--- title: "Amazon Redshift vs Snowflake: Which is Better in 2026? | App Stack Builder" description: "Amazon Redshift vs Snowflake compared for 2026: pricing, free tiers, features, pros & cons. See which cloud data warehouses tool is the better fit for your startup." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/amazon-redshift-vs-snowflake retrieved: 2026-11-10 --- ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=aws.amazon.com&sz=128) vs ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=snowflake.com&sz=128) # Amazon Redshift vs Snowflake: Which is Better in 2026? Cloud Data Warehouses [Amazon Redshift](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-redshift) and [Snowflake](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/snowflake) are both Cloud Data Warehouses tools, made for different people. Amazon Redshift is for teams already on AWS that want a warehouse inside the same account, IAM and network as everything else. Snowflake is for companies with several teams querying shared data who want each team on its own compute, on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud. Quick verdict There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Amazon Redshift if your data and apps already live on AWS. Choose Snowflake if you want teams isolated on separate virtual warehouses over the same data. ## Amazon Redshift vs Snowflake: Side by Side | | Amazon Redshift | Snowflake | | ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Category | Cloud Data Warehouses | Cloud Data Warehouses | | What it is | Cloud data warehouse (AWS) | Cloud data warehouse | | How you pay | Per RPU-hour (Serverless) or per node-hour | Compute credits plus storage | | Free access | $300 Serverless credit for 90 days | Free trial (terms not on the pricing page) | | Clouds | AWS | AWS, Azure, Google Cloud | | How compute scales | Serverless capacity or provisioned nodes | Separate virtual warehouses per workload | | Pricing | From $0.375/mo | Usage-based | | Starting price | From $0.375/mo | Pay-as-you-go | | Free tier | — | — | | Rating | 4.3 | 4.6 | | Best for | Cloud Data Warehouses: AWS, serverless or provisioned, S3 queries | Cloud Data Warehouses: multi-team analytics, multi-cloud, compliance | 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 Redshift](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-redshift) * ✓Lives inside your AWS account and IAM * ✓Serverless or provisioned * ✓Queries S3 directly with Spectrum * ✓Clear published rates * ✗Mainly worth it if you already run on AWS * ✗Provisioned clusters need tuning * ✗Serverless minimum capacity runs while queries do ![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=snowflake.com&sz=128) [Snowflake](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/snowflake) * ✓Storage and compute scale separately * ✓Runs on all three major clouds * ✓Several teams query the same data without contention * ✓Mature data sharing * ✗Credit prices not shown on the pricing page * ✗Idle warehouses still cost money if left running * ✗Bills climb quickly without guardrails ## Key Features Compared ### Amazon Redshift * ✓Serverless: $0.375 per RPU-hour in US East, base capacity 4 to 1,024 RPUs; the page lists a $1.50 an hour start * ✓Provisioned: from $0.543 an hour; ra3.4xlarge is $3.26 an hour in AWS’s example * ✓Managed storage $0.024 per GB-month in US East (N. Virginia) * ✓Redshift Spectrum queries S3 at $5 per TB scanned * ✓$300 credit for first-time Serverless users, valid 90 days ### Snowflake * ✓Editions: Standard, Enterprise, Business Critical and Virtual Private Snowflake * ✓Enterprise adds features such as 90-day data recovery; Business Critical adds customer-managed keys and HIPAA, PCI DSS and FedRAMP support * ✓Compute billed in credits; storage billed monthly on average compressed size * ✓Buy on demand at list price, or as pre-paid capacity with discounts * ✓Credit and storage rates are in a calculator and consumption table, not on the pricing page ### Choose Amazon Redshift if… * ✓Your data and apps already live on AWS. * ✓You want to choose between serverless and reserved clusters later. * ✓You want to query S3 data next to warehouse tables. [Amazon Redshift review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/amazon-redshift) ### Choose Snowflake if… * ✓You want teams isolated on separate virtual warehouses over the same data. * ✓You need to stay portable across AWS, Azure and Google Cloud. * ✓Your compliance team needs HIPAA, PCI DSS or FedRAMP support from the warehouse vendor. [Snowflake review & pricing ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/snowflake) ## Frequently Asked Questions Is Amazon Redshift better than Snowflake?⌄ There’s no single winner; pick on your constraint. Choose Amazon Redshift if your data and apps already live on AWS. Choose Snowflake if you want teams isolated on separate virtual warehouses over the same data. What is the difference between Amazon Redshift and Snowflake?⌄ What it is. Amazon Redshift: Cloud data warehouse (AWS). Snowflake: Cloud data warehouse. How you pay. Amazon Redshift: Per RPU-hour (Serverless) or per node-hour. Snowflake: Compute credits plus storage. Free access. Amazon Redshift: $300 Serverless credit for 90 days. Snowflake: Free trial (terms not on the pricing page). Clouds. Amazon Redshift: AWS. Snowflake: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud. How compute scales. Amazon Redshift: Serverless capacity or provisioned nodes. Snowflake: Separate virtual warehouses per workload. Amazon Redshift vs Snowflake: which is cheaper?⌄ Amazon Redshift pricing: From $0.375/mo. Snowflake pricing: Usage-based. Confirm current pricing on each tool's official site, as plans change. Which is rated higher, Amazon Redshift or Snowflake?⌄ On our editorial score, Amazon Redshift is 4.3 out of 5 and Snowflake is 4.6 out of 5, so Snowflake is slightly ahead. This is our own score, not an average of user reviews. When should I skip both Amazon Redshift and Snowflake?⌄ Skip Amazon Redshift if you need to run on more than one cloud. Snowflake supports all three. Skip Snowflake if you want to pay per query with a free monthly allowance. BigQuery works that way. Sources · tool facts checked November 2026 1. 1.[Amazon Redshift pricingaws.amazon.com ](https://aws.amazon.com/redshift/pricing/) 2. 2.[Snowflake pricing optionssnowflake.com ](https://www.snowflake.com/en/pricing-options/) See more options in our guide to the [best cloud data warehouses tools for startups](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/data-warehouse). ## Still not sure which to pick? Get a free, AI-powered tech stack, including the best cloud data warehouses pick for your budget and team, in 60 seconds. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/build-stack)