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Databases · head to head

MotherDuck vs SAP BusinessObjects

MotherDuck logo

MotherDuck

Databases

Serverless analytics data warehouse built on DuckDB

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SAP BusinessObjects logo

SAP BusinessObjects

Business Intelligence

Enterprise business intelligence suite

From
$400/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only MotherDuck has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; SAP BusinessObjects sAP BusinessObjects Private Cloud Edition is listed on UK G-Cloud 14 as a Cloud software service by SAP (UK) Limited titled 'SAP Business Objects Private Cloud Edition', alongside a reseller listing from NTT DATA Business Solutions; the G-Cloud search results describe it as subscription-based but show no per-user or per-month figure in the listing summary
  • They diverge on capability: MotherDuck covers Serverless DuckDB instances, SAP BusinessObjects covers Crystal Reports.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MotherDuck and SAP BusinessObjects actually diverge.

Attributes where MotherDuck and SAP BusinessObjects differ
AttributeMotherDuckSAP BusinessObjects
Starting priceFree$400/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, apiWeb, Desktop, Mobile
CategoryDatabasesBusiness Intelligence
Founded20221972

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 MotherDuck

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

Only in SAP BusinessObjects

  • Crystal Reports
  • Web Intelligence
  • Lumira
  • Analysis for Office
  • Live Office
  • SAP HANA
  • SAP ERP
  • Oracle

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 SAP BusinessObjects
  • Querying data lake files in S3/GCS/Azure without ingestionnot SAP BusinessObjects
  • AI agent data analysis via MCPnot SAP BusinessObjects
  • Scheduled data pipeline transformationsnot SAP BusinessObjects

SAP BusinessObjects

  • Enterprise reportingnot MotherDuck
  • Executive dashboardsnot MotherDuck
  • Regulatory compliancenot MotherDuck
  • Strategic planningnot MotherDuck
  • Operational analyticsnot 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.

SAP BusinessObjects

  • SAP BusinessObjects Private Cloud Edition is listed on UK G-Cloud 14 as a Cloud software service by SAP (UK) Limited titled 'SAP Business Objects Private Cloud Edition', alongside a reseller listing from NTT DATA Business Solutions; the G-Cloud search results describe it as subscription-based but show no per-user or per-month figure in the listing summary

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

SAP BusinessObjects

$400/month
  • Standard$400/month
    • Core BI Tools
    • Web Intelligence
    • Crystal Reports
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Full Suite
    • Advanced Features
    • Premium Support

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 SAP BusinessObjects if

  • You need crystal reports.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want web intelligence.
SAP BusinessObjects review

Questions people ask

Is MotherDuck or SAP BusinessObjects better?
Neither clearly leads. MotherDuck starts at Free and SAP BusinessObjects at $400/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MotherDuck or SAP BusinessObjects?
MotherDuck has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for MotherDuck and $400/month for SAP BusinessObjects.
Does MotherDuck or SAP BusinessObjects run on more platforms?
MotherDuck runs on web, api. SAP BusinessObjects runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
Can I use MotherDuck for free?
Yes. MotherDuck has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SAP BusinessObjects starts at $400/month.
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 SAP BusinessObjects is typically brought in for.
What can MotherDuck do that SAP BusinessObjects cannot?
MotherDuck covers Serverless DuckDB instances, Cloud storage querying, MCP server, Dives. SAP BusinessObjects covers Crystal Reports, Web Intelligence, Lumira, Analysis for Office.

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
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
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
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