BigQuery vs ClickHouse: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for BigQuery and ClickHouse side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
BigQuery
Google's serverless data warehouse for analytics
ClickHouse
Fast open-source analytics database
| At a Glance | BigQuery | ClickHouse |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Not published | Not published |
Category | Data & Databases Analytics | Data & Databases Analytics |
Rating | 4.5/5 G2 4.5 · Capterra 4.6 1,258 reviews | 4.5/5 G2 4.5 23 reviews |
Free plan | No | No |
Watch out for | Streaming inserts cost $0.05/GB, separate from query costs. | Internet egress fees ($0.0312-$0.162/GB depending on region) add up fast if you export query results to external dashboards or applications. |
Choose BigQuery or ClickHouse?
Choose BigQuery if
- You need data & databases features specifically.
Choose ClickHouse if
- You need data & databases features specifically.
In-Depth Analysis
BigQuery
Google's serverless data warehouse for analytics
BigQuery's on-demand pricing ($6.25/TiB queried) with 1 TiB free per month is one of the most generous free tiers in cloud data warehousing.
Watch out
Streaming inserts cost $0.05/GB, separate from query costs.
Strengths
- Pro: Best serverless data warehouse
- Pro: Petabyte scale
- Pro: SQL interface
- Pro: ML built-in
- Pro: Pay per query
Weaknesses
- Con: Query costs can surprise
- Con: Slot management complex
- Con: Streaming inserts expensive
- Con: Learning curve
- Con: Some SQL limitations
Key features
ClickHouse
Fast open-source analytics database
ClickHouse Cloud is genuinely cheap for read-heavy analytical workloads thanks to aggressive columnar compression and per-minute compute billing.
Watch out
Internet egress fees ($0.0312-$0.162/GB depending on region) add up fast if you export query results to external dashboards or applications.
Strengths
- Pro: Extremely fast analytics
- Pro: Good compression
- Pro: SQL interface
- Pro: Column-oriented
- Pro: Open source
Weaknesses
- Con: Not for OLTP
- Con: Updates expensive
- Con: Operations complex
- Con: Learning curve
- Con: Specific use cases
Key features
Plans and prices: BigQuery vs ClickHouse
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BigQuery |
| cloud.google.com/bigquery/pricing read Oct 30, 2026 |
| ClickHouse |
| clickhouse.com/pricing read Nov 1, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on BigQuery pricing and ClickHouse pricing.
Key Takeaways
BigQuery
- Worth considering for data & databases
ClickHouse
- Worth considering for data & databases
What the data shows
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.
- User ratings are within 0.2 points (4.5/5 from 1,258 reviews for BigQuery, 4.5/5 from 23 reviews for ClickHouse).
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do BigQuery and ClickHouse compare in 2026?
On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair. User ratings are within 0.2 points (4.5/5 from 1,258 reviews for BigQuery, 4.5/5 from 23 reviews for ClickHouse).
What are BigQuery and ClickHouse used for?
BigQuery: Google's serverless data warehouse for analytics. ClickHouse: Fast open-source analytics database.
What does BigQuery cost vs ClickHouse?
BigQuery has no public paid-plan price on file. ClickHouse has no public paid-plan price on file. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Nov 1, 2026.
What's the main difference between BigQuery and ClickHouse?
BigQuery's main strength: best serverless data warehouse. ClickHouse's main strength: extremely fast analytics.
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