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Databases · head to head

MotherDuck vs Shopkeep

MotherDuck logo

MotherDuck

Databases

Serverless analytics data warehouse built on DuckDB

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shopkeep logo

Shopkeep

E-Commerce

Cloud-based POS for small businesses

From
$89/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.; Shopkeep all plans require 24/7 phone and chat support; no tiered support options
  • They diverge on capability: MotherDuck covers Serverless DuckDB instances, Shopkeep covers Point of sale.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MotherDuck and Shopkeep actually diverge.

Attributes where MotherDuck and Shopkeep differ
AttributeMotherDuckShopkeep
Starting priceFree$89/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, apiiPad, Web
CategoryDatabasesE-Commerce
Founded20222008

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 Shopkeep

  • Point of sale
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Customer profiles
  • Sales analytics
  • Employee management
  • Mobile POS
  • Reporting

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

Shopkeep

No use cases recorded yet. See the Shopkeep review.

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.

Shopkeep

  • All plans require 24/7 phone and chat support; no tiered support options
  • Prices vary by business type and industry with additional service fees possible
  • Extra locations and registers incur additional charges beyond base plan cost

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

Shopkeep

$89/month
  • Basic$89/month
    • Retail POS platform
    • 1 register included
    • Integrated Payments 1.5%
  • Core$149/month
    • All Basic features
    • Advanced management tools
    • Business growth support
  • Plus$289/month
    • All Core features
    • Advanced customization
    • Established retail operations 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 Shopkeep if

  • You need point of sale.
  • You work on iPad, Web.
  • You also want payment processing.
Shopkeep review

Questions people ask

Is MotherDuck or Shopkeep better?
Neither clearly leads. MotherDuck starts at Free and Shopkeep at $89/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MotherDuck or Shopkeep?
MotherDuck has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for MotherDuck and $89/month for Shopkeep.
Does MotherDuck or Shopkeep run on more platforms?
MotherDuck runs on web, api. Shopkeep runs on iPad, Web.
Can I use MotherDuck for free?
Yes. MotherDuck has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Shopkeep starts at $89/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 Shopkeep is typically brought in for.
What can MotherDuck do that Shopkeep cannot?
MotherDuck covers Serverless DuckDB instances, Cloud storage querying, MCP server, Dives. Shopkeep covers Point of sale, Payment processing, Inventory management, Customer profiles.

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
Shopkeep: What is included in the Lightspeed Retail Basic plan at $89 per month?

The Basic plan includes 1 register, retail POS platform, integrated payments at 1.5% card-present rate, inventory management, Lightspeed Wholesale access, NuORDER Catalog with 5 million+ products, built-in eCommerce, loyalty programs, and 24/7 support.

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
Shopkeep: How much can I save by paying annually instead of monthly?

Shopkeep (Lightspeed Retail) offers up to 18% discount when paying annually instead of month-to-month. All three plans (Basic, Core, Plus) qualify for this annual discount.

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
Shopkeep: What additional costs should I budget beyond the monthly subscription?

Beyond the monthly plan cost, extra locations require additional charges, extra registers incur per-register fees, and hardware (terminals, scanners, iPad devices) have separate costs. Integrated payment processing charges 1.5% per transaction.

Source
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