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Crypto · head to head

Glassnode vs Snowplow

Glassnode logo

Glassnode

Crypto

On-chain market intelligence

From
$49/month
Rated
-
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
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Glassnode professional plan pricing requires custom quote contact; 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: Glassnode covers On-chain Metrics, Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Glassnode and Snowplow actually diverge.

Attributes where Glassnode and Snowplow differ
AttributeGlassnodeSnowplow
Starting price$49/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, API, CLI, Snowflake integrationLinux, Web, Docker
CategoryCryptoBusiness Intelligence
Founded2018Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Glassnode

  • On-chain Metrics
  • Market Indicators
  • Exchange Flows
  • Whale Tracking
  • Derivatives Data
  • API
  • Studio dashboards
  • 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.

Glassnode

  • On-chain cryptocurrency analyticsnot Snowplow
  • Bitcoin and Ethereum market researchnot Snowplow
  • Institutional crypto asset analysisnot 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 Glassnode
  • A regulated business that cannot send behavioural data to a third-party analytics vendor and must keep collection inside its own cloud accountnot Glassnode
  • A product organisation tired of silently malformed events, which wants a schema contract enforced at collection timenot Glassnode
  • A company modelling customer behaviour across web, mobile and server events that needs them in one consistent structurenot Glassnode

Where each one falls short

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

Glassnode

  • Professional plan pricing requires custom quote contact
  • Personal use license restriction on Advanced plan

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

Glassnode

$49/month
  • Advanced$49/month
    • 300+ metrics with daily resolution
    • 4 years data history
    • 24-hour updates
  • Professional$null/custom
    • 1500+ premium metrics
    • 40+ market metrics and 180+ on-chain metrics
    • Up to 15 years data history
  • Vector$749/month
    • Market regime analysis
    • Daily risk assessment

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 Glassnode if

  • You need on-chain metrics.
  • You work on Web, API, CLI, Snowflake integration.
  • You also want market indicators.

Choose Snowplow if

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

Questions people ask

Is Glassnode or Snowplow better?
Neither clearly leads. Glassnode starts at $49/month and Snowplow at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Glassnode or Snowplow?
Glassnode starts at $49/month and Snowplow at On request.
Does Glassnode or Snowplow run on more platforms?
Glassnode runs on Web, API, CLI, Snowflake integration. Snowplow runs on Linux, Web, Docker.
What is Glassnode best used for?
Glassnode is most often used for on-chain cryptocurrency analytics, bitcoin and ethereum market research, institutional crypto asset analysis. Of those, on-chain cryptocurrency analytics and bitcoin and ethereum market research are not what Snowplow is typically brought in for.
What can Glassnode do that Snowplow cannot?
Glassnode covers On-chain Metrics, Market Indicators, Exchange Flows, Whale Tracking. Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment, Schema enforcement, Warehouse loading, Enrichment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Glassnode: How much does Glassnode cost?

Glassnode Advanced plan costs $49 per month with 300+ daily-resolution metrics. Professional plan pricing is custom and requires contacting sales. Vector service starts at $749 per month for market regime analysis.

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.

Glassnode: Does Glassnode have a free tier?

No free tier is available on the pricing page. Glassnode requires a paid subscription to access its metrics and analytics.

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.

Glassnode: What is the difference between Advanced and Professional plans?

Advanced plan ($49/month) includes 300+ daily metrics, 4 years history, and is limited to personal use with 1 seat. Professional plan features 1500+ metrics, up to 15 years history, 10-minute updates, API access, and commercial use rights, but requires a custom quote.

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.

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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