MotherDuck

What it is for

MotherDuck is a serverless DuckDB warehouse: you keep SQL (and local DuckDB files) and pay Pulse compute plus storage when the query runs in their nest. Use it when the job is cloud DuckDB metered in CU-hours and GB, not when you need a $20 chat seat.

What makes it unique: the cover is the official motherduckdb/mcp-server-motherduck GitHub file list — MIT MCP for DuckDB + MotherDuck — not a pricing card.

Key features

• Cloud DuckDB warehouse — hosted DuckDB you query from the UI, SDK, or ATTACH (pricing; docs). One nest. Pulse vs Standard / Jumbo / Mega / Giga are SKU of this instance.
• Flights — agent-native pipelines (F4 / F16 / F32) billed per second, separate from the query Duckling (pricing Flights). A scheduled job, not a SELECT.
• Dual execution — the same SQL can run partly on your laptop and partly in the nest (pricing Dual Execution). A hybrid path, not a Flight.
• Database sharing — zero-copy snapshots you hand to another org or app without copying bytes (same pricing “Database Sharing”). A share, not a query.
• MCP + Guides — a local MCP server plus shared Guides so an agent queries with org context (mcp-server-motherduck). A tool door, not the SQL editor.

Storage ($0.04/GB) and Pulse ($0.60/CU-hour) are the meter. Internal users (3 Lite / 10 Business) are SKU. duckdb / MotherDuck CLI is install. The notebook “Run” button is ops.

Who it's for

Best fit: solo analysts who will stay on Lite $0 (10 GB + 10 Pulse hours), then buy Business at $250/org/month plus usage when they need Standard+ instances, Flights at scale, and a 99.9% SLA.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-22 (Asia/Shanghai) from motherduck.com/pricing. Compute is billed per second (Pulse per query, 1 CU-second minimum).

• Lite — $0. No card. Up to 3 internal users and 2 service accounts. 10 GB storage and 10 Pulse hours / month included. Pulse instances only. Preset RBAC. Community support. 1-day snapshots. Lite without a card includes 30 minutes/day of F4 Flights.
• Business — $250/org/month + usage. 7-day free trial. Up to 10 internal users; unlimited service accounts. Pulse plus Standard / Jumbo / Mega / Giga. Flights. 90-day snapshots. Query history. Custom roles. Expert support. 99.9% SLA.
• Enterprise — custom. Unlimited users. Fixed-cost capacity. AWS PrivateLink, IP allowlists, HIPAA BAA, BYOC on request. AWS Marketplace private offer.
• Storage — $0.04/GB/month (Lite and Business). Fail-safe retains mutated data 7 days.
• Pulse — $0.60/CU-hour on Lite and Business.
• Dedicated instances (Business) — Standard $2.40/hour, Jumbo $4.80, Mega $12.00, Giga $24.00 (per-second).
• Flights — F4 $0.15/hour, F16 $0.60/hour, F32 $1.20/hour (per-second).
• AI Units — $1.00/AI Unit. SQL Assistant is 1 unit per 160 calls. FixIt is free.

Confirm checkout; taxes follow your location. Annual pre-commit is sales-only.

Limitations / costs

• Lite is Pulse-only. Standard and larger Ducklings require Business.
• $250 is the org card, not the bill. Storage and CU-hours stack on top.
• A warehouse, not a notebook BI seat. For a collaborative SQL/Python notebook see Hex. For a context layer on an existing warehouse see Wren AI.

Alternatives

• Wren AI — GenBI on a warehouse you already have, when you do not want to move into DuckDB.
• NotebookLM — document Q&A when the job is not SQL.
• Hex — a notebook + published app when the team lives in cells, not a nest.

Official tutorial

Official MotherDuck channel video: first-party product walkthrough (oEmbed author: MotherDuck).

Written path: Docs plus Pricing.

Website

https://motherduck.com

Repository

https://github.com/motherduckdb/mcp-server-motherduck

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is the official motherduckdb/mcp-server-motherduck GitHub file list. Dollars checked on motherduck.com/pricing (Lite $0; Business $250/org + usage; storage $0.04/GB; Pulse $0.60/CU-hour). Tutorial oEmbed author: MotherDuck.

Last verified

2026-10-22 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.