Databricks vs Rowy — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Databricks starts at Free. Rowy uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
See price history: Databricks · Rowy
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.
Low-code internal tools platform — build admin panels, dashboards, and internal apps on top of Firestore or Postgres, with an AI copilot. Pricing: Free (up to 3 users), Pro $25/user/mo, Business $50/user/mo (SSO + audit logs), Enterprise custom. Popular with product engineers who need internal tooling fast without frontend work.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Databricks monthly | Databricks annual | Rowy monthly | Rowy annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Standard (RETIRED) / Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | — / Pro | — | — | $25 | $20 |
| Teams | — / Business | — | — | $50 | $40 |
| Enterprise | Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Databricks is worth it if… 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).
Rowy is worth it if… product engineers who need to build internal tools (admin panels, ops dashboards) without spinning up a full frontend. Free tier good for evaluation; Pro ($25/user/mo) suits small teams; Business ($50/user/mo) adds SSO + audit.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose Databricks over Rowy if…
Choose Databricks if…
- You're comfortable with Databricks's a free entry tier entry point.
- You match the profile Databricks is built 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.
- You need a general-purpose analytics & data option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Rowy if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, custom pricing).
- You match the profile Rowy is built for: product engineers who need to build internal tools (admin panels, ops dashboards) without spinning up a full frontend.
- You need a general-purpose analytics & data option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Databricks | Rowy | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | Free | Custom |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | — | Per Seat |
| Last verified | September 19, 2026 | — |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 19, 2026. Tracked daily.