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# AWS Lake Formation vs Google Cloud BigQuery Comparison - What are their main differences?

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AWS Lake FormationBigQuery[+ Add Product](#)

Pricing

**AWS Lake Formation**
Free Trial

No pricing available

**Google Cloud BigQuery**
Free Trial

**Free** · Free

**$0.04** · Standard

**$0.06** · Enterprise

**$0.10** · Enterprise Plus

**Pay As You Go** Per Month · Startup Program

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**Pricing Insights**
from reviews

Perceived Cost

**AWS Lake Formation**
$$$$$

**Google Cloud BigQuery**
$$$$$

Average Discount

**AWS Lake Formation**
Not enough reviews yet

**Google Cloud BigQuery**
12%

Uncover valuable pricing insights from real user feedback to improve your shopping experience.
See it for free

Time to Implement

**AWS Lake Formation** 6 months
Based on 100 responses

**Google Cloud BigQuery** 6 months
Based on 100 responses

Return on Investment

**AWS Lake Formation** 6 months
Based on 100 responses

**Google Cloud BigQuery** 6 months
Based on 100 responses

**Pros & Cons**
from reviews

**AWS Lake Formation**
Not enough data

**Google Cloud BigQuery**

Ease of Use (156)

Speed (143)

Expensive (127)

Query Issues (78)

Integrations

**AWS Lake Formation**
Not enough data

**Google Cloud BigQuery**
[

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Apache Airflow

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AppSheet

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Azure Databricks

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Boomi Data Integration

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Screenshots

**AWS Lake Formation**
No screenshot available

**Google Cloud BigQuery**
 ![Google Cloud BigQuery screenshot](https://images.g2crowd.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=600,height=600,fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,/https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/attachment/file/1235544/BigQuery-screenshot-Capterra.png)

**Ratings**
from reviews

Meets Requirements

**AWS Lake Formation**

**8.8** /10

Based on 26 responses

**Google Cloud BigQuery**

**8.8** /10

Based on 635 responses

Ease of Use

**AWS Lake Formation**

**8.7** /10

Based on 26 responses

**Google Cloud BigQuery**

**8.7** /10

Based on 653 responses

Ease of Setup

**AWS Lake Formation**

**8.5** /10

Based on 11 responses

**Google Cloud BigQuery**

**8.7** /10

Based on 425 responses

Ease of Admin

**AWS Lake Formation**

**8.0** /10

Based on 9 responses

**Google Cloud BigQuery**

**8.5** /10

Based on 232 responses

Quality of Support

**AWS Lake Formation**

**8.3** /10

Based on 25 responses

**Google Cloud BigQuery**

**8.3** /10

Based on 573 responses

Has the product been a good partner in doing business?

**AWS Lake Formation**

**9.0** /10

Based on 8 responses

**Google Cloud BigQuery**

**8.6** /10

Based on 226 responses

Product Direction (% positive)

**AWS Lake Formation**

**10.0** /10

Based on 22 responses

**Google Cloud BigQuery**

**9.2** /10

Based on 620 responses

**Features**
ratings from reviews

Big Data Processing and Distribution

**8.5** /10

Based on 20 responses

**8.7** /10

Based on 205 responses

ETL Tools

Not enough data

**8.9** /10

Based on 126 responses

Data Warehouse

Not enough data

**8.8** /10

Based on 282 responses

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Columnar Databases

Not enough data

**8.7** /10

Based on 76 responses

Data Clean Room

Not enough data

**8.9** /10

Based on 24 responses

Predictive Analytics

Not enough data

**8.6** /10

Based on 82 responses

Marketing Analytics

Not enough data

**8.9** /10

Based on 71 responses

Big Data Analytics

Not enough data

**8.5** /10

Based on 320 responses

User Insights

**Reviewers' Company Size**

Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
42.4%

Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
27.3%

Enterprise(\> 1000 emp.)
30.3%

Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
42.4%

Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
27.3%

Enterprise(\> 1000 emp.)
30.3%

Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
27.5%

Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
34.2%

Enterprise(\> 1000 emp.)
38.3%

Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
27.5%

Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
34.2%

Enterprise(\> 1000 emp.)
38.3%

**Reviewers' Industry**

[![AWS Lake Formation](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/5383be31b099738701f86724a8b5cf9a/aws-lake-formation.svg "AWS Lake Formation")](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-lake-formation/reviews)
AWS Lake Formation

Information Technology and Services
25.0%

Banking
9.4%

Retail
6.3%

Computer Software
6.3%

Management Consulting
6.3%

Other
46.9%

[![Google Cloud BigQuery](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/875b8a68eca98ce3458f26e9dd34cdf9/google-cloud-bigquery.svg "Google Cloud BigQuery")](https://www.g2.com/products/google-cloud-bigquery/reviews)
Google Cloud BigQuery

Information Technology and Services
15.0%

Computer Software
13.5%

Retail
7.1%

Financial Services
6.8%

Marketing and Advertising
5.2%

Other
52.4%

Alternatives

**AWS Lake Formation Alternatives**

 ![Databricks](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/135d1c9e39e19ef56dc8d0bf90fce20f/databricks.svg "Databricks")

[
Databricks
](/products/databricks/reviews)

 ![Snowflake](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/1544409170/snowflake.svg "Snowflake")

[
Snowflake
](/products/snowflake/reviews)

 ![Microsoft SQL Server](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/a8a99a96fda235658139f710592f8a53/microsoft-sql-server.svg "Microsoft SQL Server")

[
MS SQL
](/products/microsoft-sql-server/reviews)

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[
Teradata Autonomous Knowledge Platform
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**Google Cloud BigQuery Alternatives**

 ![Snowflake](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/1544409170/snowflake.svg "Snowflake")

[
Snowflake
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[
Databricks
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[
Cloudera
](/products/cloudera/reviews)

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[
Amazon Redshift
](/products/amazon-redshift/reviews)

## AWS Lake Formation vs BigQuery FAQs

Generated using AI

Last updated: November 13, 2026

### What is the difference between BigQuery vs AWS Lake Formation?

BigQuery is a serverless analytics warehouse, while AWS Lake Formation is distinguished in reviews by data-lake setup, governance, and access control within AWS.

| Dimension | [BigQuery](https://www.g2.com/products/google-cloud-bigquery/reviews) | [AWS Lake Formation](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-lake-formation/reviews) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| G2 Rating (reviews) | 4.5/5 (1.2k+ reviews) | 4.4/5 (30+ reviews) |
| Largest Segment | Enterprise | Small-Business |
| Ease of Setup | 8.7/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Quality of Support | 8.3/10 | 8.3/10 |
| Top Reviewer-Cited Strength | Ease of Use (100+ mentions) | Secure data-lake setup and centralized governance |

### How do the pricing models of BigQuery and AWS Lake Formation compare?

BigQuery leads on reviewer-rated value, with a Price/Cost satisfaction score of 8.6/10 versus AWS Lake Formation’s 8.0/10.

- **BigQuery:** In recent reviews, users value its pay-for-use flexibility and free small-scale use, while warning that query costs can rise unexpectedly and require monitoring.
- **AWS Lake Formation:** In recent reviews, users value the service’s data-lake and governance benefits, while describing cost as a concern, particularly for large environments.

### What are the best alternatives to BigQuery and AWS Lake Formation?

Snowflake, Databricks, and Cloudera are the top three G2-ranked alternatives to BigQuery and AWS Lake Formation.

| Product | G2 Rating (reviews) | Largest Segment | Pricing Insight | Top Reviewer-Cited Strength |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [BigQuery](https://www.g2.com/products/google-cloud-bigquery/reviews) | 4.5/5 (1.2k+ reviews) | Enterprise | Recent reviewers cite free small-scale use and warn of unpredictable query costs. | Fast analytics on large datasets |
| [AWS Lake Formation](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-lake-formation/reviews) | 4.4/5 (30+ reviews) | Small-Business | Recent reviewers describe cost as a concern. | Secure data-lake setup and centralized governance |
| [Snowflake](https://www.g2.com/products/snowflake/reviews) | 4.6/5 (700+ reviews) | Mid-Market |
| [Databricks](https://www.g2.com/products/databricks/reviews) | 4.6/5 (1.4k+ reviews) | Enterprise |
| [Cloudera](https://www.g2.com/products/cloudera/reviews) | 4.2/5 (200+ reviews) | Enterprise |

### Which Data Warehouse features should I prioritize when comparing BigQuery and AWS Lake Formation?

Prioritize ease of use, scalability, analytics performance, governance and access control, and administration when evaluating BigQuery and AWS Lake Formation.

- **Ease of use:** Both score 8.7/10; BigQuery’s ease of use is cited in 100+ reviews, and recent reviewers describe AWS Lake Formation’s centralized permissions as useful but its permission model as complex.
- **Scalability and analytics:** BigQuery’s scalability has 100+ all-time mentions and analytics has 80+; recent reviewers highlight fast querying and handling large datasets.
- **Governance and access control:** Recent AWS Lake Formation reviews emphasize centralized permissions, secure data-lake management, and fine-grained access controls.
- **Administration:** BigQuery scores 8.5/10 for Ease of Admin versus 8.0/10 for AWS Lake Formation, a 0.5-point advantage for BigQuery.

### What are the pros and cons of BigQuery vs AWS Lake Formation?

BigQuery’s headline strength is fast, scalable analytics without infrastructure management; AWS Lake Formation’s is secure data-lake governance and centralized access control.

- **BigQuery strengths:** G2 reviewers cite ease of use (100+ mentions), scalability (100+), and analytics (80+); recent reviews praise SQL querying, large-dataset performance, and integrations.
- **BigQuery trade-offs:** Recent reviewers say query costs can be difficult to predict, and beginners can find pricing, permissions, and the interface challenging.
- **AWS Lake Formation strengths:** Recent reviewers value centralized governance, secure access management, and support for organizing varied data in a lake.
- **AWS Lake Formation trade-offs:** Recent reviewers describe permission configuration and troubleshooting as complex, and note reliance on AWS services and limited integration beyond AWS.

### Is BigQuery or AWS Lake Formation better for small businesses?

AWS Lake Formation is the stronger small-business fit by reviewer segment, while BigQuery offers small-scale users a free starting point and serverless analytics.

- **BigQuery:** Its largest reviewer segment is Enterprise; recent small-scale reviewers value free use at low volumes and a low-cost learning sandbox, while cautioning that costs can grow with query use.
- **AWS Lake Formation:** Its largest reviewer segment is Small-Business; reviewers describe it as useful for building a secure, centralized data lake, while noting setup and ongoing management can require expertise.

### Which Data Warehouse platform has better integrations?

BigQuery has the stronger integration signal, with recent reviews naming multiple analytics and reporting connections; AWS Lake Formation reviewers emphasize AWS-native interoperability and note limits beyond that ecosystem.

- **BigQuery:** G2 reviews mention Looker (60+ mentions), Tableau (30+), and Google Analytics (20+); recent reviewers also cite Google Cloud services and Power BI.
- **AWS Lake Formation:** Recent reviewers cite AWS Glue, Athena, Redshift, and S3 integrations, while describing integration with non-AWS tools and data sources as more challenging.

### How do BigQuery and AWS Lake Formation compare on customer support?

BigQuery and AWS Lake Formation are at parity on Quality of Support, both scoring 8.3/10, a difference below the 0.2-point materiality threshold.

- **BigQuery:** Recent reviewers describe support experiences ranging from helpful documentation and onboarding to troubleshooting that can depend on the selected support tier.
- **AWS Lake Formation:** Reviewers describe support as helpful in several experiences, while also noting that technical assistance can be costly.

### Which is easier to implement, BigQuery or AWS Lake Formation?

BigQuery leads AWS Lake Formation on Ease of Setup by 0.2 points, scoring 8.7/10 versus 8.5/10; BigQuery also leads Ease of Admin, 8.5/10 to 8.0/10.

- **BigQuery:** Recent reviewers often describe setup as straightforward, citing serverless operation and SQL-based workflows; others note that permissions and initial Google Cloud navigation can take effort.
- **AWS Lake Formation:** Reviewers describe quick data-lake setup, but also report that scalable governance, permissions, and manual configuration require AWS experience.

### Which product has better Cloud?

Cloud is the focus feature for BigQuery and AWS Lake Formation.

- **BigQuery:** Reviewers describe cloud-based, serverless analytics that avoids infrastructure management; recent reviews cite integration with Google Cloud services.
- **AWS Lake Formation:** Reviewers describe a managed cloud data-lake service with centralized security and access control; recent reviews emphasize governance across AWS analytics services.