Heap

Automatically capture everything users do

BigQuery vs Heap: Full Comparison (2026)

Pricing, features, scores, and a clear verdict on which one is right for you.

The bottom line

BigQuery positions itself as "serverless data warehouse at any scale" while Heap goes after "automatically capture everything users do" — so the right pick depends on which problem you're actually solving. They take different commercial approaches — BigQuery uses a usage-based-based model and Heap a freemium approach, which affects how costs scale as your team grows.

At a glance

	BigQuery	Heap
Our score	86/100	80/100
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	Yes	Yes
Best for	Serverless data warehouse at any scale	Automatically capture everything users do

Pricing comparison

BigQuery

Free tier available

On-demandFree

Capacity$null/mo

Pricing verified 2026-04-16

Heap

Free tier available

FreeFree

Growth$null/mo

Pricing verified 2026-04-16

Calculate your cost

How many monthly active users?10,000

1001,000,000

BigQueryUnknown

Contact sales

HeapUnknown

Contact sales

Try BigQuery free →Try Heap free →

Feature comparison

core

Feature	BigQuery	Heap
Columnar storage	Yes	No
Serverless	Yes	No
ML functions	Yes	No
GIS analytics	Yes	No
Federated queries	Yes	No
Auto-capture events	No	Yes
Funnel analysis	No	Yes
Retention analysis	No	Yes
User segmentation	No	Yes
Session replay	No	Yes

advanced

Feature	BigQuery	Heap
BigQuery ML	Yes	No
Omni (multi-cloud)	Yes	No
Data sharing	Yes	No
Row-level security	Yes	No
BI Engine	Yes	No
Retroactive analysis	No	Yes
Illuminate AI	No	Yes
Journey maps	No	Yes
Account-level analysis	No	Yes
Data warehouse sync	No	Yes

integrations

Feature	BigQuery	Heap
Looker	Yes	No
dbt	Yes	No
Fivetran	Yes	No
Dataflow	Yes	No
Vertex AI	Yes	No
Segment	No	Yes
Salesforce	No	Yes
Snowflake	No	Yes
BigQuery	No	Yes
Zendesk	No	Yes

Ratings breakdown

BigQuery

Ease of use

8/10

Value for money

9/10

Features

9/10

Support

8/10

Heap

Ease of use

8/10

Value for money

7/10

Features

9/10

Support

8/10

What the data tells us

Key capabilities you'd miss

Choosing BigQuery means going without Auto-capture events, Funnel analysis, Retention analysis (which Heap offers). Choosing Heap means losing Columnar storage, Serverless, ML functions. These are the features that typically drive the final decision — check whether your workflow depends on any of them before committing.

What company size tells you

Heap (201-500 employees) has the engineering bench to ship features across many fronts but may iterate slower on individual requests. BigQuery (10000+ employees) typically ships faster on its core product but may lag on peripheral features. Consider which matters more for your roadmap.

Choose BigQuery if...

You want a free tier to get started
You value an intuitive, easy-to-use interface
Getting strong value for money is a priority

Try BigQuery free →

Choose Heap if...

You want a free tier to get started
You value an intuitive, easy-to-use interface
You need enterprise-grade capabilities

Try Heap free →

Frequently asked questions

Is BigQuery or Heap better?

BigQuery scores 86/100 compared to Heap's 80/100 on VendorVS. However, the best choice depends on your needs — BigQuery excels at ease of use (8/10) while Heap scores 8/10.

How much does BigQuery cost compared to Heap?

BigQuery starts at free (free tier available). Heap starts at free (free tier available). BigQuery is the more affordable option.

Does BigQuery or Heap have a free plan?

Yes, both BigQuery and Heap offer free tiers, so you can try each before committing to a paid plan.

Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our rankings or recommendations.

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