Amazon Redshift
AWS's data warehouse, with Redshift Serverless at $0.375 per RPU-hour (4-RPU minimum) and provisioned nodes from about $0.25 an hour.
- Free trial
- RPU-hours or nodes
- Cloud
- AWS warehouse
- Independent sources
- Verified 11 Nov 2026Sources are dated on this profile
- 2 sourcesLinked, typed and dated
- Independent third-party sourcesHow this profile was compiled
- Not an endorsementStack18 has not tested this product
What is Amazon Redshift?
Amazon Redshift is a cloud data warehouse on AWS, available as provisioned clusters or Redshift Serverless, with zero-ETL integrations and S3 data lake queries.
- Best forAWS-centric teams needing a warehouse close to S3
- Team size fitMid-size teams, Large enterprises
- PricingServerless $0.375 per RPU-hour (4-RPU minimum, $1.50/hour base, 60-second minimum); provisioned $0.25-$13.04 per node-hour.
- Main limitation60-second minimum.
- AlternativesSnowflake, Google BigQuery, Databricks · compare all
Amazon Redshift overview: who it is for and what it does.
Redshift integrates with IAM, S3 and Glue, with zero-ETL integrations and serverless scaling toward zero when idle.
A vendor comparison (August 2026) lists Redshift Serverless at $0.375 per RPU-hour with a 4-RPU minimum ($1.50 an hour base) and a 60-second minimum, plus trial credits; CostBench lists provisioned nodes from $0.25 to $13.04 per node-hour.
It notes slower cold starts and an MPP design not built for spiky multi-tenant apps.
Main problem it solves
Keeps analytics inside AWS.
Typical customer segment
AWS customers.
Target users
- Data engineers
- Analysts
- Cloud architects
Primary use cases
- Warehousing
- Zero-ETL
- S3 queries
- Serverless
What makes it distinct
- AWS-native.
- Serverless or nodes.
- Zero-ETL.
Amazon Redshift features explained.
Serverless
- Rate
- $0.375 per RPU-hour.
- Minimum
- 4 RPU ($1.50/hour).
- Billing floor
- 60 seconds.
Provisioned
- Nodes
- $0.25-$13.04 per node-hour.
- Model
- Clusters.
- Trial
- Credits.
AWS fit
- IAM
- Native.
- S3 and Glue
- Integrated.
- Zero-ETL
- Supported.
Amazon Redshift pricing and plans.
Figures reported by independent sources; vendor page not reviewed directly. Checked 11 Nov 2026 against MotherDuck · CostBench.
Pricing model
Usage by RPU-hour or node-hour.
Free plan
No
Free trial
Trial credits
Amazon Redshift plans and prices (USD)
Serverless
$0.375 per RPU-hour
On demand
4-RPU minimum.
Provisioned
$0.25-$13.04 per node-hour
On demand or reserved
By node type.
MotherDuck (August 2026), vendor; CostBench (2026).
Prices change. Confirm current plans and terms on the vendor's site before you decide.
Visit official website (external) ↗See alternativesAmazon Redshift integrations, API and platforms.
Important integrations
- Amazon S3
- AWS Glue
- QuickSight
- dbt
Supported platforms
- Web
API
Not reviewed for this profile.
Data import and export
Not reviewed for this profile.
Integration coverage was not assessed in full. Check Amazon Redshift's integrations directory and documentation for your tools.
Amazon Redshift pros and cons.
Strengths, limitations and best fit. Each point cites a source; editorial summaries are not customer reviews.
Best for
- AWS-centric teams needing a warehouse close to S3
- Enterprises on AWS
- Teams using zero-ETL from Aurora
May be less suited to
- Multi-cloud buyers
- Sub-second spiky workloads
Top Amazon Redshift alternatives and competitors.
Snowflake
A cloud data platform billed by compute credits ($2 to $4 a credit by edition) plus storage, with a…
Explore →Related productGoogle BigQuery
Google Cloud's serverless data warehouse at $6.25 per TiB scanned on demand, with 1 TiB of queries and…
Explore →Related productDatabricks
A lakehouse platform for data engineering, BI and AI billed in DBUs, with SQL Serverless around $0.70…
Explore →Amazon Redshift compared with similar cloud data warehouse and lakehouse platforms.
Summaries come from each profile. This is a side-by-side aid, not a ranking.
| Product | Pricing model | Entry rate | Free tier | Architecture | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Redshift | RPU-hour / node-hour | $0.375/RPU-hour | Trial credits | Cloud warehouse | AWS teams |
| ClickHouse Cloud | Compute + storage | $0.2181/unit-hour (Basic) | OSS free; $300 trial | Real-time column store | Real-time analytics |
| Databricks | DBU usage | ~$0.70/DBU (SQL Serverless) | No; 14-day trial | Lakehouse | BI + ML |
| Firebolt | Per-second nodes | ~$0.92/hour (1x S) | $200 credits | Cloud warehouse | Low-latency apps |
| Google BigQuery | Per TiB / slots | $6.25/TiB scanned | Yes (1 TiB/mo) | Serverless warehouse | Google Cloud |
| Microsoft Fabric | Capacity (F-SKU) | ~$0.36/hour (F2) | No; 60-day trial | Lakehouse (OneLake) | Microsoft shops |
Amazon Redshift vs competitors: head-to-head comparisons.
Each comparison has a feature table, pricing side by side, strengths and limits, and best-fit scenarios.
Compare Amazon Redshift with all its alternatives in one table →
Amazon Redshift discussions and buying questions.
No published discussions mention this product yet.
Amazon Redshift questions and answers
What is Amazon Redshift used for?
Amazon Redshift is a cloud data warehouse on AWS, available as provisioned clusters or Redshift Serverless, with zero-ETL integrations and S3 data lake queries. Typical uses include warehousing, zero-ETL, s3 queries, serverless.
How much does Redshift Serverless cost?
$0.375 per RPU-hour with a 4-RPU minimum, about $1.50 an hour base.
Does Redshift have a minimum billing period?
Yes, 60 seconds on Serverless.
What does provisioned Redshift cost?
About $0.25 to $13.04 per node-hour by node type, per CostBench.
How does Amazon Redshift compare with its competitors?
Stack18 publishes head-to-head comparisons of Snowflake vs Amazon Redshift, each with a feature table, pricing and best-fit scenarios.
What are the main alternatives to Amazon Redshift?
The main alternatives to Amazon Redshift covered on Stack18 are Snowflake, Google BigQuery and Databricks. Snowflake may suit enterprises running large batch analytics and data sharing. Google BigQuery may suit Google Cloud teams wanting serverless analytics. Databricks may suit teams combining BI, data engineering and ML on one copy of data. See the Amazon Redshift alternatives guide for a side-by-side table.
What are the pros and cons of Amazon Redshift?
Strengths: Deep AWS integration. Scales toward zero when idle. Limitations: 60-second minimum. Slower cold starts.
Who is Amazon Redshift best for?
Amazon Redshift may suit AWS-centric teams needing a warehouse close to S3; enterprises on AWS; teams using zero-ETL from Aurora. It may be less suited to multi-cloud buyers; sub-second spiky workloads.
What integrations does Amazon Redshift support?
Documented integrations and ecosystem items include Amazon S3, AWS Glue, QuickSight, dbt. API: Not reviewed for this profile.
When was the Amazon Redshift profile last verified?
Sources for this profile were last reviewed on 11 Nov 2026. 2 sources are listed under Sources, and prices and plans can change, so confirm with the vendor.
Where this information comes from.
- Top Snowflake Alternatives 2026 (20 August 2026) MotherDuck (vendor blog) Competitor Accessed 11 Nov 2026
- Data Warehousing Software Pricing 2026: 9 Tools Compared CostBench Third-party Accessed 11 Nov 2026
Secondary-source profile. Vendor pages were not reviewed directly for this profile. Facts and prices are taken from independent third-party sources and may differ from the vendor's current pages. Confirm with the vendor before buying.
List rates come from dated third-party and vendor sources (labelled); real bills depend on workload, region and discounts. Confirm with the vendor before buying. Capabilities were not tested.
Stack18 has not tested this product or received anything from the vendor for this profile. Editorial summaries of vendor information are not endorsements. Confirm details with the vendor before buying.
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