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Amazon Athena vs Exasol Comparison

Last updated:

Amazon Athena

4.1(46 reviews)

Starting at Contact for pricing

  • Free Trial
  • Large Enterprises
  • Small Business

Amazon Athena is a serverless query service that lets you analyze data stored in Amazon S3 using standard SQL, with no infrastructure to provision or manage. It integrates with the AWS Glue Data Catalog for a centralized…

Exasol

4.7(22 reviews)

Starting at Contact for pricing

  • Large Enterprises
  • Medium Business

Exasol SaaS is a cloud-based database with exceptional performance capabilities. Its cutting-edge in-memory, columnar storage, and MPP architectures make it amazingly simple to deploy and start using. This software allow…

Exasol leads on user satisfaction with a 4.7-star rating across 22 reviews.

Amazon Athena vs Exasol — at a glance

FeatureAmazon AthenaExasol
Rating4.1 / 54.7 / 5
Reviews4622
Starting priceContact for pricingContact for pricing
Free trial Yes No
Free version No No
Best forLarge Enterprises, Small Business, Medium BusinessLarge Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business
CategoryDatabase as a Service (DBaaS) ProviderDatabase as a Service (DBaaS) Provider
PlatformsBrowser Based (Cloud)SaaS/Web/Cloud, Installed - Mac
APIAvailable
Support modesOnlineOnline
CertificationsSOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001SOC 2
Data residencyGlobalGlobal

Key differences between Amazon Athena and Exasol

  • Free trial: Amazon Athena offers a free trial; Exasol does not.
  • User satisfaction: Exasol scores higher with a 4.7-star average.
  • Deployment: Amazon Athena supports Browser Based (Cloud); Exasol supports SaaS/Web/Cloud, Installed - Mac.

Amazon Athena vs Exasol — find the better fit before you commit.

01

Which tool fits your team best

02

Which is actually cheaper for your team size

03

Where each product wins, per real buyers

Most Database as a Service (DBaaS) Provider tools look identical on paper. This comparison cuts to the differences that matter — pricing structure, team fit, and what real buyers found after signing up.

Amazon Athena
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Exasol - New SaaS Software
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Biggest differences

Start here before you go deeper into features.

Amazon Athena

Best for serverless SQL querying of large datasets stored in Amazon S3.

Choose if
  • You need fast, pay-per-query analytics directly on S3 data without managing infrastructure.
  • Your team consists of data engineers or analysts familiar with SQL and AWS ecosystem.
  • You want seamless integration with AWS security and cloud data warehousing services.
Consider alternatives if
  • Your data is not primarily stored in Amazon S3 or requires multi-cloud querying.
  • You require advanced ETL or data transformation features beyond basic querying.

Exasol

Best for

Large Enterprises, Medium Business, Small Business

Amazon Athena typically suits Large Enterprises and Small Business. Exasol tends to fit Large Enterprises and Medium Business better. The right choice depends on your team size, workflow, and whether a free trial matters.

Description

Amazon Athena is a serverless query service that lets you analyze data stored in Amazon S3 using standard SQL, with no infrastructure to provision or manage. It integrates with the AWS Glue ... Read More about Amazon Athena

Exasol SaaS is a cloud-based database with exceptional performance capabilities. Its cutting-edge in-memory, columnar storage, and MPP architectures make it amazingly simple to deploy and ... Read More about Exasol

Free Trial Availability

  • No free trial

User Ratings

Based on verified Spotsaas reviews

4.1

(46)

4.66

(22)

Best Company Size

51-500 employees500+ employees
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Software Demo

Demo

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How do Amazon Athena and Exasol Compare on Features?

Total Features

6 Features

5 Features

Unique Features

No unique features

No unique features

Get Quote
Get Quote

Compare Amazon Athena and Exasol on pricing

Review starting price, plan structure, and free-trial access side by side so you can see which option fits your budget and buying process.

Pricing Option

      Pricing Plans

      • Not Available
      • Not Available

      Pricing Page

      Amazon Athena pricing
      Exasol pricing

      Other Details

      Organization Types supported

      • Medium Business
      • Small Business
      • Large Enterprises
      • Freelancers
      • Medium Business
      • Small Business
      • Large Enterprises
      • Freelancers

      Platforms Supported

      • Browser Based (Cloud)
      • Browser Based (Cloud)
      • Installed - Windows
      • Installed - Mac
      • Browser Based (Cloud)
      • Browser Based (Cloud)
      • Installed - Windows
      • Installed - Mac

      Modes of support

      • 24/7 (Live rep)
      • Business Hours
      • Online
      • 24/7 (Live rep)
      • Business Hours
      • Online

      API Support

      • Available
      • Not Available
      Get help choosing
      Get help choosing

      Security & Compliance

      Certifications, data handling, and security controls for IT and compliance evaluators.

      SOC 2

      ✓ Yes
      ✓ Yes

      HIPAA

      ✓ Yes
      ✗ No

      GDPR

      ✓ Yes

      ISO 27001

      ✓ Yes

      Single Sign-On (SSO)

      ✓ Yes

      Multi-Factor Auth (MFA)

      ✓ Yes

      Data Encryption

      ✓ Yes

      Audit Logs

      ✓ Yes

      Data Residency

      🌐 Global
      🌐 Global

      Amazon Athena User Reviews & Rating Comparison

      User Ratings

      4.1

      (based on 46 reviews)

      Rating Distribution

      0

      0

      0

      0

      0

      14

      4

      1

      0

      0

      Pros and Cons

      • Serverless architecture eliminates infrastructure management

      • Ability to query large datasets directly in Amazon S3 using standard SQL

      • Fast query performance with pay-per-query pricing

      • Pricing can become expensive with very high query volumes

      • Limited to data stored in Amazon S3

      • Reviewers consistently cite exceptional query performance, running reports many times faster than prior warehouses.

      • An excellent cost-to-performance ratio means far less hardware is needed for the same results.

      • It is easy to use and maintain, with automatic index management lowering admin overhead.

      • Documentation and the IDE are described as weak and could be improved.

      • Loaders and connectivity options have room for improvement.

      Positive Reviews

      No reviews available for the product

      No reviews available for the product

      Used Amazon Athena or Exasol? Tell buyers what actually differs.

      List of Customers

      Customers

      Siemens

      Siemens

      Betterment

      Betterment

      Finra

      Finra

      Piedmont

      Piedmont

      Dailymotion

      Dailymotion

      Lyzico

      Lyzico

      Media and Screenshots

      Videos

      video-0

      3 Videos

      video-0

      2 Videos

      Top Alternatives to Amazon Athena and Exasol in 2026

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      Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].

      Frequently asked questions

      Which is better, Amazon Athena or Exasol?
      Exasol edges out the other on user ratings (4.7 vs 4.1). That said, the best pick depends on your use case — use the comparison tables above to evaluate each dimension.
      Do Amazon Athena and Exasol offer a free trial?
      Amazon Athena offers a free trial. Exasol does not.
      What is the starting price of Amazon Athena vs Exasol?
      Amazon Athena starts at Contact for pricing. Exasol starts at Contact for pricing.
      What are the top alternatives to Amazon Athena?
      Top alternatives to Amazon Athena include Amazon DocumentDB, Azure Cosmos DB, Xata, Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), DataStax Astra.
      What are the top alternatives to Exasol?
      Top alternatives to Exasol include Oracle Essbase, cloudbase.io, Snowflake, Qualified, Workvivo.