Compute and managed storage are separate. Serverless scales with workload; entry capacity is not a forecast of the actual bill.
Amazon Redshift pricing in 2026
Serverless from $1.50/active hour; provisioned from $0.543/hour
Serverless on-demand
From $1.50 per active hour
- 4 RPUs at $0.375/RPU-hour in US East (N. Virginia)
- Per-second metering with a 60-second minimum
- Storage and other services extra
Provisioned on-demand
From $0.543/hour
- Node-hour billing
- Actual configuration and region determine cost
Reserved capacity
Commitment-based
- Best evaluated after measuring steady demand
- Committed capacity remains payable when unused
Every figure on this page was read from Amazon Redshift’s own pricing page on 7 Oct 2026. Prices change without notice.
Questions people ask
Is Amazon Redshift free?
No. Eligible first-time Serverless users can receive $300 in credits lasting 90 days. Ongoing usage is paid.
Should I choose Serverless or provisioned Redshift?
I'd start with Serverless when usage is uncertain. Compare provisioned capacity once you have a steady workload and enough information to judge its cost and performance against Serverless.
Does Redshift zero-ETL remove all data preparation?
No. It handles replication for supported integrations, but you still need downstream transformations and business definitions. Check the source's requirements and freshness before relying on it.
Can I use Redshift without knowing SQL?
Amazon Q can help generate SQL, but someone needs to validate what it produces. I wouldn't recommend running important reporting without access to SQL and data-modeling expertise.
Is Redshift better than Snowflake?
I'd favor Redshift when AWS integration is the deciding factor and Snowflake when broader cloud-platform choice matters more. Your workload and operating model should decide the comparison, not an assumed universal winner.