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Machine Learning & Data Science · head to head

Databricks vs KNIME

Databricks logo

Databricks

Machine Learning & Data Science

Unified analytics platform for data engineering and data science

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
KNIME logo

KNIME

Machine Learning & Data Science

Open source data analytics and integration 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; KNIME the free Analytics Platform runs locally only, so anything shared or scheduled requires a paid Hub
  • They diverge on capability: Databricks covers Delta Lake, KNIME covers Visual workflows.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Databricks and KNIME actually diverge.

Attributes where Databricks and KNIME differ
AttributeDatabricksKNIME
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Aws, Azure, GcpLinux, Mac, Windows
Founded20132004

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Machine Learning & Data Science).

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 KNIME

  • Visual workflows
  • Data preprocessing
  • Machine learning
  • Visualization
  • Reporting
  • Python
  • R
  • Spark

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

KNIME

  • Building data pipelines and analytics workflows visually rather than in codenot Databricks
  • Connecting and blending data across many sources for analysisnot 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

KNIME

  • The free Analytics Platform runs locally only, so anything shared or scheduled requires a paid Hub
  • The free AI assistant is limited to 20 interactions a month
  • Paid workflow runtime is metered in credits, with 120 included on Pro and overage at $0.025 per vCore minute
  • The Team plan at $99 a month includes 3 members, with additional seats at $49 a month each
  • Business Hub pricing is on request, and its tiers are capped at 4, 8 and 16 vCores with 5, 5 and 20 users

Pricing, plan by plan

Databricks

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

KNIME

Free
  • Analytics PlatformFree
    • Visual workflows
    • All nodes
    • Community extensions
  • ServerFree
    • Team collaboration
    • Workflow automation
    • REST API

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 KNIME if

  • You need visual workflows.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac, Windows.
  • You also want data preprocessing.
KNIME review

Questions people ask

Is Databricks or KNIME better?
Neither clearly leads. Databricks starts at Free and KNIME at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Databricks or KNIME?
Databricks starts at Free and KNIME at Free.
Does Databricks or KNIME run on more platforms?
Databricks runs on Web, Aws, Azure, Gcp. KNIME runs on Linux, Mac, Windows.
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 KNIME is typically brought in for.
What can Databricks do that KNIME cannot?
Databricks covers Delta Lake, Apache Spark, MLflow, Unity Catalog. KNIME covers Visual workflows, Data preprocessing, Machine learning, Visualization.
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