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Best Free Alternatives to Snowflake
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Category: Data Warehouse / LakehouseVerified for 2025
Top Recommended Replacements
DuckDB
FREEBest for Local/Fast Analytics
Why we like it
The 'SQLite for Analytics'; an embeddable C++ library that is incredibly fast for processing Parquet/CSV files on a single machine; no servers to manage; zero cost; ideal for data scientists and small-to-medium datasets.
Keep in mind
Not a distributed system; limited to the resources of a single machine (though 'MotherDuck' offers a cloud version).
ClickHouse
FREEBest for Real-Time/Logs
Why we like it
The fastest OLAP database for real-time analytics; scales to petabytes; significantly cheaper storage (uses aggressive compression); can handle millions of inserts per second; great for user-facing analytics.
Keep in mind
Requires more 'tuning' than Snowflake; complex joins are historically slower (though improving).
Apache Doris
FREEBest Enterprise Alternative
Why we like it
A high-performance, real-time analytical database; provides a unified warehouse/lakehouse experience; supports high concurrency (thousands of users) much better than Snowflake for much lower cost.
Keep in mind
Operational overhead of managing a cluster.
StarRocks
FREEBest for Performance
Why we like it
A next-generation MPP database; outperformed Snowflake in multiple TPC-DS benchmarks; features a 'cost-based optimizer' that makes complex joins incredibly fast; supports 'Data Lake Analytics' in place.
Keep in mind
Smaller community/ecosystem compared to Snowflake.
Trino (formerly PrestoSQL)
FREEBest for Data Federation
Why we like it
The engine that powers Netflix and Uber; allows you to run SQL queries across *any* data source (S3, MySQL, Cassandra) without moving the data; no 'Ingest' fees because there is no ingest.
Keep in mind
It is a query engine, not a storage layer; requires a separate metadata catalog (like Hive or Polaris).
Apache Iceberg + Polaris
FREEBest for Open Standards
Why we like it
An open table format that Snowflake itself is now supporting; by storing data in Iceberg, you own the files in S3/GCS; **Polaris** (the new open-source catalog) prevents vendor lock-in.
Keep in mind
Requires assembling a 'stack' (Engine + Format + Catalog) rather than a single 'Buy' button.
PostgreSQL (with pg_analytics)
FREEBest for Simplicity
Why we like it
If your data isn't in the 'petabyte' range, a tuned Postgres with columnar extensions (like ParadeDB or DuckDB-Postgres) can often outperform a poorly configured Snowflake for 1/100th the cost.
Keep in mind
Will eventually hit scaling limits that true MPP warehouses don't have.
Dremio
FREEBest 'Easy' Lakehouse
Why we like it
Provides a 'Snowflake-like' UI over your open data lake (S3/ADLS); uses 'Data Reflections' to accelerate queries; significantly cheaper than Snowflake for large-scale scanning.
Keep in mind
Proprietary features in the enterprise version.
Hydra
Best Columnar Postgres
Why we like it
Turns Postgres into a columnar warehouse; allows you to keep your operational and analytical data in the same familiar engine; open-source and easy to deploy.
Keep in mind
Focused specifically on the Postgres ecosystem.
Greenplum
FREEBest for Traditional Big Data
Why we like it
An open-source MPP database based on Postgres; battle-tested for decades in massive enterprise environments; supports deep analytics and ML.
Keep in mind
Can feel 'heavy' and legacy compared to modern tools like StarRocks.
Glance
FREEBest for Instant BI
Why we like it
A new category of tool that provides instant dashboards over DuckDB/Parquet; no warehouse setup required; perfect for 'unbundling' BI from the warehouse.
Keep in mind
Still in early stages/smaller feature set.
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