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Databricks vs Domino Data Lab

Databricks logo

Databricks

Software

Unified analytics platform for data engineering and data science

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Domino Data Lab logo

Domino Data Lab

Software

Enterprise MLOps platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Databricks cloud compute is billed separately by the cloud provider on top of Databricks DBU charges; Domino Data Lab pricing is by quote only: the pricing page publishes no rate and no minimum, and the tier breakdown is behind a downloadable datasheet form
  • They diverge on capability: Databricks covers Delta Lake, Domino Data Lab covers Reproducible environments.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Databricks and Domino Data Lab actually diverge.

Attributes where Databricks and Domino Data Lab differ
AttributeDatabricksDomino Data Lab
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Aws, Azure, GcpWeb

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2013).

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 Databricks

  • Delta Lake
  • Apache Spark
  • MLflow
  • Unity Catalog
  • Photon Engine
  • Collaborative Notebooks
  • Auto-scaling
  • Tableau

Only in Domino Data Lab

  • Reproducible environments
  • Model registry
  • Model monitoring
  • Collaboration
  • Governance
  • Kubernetes
  • Git

Both cover

  • AWS
  • Azure
  • GCP
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Databricks

  • Running Spark data engineering pipelines on managed clustersnot Domino Data Lab
  • Building a lakehouse over data in cloud object storagenot Domino Data Lab
  • Training and serving machine learning models alongside the datanot Domino Data Lab

Domino Data Lab

  • Running reproducible data science workspaces and experiments on shared computenot Databricks
  • Deploying and monitoring models with governance controlsnot Databricks
  • Giving regulated enterprises a self managed MLOps platformnot Databricks

Where each one falls short

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

Databricks

  • Cloud compute is billed separately by the cloud provider on top of Databricks DBU charges
  • The free trial lasts 14 days
  • Discounts require a Committed Use Contract, with larger commitments needed for larger discounts
  • Azure Databricks pricing is set by Microsoft rather than by Databricks
  • Security and compliance capabilities are sold as separate platform add ons rather than included in the base rate

Domino Data Lab

  • Pricing is by quote only: the pricing page publishes no rate and no minimum, and the tier breakdown is behind a downloadable datasheet form
  • Licensing is split by user type, with separate data science professional, data analyst, service account and admin licences
  • FinOps, Nexus and Governance are paid add on modules rather than part of the platform
  • Support level is a separate priced choice
  • Self managed VPC or on premises deployment requires the Premium tier or higher
  • No free trial is offered on the pricing page

Pricing, plan by plan

Databricks

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Limited cluster
    • Notebook environment
    • Community support
  • Standard$0.07/DBU
    • Jobs compute
    • SQL compute
    • Standard support

Domino Data Lab

Free
  • TrialFree
    • 14-day trial
    • Full features
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Full platform
    • Enterprise support
    • SLA

Which should you pick?

Choose Databricks if

  • You need delta lake.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Aws, Azure, Gcp.
  • You also want apache spark.
Databricks review

Choose Domino Data Lab if

  • You need reproducible environments.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want model registry.
Domino Data Lab review

Questions people ask

Is Databricks or Domino Data Lab better?
Neither clearly leads. Databricks starts at Free and Domino Data Lab at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Databricks or Domino Data Lab?
Databricks starts at Free and Domino Data Lab at Free.
Does Databricks or Domino Data Lab run on more platforms?
Databricks runs on Web, Aws, Azure, Gcp. Domino Data Lab runs on Web.
Can I use Databricks for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Databricks best used for?
Databricks is most often used for running spark data engineering pipelines on managed clusters, building a lakehouse over data in cloud object storage, training and serving machine learning models alongside the data. Of those, running spark data engineering pipelines on managed clusters and building a lakehouse over data in cloud object storage are not what Domino Data Lab is typically brought in for.
What can Databricks do that Domino Data Lab cannot?
Databricks covers Delta Lake, Apache Spark, MLflow, Unity Catalog. Domino Data Lab covers Reproducible environments, Model registry, Model monitoring, Collaboration. Both handle AWS, Azure, GCP, Web support.
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