AWS Data Exchange
Data exchange platforms
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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Pay-as-you-go
Free Trial unavailableFree version unavailable
Small
Medium
Large
- Information technology and software
- Healthcare and life sciences
- Energy and utilities
What is AWS Data Exchange
AWS Data Exchange is a cloud-based data exchange platform that lets data providers publish datasets and data consumers discover, subscribe to, and access third-party data products through AWS. It is used by analytics, data engineering, and product teams to source external data for BI, machine learning, and enrichment workflows. The service integrates with AWS identity, billing, and data services, and supports multiple delivery options depending on the provider’s publishing format.
Integrated AWS procurement and billing
The product uses AWS Marketplace-style subscription and metering constructs so organizations can procure datasets using existing AWS accounts and consolidated billing. This reduces separate vendor onboarding steps compared with standalone data marketplaces. Access control can align with AWS IAM and account structures, which helps central IT govern who can subscribe and where data lands.
Multiple dataset delivery mechanisms
Providers can deliver data through supported AWS-native mechanisms such as Amazon S3-based exports and API-based access patterns, depending on the listing type. This flexibility supports different consumption models, including batch ingestion and programmatic retrieval. It also enables consumers to integrate acquired data into common AWS data pipelines without building custom transfer infrastructure.
Provider publishing and entitlement controls
Data providers can create product listings, define subscription terms, and manage revisions/updates to datasets. Entitlements and access are managed through the platform, which helps providers control distribution without directly provisioning each customer. This supports repeatable distribution for commercial and internal data products.
Strong AWS ecosystem dependency
The service is designed primarily for AWS accounts and AWS-native data services, which can be limiting for organizations with multi-cloud or on-prem-first data distribution requirements. Consumers outside AWS typically need additional steps to export or replicate data to other environments. This can increase operational overhead compared with exchanges that are cloud-agnostic by design.
Dataset formats vary by provider
Data quality, schema consistency, update cadence, and documentation depend heavily on each provider’s publishing practices. Consumers may still need profiling, validation, and transformation work after subscription. This is a common constraint in data marketplaces, but it can affect time-to-value for analytics and ML use cases.
Not an end-to-end data integration suite
AWS Data Exchange focuses on discovery, subscription, and delivery of datasets rather than full integration lifecycle capabilities such as complex ETL/ELT orchestration, data mapping, and cross-application workflow automation. Teams often pair it with separate pipeline, governance, and catalog tooling to operationalize the data. Organizations expecting a complete integration platform may find the scope narrower.
Plan & Pricing
Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go (usage-based). AWS Data Exchange also supports subscription-priced data products that are set and listed by individual data providers on each product detail page.
Free tier/trial: No permanently free tier or time-limited free trial is stated on the official AWS Data Exchange pricing page; the "Get started for free" link points to AWS account signup (not a service free-tier). See notes below.
Example costs (official examples shown on AWS Data Exchange pricing page):
- Data grants (data sender charge): $0.04167 per active data grant hour (example shown for an Amazon Redshift datashare). Example: 4,320 hours × $0.04167 = $180.01.
- Storage for Files (measured in Byte‑Hours): $0.023 per GB/month (example shown for US East (N. Virginia)). Example: a 100 GB dataset for 31 days at $0.023/GB-month contributes $2.30 in storage charges (example combined with data grant to total $33.30 for that month).
- Example combined (from AWS page): 100 GB for 31 days + 1-month active data grant = $33.30 total (includes $2.30 storage + $31.00 active data grant).
Other charges / notes (from official page):
- Data transfer fees: standard Amazon S3 transfer rates apply when importing/exporting file-based assets across Regions or using signed URLs to export assets to the internet.
- Additional AWS service charges may apply (e.g., Amazon Redshift, Amazon API Gateway, Amazon S3) depending on how data products are packaged and consumed.
- AWS Marketplace may collect tiered fulfillment fees for revenue collections on new subscriptions; Bring Your Own Subscription (BYOS) offers can migrate pre-existing subscriptions at no additional cost.
Discounts / pricing assistance: Contact AWS for personalized quotes and use the AWS Pricing Calculator. AWS Marketplace subscription prices are controlled by data providers and may include custom pricing/terms.
Discount options: Volume/commitment discounts are not listed on the Data Exchange pricing page; AWS recommends contacting AWS specialists to get a personalized quote.
Key official references: All items above are taken from the AWS Data Exchange pricing page (AWS official site).
Seller details
Amazon Web Services, Inc.
Seattle, Washington, USA
2006
Subsidiary
https://aws.amazon.com/
https://x.com/awscloud
https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon-web-services/
