Databases · head to head
QuestDB vs Snowplow
QuestDB
Databases
Fast open source time-series database for high throughput ingestion
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Snowplow
Business Intelligence
Behavioural data pipeline you run in your own cloud, relicensed away from Apache 2.0 in 2024
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only QuestDB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: QuestDB open-source edition lacks high-availability, distributed architecture, and enterprise security features; Snowplow the core pipeline was relicensed from Apache 2.0 on 8 January 2024 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement and a Confluent-derived community licence, so organisations that adopted it as permissively licensed software must now review their entitlement, buy a licence, or migrate.
- They diverge on capability: QuestDB covers High Throughput Ingestion, Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which QuestDB and Snowplow actually diverge.
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 QuestDB
- High Throughput Ingestion
- SQL Support
- Time-series Optimization
- SIMD Vectorization
- Column-oriented Storage
- Built-in Web Console
- InfluxDB Line Protocol
- PostgreSQL
Only in Snowplow
- Own-cloud deployment
- Schema enforcement
- Warehouse loading
- Enrichment
- Trackers
- Streaming output
- Data models
- Snowplow BDP
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
QuestDB
- Time-series analytics ingesting up to 20M rows/second from IoT sensors or financial data feedsnot Snowplow
- Real-time dashboarding with 32ms time-to-first-row latency for minute-level analyticsnot Snowplow
- Applications requiring multi-tier storage (hot ingest, real-time SQL, cold Parquet archive)not Snowplow
Snowplow
- A data team that needs full-fidelity event data in its own warehouse to build attribution or machine learning features rather than to populate dashboardsnot QuestDB
- A regulated business that cannot send behavioural data to a third-party analytics vendor and must keep collection inside its own cloud accountnot QuestDB
- A product organisation tired of silently malformed events, which wants a schema contract enforced at collection timenot QuestDB
- A company modelling customer behaviour across web, mobile and server events that needs them in one consistent structurenot QuestDB
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Snowplow
- The core pipeline was relicensed from Apache 2.0 on 8 January 2024 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement and a Confluent-derived community licence, so organisations that adopted it as permissively licensed software must now review their entitlement, buy a licence, or migrate.
- You run the pipeline in your own cloud, which means the infrastructure bill, the on-call rota and the upgrade work are yours, and at high event volume that operational cost frequently exceeds what a hosted product would have charged.
- Schema enforcement is the main benefit and the main friction, because every new event requires a schema to be authored and versioned, and teams without discipline around that end up blocked on their own governance process.
- There is no analysis layer: Snowplow delivers data to your warehouse and nothing else, so you still need modelling, a BI tool and the people to run them before anyone sees a number.
- The licence change fractured the community, spawning an Apache 2.0 fork, which means community contributions and third-party tooling are now split across two codebases with uncertain long-term maintenance.
Pricing, plan by plan
QuestDB
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the QuestDB review.
Snowplow
On request- Snowplow BDP$undefined/year
- Commercial pricing quoted by event volume and deployment
- Core pipeline components under the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement, not Apache 2.0
- Trackers, analytics SDKs and Iglu SDKs remain Apache 2.0
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Snowplow if
- You need own-cloud deployment.
- You work on Linux, Web, Docker.
- You also want schema enforcement.
Questions people ask
- Is QuestDB or Snowplow better?
- Neither clearly leads. QuestDB starts at Free and Snowplow at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, QuestDB or Snowplow?
- QuestDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for QuestDB and On request for Snowplow.
- Does QuestDB or Snowplow run on more platforms?
- QuestDB runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP). Snowplow runs on Linux, Web, Docker.
- Can I use QuestDB for free?
- Yes. QuestDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Snowplow starts at On request.
- What is QuestDB best used for?
- QuestDB is most often used for time-series analytics ingesting up to 20m rows/second from iot sensors or financial data feeds, real-time dashboarding with 32ms time-to-first-row latency for minute-level analytics, applications requiring multi-tier storage (hot ingest, real-time sql, cold parquet archive). Of those, time-series analytics ingesting up to 20m rows/second from iot sensors or financial data feeds and real-time dashboarding with 32ms time-to-first-row latency for minute-level analytics are not what Snowplow is typically brought in for.
- What can QuestDB do that Snowplow cannot?
- QuestDB covers High Throughput Ingestion, SQL Support, Time-series Optimization, SIMD Vectorization. Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment, Schema enforcement, Warehouse loading, Enrichment.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
SourceSnowplow: Is Snowplow still open source?
Not in the permissive sense. On 8 January 2024 the core pipeline moved from Apache 2.0 to the Snowplow Limited Use Licence Agreement, with version 1.1 following in December 2024, alongside a community licence based on the Confluent Community Licence. Trackers and analytics SDKs remain Apache 2.0.
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.
SourceSnowplow: Can we still run it for free in production?
Free use of the relicensed core components is materially constrained and commercial use generally requires an agreement. Read the current licence text against your intended use rather than relying on older documentation.
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.
SourceSnowplow: Is there an Apache 2.0 alternative?
Yes, a fork called OpenSnowcat was created in response to the relicensing and continues under Apache 2.0.
Snowplow: What does Snowplow BDP cost?
Not published. It is quoted by event volume and deployment, and your own cloud infrastructure costs are separate and additional.
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