Learn, Experiment, and Build with Databricks Free Edition
From first projects to production experiments, Free Edition is open to everyone
Summary
- Free Edition gives everyone access to Databricks’ data and AI tools at no cost forever
- Students, practitioners, and educators use Free Edition to learn, build, and collaborate
- Databricks MVPs have used Free Edition for experimentation and learning
Free Edition launched at Data + AI Summit earlier this year and has made advanced data and AI tools accessible to hundreds of thousands of hobbyists and learners at no cost.
- Students are using it in classes to build real projects and earn certifications that help them land their first data jobs.
- Practitioners are using it to upskill, explore new features, and spin up POCs they can take back to their teams.
- Educators are using it to deliver hands-on, cutting-edge courses at scale, so their learners graduate ready for the job market.
Free Edition is open to everyone, and the Databricks MVPs have been among the first to push its limits and share what they’ve learned.
Hubert Dudek is a Databricks Architect at Adastra and has been using Databricks for over five years. At Adastra, Hubert is currently assisting the migration of a major European bank to Databricks. As a side project, Hubert wanted to see how Free Edition performed at scale. He ingested two billion rows of data in under six minutes, showing that even a free account can handle real workloads. For learners, that means you don’t need enterprise infrastructure to practice with large datasets and see results quickly.
Want to try it yourself? Hubert has shared his test code on GitHub
Dylan Ford is a Databricks Practice Lead at AImpoint Digital and has been working on Databricks for more than seven years. Over that time, Dylan has focused on product advisory, sales, and building internal solutions and accelerators. When Dylan heard about Free Edition, he thought it’d be useful to onboard new consultants. It provides the same functionality as the full Databricks platform, enabling consultants to experiment freely. Dylan pairs Free Edition with Databricks Academy courses, so his team gets both structured learning and hands-on practice.
As Dylan explains:
“These projects provide real-world experience, often requiring data engineering skills to pull data from APIs and integrate with other components like front-end interfaces or data science models. This approach ensures that consultants gain end-to-end experience in delivering solutions.”
From AI agents to dashboards, Databricks Free Edition is quickly becoming a starting point for all kinds of data and AI projects.
What you can do with Free Edition:
- Experiment with AI and machine learning by building models that answer questions, forecast demand, or uncover insights.
- Turn data into visuals with interactive charts and dashboards that make trends easier to understand.
- Strengthen coding skills in Python and SQL using production tools that mirror a professional environment.
- Get real-world data experience by designing and building ETL pipelines, handling schema changes, and tracking results.
- Work together by sharing projects with peers or joining the wider Databricks Community to exchange ideas and best practices.
- Keep learning with free self-paced courses from Databricks Academy that cover core data skills, from SQL basics to advanced machine learning.
Free Edition lets you explore and learn the latest data and AI technologies. Whether you’re writing your first SQL query, building an AI project, or preparing a class, you can start today.
