul starts at Free and DuckDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ChartMogul or DuckDB?
ChartMogul starts at Free and DuckDB at Free.
Does ChartMogul or DuckDB run on more platforms?
ChartMogul runs on Web, Api. DuckDB runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, WebAssembly.
Can I use ChartMogul for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is ChartMogul best used for?
ChartMogul is most often used for mrr tracking, churn analysis, revenue analytics, subscription metrics. Of those, mrr tracking and churn analysis are not what DuckDB is typically brought in for.
What can ChartMogul do that DuckDB cannot?
ChartMogul covers MRR Analytics, Churn Analysis, Cohort Analysis, Customer Segmentation. DuckDB covers In-process execution, Vectorised columnar engine, Direct file querying, Zero dependencies.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ChartMogul: How much does ChartMogul cost for a small SaaS startup?

ChartMogul offers a free plan for companies with up to $120K ARR. Starter plans begin at $59 per month for smaller ARR amounts and scale up to $707 per month, with a 17% discount available for annual commitments. Source: https://chartmogul.com/pricing

Source
DuckDB: Can multiple applications share one DuckDB database?

Not for writing. One process holds the database read-write; others may attach read-only and will not see later writes. Shared multi-writer access needs a different database or a table format with a catalogue.

ChartMogul: What are the team member limits on ChartMogul plans?

The Free and Pro plans include unlimited team members, while the Starter plan is limited to 3 team members. Enterprise plans offer unlimited users with custom pricing. Source: https://chartmogul.com/pricing

Source
DuckDB: Is it a replacement for a data warehouse?

For single-node analytical workloads up to a few hundred gigabytes it very often is. It is not a replacement when many concurrent users need a shared, governed, always-on service.

ChartMogul: How many billing sources can each ChartMogul plan integrate?

Free and Starter plans support 1 billing source each. Pro plans increase to 5 billing sources. Enterprise plans support 15 billing sources with custom pricing and unlimited integration capabilities. Source: https://chartmogul.com/pricing

Source
DuckDB: Do I have to load data into it?

No. It queries Parquet, CSV, JSON and Arrow in place, including on object storage. Its own storage format is optional and mainly useful when you want indexes, constraints and faster repeated access.

ChartMogul: Does ChartMogul offer an annual payment discount?

Yes, ChartMogul provides a 17% discount when paying annually instead of monthly on Starter and Pro plans. Enterprise customers can discuss custom annual pricing with the sales team. Source: https://chartmogul.com/pricing

Source
DuckDB: What is MotherDuck's relationship to it?

MotherDuck is a separate company offering a managed and hybrid service built on the DuckDB engine. DuckDB itself remains MIT-licensed and independent of it, with the IP held by the DuckDB Foundation.

DuckDB: Is it suitable for OLTP?

No. It is designed for analytical scans. For transactional workloads with frequent small writes, SQLite or Postgres is the right tool.

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