A lower-cost alternative to Snowflake.
Same SQL, terabytes in seconds.
Hardcharger is the enterprise-grade DuckDB server. Run standard SQL on the open formats you already control, in your own cloud or on-prem, at a fraction of the warehouse bill. Your data and your keys never leave your infrastructure.
Apache-2.0. Every feature included. No license keys or per-vCPU software fees.
$ HARDCHARGER_ADMIN_PASSWORD=change-me hardcharger-server --database warehouse.duckdbLocal HTTP on :31337 (configure TLS for remote access)sql> SELECT region, sum(revenue)FROM sales GROUP BY region;
- GizmoSQL 1.42.0 · DuckDB 1.5.677.0 s · $0.164
- Hardcharger 2.0.0 · DuckDB 2.0.042.4 s · $0.090
Cost per full run: the run’s seconds at the machine’s AWS on-demand price; a cloud cost, not a TPC price/performance metric. Same machine type and data for every server.
This workload is derived from the TPC-H Benchmark and is not comparable to published TPC-H Benchmark results, as this implementation does not comply with all requirements of the TPC-H Benchmark. Deviations: only the 22 queries are run (no refresh functions, no power or throughput test), timed as the sum of per-query means over three runs, without an audit. TPC, TPC Benchmark and TPC-H are trademarks of the Transaction Processing Performance Council (TPC).
Install Hardcharger, free
Native binaries, Docker, pip or Homebrew. Start with the install guide.
Point it at your data
DuckDB, Parquet, Iceberg, Delta, or DuckLake on your object storage. No ingestion, no copies.
Connect your tools
Connect Java applications over JDBC, notebooks over ADBC, and browsers over HTTP. Use dbt-hardcharger for dbt.
Your data stays put
Self-host in your own cloud or on-prem. Keys never leave your infrastructure.
Your tools connect as-is
Warp SQL over HTTP, with JDBC, ADBC and JavaScript clients. Check each integration before migrating.
Open-source core you can audit
Apache-2.0, with access control, SSO and audit logging included. No license keys.
Hardcharger vs Snowflake — FAQ
How does Hardcharger compare with Snowflake on cost?
In our 1 TB workload derived from TPC-H, Hardcharger 2.0.0 completed the 22-query suite in 42.4 seconds for $0.09 of AWS compute. This is not a fresh head-to-head run against Snowflake. Your total cost includes infrastructure, storage and any managed services; benchmark your own workloads.
Will my existing SQL, dashboards, and BI tools work?
Hardcharger uses Warp SQL over HTTP, with native ADBC, JDBC and JavaScript clients. Use dbt-hardcharger for dbt and the Hardcharger MCP server for AI assistants. Check SQL dialect differences and client compatibility when migrating.
Where does Hardcharger run?
In your own cloud or on-prem — native binaries, Docker, or Kubernetes. It reads DuckDB, Parquet, Iceberg, Delta, and DuckLake directly on your object storage, so your data and keys never leave your infrastructure.
Is Hardcharger open source?
Hardcharger is Apache-2.0 with every feature included: access control, SSO, audit logging and the web UI. There are no editions, license keys or per-vCPU software fees. You pay for your infrastructure and any optional managed services or support.
Query terabytes in seconds, at a fraction of the warehouse bill.
Apache-2.0. Every feature included. No license keys or per-vCPU software fees.