RisingWave: Pricing, Features & Alternatives
RisingWave ingests from databases, event streams and webhooks, keeps SQL results up to date incrementally and serves them at low latency. It speaks the PostgreSQL wire protocol, so psql, JDBC and Postgres tools connect directly, and it integrates natively with Apache Iceberg, including a hosted REST catalog and table maintenance. The engine is Apache 2.0. RisingWave Cloud Basic starts at $0.227 per RWU-hour on AWS, GCP or Azure with a 7-day trial; Pro (BYOC, no core limit) and self-managed enterprise licences are priced by sales. Network usage is billed separately.
Who it’s for: Teams that want streaming pipelines written in Postgres-style SQL, with results they can query directly or land in Iceberg.
Category
Stream Processing
Pricing
Free tier available
Free tier
Yes
Best for
Stream Processing: streaming SQL, Postgres-compatible, Iceberg
RisingWave at a Glance
- What it is
- Streaming database
- Write jobs in
- PostgreSQL-style SQL
- Licence
- Apache 2.0
- Where it runs
- RisingWave Cloud, BYOC or self-hosted
- How you pay
- From $0.227 per RWU-hour on Cloud Basic
Checked November 2026 against RisingWave pricing, RisingWave on GitHub.
RisingWave Pricing Plans (2026)
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Open source | $0 (Apache 2.0) |
| Cloud BasicPopular | From $0.227 / RWU-hour |
| Cloud Pro | Contact sales |
Pricing summary: Free · paid from $0.227/mo. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.
Key RisingWave Features
- Apache 2.0 engine; connects over the PostgreSQL wire protocol (psql, JDBC and Postgres tools work)
- Ingests from databases, event streams and webhooks and updates results incrementally
- Native Apache Iceberg integration with a hosted REST catalog and table maintenance
- Cloud Basic from $0.227 per RWU-hour on AWS, GCP or Azure, up to 64 cores, 7-day trial
- Cloud Pro (BYOC, no core limit) and self-managed licences priced by sales; network billed separately
Pros
- +Plain Postgres-style SQL for streaming
- +Native Iceberg integration
- +Apache 2.0 engine
- +Published cloud rate
Cons
- −Younger than Flink
- −Pro and enterprise pricing by quote
- −Not a general-purpose transactional database
Best RisingWave Alternatives
Compare allRisingWave Compared
RisingWave FAQ
What is RisingWave used for?⌄
RisingWave is a stream processing tool. Streaming database you query with Postgres-compatible SQL, with native Apache Iceberg support. Apache 2.0, cloud from $0.227 per RWU-hour.
Is RisingWave free?⌄
Yes. RisingWave has a free tier you can start with, and paid plans for more usage and features.
How much does RisingWave cost?⌄
RisingWave offers a free tier, with paid plans starting at $0.227/month. Some plans are usage-based (pay-as-you-go).
What are the best RisingWave alternatives?⌄
Popular RisingWave alternatives include Apache Flink, Kafka Streams, Materialize. Compare pricing and features on our RisingWave alternatives page.
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