Softwr

Databases · head to head

MotherDuck vs QuestDB

MotherDuck logo

MotherDuck

Databases

Serverless analytics data warehouse built on DuckDB

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QuestDB logo

QuestDB

Databases

Fast open source time-series database for high throughput ingestion

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: MotherDuck the free Lite plan caps compute at 10 hours per month, which limits it to light or hobbyist workloads.; QuestDB open-source edition lacks high-availability, distributed architecture, and enterprise security features
  • They diverge on capability: MotherDuck covers Serverless DuckDB instances, QuestDB covers High Throughput Ingestion.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MotherDuck and QuestDB actually diverge.

Attributes where MotherDuck and QuestDB differ
AttributeMotherDuckQuestDB
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
Platformsweb, apiDocker, Kubernetes, Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Founded20222014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Databases).

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 MotherDuck

  • Serverless DuckDB instances
  • Cloud storage querying
  • MCP server
  • Dives
  • Flights
  • Read-scaling replicas

Only in QuestDB

  • High Throughput Ingestion
  • SQL Support
  • Time-series Optimization
  • SIMD Vectorization
  • Column-oriented Storage
  • Built-in Web Console
  • InfluxDB Line Protocol
  • PostgreSQL

What people use each for

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

MotherDuck

  • Ad-hoc analytics on gigabyte-to-terabyte datasetsnot QuestDB
  • Querying data lake files in S3/GCS/Azure without ingestionnot QuestDB
  • AI agent data analysis via MCPnot QuestDB
  • Scheduled data pipeline transformationsnot QuestDB

QuestDB

  • Time-series analytics ingesting up to 20M rows/second from IoT sensors or financial data feedsnot MotherDuck
  • Real-time dashboarding with 32ms time-to-first-row latency for minute-level analyticsnot MotherDuck
  • Applications requiring multi-tier storage (hot ingest, real-time SQL, cold Parquet archive)not MotherDuck

Where each one falls short

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

MotherDuck

  • The free Lite plan caps compute at 10 hours per month, which limits it to light or hobbyist workloads.
  • Business plan usage charges on top of the $250/month base can make costs less predictable than flat-rate competitors.
  • There are no academic or non-profit discounts, unlike some competing data platforms.
  • Annual billing requires going through a sales conversation rather than a self-serve toggle.

QuestDB

  • Open-source edition lacks high-availability, distributed architecture, and enterprise security features
  • Enterprise edition pricing not published; requires contacting sales for custom quote
  • Ingestion limit of 20M rows/sec platform-dependent; may not scale to extreme throughput requirements

Pricing, plan by plan

MotherDuck

Free
  • LiteFree
    • Up to 3 internal active users
    • 2 service accounts
    • 10GB free storage
  • Business$250/month
    • Up to 10 internal active users
    • Unlimited service accounts
    • 5 instance types with read-scaling replicas
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited internal users and service accounts
    • Fixed-cost capacity pricing
    • AWS PrivateLink, IP allowlisting

QuestDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the QuestDB review.

Which should you pick?

Choose MotherDuck if

  • You need serverless duckdb instances.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want cloud storage querying.
MotherDuck review

Choose QuestDB if

  • You need high throughput ingestion.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP).
  • You also want sql support.
QuestDB review

Questions people ask

Is MotherDuck or QuestDB better?
Neither clearly leads. MotherDuck starts at Free and QuestDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MotherDuck or QuestDB?
MotherDuck starts at Free and QuestDB at Free.
Does MotherDuck or QuestDB run on more platforms?
MotherDuck runs on web, api. QuestDB runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP).
Can I use MotherDuck for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is MotherDuck best used for?
MotherDuck is most often used for ad-hoc analytics on gigabyte-to-terabyte datasets, querying data lake files in s3/gcs/azure without ingestion, ai agent data analysis via mcp, scheduled data pipeline transformations. Of those, ad-hoc analytics on gigabyte-to-terabyte datasets and querying data lake files in s3/gcs/azure without ingestion are not what QuestDB is typically brought in for.
What can MotherDuck do that QuestDB cannot?
MotherDuck covers Serverless DuckDB instances, Cloud storage querying, MCP server, Dives. QuestDB covers High Throughput Ingestion, SQL Support, Time-series Optimization, SIMD Vectorization.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

MotherDuck: What does MotherDuck cost?

The Lite plan is free (up to 3 users, 10GB storage, 10 hours of Pulse compute/month). Business is $250/organization/month plus usage, with Enterprise available at custom fixed-cost pricing.

Source
QuestDB: How much does QuestDB Enterprise cost?

QuestDB does not publish specific pricing for the Enterprise tier. Customers must contact QuestDB via their enterprise contact form to receive a custom quote.

Source
MotherDuck: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?

Yes, the Lite plan is free for up to 3 internal active users and 2 service accounts, with 10GB of storage and 10 hours of Pulse compute per month.

Source
QuestDB: Does QuestDB offer a free version?

Yes, QuestDB Open Source is completely free and recommended for evaluation, prototyping, and pilot projects. Enterprise features, high availability, security, and dedicated support require the paid Enterprise tier.

Source
MotherDuck: How is usage metered?

Compute instances (Pulse, Standard, Jumbo, Mega, Giga) are billed per second at hourly rates from $0.60 to $24.00/hour, storage is $0.04/GB-month, and AI Functions cost $1.00 per AI Unit.

Source
QuestDB: What deployment options does QuestDB offer?

QuestDB offers open source deployment, Enterprise deployment, and Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) deployment. Pricing details for BYOC and Enterprise tiers are not published and require direct contact with sales.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on MotherDuck

More on QuestDB

Keep looking

Other head to heads