AWS Lake Formation

Web · API

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Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.4

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely1 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

AWS Lake Formation is ranked #3 of 17 in data lake software on Freedom251. It runs on API, Web. There is a free plan.

AWS Lake Formation plans and pricing

All plans

Permissions Free Creating permissions and using them through integrated services are provided at no charge · Standard usage rates for integrated services such as Amazon S3 or AWS Glue Data Catalog apply aws.amazon.com · 29 Sept 2026

Storage API Not published Charged by bytes scanned, rounded to the next megabyte, with a 10 MB minimum; page does not list a rate Can be used only when no other AWS Analytics service processes the data aws.amazon.com · 29 Sept 2026

Governed Tables Not published Charged for metadata measured by files tracked, API calls that retrieve or manipulate metadata, and bytes processed by the storage optimizer; page does not list rates aws.amazon.com · 29 Sept 2026

Storage optimizer Not published Charged by bytes processed, rounded to the next megabyte; page does not list a rate Optimizes Governed Tables by compacting small files into larger ones aws.amazon.com · 29 Sept 2026

Compared on data lake software

Free plan: No
Deployment model: cloud
Ingestion modes: batch
Metadata catalog: Yes
Governance controls: Yes
Query interface: both
Open table formats: Yes
Data sharing: Yes

Best AWS Lake Formation alternatives

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The record

Purpose: AWS Lake Formation helps centrally govern, secure, and share data for analytics and machine learning.
Catalog: It centralizes metadata and data permissions using the AWS Glue Data Catalog.
Fine-grained access: It supports access policies at database, table, column, row, and cell levels.
Tag-based controls: Lake Formation tag-based access control uses data attributes to scale permissions as data changes.
AWS integrations: Native integrations include Amazon Athena, Amazon SageMaker, Amazon Redshift, AWS Glue, and Amazon EMR.
Partner integrations: Named third-party integrations include Starburst, Dremio, Privacera, and Collibra.
External data sharing: Integration with AWS Data Exchange allows sharing data with external businesses without moving or copying it.
Audit: Lake Formation provides audit logs through AWS CloudTrail to monitor data access, including which users or roles attempted access and when.
Security model: AWS describes Lake Formation security as a shared responsibility: AWS protects cloud infrastructure, while customers are responsible for security in the cloud.
Pricing limit: Permissions created or used through integrated services are free, while integrated service usage can incur its standard charges.
Storage API limit: The Storage API can be used only when no other AWS Analytics service processes the data, and scanned bytes have a 10 MB minimum billing quantity.
Founded: 2006
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Data Lake Software in 2026#3 of 17

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Sources

aws.amazon.com/lake-formation/features/· checked 29 Sept 2026
aws.amazon.com/lake-formation/faqs/· checked 29 Sept 2026
docs.aws.amazon.com/lake-formation/latest/dg/security.html· checked 29 Sept 2026
aws.amazon.com/lake-formation/pricing/· checked 29 Sept 2026
aws.amazon.com/lake-formation/· checked 23 Sept 2026