Azure Synapse Analytics
Azure Synapse Analytics: A broad Microsoft cloud analytics service for integrated warehousing and data lake workloads. Ranked #5 of 27 in Data Warehouse Software by our editors (8.7/10); pricing: Pricing on request; best for microsoft organizations needing an integrated warehouse.
At a glance
- Editor score8.7 / 10
- PricingPricing on request
- Best forMicrosoft organizations needing an integrated warehouse
- Free planNo
- Pricing modelHybrid
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Combines dedicated and serverless SQL pools with Apache Spark
- Queries Azure data lakes and supports streaming ingestion
- Integrates with Power BI, Azure services, and CI/CD controls
Where it doesn't
- Requires contact with sales for pricing
- Broad scope may exceed focused warehouse requirements
- Cloud deployment is centered on the web and Azure ecosystem
Our verdict on Azure Synapse Analytics
Azure Synapse Analytics brings data warehousing, data lake exploration, big data processing, machine learning, and data integration into one Microsoft cloud analytics service. It is designed for enterprise teams that need dedicated or serverless SQL, Apache Spark, pipelines, Data Explorer, and connections to Azure services. Supported lake formats include Parquet, CSV, TSV, JSON, and Delta Lake, while built-in streaming ingestion sends data into SQL tables.
Pricing is organized around workload choices rather than one product-wide tier. Serverless SQL pools let teams query data in Azure Data Lake without provisioning infrastructure and charge for data processed by queries. Dedicated SQL pools offer provisioned warehouse compute with pay-as-you-go billing, plus one-year and three-year reserved capacity options; compute can be paused. Apache Spark plans include Memory Optimized for big data processing, data engineering, preparation, and machine learning, and GPU accelerated for hardware-accelerated Spark processing and machine learning workloads. Data Explorer compute targets interactive log, telemetry, time-series, and semi-structured data queries. The published pricing approach is contact sales, and Azure Synapse pricing varies by region, agreement, and usage.
Its main advantage is breadth within the Microsoft ecosystem. Power BI, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Machine Learning, Azure Data Lake Storage, Dataverse, and Azure Data Factory are supported integrations. Teams can build data integration pipelines and code-free data flows, apply T-SQL machine learning model scoring with PREDICT, and manage access through role-based access control and enterprise CI/CD integration. That range suits organizations coordinating warehouse, lake, streaming, engineering, and analytics workloads. Teams seeking a narrowly focused warehouse, a free plan, or a self-contained pricing path should consider a more specialized alternative instead.
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Azure Synapse Analytics pricing
All 7 Azure Synapse Analytics plans and prices →
Azure Synapse Analytics fact sheet
| Free plan | No |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Deployment model | Cloud |
| Pricing model | Hybrid |
| Separate storage and compute | Yes |
| Data lake support | Yes |
| Streaming ingestion | Yes |
| In-database machine learning | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Docs, Community |
| Built for | Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 90+ integrations: Power BI, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Machine Learning, Azure Data Lake Storage, Dataverse, Azure Data Factory |
| Pricing | Pricing on request (source) |
| Website | azure.microsoft.com |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Azure Synapse Analytics integrations
Azure Synapse Analytics lists 90+ integrations on its own site — the 6 named here are the ones its pages call out.
- Power BI
- Azure Cosmos DB
- Azure Machine Learning
- Azure Data Lake Storage
- Dataverse
- Azure Data Factory
Alternatives to Azure Synapse Analytics
- Google BigQueryA broad serverless warehouse with flexible analytics, lake, streaming, governance, and ML capabilities.9.4
- Amazon RedshiftA broad AWS-native warehouse with flexible deployments, but no free plan.9.2
- Oracle Autonomous Data WarehouseA broad Oracle warehouse for teams that want automation, analytics, and a free starting tier.9.0
See all Azure Synapse Analytics alternatives →
Azure Synapse Analytics vs the competition
- Azure Synapse Analytics vs Google BigQuery
- Azure Synapse Analytics vs Amazon Redshift
- Azure Synapse Analytics vs Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse
- Azure Synapse Analytics vs Databricks SQL Warehouse
- Azure Synapse Analytics vs Alibaba Cloud MaxCompute
- Azure Synapse Analytics vs Alibaba Cloud AnalyticDB
Compare Azure Synapse Analytics with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
Azure Synapse Analytics is ranked in 8 of our directories; the 6 strongest besides Data Warehouse Software.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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