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Spreadsheets · head to head

Redash vs Snowplow

Redash logo

Redash

Spreadsheets

Connect and visualize your data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Snowplow logo

Snowplow

Business Intelligence

Behavioural data pipeline you run in your own cloud, relicensed away from Apache 2.0 in 2024

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Redash has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Redash pricing model not disclosed on dedicated pricing page; 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: Redash covers SQL Query Editor, Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Redash and Snowplow actually diverge.

Attributes where Redash and Snowplow differ
AttributeRedashSnowplow
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, CloudLinux, Web, Docker
CategorySpreadsheetsBusiness Intelligence
Founded2013Unknown

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 Redash

  • SQL Query Editor
  • Multiple Data Sources
  • Visualizations
  • Dashboards
  • Alerts
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • BigQuery

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.

Redash

  • Data visualization and business intelligence for analyticsnot Snowplow
  • Query result sharing and collaborative dashboard creationnot 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 Redash
  • A regulated business that cannot send behavioural data to a third-party analytics vendor and must keep collection inside its own cloud accountnot Redash
  • A product organisation tired of silently malformed events, which wants a schema contract enforced at collection timenot Redash
  • A company modelling customer behaviour across web, mobile and server events that needs them in one consistent structurenot Redash

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Redash

  • Pricing model not disclosed on dedicated pricing page
  • Open-source offering may require self-hosting technical expertise
  • Managed hosting or commercial support pricing not published

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

Redash

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full Features
    • Self-hosted
    • Community Support
  • Cloud$49/month
    • Managed Hosting
    • Automatic Updates
    • Support

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 Redash if

  • You need sql query editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud.
  • You also want multiple data sources.
Redash review

Choose Snowplow if

  • You need own-cloud deployment.
  • You work on Linux, Web, Docker.
  • You also want schema enforcement.
Snowplow review

Questions people ask

Is Redash or Snowplow better?
Neither clearly leads. Redash 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, Redash or Snowplow?
Redash has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Redash and On request for Snowplow.
Does Redash or Snowplow run on more platforms?
Redash runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud. Snowplow runs on Linux, Web, Docker.
Can I use Redash for free?
Yes. Redash has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Snowplow starts at On request.
What is Redash best used for?
Redash is most often used for data visualization and business intelligence for analytics, query result sharing and collaborative dashboard creation. Of those, data visualization and business intelligence for analytics and query result sharing and collaborative dashboard creation are not what Snowplow is typically brought in for.
What can Redash do that Snowplow cannot?
Redash covers SQL Query Editor, Multiple Data Sources, Visualizations, Dashboards. Snowplow covers Own-cloud deployment, Schema enforcement, Warehouse loading, Enrichment.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Redash: What is Redash's pricing?

Redash is a popular open-source project with no pricing tiers listed on the pricing page. The project emphasizes no vendor lock-in and community contribution. Paid managed hosting or commercial support options may be available but are not published on this page.

Source
Snowplow: 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.

Snowplow: 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.

Snowplow: 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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