How much does Unity Catalog cost, and is Unity Catalog free?

Summary

• Unity Catalog is free and included with Databricks at no additional cost — there is no separate license or add-on fee for the governance layer itself.
• Its core governance capabilities (fine-grained access control, automatic lineage, audit logging, and asset management) run automatically beneath every data and AI interaction with no separate charge.
• Unity Catalog is enabled by default for new workspaces (AWS after Nov 8, 2023; Azure after Nov 9, 2023; GCP after Mar 6, 2024).
• Costs arise only when you use certain compute-intensive features, which are billed through the normal compute pricing you already use — not a Unity Catalog fee.
• Examples of features that consume compute: predictive optimization, data profiling, Unity Catalog functions, and managed MCP capabilities such as Genie agents and AI Search indexes.

How much does Unity Catalog cost, and is Unity Catalog free?

Unity Catalog is free and included with Databricks at no additional cost. It is the built-in governance layer for your data and AI assets, and there is no separate license, per-seat, or add-on fee for the catalog itself. The governance capabilities operate automatically beneath every data and AI interaction. Costs arise only when you turn on or use certain compute-intensive features, and those are billed through the normal Databricks compute pricing you already use rather than as a Unity Catalog charge.

Why Databricks Unity Catalog is included at no additional cost

• The governance layer is free. Access control, lineage tracking, auditing, and asset management operate automatically beneath every data and AI interaction, with no separate charge for the catalog.
• Enabled by default for new workspaces. Unity Catalog is turned on automatically for workspaces created after November 8, 2023 on AWS, after November 9, 2023 on Azure, and after March 6, 2024 on GCP.
• Included at no additional cost. Core capabilities such as fine-grained access control at the catalog, schema, table, and view levels; automatic lineage tracking and audit logging; access through Catalog Explorer, SQL, the CLI, and the REST API; metadata caching; and automatic file deletion after a DROP TABLE are all included.
• Compute-intensive features are billed through compute, not a catalog fee. Some features run on compute and are billed under the relevant compute SKU. Predictive optimization runs ANALYZE, OPTIMIZE, and VACUUM operations on serverless compute for jobs; data profiling uses serverless compute for jobs; and Unity Catalog functions use serverless general compute. Managed MCP capabilities are billed by their own models — Genie agents under serverless SQL compute, Databricks SQL servers under Databricks SQL pricing, and AI Search indexes under AI Search pricing.
• Predictive optimization is on by default for newer accounts. It is enabled by default for accounts created on or after November 11, 2024, and Databricks recommends enabling it for managed tables to help reduce storage and compute costs.
• Advanced options stay off until you choose them. Features such as catalog commits, multi-statement transactions, and full-text search indexes are off by default, so you only incur their compute usage when you enable them.

Getting started

• Read What is Unity Catalog? to see the governance capabilities included by default.
• Review the benefits of Unity Catalog managed tables, including features enabled at no additional cost.
• Learn how predictive optimization uses serverless compute to maintain managed tables.
• Check the managed MCP server pricing for features billed under their own compute models.

FAQs

Is Unity Catalog free?

Yes. Unity Catalog is included with Databricks at no additional cost, and there is no separate license or add-on fee for the governance layer. Access control, lineage, auditing, and asset management run automatically with no separate charge.

Is Unity Catalog enabled by default?

Yes, for new workspaces: those created after November 8, 2023 on AWS, after November 9, 2023 on Azure, and after March 6, 2024 on GCP have Unity Catalog enabled automatically.

What Unity Catalog features can incur charges?

The catalog itself is free. Compute-intensive features are billed through the compute they use — for example predictive optimization, data profiling, and Unity Catalog functions run on serverless compute, and managed MCP capabilities such as Genie agents and AI Search indexes are billed under their respective pricing models.

Do I pay per user for Unity Catalog?

No. Unity Catalog does not carry a separate per-seat or license fee; the governance layer is included at no additional cost, and you pay only for the compute that specific features consume.