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Databases · head to head

MotherDuck vs Sourcegraph

MotherDuck logo

MotherDuck

Databases

Serverless analytics data warehouse built on DuckDB

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit MotherDuckFull review
Sourcegraph logo

Sourcegraph

Developer Tools

Code search and intelligence platform for large codebases with Cody AI assistant

From
$16000/year
Free plan
No
Visit SourcegraphFull review

The short version

  • MotherDuck is a serverless cloud data warehouse; Sourcegraph is an enterprise code intelligence platform.
  • MotherDuck has a free plan, then $250/mo; Sourcegraph starts at $16000/yr.
  • Where MotherDuck falls short: the free Lite plan caps compute at 10 hours per month, which limits it to light or hobbyist workloads.
  • Where Sourcegraph falls short: enterprise pricing starting at $16k annually creates significant barrier for small teams.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MotherDuck and Sourcegraph actually diverge.

Attributes where MotherDuck and Sourcegraph differ
AttributeMotherDuckSourcegraph
Starting priceFree$16000/year
Pricing modelUsage-basedSubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, Self-hosted
CategoryDatabasesDeveloper Tools

Not yet recorded: founded for Sourcegraph.

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 Sourcegraph

Nothing recorded that MotherDuck does not also cover.

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

Sourcegraph

  • Large-scale code migrations across hundreds of repositoriesnot MotherDuck
  • Enterprise governance and code ownership trackingnot MotherDuck
  • AI-assisted bug hunting and security pattern detectionnot MotherDuck
  • Onboarding engineers into large unfamiliar codebasesnot MotherDuck
  • Regulatory compliance and code audit trailsnot 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

Sourcegraph

  • Enterprise pricing starting at $16k annually creates significant barrier for small teams
  • No free tier or standard plan published; all options require custom sales engagement
  • Complex enterprise-only positioning limits adoption compared to GitHub Copilot's pervasiveness
  • Requires indexing entire codebase; not suitable for small or ephemeral projects

Pricing, plan by plan

MotherDuck

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

Sourcegraph

$16000/year
  • Enterprise$16,000/yr
    • Scales with team size
    • Credits for AI features per user
    • Deep Search

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 Sourcegraph if

  • You work on Web, Self-hosted.
Sourcegraph review

Questions people ask

Is MotherDuck or Sourcegraph better?
Neither clearly leads. MotherDuck starts at Free and Sourcegraph at $16000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MotherDuck or Sourcegraph?
MotherDuck has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for MotherDuck and $16000/year for Sourcegraph.
Does MotherDuck or Sourcegraph run on more platforms?
MotherDuck runs on Web, API. Sourcegraph runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use MotherDuck for free?
Yes. MotherDuck has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sourcegraph starts at $16000/year.
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 Sourcegraph is typically brought in for.
What can MotherDuck do that Sourcegraph cannot?
MotherDuck covers Serverless DuckDB instances, Cloud storage querying, MCP server, Dives.

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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