--- title: "Amazon Athena vs Presto: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder" description: "Amazon Athena vs Presto compared for 2026: pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which distributed sql query engines tool is the better fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/amazon-athena-vs-presto retrieved: 2026-11-10 --- ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aws.amazon.com&sz=128) vs ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=prestodb.io&sz=128) # Amazon Athena vs Presto: Which is Better in 2026? Distributed SQL Query Engines [Amazon Athena](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-athena) and [Presto](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/presto) are both Distributed SQL Query Engines tools, made for different people. Amazon Athena is for teams on AWS that want to run SQL on files in S3 occasionally or on a schedule, with nothing to manage. Presto is for teams that want an Apache-licensed SQL engine under Linux Foundation governance, with a C++ native worker. Quick verdict There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Amazon Athena if your data is already in S3 and you want SQL on it today. Choose Presto if you want the C++ native worker for performance. ## Amazon Athena vs Presto: Side by Side | | Amazon Athena | Presto | | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Category | Distributed SQL Query Engines | Distributed SQL Query Engines | | What it is | Serverless SQL on S3 (AWS) | Open-source distributed SQL engine | | Licence | Managed AWS service | Apache 2.0 | | How you pay | $5 per TB scanned | Free; you pay for the servers | | Where it runs | AWS | Your infrastructure | | Managed option | Fully managed | Not offered by the project | | Pricing | From $0.3/mo | Free | | Starting price | From $0.3/mo | Free tier available | | Free tier | — | ✓ | | Rating | 4.4 | 4.2 | | Best for | Distributed SQL Query Engines: serverless, S3, pay per scan | Distributed SQL Query Engines: open source, C++ workers, Linux Foundation | Ratings are App Stack Builder’s editorial score out of 5, not an average of user reviews. ## Pros & Cons ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aws.amazon.com&sz=128) [Amazon Athena](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-athena) * ✓Nothing to provision * ✓Pay only for data scanned * ✓Works on existing S3 data * ✓Spark option on the same service * ✗Scanning uncompressed data gets expensive * ✗AWS only * ✗Less control over performance than your own cluster ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=prestodb.io&sz=128) [Presto](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/presto) * ✓Free under Apache 2.0 * ✓C++ native worker on Velox * ✓Neutral foundation governance * ✗Smaller community than Trino * ✗You run it yourself * ✗Fewer managed hosting options ## Key Features Compared ### Amazon Athena * ✓SQL queries: $5 per TB scanned * ✓Federated queries on non-S3 sources: rounded up per MB, 10 MB minimum * ✓Capacity Reservations: $0.30 per DPU-hour * ✓Athena for Apache Spark: $0.35 per DPU-hour ### Presto * ✓Apache 2.0 * ✓Governed by the Presto Foundation under the Linux Foundation; founding members Facebook, Alibaba, Twitter and Uber * ✓Presto native: a C++ rewrite of the worker on the Velox engine * ✓Distributed SQL over large datasets ### Choose Amazon Athena if… * ✓Your data is already in S3 and you want SQL on it today. * ✓Your query volume is irregular, so paying per TB scanned beats a running cluster. * ✓You don’t want to operate any servers. [Amazon Athena review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-athena) ### Choose Presto if… * ✓You want to start free. Presto has a free tier and Amazon Athena does not. * ✓You want the C++ native worker for performance. * ✓You prefer Linux Foundation governance. * ✓You already run Presto and want to stay on it. [Presto review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/presto) ## Frequently Asked Questions Is Amazon Athena better than Presto?⌄ There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Amazon Athena if your data is already in S3 and you want SQL on it today. Choose Presto if you want the C++ native worker for performance. What is the difference between Amazon Athena and Presto?⌄ What it is. Amazon Athena: Serverless SQL on S3 (AWS). Presto: Open-source distributed SQL engine. Licence. Amazon Athena: Managed AWS service. Presto: Apache 2.0\. How you pay. Amazon Athena: $5 per TB scanned. Presto: Free; you pay for the servers. Where it runs. Amazon Athena: AWS. Presto: Your infrastructure. Managed option. Amazon Athena: Fully managed. Presto: Not offered by the project. Amazon Athena vs Presto: which is cheaper?⌄ Amazon Athena pricing: From $0.3/mo. Presto pricing: Free. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change. Which is rated higher, Amazon Athena or Presto?⌄ On our editorial score, Amazon Athena is 4.4 out of 5 and Presto is 4.2 out of 5, so Amazon Athena is slightly ahead. This is our own score, not an average of user reviews. When should I skip both Amazon Athena and Presto?⌄ Skip Amazon Athena if you query across clouds or on-prem sources. Trino or Starburst connect to more places. Skip Presto if you want a bigger community and more connectors. Trino has them. Sources · tool facts checked November 2026 1. 1.[Amazon Athena pricingaws.amazon.com ](https://aws.amazon.com/athena/pricing/) 2. 2.[Presto on GitHubgithub.com ](https://github.com/prestodb/presto) 3. 3.[The Presto Foundation launches under the Linux Foundationsdtimes.com ](https://sdtimes.com/data/the-presto-foundation-launches-under-the-linux-foundation/) See more options in our guide to the [best distributed sql query engines tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/query-engine). ## Still not sure which to pick? Get a free, AI-powered tech stack, including the best distributed sql query engines pick for your budget and team, in 60 seconds. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/build-stack)