Databricks vs Google BigQuery Pricing (2026)
Compare / Databricks vs Google BigQuery
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Team size
25 seats

Databricks vs Google BigQuery

Data Warehousing pricing comparison · 2026

Databricks pricing ranges from $0–$0.4/month, while Google BigQuery ranges from $0–$312.5/month. These products use different pricing models (Custom enterprise pricing vs Per-seat subscription), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

Visit
See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Databricks pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Google pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Data Warehousing
Side-by-side · live
Databricks
Databricks uses consumption-based pricing measured in Databricks Units (DBUs) as of March
verified 25d ago
$612 $250K
View pricing →
Google BigQuery
Google BigQuery is a fully managed, serverless data warehouse that enables super-fast SQL
verified 27d ago
$612 $250K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
Google saves $249K vs Databricks · 25 seats
Cheapest $612
Spread 100%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Custom pricing
Custom
all tiers are quote-only
Pricing model unknown
Pricing model unknown
no public list price found
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$250K/yr
Vendr · n=171 avg 13% negotiated
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$612/yr
Vendr · n=12
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 16 sourced facts
9 hidden-cost · 4 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence Medium confidence
Sources 9 sourced facts
6 hidden-cost · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence Medium confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Support Fees
    12-30% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Idle Cluster Costs
    10-30% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Pricing Calculator Inaccuracy
    $150,000-$2,000,000
    1 source
  • Azure Marketplace Upfront Payment Requirement
    $250,000-$2,000,000
    1 source
  • Data Egress and Cross-Region Transfer Fees
    $1,000-$10,000/month in cloud provider egress charges
    1 source
3 documented
  • Unexpected Query Costs Without Hard Limits
    Variable - users report £240-€327 in unexpected charges
    3 sources
  • Concurrent Query Limits and Quotas
    5-10% of license costs
    1 source
  • Non-Transparent Billing Reports
    Variable
    2 sources
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
8.8/5 (5)
Trustpilot
1.5/5 (2)
Best for
Getting started
Watch out
Unpredictable and escalating costs
TrustRadius
9/5 (6)
Trustpilot
1.3/5 (24)
Best for
Individual developers, students, and small experiments
Watch out
Unexpected billing charges without hard spending limits
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Databricks pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Google pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Data Warehousing

Databricks

$0–$0.4
/month
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Data Warehousing

Google BigQuery

$0–$312.5
/month
3 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
⚖

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — Databricks uses Custom enterprise pricing pricing while Google BigQuery uses Per-seat subscription pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Custom enterprise pricing

Databricks

$0–$0.4 / month
See full Databricks pricing →
vs
Per-seat subscription

Google BigQuery

$0–$312.5 / month
See full Google BigQuery pricing →

Databricks and Google BigQuery both operate in the data warehousing category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Databricks Google BigQuery
Free Trial Free /month Free /month
Data Engineering Custom Custom
Data Warehousing Custom Custom
AI/ML Custom —

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Databricks

7 scenarios
$500
Small Data Engineering Team
$1,500/month (including cloud infrastructure)
$3,000
Mid-Size Analytics Team
$8,000/month (including cloud infrastructure)
$15,000
Enterprise ML Platform
$50,000/month (including cloud infrastructure)
See all 7 scenarios →

Google BigQuery

4 scenarios
$0/month (within free tier)
Small Team / Free Tier
$500
Growing Analytics Team
$2,000/month
$5,000
Enterprise Data Platform
$30,000/month
See all 4 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

Databricks

Median annual cost
$249,960
Average negotiated discount
13%
Based on
171 deals

Google BigQuery

Median annual cost
$612
Based on
12 deals

What Users Say

Databricks

Trustpilot
1.5/5 (2)
TrustRadius
8.8/10 (5)
Top complaints
  • Unpredictable and escalating costs
  • Pricing calculator inaccuracy leading to budget overruns
  • Steep learning curve for new users

Google BigQuery

Trustpilot
1.3/5 (24)
TrustRadius
9/10 (6)
Top complaints
  • Unexpected billing charges without hard spending limits
  • Free credits not automatically applied to prevent charges
  • Difficult to reach customer support for billing issues

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Databricks 5 hidden costs

critical
Support Fees 12-30% of license costs
high
Idle Cluster Costs 10-30% of license costs
critical
Pricing Calculator Inaccuracy $150,000-$2,000,000
medium
Azure Marketplace Upfront Payment Requirement $250,000-$2,000,000
medium
Data Egress and Cross-Region Transfer Fees $1,000-$10,000/month in cloud provider egress charges
See all Databricks hidden costs →

Google BigQuery 3 hidden costs

high
Unexpected Query Costs Without Hard Limits Variable - users report £240-€327 in unexpected charges
medium
Concurrent Query Limits and Quotas 5-10% of license costs
medium
Non-Transparent Billing Reports Variable
See all Google BigQuery hidden costs →

Continue researching

Databricks

Google BigQuery

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