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It's a split decision.
Choose DuckDB for free, in-process SQL analytics and direct work with CSV, JSON, Parquet, or Iceberg. Choose ClickHouse for columnar analytics on large datasets, real-time workloads, and cloud or self-managed deployment—if you can manage the engineering and variable cloud costs. DuckDB’s open-source project lists no paid plans or usage limits. ClickHouse Cloud has a 30-day trial, then usage-based compute and storage charges; self-managed ClickHouse is also available.
01Side by side
| DuckDB | ClickHouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $0; no paid plans published | No fixed price; cloud is usage-based |
| Free plan | Free, open-source MIT license | No Cloud free plan; 30-day trial |
| Best for | In-process SQL analytics and data wrangling | Real-time analytics on large datasets |
| Core strength | Analytics inside an application | Columnar storage for analytical queries |
| Learning curve | Simpler entry point for SQL analytics | More engineering to manage, per review |
| Integrations and data | CSV, JSON, Parquet, Iceberg; major language APIs | Local queries for CSV, TSV, and Parquet |
| Team or seat costs | Per-seat pricing not published | Per-seat pricing not published |
| Support | Support details not published | Enterprise: 30-minute Severity 1 response |
DuckDB Choose DuckDB if
- Choose DuckDB if you want free, open-source SQL analytics.
- Choose DuckDB if you need in-process deployment.
- Choose DuckDB if you work with CSV, JSON, Parquet, or Iceberg.
ClickHouse Choose ClickHouse if
- Choose ClickHouse if you analyze large datasets in real time.
- Choose ClickHouse if columnar storage fits your analytical workload.
- Choose ClickHouse if you can budget for usage-based cloud charges.
02Pricing compared
DuckDB’s MIT-licensed project is free for personal and commercial use. Its pricing information lists no paid plans, monthly or annual charges, or usage limits. ClickHouse is open source, but ClickHouse Cloud has no free plan; the pricing page lists a 30-day trial followed by usage-based charges billed monthly in USD. Basic compute costs $0.2181 per unit-hour and storage $25.30 per TB-month, with up to 1 TB of storage and 8–12 GiB of memory. Scale compute is $0.2985 per unit-hour, with unlimited storage and configurable memory. Enterprise compute is $0.3903 per unit-hour. All three list storage at $25.30 per TB-month. Public internet egress starts at $0.1152 per GB. Your ClickHouse bill depends on usage; the listed rates are not fixed monthly plan totals.
03Features and depth
DuckDB is an analytical SQL database that runs inside an application or can be deployed on devices and servers. It reads and writes CSV, JSON, Parquet, and Iceberg, and offers APIs for languages including Python, Go, Java, Node.js, and Rust. Extensions can add functions and format support. The homepage describes its SQL as PostgreSQL-inspired and says it can run on servers with hundreds of cores.
ClickHouse is a column-oriented database aimed at analytical queries on large datasets. Its homepage highlights real-time analytics, observability, data warehousing, and ML and GenAI workloads. The product is designed for millisecond queries; columnar storage and compression are core parts of that approach. ClickHouse supports SQL analysis and comes as Cloud, self-managed software, or ClickHouse Local. Local can query CSV, TSV, and Parquet files without a server. The practical split: DuckDB emphasizes in-process analytics and broad file-format work; ClickHouse emphasizes real-time analysis at scale, with cloud and self-managed deployment choices.
04Ease of use and learning curve
DuckDB’s in-process design can mean fewer database deployment decisions when you want SQL analytics inside an application. Its PostgreSQL-inspired SQL and language APIs may also fit existing development workflows. But the available information does not specify concurrency limits or support terms, so check those before making it a shared production service.
ClickHouse offers a serverless-to-you choice: Cloud, self-managed ClickHouse, or Local for querying files without a server. That flexibility adds decisions around hosting and, for Cloud, usage-based costs. Our review assessment favors DuckDB for a simpler starting point and flags ClickHouse as a better fit when you can handle the engineering involved.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, DuckDB or ClickHouse?
DuckDB has no listed paid plans or usage limits, so it is the lower-cost starting point for the database itself. ClickHouse Cloud offers a 30-day trial, then charges by compute and storage usage. Self-managed ClickHouse is available, but the published pricing information does not give a total operating cost for it.
Can DuckDB handle large datasets?
DuckDB’s homepage says it can run on servers with hundreds of cores, and the product description lists no usage limits. That does not establish how it performs for a particular dataset or concurrent workload. The available information does not publish concurrency details, so verify those requirements before choosing it for shared production analytics.
Which database is better for real-time analytics?
ClickHouse is the more direct fit based on its stated focus: the homepage highlights real-time analytics, and the product is designed for millisecond queries on large datasets. DuckDB is described as an analytical SQL database, but the published information does not position it specifically for real-time workloads.
Can I query files without running a database server?
Yes, both offer ways to work without a separate server. DuckDB runs in-process and reads and writes CSV, JSON, Parquet, and Iceberg. ClickHouse Local queries CSV, TSV, and Parquet files without a server. The formats differ, so check support for the files in your workflow.