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Databend vs Snowflake

Databend: Rust-built cloud data warehouse on object storage, open source with a managed Databend Cloud. Snowflake: Fully managed cloud data warehouse with separate storage and compute, now spanning AI and apps.

key differences

  • Licensing: Databend is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0 (enterprise features under ELv2)); Snowflake is proprietary (Proprietary).
  • Snowflake is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Databend (≤ 1 PB).
  • Only Databend has secondary indexes.
  • Only Snowflake has stored procedures, materialized views, encryption at rest, streaming ingest.

choose databend for

  • +Self-hosted cloud data warehouse
  • +Lakehouse analytics on object storage
  • +Log and event analytics
  • +Cost-sensitive Snowflake alternative

best at · Warehouse, OLAP, Lakehouse

choose snowflake for

  • +Enterprise data warehouse
  • +ELT pipelines with dbt
  • +Cross-company data sharing
  • +BI and reporting at scale

best at · Warehouse, OLAP, Lakehouse

DatabendRust-built cloud data warehouse on object storage, open source with a managed Databend Cloud.
SnowflakeFully managed cloud data warehouse with separate storage and compute, now spanning AI and apps.
overview
Primary model
Columnar / OLAP
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Relational, Document, Vector, Spatial
Relational, Document, Vector, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Managed service
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Databend Labs
Snowflake Inc.
First release
2021
2014
Latest version
1.2.925-patch-15 (Oct 15, 2026)
–
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 (enterprise features under ELv2)
ProprietaryProprietary
Free tier
✓
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
15.4
74.4
Rank
#214
#7
GitHub stars
9.5K
–
Stack Overflow questions
–
12.2K
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
Distributed, Shared storage, Serverless
Distributed, Shared storage, Serverless
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
—
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
✓
✓
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS
AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
—
Full-text search
✓
✓
Vector search
✓
✓
Geospatial
✓
✓
JSON
✓
✓
Change data capture
✓
✓
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
—
✓
Materialized views
—
✓
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
✓
✓
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
✓
Encryption at rest
—
✓
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
✓
✓
Branching
✓
✓
Online schema changes
✓
✓
Streaming ingest
—
✓
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
SQL
SQL, Snowflake Scripting, Python (Snowpark), JavaScript
Client languages
Python, Go, Java, JavaScript, Rust
Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, .NET, C, PHP
Best for
Warehouse, OLAP, Lakehouse
Warehouse, OLAP, Lakehouse
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Databend vs Snowflake: FAQ

What is the difference between Databend and Snowflake?

Databend: Rust-built cloud data warehouse on object storage, open source with a managed Databend Cloud. Snowflake: Fully managed cloud data warehouse with separate storage and compute, now spanning AI and apps. Licensing: Databend is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0 (enterprise features under ELv2)); Snowflake is proprietary (Proprietary). Snowflake is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Databend (≤ 1 PB). Only Databend has secondary indexes.

When should I choose Databend over Snowflake?

Choose Databend for self-hosted cloud data warehouse; lakehouse analytics on object storage; and log and event analytics. Choose Snowflake for enterprise data warehouse, ELT pipelines with dbt and cross-company data sharing.

Is Databend or Snowflake more popular?

Snowflake ranks #7 on the WhichDB Score (74.4/100) and Databend ranks #214 (15.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Databend and Snowflake open source?

Yes. Databend is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 (enterprise features under ELv2). No. Snowflake is proprietary, closed-source software.