Snowflake vs Amazon Redshift: Which is Better in 2026?
Choosing between Snowflake and Amazon Redshift comes down to understanding what each tool does best. This comparison breaks down the key differences so you can make an informed decision based on your specific needs, not marketing claims.
Bottom line: Snowflake is our overall Data Warehouses pick. Pick Amazon Redshift if you need its specific feature set.
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:
Snowflake
Unify your data across clouds with separate compute and storage
Best for you if:
- • You want elastic scaling
Amazon Redshift
Petabyte-scale data warehouse on AWS
Best for you if:
- • You want deep AWS integration
| At a Glance | Snowflake | Amazon Redshift |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Custom | $0.25/hour Provisioned |
Category | Data & Databases Cloud & Infrastructure | Data & Databases Data Warehouses |
Rating | 4.1/5 G2 4.6 · Capterra 4.7 · Trustpilot 0.6 865 reviews | 4.3/5 G2 4.3 · Capterra 4.4 420 reviews |
Free plan | No | No |
Watch out for | Warehouses that are not configured to auto-suspend burn credits continuously. | Storage costs beyond compute |
Choose Snowflake or Amazon Redshift?
Choose Snowflake if
- You want elastic scaling
- You want multi-cloud
Choose Amazon Redshift if
- You want deep AWS integration
- You want mature and proven
In-Depth Analysis
Snowflake
Unify your data across clouds with separate compute and storage
Snowflake's consumption-based pricing starts at ~$2/credit (Standard) and scales to ~$4/credit (Business Critical), with storage at $23-40/TB/month depending on commitment level.
Watch out
Warehouses that are not configured to auto-suspend burn credits continuously.
Strengths
- Pro: Elastic scaling
- Pro: Multi-cloud
- Pro: Easy to use
Weaknesses
- Con: Costs can spike
- Con: Vendor lock-in
Key features
Amazon Redshift
Petabyte-scale data warehouse on AWS
Amazon Redshift's pricing is fair, especially with the free trial and reserved instance options.
Watch out
Storage costs beyond compute
Strengths
- Pro: Deep AWS integration
- Pro: Mature and proven
- Pro: Serverless option
- Pro: Cost-effective for AWS users
- Pro: Strong SQL support
Weaknesses
- Con: AWS lock-in
- Con: Complex pricing
- Con: Cluster management (provisioned)
- Con: Slower than newer alternatives
Key features
Pricing: Snowflake vs Amazon Redshift
| Plan | Snowflake | Amazon Redshift |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 2 /credit Standard | Free Free Trial |
| Tier 2 | 3 /credit Enterprise | $0.25 hour Provisioned |
| Tier 3 | 4 /credit Business Critical | Variable Serverless |
Pricing verified from each vendor's public pricing page. Compare in detail on Snowflake pricing and Amazon Redshift pricing.
Key Takeaways
Snowflake
- Larger review base (865 reviews)
- Our pick for this comparison
Amazon Redshift
- Higher user rating: 4.3/5 vs 4.1/5
The Bottom Line
Snowflake is our overall Data Warehouses pick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Snowflake or Amazon Redshift better in 2026?
Snowflake is our overall Data Warehouses pick. Pick Snowflake for data & databases workflows (main strength: elastic scaling). Pick Amazon Redshift for data & databases workflows (main strength: deep AWS integration).
What are Snowflake and Amazon Redshift used for?
Snowflake: Unify your data across clouds with separate compute and storage. Amazon Redshift: Petabyte-scale data warehouse on AWS.
What does Snowflake cost vs Amazon Redshift?
Snowflake pricing is on their site. Amazon Redshift's paid plans start at $0.25/hour (Provisioned).
What's the main difference between Snowflake and Amazon Redshift?
Snowflake's main strength: elastic scaling. Amazon Redshift's main strength: deep AWS integration.