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Databricks vs Tableau

Databricks logo

Databricks

Software

Unified analytics platform for data engineering and data science

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tableau logo

Tableau

Software

Visual analytics platform for business intelligence

From
$70/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; Tableau listed on UK G-Cloud at £9.47 per device per month for the Salesforce Tableau Platform edition, via reseller XMA Limited
  • They diverge on capability: Databricks covers Delta Lake, Tableau covers Interactive Dashboards.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Databricks and Tableau actually diverge.

Attributes where Databricks and Tableau differ
AttributeDatabricksTableau
Starting priceFree$70/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Aws, Azure, GcpWeb, Desktop, Mobile
Founded20131999

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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
  • Azure

Only in Tableau

  • Interactive Dashboards
  • Data Blending
  • Real-time Analytics
  • Advanced Visualizations
  • Mobile Support
  • Salesforce
  • SAP
  • Oracle

Both cover

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

Tableau

  • Self-service analyticsnot Databricks
  • Data explorationnot Databricks
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Databricks
  • Collaborative analysisnot Databricks
  • Embedded analyticsnot 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

Tableau

  • Listed on UK G-Cloud at £9.47 per device per month for the Salesforce Tableau Platform edition, via reseller XMA Limited

Pricing, plan by plan

Databricks

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

Tableau

$70/month
  • Creator$70/month
    • Full authoring capabilities
    • Prep Builder
    • Data Management
  • Explorer$42/month
    • Web editing
    • Self-service analytics
  • Viewer$15/month
    • View and interact with dashboards

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 Tableau if

  • You need interactive dashboards.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want data blending.
Tableau review

Questions people ask

Is Databricks or Tableau better?
Neither clearly leads. Databricks starts at Free and Tableau at $70/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Databricks or Tableau?
Databricks has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Databricks and $70/month for Tableau.
Does Databricks or Tableau run on more platforms?
Databricks runs on Web, Aws, Azure, Gcp. Tableau runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
Can I use Databricks for free?
Yes. Databricks has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tableau starts at $70/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 Tableau is typically brought in for.
What can Databricks do that Tableau cannot?
Databricks covers Delta Lake, Apache Spark, MLflow, Unity Catalog. Tableau covers Interactive Dashboards, Data Blending, Real-time Analytics, Advanced Visualizations. Both handle AWS, Web support.
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