Database & Data Management · head to head
PostgreSQL vs Amazon Redshift
PostgreSQL
Database & Data Management
The world's most advanced open source relational database
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Amazon Redshift
Database & Data Management
Fast, scalable cloud data warehouse from AWS
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: PostgreSQL requires manual scaling across multiple machines for very large deployments; Amazon Redshift on-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery
- They diverge on capability: PostgreSQL covers ACID Compliance, Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PostgreSQL and Amazon Redshift actually diverge.
| Attribute | PostgreSQL | Amazon Redshift |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | usage-based |
| Platforms | Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, Unix | Web |
| Founded | 1996 | 2012 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Database & Data Management).
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 PostgreSQL
- ACID Compliance
- JSON/JSONB Support
- Full-text Search
- Extensibility
- Advanced Indexing
- Partitioning
- Replication
- pgAdmin
Only in Amazon Redshift
- Columnar Storage
- Massively Parallel
- Machine Learning
- AQUA Acceleration
- Data Sharing
- Federated Query
- Concurrency Scaling
- S3
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
PostgreSQL
- Transaction processingnot Amazon Redshift
- Data storagenot Amazon Redshift
- Application backendnot Amazon Redshift
- Reporting
- Data analyticsnot Amazon Redshift
Amazon Redshift
- Business intelligencenot PostgreSQL
- Data warehousingnot PostgreSQL
- Real-time analyticsnot PostgreSQL
- Reporting
- Machine learningnot PostgreSQL
Both are used for reporting, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
PostgreSQL
- Requires manual scaling across multiple machines for very large deployments
- Performance tuning requires deep knowledge of database internals
- No built-in graphical admin interface; command-line tools are primary method
Amazon Redshift
- On-demand pricing runs up to 75% higher than competitors like Snowflake and BigQuery
- Requires significant manual tuning including managing concurrency scaling costs and configuring Workload Management queues
- Performance degrades without proper design of distribution keys and sort keys
- Limited elastic resize options - can only halve or double current cluster size
- AWS lock-in makes it unsuitable for multi-cloud architectures
Pricing, plan by plan
PostgreSQL
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the PostgreSQL review.
Amazon Redshift
Free- Free TrialFree
- 750 DC2.Large hours
- 2 months free
- Full features
- On-Demand$0.25/hour
- Pay per node hour
- All features
- Standard support
Which should you pick?
Choose PostgreSQL if
- You need acid compliance.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, Unix.
- You also want json/jsonb support.
Choose Amazon Redshift if
- You need columnar storage.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want massively parallel.
Questions people ask
- Is PostgreSQL or Amazon Redshift better?
- Neither clearly leads. PostgreSQL starts at Free and Amazon Redshift at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PostgreSQL or Amazon Redshift?
- PostgreSQL starts at Free and Amazon Redshift at Free.
- Does PostgreSQL or Amazon Redshift run on more platforms?
- PostgreSQL runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, Unix. Amazon Redshift runs on Web.
- Can I use PostgreSQL for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is PostgreSQL best used for?
- PostgreSQL is most often used for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting. Of those, transaction processing and data storage are not what Amazon Redshift is typically brought in for.
- What can PostgreSQL do that Amazon Redshift cannot?
- PostgreSQL covers ACID Compliance, JSON/JSONB Support, Full-text Search, Extensibility. Amazon Redshift covers Columnar Storage, Massively Parallel, Machine Learning, AQUA Acceleration.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
PostgreSQL: Is PostgreSQL completely free?
Yes. PostgreSQL is completely free and open source with no licensing fees or restrictions on use.
SourceAmazon Redshift: What deployment options does Amazon Redshift offer?
Redshift offers Provisioned Cluster (with RA3 or DC2 nodes) and Serverless options to match varying workloads. The new Redshift RG instance family, powered by Graviton, delivers 2.4x faster performance than RA3 at 30% lower cost per vCPU.
SourcePostgreSQL: What platforms does PostgreSQL run on?
PostgreSQL runs on all major operating systems including Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, and commercial Unix variants, and has been proven highly scalable managing terabytes to petabytes of data.
SourceAmazon Redshift: What does Amazon Redshift cost?
Provisioned cluster pricing: RA3 on-demand starts at $1.086/hour for ra3.xlplus. Serverless costs approximately $0.375 per RPU-hour with 4-RPU minimum (roughly $1.50/hour active workload). Managed storage costs $0.024/GB-month.
SourcePostgreSQL: What procedural languages are supported?
PostgreSQL supports stored functions and procedures in multiple languages including PL/pgSQL, Perl, Python, Tcl, Java, JavaScript, R, and Rust.
SourceAmazon Redshift: Does Redshift work with data lakes?
Yes, Redshift's integrated data lake query engine processes workloads on Apache Iceberg tables and other supported formats in Amazon S3, allowing you to run SQL analytics across your data warehouse and data lake from the same engine.
SourcePostgreSQL: What is ACID compliance in PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL has been ACID-compliant since 2001, ensuring data integrity through atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability guarantees for all transactions.
SourceAmazon Redshift: Is there a free tier for Amazon Redshift?
AWS offers a free trial with $300 USD in Serverless credits valid for 90 days, but Redshift is not part of the permanent AWS Free Tier.
SourcePostgreSQL: Does PostgreSQL support JSON data?
Yes. PostgreSQL supports JSON and JSONB data types for storing and querying JSON documents, along with XML and other document formats.
Source