How much does Starburst cost?

Paid plans start at $0/mo, going up to $1/mo for larger teams. You can get started on the free plan before committing.

Is there a free plan?

Yes. The "Free" plan is free forever, not just a trial. You get create and run up to 3 clusters, access to standard cluster execution mode for ad hoc queries. It's enough to evaluate the product before upgrading.

Can I try it before paying?

Yes — there's a free trial that lasts 30 days.

Is there a discount for annual billing?

Discounted pricing available for annual commitments.

Starburst Pricing (2026)

Straight usage-based pricing metered in credits, so you're paying for query compute consumption rather than seats or flat access — and the twist is those credit prices actually shift depending on whether you're running on AWS, Azure, or GCP and which region you pick.

From $0/mo 4 plans usage-based Free plan Free trial Best Starburst alternatives → Starburst's competitors →

Free: $0/mo
Pro: $0/mo
Enterprise Popular: $0/mo
Mission-Critical: $1/mo

Verified Sep 24, 2026 Official pricing page

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Screenshot of Starburst's pricing page showing its plans and prices — Their pricing page, captured Sep 24, 2026

Free

$0/mo

Create and run up to 3 clusters
Access to standard cluster execution mode for ad hoc queries

Pro

$0/mo

Flexible cluster execution modes
Streaming Ingest
Advanced cluster management

Enterprise

Popular

$0/mo

Advanced autoscaling features
Fine-grained access controls (ABAC, SCIM)
AWS PrivateLink for data sources
Early access to features (Private Preview)
AIDA (token usage billed separately)

Mission-Critical

$1/mo

Elite support and ticketing
Advanced governance integrations
Lakehouse security and compliance tools
Highest uptime guarantees
AIDA (token usage billed separately)

Does Starburst have a free plan?

Yes: the Free plan is free forever, not a time-limited trial. When you outgrow it, paid plans start at $0/mo. Paid tiers also come with a free trial (30 days).

What the free plan includes

Create and run up to 3 clusters
Access to standard cluster execution mode for ad hoc queries

AI Pricing Analysis

Pricing Model

Tier Strategy

Free is the sandbox for individuals or small teams kicking the tires, Pro is where a real analytics workload lives once you need reliability without enterprise overhead, and Enterprise/Mission-Critical exist for orgs running production data platforms where governance, uptime, and support SLAs actually matter. The upgrade trigger is less about hitting a usage cap and more about when query workloads become business-critical and downtime or lax security becomes a real risk.

Competitive Positioning

Sitting in the middle of the modern data lakehouse/query engine space, Starburst isn't trying to be the bargain-bin option — the tiered jump to Mission-Critical signals they're chasing large enterprises with complex, high-stakes data infrastructure, while still keeping a free tier to hook smaller teams and individual engineers early.

Growth Lever

The real expansion driver is consumption itself — more queries, more data scanned, more compute burned means more credits, so usage naturally scales revenue without Starburst needing to gate specific features. Layered on top, moving up tiers unlocks the reliability and support guarantees (think Mission-Critical SLAs) that big enterprises can't run production workloads without, plus annual commitment discounts nudge bigger accounts to lock in early.

Want the strategist's read on the live page? Read the AI teardown of Starburst's pricing page →

Starburst Pricing FAQ

How much does Starburst cost?: Paid plans start at $0/mo, going up to $1/mo for larger teams. You can get started on the free plan before committing.
Is there a free plan?: Yes. The "Free" plan is free forever, not just a trial. You get create and run up to 3 clusters, access to standard cluster execution mode for ad hoc queries. It's enough to evaluate the product before upgrading.
Can I try it before paying?: Yes — there's a free trial that lasts 30 days.
How does the pricing work?: Straight usage-based pricing metered in credits, so you're paying for query compute consumption rather than seats or flat access — and the twist is those credit prices actually shift depending on whether you're running on AWS, Azure, or GCP and which region you pick.
Is there a discount for annual billing?: Discounted pricing available for annual commitments.
Which plan makes sense for me?: Free is the sandbox for individuals or small teams kicking the tires, Pro is where a real analytics workload lives once you need reliability without enterprise overhead, and Enterprise/Mission-Critical exist for orgs running production data platforms where governance, uptime, and support SLAs actually matter. The upgrade trigger is less about hitting a usage cap and more about when query workloads become business-critical and downtime or lax security becomes a real risk.

More Data pricing

All Data pricing →

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