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Machine Learning · head to head

Databricks vs Grow

Databricks logo

Databricks

Machine Learning

Unified analytics platform for data engineering and data science

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Grow logo

Grow

Business Intelligence

No-code BI for growing companies

From
$500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Databricks has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Databricks cloud compute is billed separately by the cloud provider on top of Databricks DBU charges; Grow the pricing URL serves marketing content with no plan, rate, minimum or cost driver published anywhere on it
  • They diverge on capability: Databricks covers Delta Lake, Grow covers No-code Setup.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Databricks and Grow actually diverge.

Attributes where Databricks and Grow differ
AttributeDatabricksGrow
Starting priceFree$500/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Aws, Azure, GcpWeb, Mobile, Tv
CategoryMachine LearningBusiness Intelligence
Founded20132014

Identical on both: 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 Databricks

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

Only in Grow

  • No-code Setup
  • Unlimited Dashboards
  • Data Blending
  • Alerts
  • Embedding
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • QuickBooks

Both cover

  • 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 Grow
  • Building a lakehouse over data in cloud object storagenot Grow
  • Training and serving machine learning models alongside the datanot Grow

Grow

  • No-code dashboards and business intelligence for teams without analystsnot Databricks
  • Blending data from more than 100 sources including BigQuery, PostgreSQL, Salesforce and HubSpotnot Databricks
  • ETL, warehousing and visualisation in a single 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

Grow

  • The pricing URL serves marketing content with no plan, rate, minimum or cost driver published anywhere on it
  • The only calls to action are Get Started Now and Watch Demo; there is no self-serve rate card
  • The vendor advertises unlimited users with no per-seat charges, which means the price driver is not disclosed at all

Pricing, plan by plan

Databricks

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

Grow

$500/month
  • Starter$500/month
    • Unlimited Users
    • 75+ Integrations
    • Support
  • Pro$1000/month
    • Advanced Features
    • Custom Integrations
    • Training

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 Grow if

  • You need no-code setup.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Tv.
  • You also want unlimited dashboards.
Grow review

Questions people ask

Is Databricks or Grow better?
Neither clearly leads. Databricks starts at Free and Grow at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Databricks or Grow?
Databricks has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Databricks and $500/month for Grow.
Does Databricks or Grow run on more platforms?
Databricks runs on Web, Aws, Azure, Gcp. Grow runs on Web, Mobile, Tv.
Can I use Databricks for free?
Yes. Databricks has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Grow starts at $500/month.
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 Grow is typically brought in for.
What can Databricks do that Grow cannot?
Databricks covers Delta Lake, Apache Spark, MLflow, Unity Catalog. Grow covers No-code Setup, Unlimited Dashboards, Data Blending, Alerts. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Databricks: How is Databricks priced?

Databricks bills pay as you go with no up front cost, charging per second for the products used. Consumption is measured in Databricks Units, a normalised unit of processing power on the platform.

Source
Grow: How much does Grow cost?

Grow does not publish pricing on their website. They offer a request-a-free-trial model that requires contacting their sales team. Pricing is determined by contacting sales through their contact form or trial request process.

Source
Databricks: Does Databricks publish a per DBU price?

Not on its main pricing page. Rates vary by product and instance type, and Databricks directs buyers to individual product pricing pages and a calculator rather than listing a single figure.

Source
Databricks: Does the Databricks price include cloud costs?

No. Databricks states that if you configure it to work with your own cloud account, your cloud provider still charges you separately for the underlying resources.

Source
Databricks: Can I get a discount on Databricks?

Databricks offers Committed Use Contracts, where larger usage commitments earn greater benefits, including options to use commitments flexibly across multiple clouds.

Source
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