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FaunaDB vs BigQuery

FaunaDB logo

FaunaDB

Software

The distributed serverless database for modern applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
BigQuery logo

BigQuery

Software

Serverless, highly scalable enterprise data warehouse

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: FaunaDB the Internet Archive's capture of FaunaDB's homepage on 5 January 2019 confirmed a free 'Try Cloud' tier alongside a self-hosted download, with a separate Pricing page linked but not itself retrievable from the archive within two attempts.; BigQuery query costs can become substantial for organizations with high query volumes
  • They diverge on capability: FaunaDB covers ACID Transactions, BigQuery covers Serverless Architecture.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which FaunaDB and BigQuery actually diverge.

Attributes where FaunaDB and BigQuery differ
AttributeFaunaDBBigQuery
Pricing modelfreemiumusage-based
PlatformsWebWeb, Cloud API
Founded20122008

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 FaunaDB

  • ACID Transactions
  • Document-relational Model
  • GraphQL API
  • Global Distribution
  • Temporal Queries
  • Multi-tenancy
  • Serverless
  • GraphQL

Only in BigQuery

  • Serverless Architecture
  • Petabyte Scale
  • Real-time Analytics
  • Machine Learning
  • Geospatial Analysis
  • Streaming Ingestion
  • Standard SQL
  • Looker

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

FaunaDB

  • Serverless applicationsnot BigQuery
  • Rapid prototypingnot BigQuery
  • Mobile backendsnot BigQuery
  • JAMstacknot BigQuery
  • Microservicesnot BigQuery

BigQuery

  • Business intelligencenot FaunaDB
  • Data warehousingnot FaunaDB
  • Real-time analyticsnot FaunaDB
  • Reportingnot FaunaDB
  • Machine learningnot FaunaDB

Where each one falls short

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

FaunaDB

  • The Internet Archive's capture of FaunaDB's homepage on 5 January 2019 confirmed a free 'Try Cloud' tier alongside a self-hosted download, with a separate Pricing page linked but not itself retrievable from the archive within two attempts.

BigQuery

  • Query costs can become substantial for organizations with high query volumes
  • Data egress from Google Cloud incurs additional charges

Pricing, plan by plan

FaunaDB

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100K read ops
    • 50K write ops
    • 1GB storage
  • Pro$25/month
    • Pay per use
    • Priority support
    • Advanced features

BigQuery

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 1TB queries/month
    • 10GB storage/month
    • Standard support
  • On-demand$6.25/TB
    • Pay per query
    • Pay per storage
    • All features

Which should you pick?

Choose FaunaDB if

  • You need acid transactions.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want document-relational model.
FaunaDB review

Choose BigQuery if

  • You need serverless architecture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud API.
  • You also want petabyte scale.
BigQuery review

Questions people ask

Is FaunaDB or BigQuery better?
Neither clearly leads. FaunaDB starts at Free and BigQuery at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, FaunaDB or BigQuery?
FaunaDB starts at Free and BigQuery at Free.
Does FaunaDB or BigQuery run on more platforms?
FaunaDB runs on Web. BigQuery runs on Web, Cloud API.
Can I use FaunaDB for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is FaunaDB best used for?
FaunaDB is most often used for serverless applications, rapid prototyping, mobile backends, jamstack. Of those, serverless applications and rapid prototyping are not what BigQuery is typically brought in for.
What can FaunaDB do that BigQuery cannot?
FaunaDB covers ACID Transactions, Document-relational Model, GraphQL API, Global Distribution. BigQuery covers Serverless Architecture, Petabyte Scale, Real-time Analytics, Machine Learning. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BigQuery: How is BigQuery priced?

BigQuery charges $5 per terabyte of data processed in on-demand queries. Storage is billed separately: active storage is charged per GB, and data inactive for 90+ days moves to long-term storage at reduced rates.

Source
BigQuery: What is BigQuery's architecture?

BigQuery separates compute and storage, using Google's Colossus for distributed storage and Borg for computation, allowing independent scaling of each.

Source
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