Starburst Galaxy

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Score7.0

Rank#4 of 25

PriceFree

Free planYes

Free trialYes

Runs onAPI, Linux, Web

Summary

Starburst Galaxy is a managed, cloud-hosted analytics platform built on Trino. It lets organizations query data across sources in a single SQL query without moving the data. The service is available on AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, and lists more than 50 data sources, including Amazon S3, Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery and Azure Blob. It can stream from Kafka or batch ingest CSV, JSON and AVRO into Iceberg. LakeOps automates Iceberg table maintenance, while AIDA turns natural-language questions into governed insights through a customizable interface or MCP. Security features include fine-grained RBAC and ABAC, encryption, data classification and private connectivity; Starburst describes Galaxy as SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA-ready. The free tier allows up to three clusters and standard execution mode for ad hoc queries. A 30-day trial includes Enterprise features and $500 in compute resources. Usage billing varies by plan and includes cluster compute hours, ingestion compute and private-link data transfer. Starburst recommends Galaxy for organizations that lack resources to manage complex data clusters.

Who it is for

It suits organizations that want to query data across sources without moving it and do not have resources to manage complex data clusters. Teams should account for usage-based billing when estimating costs.

What is good

Federates queries across data lakes and warehouses.
Connects to more than 50 data sources.
Supports Kafka streaming and batch ingestion to Iceberg.
30-day trial includes Enterprise features and $500 compute.

What to know first

Usage charges depend on plan and consumption.
Free tier limits users to three clusters.
API authentication tokens expire after 10 minutes.

Verdict

Galaxy combines federated SQL analytics, ingestion and Iceberg maintenance in a managed service. Review plan-specific usage rates and billable activities before planning ongoing use.

Starburst Galaxy plans and pricing

All plans

Free Free Free forever Up to 3 clusters · standard execution mode for ad hoc queries starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026

Pro $0.50 Starting at $0.50/credit Flexible cluster execution modes · streaming ingest · advanced cluster management starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026

Enterprise $0.75 Starting at $0.75/credit Advanced autoscaling · ABAC and SCIM · AWS PrivateLink for data sources · AIDA token usage billed separately starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026

Mission-Critical $1 Starting at $1.00/credit Elite support · advanced governance integrations · highest uptime guarantees · AIDA token usage billed separately starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026

Compared on query engine software

Free plan: Yesstarburst.io

Facts

Product: Starburst Galaxy is a fully managed, cloud hosted analytics platform built on Trino for querying data across sources without moving it.docs.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Clouds: The product page lists availability on AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Federated queries: Galaxy can federate queries across data lakes and data warehouses in a single SQL query without copying data.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Connectors: Starburst says Galaxy has more than 50 data sources and names Amazon S3, Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, and Azure Blob among its connectors.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Ingestion: Galaxy can stream from Kafka or batch ingest CSV, JSON, and AVRO into Iceberg.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Lakehouse maintenance: LakeOps automates Iceberg table compaction, snapshot expiry, and orphan file removal on a dedicated serverless engine.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
AI: AIDA turns natural language questions into governed insights and is available through a customizable interface or MCP.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Security: Galaxy supports fine-grained RBAC and ABAC, end-to-end encryption, AI-powered data classification, and private connectivity; Starburst describes it as SOC 2 Type II certified and HIPAA-ready.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Trial: The pricing page states that a 30-day free trial includes Enterprise features and $500 in Starburst Galaxy compute resources.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Free tier limit: The pricing page says the free tier includes up to three clusters and standard execution mode for ad hoc queries.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Usage billing: Galaxy charges according to usage, with rates determined by plan; documented billable usage includes cluster compute hours, data ingestion compute, and private link data transfer.docs.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Support: Galaxy users can contact Starburst support professionals from within the product UI.docs.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
API: The Galaxy API is a REST API over TLS/HTTPS, and its authentication tokens expire after 10 minutes.docs.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026
Intended users: Starburst recommends Galaxy for organizations that do not yet have resources to manage complex data clusters.docs.starburst.io · 30 Sept 2026