BigQuery (on-demand) alternatives
Killing $6.25/TB scanned (~$75/yr) — here are 2 verified escapes, honest trade-offs included.
the answer hard migration
Trino · Free / self-host free ⭐ 13.2K stars Federated SQL engine querying object storage without per-byte bills.
you stop paying $6.25/TB scanned → keep ~$75/yr
head-to-head
| BigQuery (on-demand) | Trino | |
|---|---|---|
| price | $6.25/TB scanned | Free / self-host free |
| self-hostable | no | yes |
| license | proprietary | Apache-2.0 |
| verified | — | 2026-08 |
| migration | — | hard effort |
free & open source (2)
Free / self-host free
Federated SQL engine querying object storage without per-byte bills.
trade-offs: Cluster to run
github →Free / self-host free
Columnar queries that make most warehouse workloads trivial.
trade-offs: Modeling discipline needed
github →faq
What is the best free alternative to BigQuery (on-demand)?
Trino is the top free option — Federated SQL engine querying object storage without per-byte bills.
How much can I save by switching from BigQuery (on-demand)?
BigQuery (on-demand) costs $6.25/TB scanned, so switching to a free alternative saves roughly $75/year per seat.
Can BigQuery (on-demand) be self-hosted?
Yes — Trino and ClickHouse can be self-hosted for free.