Databricks
Databricks · Analytics & Data
The Lakehouse Platform combining data warehouse + data lake + AI/ML in one Apache Spark-based system, founded 2013 by the creators of Spark. Positioned as the open, multi-cloud alternative to Snowflake for data teams that also do ML/AI (Mosaic AI, MLflow). Distinctive for Unity Catalog governance across data + AI plus native Delta Lake open-source format. Pricing is purely usage-based via DBUs (Databricks Units) across Standard/Premium/Enterprise tiers — no monthly subscription. Publicly discussed valuation $62B (2024 Series J). Serves 12,000+ organizations including 60% of Fortune 500.
In other words, Databricks is worth it for data teams (10-500 engineers/analysts) that need a unified platform for data engineering + analytics + ML at scale — particularly if you have big-data workloads (100GB+ daily) and want an alternative to Snowflake with better AI/ML support. Standard covers basic Spark + Delta Lake workloads; Premium adds security features (RBAC, SQL analytics); Enterprise adds compliance controls (HIPAA, PCI). Steep learning curve; requires data engineering expertise. Deep native integrations with AWS/Azure/GCP + dbt + Airflow + Tableau. Downside: pure usage-based pricing surprises finance teams (typical mid-size deployment $10K-$100K/month), and lightweight alternatives (BigQuery, ClickHouse, DuckDB) cover simpler needs at fraction of cost.
Pricing summary
No monthly fees
Pay as you go
Varies by usage
No separate trial
Just data warehousing (no ML)? Pick Snowflake or BigQuery. Simple analytics for smaller data? DuckDB, ClickHouse, or Metabase + Postgres. ML/AI without lakehouse? SageMaker, Vertex AI, or Modal.
All plans
See a plain-English answer to “How much does Databricks cost?” →
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|
Standard (RETIRED) | Free | Free | DEPRECATED — end of life on AWS + GCP Oct 2025 (workspaces auto-upgraded to Premium). On Azure: new Standard workspace creation blocked 2026-04-01; all remaining Azure Standard workspaces auto-upgrade to Premium 2026-10-01. Successor tier = Premium. Historic rates were from $0.15/DBU Jobs Compute, from $0.40/DBU All-Purpose |
Premium | Free | Free | NOW THE BASELINE TIER for all new deployments. Pay-as-you-go, roughly $0.30/DBU Jobs and $0.55/DBU All-Purpose (published range across workload types $0.08-$0.70/DBU). Includes Unity Catalog, Databricks SQL, RBAC, audit logging, serverless compute, full Mosaic AI suite |
Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Pay-as-you-go, approx 15-25% above Premium for equivalent compute; adds HIPAA/PCI compliance, IP access lists, customer-managed keys, dedicated support + SLAs. Rates negotiated with sales, not publicly listed |
All tier prices verified August 12, 2026 · View source →
Price history
Price tracking is just getting started for Databricks. Full history will build as we log changes. See what we have so far →
Common questions about Databricks
- How much does Databricks cost in 2026?
- Does Databricks have a free plan?
- How often does Databricks change prices?
- What are the best Databricks alternatives in 2026?
- Is Databricks worth it?
- Databricks is worth it for data teams (10-500 engineers/analysts) that need a unified platform for data engineering + analytics + ML at scale — particularly if you have big-data workloads (100GB+ daily) and want an alternative to Snowflake with better AI/ML support. Standard covers basic Spark + Delta Lake workloads; Premium adds security features (RBAC, SQL analytics); Enterprise adds compliance controls (HIPAA, PCI).
- What are the pricing tiers of Databricks?
- Databricks has 3 plans: Standard (RETIRED) (free), Premium (free), Enterprise (custom).
Frequently asked questions
About Databricks pricing.
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At a glance
- Key limit metric
- DBU (Databricks Units) consumed
- Pricing transparency
- Public
Integrates and connects
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