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Databases · head to head

DataGrip vs Trino

DataGrip logo

DataGrip

Databases

Cross-platform database IDE from JetBrains for SQL and NoSQL databases

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit DataGripFull review
Trino logo

Trino

Databases

A distributed SQL engine that queries data where it already lives, across object storage, warehouses and operational databases.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit TrinoFull review

The short version

  • Trino is free; DataGrip starts at $8.25/mo.
  • Only DataGrip lists intelligent SQL Completion; only Trino lists federated querying.
  • Where DataGrip falls short: commercial use requires a paid subscription; the free tier is non-commercial only.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DataGrip and Trino actually diverge.

Attributes where DataGrip and Trino differ
AttributeDataGripTrino
Pricing modelSubscriptionOpen-source
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWeb

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), category (Databases).

Not yet recorded: founded for Trino.

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 DataGrip

  • Intelligent SQL Completion
  • Schema Navigation
  • Data Editor
  • Version Control for Scripts
  • Multi-database Support

Only in Trino

  • Federated querying
  • Connector architecture
  • Predicate and aggregation pushdown
  • Massively parallel execution
  • Fault-tolerant execution
  • Resource groups
  • Iceberg and Delta table support
  • Standard client protocols

What people use each for

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

DataGrip

  • Writing and running SQL queries across multiple database enginesnot Trino
  • Browsing and editing schema and table data visuallynot Trino
  • Version-controlling database migration scriptsnot Trino
  • Standardizing database tooling across a JetBrains-based teamnot Trino

Trino

  • Ad hoc analysis that spans a data lake and one or more operational databases, without building an ingestion pipeline firstnot DataGrip
  • Serving a BI tool a single SQL endpoint over an estate that is actually several separate storage systemsnot DataGrip
  • Querying Iceberg or Delta tables on object storage interactively, as the compute layer of a lakehousenot DataGrip
  • Investigating whether a dataset is worth ingesting, by querying it in place before committing to a pipeline for itnot DataGrip

Where each one falls short

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

DataGrip

  • Commercial use requires a paid subscription; the free tier is non-commercial only
  • No built-in database administration features like backup scheduling found in dedicated DBA tools
  • Heavier resource footprint than lightweight single-purpose SQL clients
  • NoSQL support (e.g. MongoDB) is less mature than its relational database tooling

Trino

  • Trino stores nothing and computes no statistics of its own, so the plan it produces is only as good as the partitioning, file sizes and table statistics on the source; a Hive table of thousands of small files or a lake with no stats produces a slow query the engine cannot improve
  • Federated queries pull data out of the systems they touch, so a join between a lake table and a production Postgres can put a full table scan onto an OLTP database that other applications depend on, and the person who wrote the query will not see the incident it causes
  • Releases come roughly every one to two weeks with no community long-term support line, and deprecations arrive quickly, so you either dedicate someone to keeping current or you buy Starburst Enterprise for a supported long-term version
  • It is memory-based and disk spilling was deprecated in favour of fault-tolerant execution, so a query exceeding cluster memory fails outright rather than degrading; enabling fault-tolerant execution requires an external exchange store on object storage and makes queries measurably slower
  • It is a query engine and not a warehouse: there is no built-in job scheduling, no incremental materialised view maintenance and no transformation framework, so producing curated tables still needs dbt or an equivalent layer that somebody has to own
  • The 2020 fork split the ecosystem, so documentation, connectors, Stack Overflow answers and vendor material written before then describe PrestoDB, which is now a different project with different behaviour, and following the wrong one wastes real time

Pricing, plan by plan

DataGrip

Free
  • Free (non-commercial)Free
    • Personal, non-commercial use only
  • Individual - Year 1$99/yr
    • Full DataGrip license
    • Free updates during subscription
  • Individual - Year 2+$79/yr
    • Continuity discount from second year onward

Trino

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Trino review.

Which should you pick?

Choose DataGrip if

  • You need intelligent sql completion.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want schema navigation.
DataGrip review

Choose Trino if

  • You need federated querying.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want connector architecture.
Trino review

Questions people ask

Is DataGrip or Trino better?
Neither clearly leads. DataGrip starts at Free and Trino at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DataGrip or Trino?
DataGrip starts at Free and Trino at Free.
Does DataGrip or Trino run on more platforms?
DataGrip runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Trino runs on Web.
Can I use DataGrip for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is DataGrip best used for?
DataGrip is most often used for writing and running sql queries across multiple database engines, browsing and editing schema and table data visually, version-controlling database migration scripts, standardizing database tooling across a jetbrains-based team. Of those, writing and running sql queries across multiple database engines and browsing and editing schema and table data visually are not what Trino is typically brought in for.
What can DataGrip do that Trino cannot?
DataGrip covers Intelligent SQL Completion, Schema Navigation, Data Editor, Version Control for Scripts. Trino covers Federated querying, Connector architecture, Predicate and aggregation pushdown, Massively parallel execution.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DataGrip: Is DataGrip free for personal use?

JetBrains introduced a free non-commercial license for DataGrip in October 2025, allowing personal use, while commercial use still requires a paid annual or monthly subscription.

Source
Trino: What is the difference between Trino and Presto?

They share an origin. The original creators left Meta and renamed their fork from PrestoSQL to Trino in December 2020; PrestoDB continues separately under the Linux Foundation. They have diverged in features, connectors and SQL behaviour, so material written for one may not apply to the other.

DataGrip: Who qualifies for the free non-commercial license?

Only individuals are eligible, for uses like learning, open-source work, or content creation. Anyone paid by an employer, including at a non-profit, must use a commercial license instead.

Source
Trino: Does Trino replace my data warehouse?

Not on its own. It is compute without storage, scheduling or transformation. Paired with Iceberg or Delta on object storage and something like dbt for modelling it can serve as a lakehouse; used alone it is a query layer over what you already have.

DataGrip: How long does the free non-commercial license last?

It lasts one year and auto-renews if DataGrip was used at least once in the final six months; otherwise you can simply reapply for a new license.

Source
Trino: Why is my federated query slow?

Usually because a connector could not push a filter or aggregation down, so Trino is pulling whole tables across the network to join them itself. The fix is usually better source-side partitioning or statistics, or ingesting that source rather than federating it.

DataGrip: Does the free license have fewer features than the paid version?

No, it is a full-featured IDE identical to the paid version, though it requires anonymized telemetry sharing that cannot be opted out of under the non-commercial agreement.

Source
Trino: What happens when a query runs out of memory?

It fails. Disk spilling was deprecated in favour of fault-tolerant execution, which checkpoints to an external exchange store such as S3 and lets long queries survive memory pressure and worker loss, at the cost of noticeably slower execution.

DataGrip: Can I use DataGrip offline with the free license?

No, activation requires logging into a JetBrains Account; offline activation codes are not available for the free non-commercial license.

Source
Trino: Is there commercial support?

Yes, from Starburst, which offers Starburst Enterprise with long-term supported releases and Starburst Galaxy as a managed service. The open source project itself has no long-term support line.

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