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Comparison · Analytics
Keboola vs MotherDuck
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Keboola and MotherDuck — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Keboola vs MotherDuck: at a glance
What is Keboola?
Keboola moves transformations to DuckDB 2.0 and pushes its docs into Snowflake and BigQuery.
Keboola made DuckDB 2.0 the default for new DuckDB transformations, with the version selectable per transformation, and now writes table and column descriptions into Snowflake and BigQuery for new and existing tables. These follow a governance run: the GitHub App for private repos, Branched Storage on every stack, a read-only MCP query tool and idle workspace cleanup.
What is MotherDuck?
MotherDuck adds who-can-open controls to Dives and a SQL view of compute usage.
MotherDuck ships a weekly changelog. The November 12 release lets owners keep a Dive private or share it with roles, users or the whole organization, with matching GRANT READ ON DIVE commands; new Dives start private. Flight run access can now be managed in the UI, and Business plans can query hourly Duckling usage per user from MD_INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COMPUTE_USAGE. It lands a week after the redesign that put Agent Chat on the home screen.
Keboola vs MotherDuck: editorial side-by-side
Keboola
5.0ANALYTICS
Keboola moves transformations to DuckDB 2.0 and pushes its docs into Snowflake and BigQuery.
◆ Current state
Keboola made DuckDB 2.0 the default for new DuckDB transformations, with the version selectable per transformation, and now writes table and column descriptions into Snowflake and BigQuery for new and existing tables. These follow a governance run: the GitHub App for private repos, Branched Storage on every stack, a read-only MCP query tool and idle workspace cleanup.
◆ Where it's heading
Keboola is making the metadata and controls it holds useful outside its own UI, so warehouse users and AI tools see the same descriptions and rules. Engine choices such as DuckDB 2.0 keep transformation options current alongside that governance work.
◆ Prediction
Expect more Keboola metadata, such as lineage or ownership, to sync into the connected warehouses, and further runtime version bumps offered side by side.
MotherDuck
6.3ANALYTICS
MotherDuck adds who-can-open controls to Dives and a SQL view of compute usage.
◆ Current state
MotherDuck ships a weekly changelog. The November 12 release lets owners keep a Dive private or share it with roles, users or the whole organization, with matching GRANT READ ON DIVE commands; new Dives start private. Flight run access can now be managed in the UI, and Business plans can query hourly Duckling usage per user from MD_INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COMPUTE_USAGE. It lands a week after the redesign that put Agent Chat on the home screen.
◆ Where it's heading
The agent-first redesign made Dives and Flights the things people create; the releases since are about controlling who sees and runs them and what they cost. Governance that began with row- and column-level security in October now covers the agent-built objects too.
◆ Prediction
Next likely are finer controls on what Agent Chat can do on a user's behalf, or usage limits built on the new compute usage view, since both follow from the permissions and cost work in the last two releases.
Alternatives to Keboola and MotherDuck
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Keboola or MotherDuck.
Dovetail
Dovetail lets admins choose which connectors members can plug into the workspace.
Dagster
Dagster drops Python 3.10 and lets agents run schedules and sensors through MCP.
OpenHouse
OpenHouse adds time-zone-aware retention and per-database table caps.
Countly
Countly 25.03.59 defaults to Node 26, supports MongoDB 9 and tightens app scoping.
Kubecost
Kubecost cuts three 3.3.2 release candidates in two days, still without notes.
See all Keboola alternatives → · See all MotherDuck alternatives →
Recent activity from Keboola and MotherDuck
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoMotherDuckDive sharing controls, Flight access UI and compute usage in SQL
- 4d agoKeboolaDuckDB 2.0 is now available in transformations
- 4d agoKeboolaTable and column descriptions now also in workspaces, Data Gateway and external buckets
- 4d agoKeboolaTable and column descriptions now appear in Snowflake and BigQuery
- 10d agoMotherDuckRedesigned UI puts Agent Chat on the home screen ⚡
- 11d agoKeboolaConnect GitHub repositories without personal tokens
- 15d agoKeboolaSecurity Update for Python/JS and Streamlit Data Apps
- 15d agoKeboolaBranched Storage is being enabled on all projects
- 21d agoMotherDuckRow-level security, Dive write-back and Flight run grants
- 28d agoMotherDuckImage inputs for prompt_jev() and Agent Chat that builds Dives
- 1mo agoMotherDuckAdmin API user listing, connection timeouts, prompt_jev() in EU
- 1mo agoMotherDuckAI functions 50-60% cheaper; prompt_jev() billing begins
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Keboola and MotherDuck?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. MotherDuck is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Keboola better than MotherDuck?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. MotherDuck is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Keboola?
Top Keboola alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Keboola alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/keboola for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to MotherDuck?
Top MotherDuck alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "MotherDuck alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/motherduck for the full list with editorial commentary on each.