Evaluating the TCO of an Open Lakehouse vs. Proprietary Data Warehouses

This article provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an open lakehouse versus proprietary data warehouses. It breaks down key cost components including storage, compute, egress, engineering, operational overhead, and vendor lock-in costs. The analysis highlights that while raw storage costs may appear similar, proprietary warehouses often incur hidden charges for idle compute, data egress, and scaling. The article offers a break-even analysis and practical guidance for teams considering a switch, making it highly relevant for IT professionals evaluating data infrastructure investments.