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Crypto · head to head

Dune Analytics vs Snowplow

Dune Analytics logo

Dune Analytics

Crypto

Crypto's data platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Snowplow logo

Snowplow

Business Intelligence

Behavioural data pipeline you run in your own cloud, relicensed away from Apache 2.0 in 2024

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Dune Analytics has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Dune Analytics free tier has 10-minute query execution delay versus 1-2 minutes on paid plans; Snowplow the core pipeline was relicensed from Apache 2.0 on 8 January 2024 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement and a Confluent-derived community licence, so organisations that adopted it as permissively licensed software must now review their entitlement, buy a licence, or migrate.
  • They diverge on capability: Dune Analytics covers SQL Queries, Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dune Analytics and Snowplow actually diverge.

Attributes where Dune Analytics and Snowplow differ
AttributeDune AnalyticsSnowplow
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebLinux, Web, Docker
CategoryCryptoBusiness Intelligence
Founded2018Unknown

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 Dune Analytics

  • SQL Queries
  • Dashboards
  • Multi-chain Data
  • API Access
  • Spellbook
  • 20+ blockchains
  • Community wizards
  • Web support

Only in Snowplow

  • Own-cloud deployment
  • Schema enforcement
  • Warehouse loading
  • Enrichment
  • Trackers
  • Streaming output
  • Data models
  • Snowplow BDP

What people use each for

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

Dune Analytics

  • Analyticsnot Snowplow
  • Datanot Snowplow
  • Researchnot Snowplow

Snowplow

  • A data team that needs full-fidelity event data in its own warehouse to build attribution or machine learning features rather than to populate dashboardsnot Dune Analytics
  • A regulated business that cannot send behavioural data to a third-party analytics vendor and must keep collection inside its own cloud accountnot Dune Analytics
  • A product organisation tired of silently malformed events, which wants a schema contract enforced at collection timenot Dune Analytics
  • A company modelling customer behaviour across web, mobile and server events that needs them in one consistent structurenot Dune Analytics

Where each one falls short

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

Dune Analytics

  • Free tier has 10-minute query execution delay versus 1-2 minutes on paid plans
  • Decoded tables lag blockchain by 5-10 minutes on free tier
  • API rate limits on free tier capped at 40 requests per minute
  • Requires SQL knowledge to build custom queries; limited no-code dashboard creation

Snowplow

  • The core pipeline was relicensed from Apache 2.0 on 8 January 2024 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement and a Confluent-derived community licence, so organisations that adopted it as permissively licensed software must now review their entitlement, buy a licence, or migrate.
  • You run the pipeline in your own cloud, which means the infrastructure bill, the on-call rota and the upgrade work are yours, and at high event volume that operational cost frequently exceeds what a hosted product would have charged.
  • Schema enforcement is the main benefit and the main friction, because every new event requires a schema to be authored and versioned, and teams without discipline around that end up blocked on their own governance process.
  • There is no analysis layer: Snowplow delivers data to your warehouse and nothing else, so you still need modelling, a BI tool and the people to run them before anyone sees a number.
  • The licence change fractured the community, spawning an Apache 2.0 fork, which means community contributions and third-party tooling are now split across two codebases with uncertain long-term maintenance.

Pricing, plan by plan

Dune Analytics

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Public queries
    • Community dashboards
    • Limited executions
  • Plus$349/month
    • Private queries
    • CSV export
    • Priority execution

Snowplow

On request
  • Snowplow BDP$undefined/year
    • Commercial pricing quoted by event volume and deployment
    • Core pipeline components under the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement, not Apache 2.0
    • Trackers, analytics SDKs and Iglu SDKs remain Apache 2.0

Which should you pick?

Choose Dune Analytics if

  • You need sql queries.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want dashboards.
Dune Analytics review

Choose Snowplow if

  • You need own-cloud deployment.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Docker.
  • You also want schema enforcement.
Snowplow review

Questions people ask

Is Dune Analytics or Snowplow better?
Neither clearly leads. Dune Analytics starts at Free and Snowplow at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dune Analytics or Snowplow?
Dune Analytics has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Dune Analytics and On request for Snowplow.
Does Dune Analytics or Snowplow run on more platforms?
Dune Analytics runs on Web. Snowplow runs on Linux, Web, Docker.
Can I use Dune Analytics for free?
Yes. Dune Analytics has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Snowplow starts at On request.
What is Dune Analytics best used for?
Dune Analytics is most often used for analytics, data, research. Of those, analytics and data are not what Snowplow is typically brought in for.
What can Dune Analytics do that Snowplow cannot?
Dune Analytics covers SQL Queries, Dashboards, Multi-chain Data, API Access. Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment, Schema enforcement, Warehouse loading, Enrichment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dune Analytics: Does Dune Analytics have a free tier?

Yes. Dune offers a free tier with unlimited queries, up to 10-minute execution delays, public dashboards, and 100 MB storage. Paid plans (Plus at $399/month, Premium at $999/month) unlock faster execution and larger result sets.

Source
Snowplow: Is Snowplow still open source?

Not in the permissive sense. On 8 January 2024 the core pipeline moved from Apache 2.0 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement, with version 1.1 following in December 2024, alongside a community licence based on the Confluent Community Licence. Trackers and analytics SDKs remain Apache 2.0.

Dune Analytics: What blockchain networks does Dune support?

Dune supports over 130 blockchain networks including Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, Solana, Bitcoin, and other EVM and non-EVM compatible chains with decoded transaction and event data.

Source
Snowplow: Can we still run it for free in production?

Free use of the relicensed core components is materially constrained and commercial use generally requires an agreement. Read the current licence text against your intended use rather than relying on older documentation.

Dune Analytics: Can I export my Dune dashboards and data?

Yes. The free tier supports basic export. Paid tiers unlock CSV export and Datashare feature that allows you to stream curated blockchain data directly to Snowflake, BigQuery, or Databricks.

Source
Snowplow: Is there an Apache 2.0 alternative?

Yes, a fork called OpenSnowcat was created in response to the relicensing and continues under Apache 2.0.

Dune Analytics: What external tools can I connect to Dune?

Dune supports connections to Hex, Metabase, DBeaver, PowerBI, and other tools via its Trino warehouse connector, and can stream data to Snowflake, BigQuery, and Databricks. It also offers dbt integration and an API.

Source
Snowplow: What does Snowplow BDP cost?

Not published. It is quoted by event volume and deployment, and your own cloud infrastructure costs are separate and additional.

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