[Home](https://www.selecthub.com/) \> [Big Data](https://www.selecthub.com/category/big-data-analytics/) \> [Data Warehouse Tools](https://www.selecthub.com/c/data-warehouse-tools/) \> [Redshift](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/redshift/) \> Redshift vs Amazon S3 # Redshift vs Amazon S3 Last Updated: June 1st, 2026 Our analysts compared [Redshift](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/redshift/) vs [Amazon S3](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/amazon-s3/) based on data from our 400+ point analysis of [Data Warehouse Tools](https://www.selecthub.com/c/data-warehouse-tools/), user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our [free software selection platform](https://www.selecthub.com/about/start-free-selection-project-site/?category=Data Warehouse Tools&cta=data-warehouse-tools). [Overview](#product-overview) [Pricing](#product-pricing) [Our Review](#product-analyst-summary) [User Ratings](#user-sentiment-section) [Features](#product-benefits-features) [Screenshots](#product-screenshots) Remove Add to Compare [![Redshift Software Tool](https://cdn.selecthub.com/products/6492d38d732122c58b44e3fdc3e9e9f3-be22d302e62e316d89ae2a6ad218b039/resources/normal/logo.png?1693316641)](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/redshift/) Remove Add to Compare [![Amazon S3 Software Tool](https://cdn.selecthub.com/products/4c22bd444899d3b6047a10b20a2f26db-6d18dd04919bcc7171236b9f38791e3e/resources/normal/logo.png?1746565325)](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/amazon-s3/) [ ![Product Awards](https://www.selecthub.com/display/images/awards_badge.svg) ](#awards-section) [Get Free Demo](https://pmo.selecthub.com/get-product-demo/?category=Data+Warehouse+Tools&product%5Fname=Redshift&product%5Flogo=https%3A%2F%2Fd3uimxdj41cg3o.cloudfront.net%2Fproducts%2F6492d38d732122c58b44e3fdc3e9e9f3-be22d302e62e316d89ae2a6ad218b039%2Fresources%2Fnormal%2Flogo.png%3F1693316641) [Demo](https://pmo.selecthub.com/get-product-demo/?category=Data+Warehouse+Tools&product%5Fname=Redshift&product%5Flogo=https%3A%2F%2Fd3uimxdj41cg3o.cloudfront.net%2Fproducts%2F6492d38d732122c58b44e3fdc3e9e9f3-be22d302e62e316d89ae2a6ad218b039%2Fresources%2Fnormal%2Flogo.png%3F1693316641) [Request Pricing](https://pmo.selecthub.com/get-product-pricing/?category=Data+Warehouse+Tools&product%5Fname=Redshift&product%5Flogo=https%3A%2F%2Fd3uimxdj41cg3o.cloudfront.net%2Fproducts%2F6492d38d732122c58b44e3fdc3e9e9f3-be22d302e62e316d89ae2a6ad218b039%2Fresources%2Fnormal%2Flogo.png%3F1693316641&price=1) [Pricing](https://pmo.selecthub.com/get-product-pricing/?category=Data+Warehouse+Tools&product%5Fname=Redshift&product%5Flogo=https%3A%2F%2Fd3uimxdj41cg3o.cloudfront.net%2Fproducts%2F6492d38d732122c58b44e3fdc3e9e9f3-be22d302e62e316d89ae2a6ad218b039%2Fresources%2Fnormal%2Flogo.png%3F1693316641&price=1) [Get Free Demo](https://pmo.selecthub.com/get-product-demo/?category=Data+Warehouse+Tools&product%5Fname=Amazon%2BS3&product%5Flogo=https%3A%2F%2Fd3uimxdj41cg3o.cloudfront.net%2Fproducts%2F4c22bd444899d3b6047a10b20a2f26db-6d18dd04919bcc7171236b9f38791e3e%2Fresources%2Fnormal%2Flogo.png%3F1746565325) [Demo](https://pmo.selecthub.com/get-product-demo/?category=Data+Warehouse+Tools&product%5Fname=Amazon%2BS3&product%5Flogo=https%3A%2F%2Fd3uimxdj41cg3o.cloudfront.net%2Fproducts%2F4c22bd444899d3b6047a10b20a2f26db-6d18dd04919bcc7171236b9f38791e3e%2Fresources%2Fnormal%2Flogo.png%3F1746565325) [Request Pricing](https://pmo.selecthub.com/get-product-pricing/?category=Data+Warehouse+Tools&product%5Fname=Amazon%2BS3&product%5Flogo=https%3A%2F%2Fd3uimxdj41cg3o.cloudfront.net%2Fproducts%2F4c22bd444899d3b6047a10b20a2f26db-6d18dd04919bcc7171236b9f38791e3e%2Fresources%2Fnormal%2Flogo.png%3F1746565325&price=1) [Pricing](https://pmo.selecthub.com/get-product-pricing/?category=Data+Warehouse+Tools&product%5Fname=Amazon%2BS3&product%5Flogo=https%3A%2F%2Fd3uimxdj41cg3o.cloudfront.net%2Fproducts%2F4c22bd444899d3b6047a10b20a2f26db-6d18dd04919bcc7171236b9f38791e3e%2Fresources%2Fnormal%2Flogo.png%3F1746565325&price=1) ### Products Insights Product Ranking ## #2 among all Data Warehouse Tools ## #3 among all Data Warehouse Tools [Find out who the leaders are](https://pmo.selecthub.com/request-custom-scorecard?post%5Ftype=auto%5Fvs%5Farticle&category%5Fslug=data-warehouse-tools&product%5Fslug=redshift&category=Data+Warehouse+Tools) Price Starts From $0.25 Hourly, Usage-Based [ Free Trial is available →](https://pmo.selecthub.com/free-trial/?product%5Fname=Redshift&category=Data Warehouse Tools&product%5Flogo=https://d3uimxdj41cg3o.cloudfront.net/products/6492d38d732122c58b44e3fdc3e9e9f3-be22d302e62e316d89ae2a6ad218b039/resources/normal/logo.png?1693316641) $0.00099 Hourly, Usage-Based, Freemium [ Free Trial is available →](https://pmo.selecthub.com/free-trial/?product%5Fname=Amazon S3&category=Data Warehouse Tools&product%5Flogo=https://d3uimxdj41cg3o.cloudfront.net/products/4c22bd444899d3b6047a10b20a2f26db-6d18dd04919bcc7171236b9f38791e3e/resources/normal/logo.png?1746565325) Pros What we like about Redshift and Amazon S3: * Columnar storage and massively parallel processing make complex analytical queries fast, even across large datasets * Concurrency scaling handles many simultaneous users without performance drops * Tight integration with other AWS services like S3, EMR, and Kinesis simplifies data workflows * Scales easily to handle growing storage without managing infrastructure * Exceptional durability with data stored redundantly across multiple facilities * Flexible storage classes — Standard, Intelligent-Tiering, and Glacier — let you control costs based on how often data is accessed Cons What we dislike about Redshift and Amazon S3: * Only available on AWS, which can lead to vendor lock-in for those wanting multi-cloud flexibility * Setting up features like Work Load Management and query queues is complex and requires careful configuration * The user interface is less intuitive than some competing data warehouse tools * Pricing across storage, requests, and data transfer tiers is hard to predict and can catch you off guard * Configuring integrations with other AWS services has a steep learning curve, especially for new users * Some users report occasional latency with large file transfers ### Our Review **Bottom line:** Redshift and Amazon S3 are fundamentally different tools that often work together rather than against each other. If you need to run SQL analytics on structured data at scale, Redshift is built for that. If you need a place to store large volumes of files, unstructured data, or backups, S3 is the right choice. Redshift is a data warehouse. It uses columnar storage and massively parallel processing to run complex queries fast, even across huge datasets. Users highlight its speed as a standout strength, and it handles many simultaneous queries without falling over. It works best for analytical workloads where you're regularly querying structured data and need fast, reliable results. S3 is object storage. It's built to hold virtually any kind of data — files, media, logs, backups, data archives — at scale. With 99.999999999% durability, data is stored redundantly across multiple facilities. You also get multiple storage classes, including S3 Intelligent-Tiering and S3 Glacier, so you can move less-used data to cheaper storage automatically. On pricing, Redshift starts at $0.25 per hour, usage-based. S3 starts at $0.00099 per GB per hour, also usage-based with a freemium tier. Both scale with usage, but S3's pricing model covers storage, data requests, and transfer separately, which users find hard to predict. Redshift's costs are more tied to compute and cluster size. If you're already in AWS and doing serious analytics, Redshift is the stronger fit. If you need flexible, durable storage for a wide range of data types and use cases, S3 is the better choice — and many teams use both, with Redshift querying data stored in S3 via Redshift Spectrum. ### User Sentiment Summary Redshift has a user sentiment rating of 87 based on 1176 reviews. Amazon S3 has a user sentiment rating of 92 based on 3428 reviews. ![Great User Sentiment](https://www.selecthub.com/display/images/scores/great.svg) 1176 reviews ![Excellent User Sentiment](https://www.selecthub.com/display/images/scores/excellent.svg) 3428 reviews Synopsis Evaluating all review platforms, our market analysts have compiled the following user sentiment data. 87% of users recommend this product Redshift has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 87% when considering 1176 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites. 92% of users recommend this product Amazon S3 has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 92% when considering 3428 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites. User Review Scores **G2.com, Inc** **4.3** (405) **4.6** (1224) **Capterra Inc** **4.4** (14) **4.7** (1112) **Gartner, Inc** **4.4** (540) **4.7** (743) **TrustRadius** **4.3** (217) **4.3** (349) ### Awards SelectHub awards earned by these products based on a comprehensive analysis by our research analysts. No awards. Amazon S3 stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite. ![User Favorite Award]() ### Product Assistance Training Resources Documentation In Person Live Online Videos Webinars Documentation In Person Live Online Videos Webinars Support Email Phone Chat FAQ Forum Knowledge Base 24/7 Live Support Email Phone Chat FAQ Forum Knowledge Base 24/7 Live Support ### Product Basics Company Size i Small Medium Large Small Medium Large Platforms Supported Windows Mac Linux Android Chromebook Windows Mac Linux Android Chromebook Deployment Supported Cloud On-Premise Mobile Cloud On-Premise Mobile Comparison of Top Alternatives we're gathering data [ Amazon S3 Alternatives](https://www.selecthub.com/data-warehouse-tools/amazon-s3/alternatives/) ### Screenshots ![Screenshots]() ![Screenshots]()![Screenshots]() ### Key Features * **Analytical query engine** – Uses columnar storage and massively parallel processing to run complex SQL queries fast across large structured datasets. * **Concurrency scaling** – Automatically adds capacity during spikes in concurrent queries so multiple users can run workloads without performance degradation. * **Data encryption and isolation** – Supports encryption at rest and in transit using AWS KMS, with VPC isolation to keep your data warehouse secure. * **Cross-service data querying** – Redshift Spectrum lets you run queries against data stored directly in S3 without loading it into Redshift first. * **Query in place** – Works with Amazon Athena to let you run queries on data stored in S3 without moving it to a separate analytics platform. * **Encryption and access controls** – Supports server-side encryption with SSE-S3, SSE-KMS, or customer-provided keys, and fine-grained IAM policies control who can access what. * **Lifecycle management** – Automatically moves objects between storage classes — Standard, Intelligent-Tiering, and Glacier — based on access patterns to reduce storage costs. * **Cross-region replication** – Automatically replicates objects across AWS regions to support disaster recovery and improve data availability for distributed teams. ### Top Alternatives in Data Warehouse Tools [ Amazon S3 ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/amazon-s3/) [ Astera Data Warehouse Builder ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/astera-data-warehouse-builder/) [ BigQuery ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/bigquery/) [ Clickhouse ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/clickhouse/) [ DynamoDB ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/dynamodb/) [ Firebolt ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/firebolt-io/) [ IBM DB2 Warehouse ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/ibm-db2-warehouse/) [ Lakebed ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/lakebed/) [ MarkLogic ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/mark-logic-enterprise-nosql/) [ Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/oracle-autonomous-data-warehouse/) [ Oracle Exadata ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/oracle-exadata/) [ Panoply ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/panoply-io/) [ SageData ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/sagedata/) [ SAP Data Warehouse Cloud ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/sap-data-warehouse-cloud/) [ Snowflake ](https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/snowflake/) ### Related Categories Redshift and Amazon S3 can also be found with other leading products in these categories: [ Big Data Analytics Tools ](https://www.selecthub.com/c/big-data-analytics-tools/) [ Data Integration Tools ](https://www.selecthub.com/c/data-integration-tools/) [ Data Warehouse Reporting Tools ](https://www.selecthub.com/c/data-warehouse-reporting-tools/) [ ETL Tools ](https://www.selecthub.com/c/etl-tools/) Show more [ Cloud Storage Providers ](https://www.selecthub.com/c/cloud-storage-providers/) Show more ### Head-to-Head Comparison ![Redshift Software Tool]() ![Amazon S3 Software Tool]() [Redshift VS Amazon S3](https://www.selecthub.com/data-warehouse-tools/redshift-vs-amazon-s3/) ![Redshift Software Tool]() ![BigQuery Software Tool]() [Redshift VS BigQuery](https://www.selecthub.com/data-warehouse-tools/redshift-vs-bigquery/) ![Redshift Software Tool]() ![Clickhouse Software Tool]() [Redshift VS Clickhouse](https://www.selecthub.com/data-warehouse-tools/redshift-vs-clickhouse/) ![Redshift Software Tool]() ![DynamoDB Software Tool]() [Redshift VS DynamoDB](https://www.selecthub.com/data-warehouse-tools/redshift-vs-dynamodb/) ![Redshift Software Tool]() ![MarkLogic Software Tool]() [Redshift VS MarkLogic](https://www.selecthub.com/data-warehouse-tools/redshift-vs-mark-logic-enterprise-nosql/) ![Redshift Software Tool]() ![Oracle Exadata Software Tool]() [Redshift VS Oracle Exadata](https://www.selecthub.com/data-warehouse-tools/redshift-vs-oracle-exadata/) ![Redshift Software Tool]() ![Panoply Software Tool]() [Redshift VS Panoply](https://www.selecthub.com/data-warehouse-tools/redshift-vs-panoply-io/) ![Redshift Software Tool]() ![SAP Data Warehouse Cloud Software Tool]() [Redshift VS SAP Data Warehouse Cloud](https://www.selecthub.com/data-warehouse-tools/redshift-vs-sap-data-warehouse-cloud/) ![Redshift Software Tool]() ![Snowflake Software Tool]() [Redshift VS Snowflake](https://www.selecthub.com/data-warehouse-tools/snowflake-vs-redshift/) **About SelectHub (and our data)** We’re the employee-owned Austin-based startup democratizing software data so you can make your decisions in an influence-free zone. Our market data is crowdsourced from our user-base of 100,000+ companies. WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more... ![SelectHub Products Reporting and Analytics]() ![SelectHub Products Cost and Pricing Guide]() **Tier 1:** Fully/moderately supported out-of-the-box allowing for quick and easy deployment. Fully or moderately supported out-of-the-box with industry-leading capabilities and is immediately available after installation without needing any add-ons, integrations, or custom development. **Tier 2:** Supported with workarounds or add-ons that may require additional costs. Not directly available in the software, but can be accomplished using other built-in features, workarounds, or add-ons/products from the vendor with or without any additional cost. **Tier 3:** Requires partner integrations or custom development that is often at an additional cost. Requires additional integrations, plugins, marketplace applications from a third-party vendor, or custom development using the APIs, libraries, extensions, and development framework supported by the software, with or without any additional cost. [Close](#) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.selecthub.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Big Data", "item": "https://www.selecthub.com/category/big-data-analytics/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Data Warehouse Tools", "item": "https://www.selecthub.com/c/data-warehouse-tools/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Redshift", "item": "https://www.selecthub.com/p/data-warehouse-tools/redshift/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "Redshift Vs Amazon S3" } ] } ```