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Machine Learning · head to head

Databricks vs Snowflake

Databricks logo

Databricks

Machine Learning

Unified analytics platform for data engineering and data science

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Snowflake logo

Snowflake

Machine Learning

The AI Data Cloud for enterprise data warehousing

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; Snowflake no flat subscription price is published - cost varies by edition, cloud provider, and region and requires a separate calculator or credit-consumption table
  • They diverge on capability: Databricks covers Delta Lake, Snowflake covers Separated Compute/Storage.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Databricks and Snowflake actually diverge.

Attributes where Databricks and Snowflake differ
AttributeDatabricksSnowflake
Pricing modelusage-basedUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Aws, Azure, GcpWeb, API
Founded20132012

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

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 Snowflake

  • Separated Compute/Storage
  • Near-zero Maintenance
  • Data Sharing
  • Time Travel
  • Cloning
  • Multi-cluster Warehouse
  • Semi-structured Data
  • dbt

Both cover

  • Tableau
  • Web support
  • Aws support
  • Azure support
  • Gcp 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 Snowflake
  • Building a lakehouse over data in cloud object storagenot Snowflake
  • Training and serving machine learning models alongside the datanot Snowflake

Snowflake

  • Cloud data warehousing and SQL analyticsnot Databricks
  • Data engineering and ELT pipelinesnot Databricks
  • Data sharing and marketplacenot Databricks
  • AI/ML workloads via Snowpark and Cortexnot Databricks
  • BI backend for tools such as Tableau and Power BInot 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

Snowflake

  • No flat subscription price is published - cost varies by edition, cloud provider, and region and requires a separate calculator or credit-consumption table
  • Free trial is capped at $400 in credits or 30 days, whichever comes first, not a perpetual free tier
  • During the trial, certain features (external network access, hybrid tables, Openflow) are capped at 10 credits/day until a payment method is added
  • Total cost combines compute credits, storage, and data transfer billed separately

Pricing, plan by plan

Databricks

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

Snowflake

Free
  • Standard$undefined/mo
    • Consumption-based, per-credit pricing
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Consumption-based, per-credit pricing
  • Business Critical$undefined/mo
    • Consumption-based, per-credit pricing
  • Virtual Private Snowflake$undefined/mo
    • Consumption-based, per-credit pricing

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 Snowflake if

  • You need separated compute/storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want near-zero maintenance.
Snowflake review

Questions people ask

Is Databricks or Snowflake better?
Neither clearly leads. Databricks starts at Free and Snowflake at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Databricks or Snowflake?
Databricks starts at Free and Snowflake at Free.
Does Databricks or Snowflake run on more platforms?
Databricks runs on Web, Aws, Azure, Gcp. Snowflake runs on Web, API.
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 Snowflake is typically brought in for.
What can Databricks do that Snowflake cannot?
Databricks covers Delta Lake, Apache Spark, MLflow, Unity Catalog. Snowflake covers Separated Compute/Storage, Near-zero Maintenance, Data Sharing, Time Travel. Both handle Tableau, Web support, Aws support, Azure 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
Snowflake: How is Snowflake priced?

Snowflake uses a consumption based model. Compute is billed in credits and storage is charged monthly on the average amount stored after compression. Capacity can be bought on demand or pre-paid.

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
Snowflake: What Snowflake editions are there?

Snowflake sells four editions: Standard as the entry level offering, Enterprise for high growth and large scale customers, Business Critical for regulated industries handling sensitive data, and Virtual Private Snowflake for a completely isolated environment.

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
Snowflake: Does Snowflake publish a per credit price?

Not on its pricing options page. Snowflake directs buyers to its Credit Consumption Table and a pricing calculator for the rates, which vary by edition, region and cloud provider.

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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