Pricing comparison
BigQuery bills a query either by bytes scanned (on-demand) or by slot time (editions). Querylab.io prices every query both ways and tells you when the other model would have been meaningfully cheaper.
Query Complexity
Last run
On-demand: $1.99 (billed)
Slots (Enterprise): $0.41
Currently using on-demand billing
Use Reservation — prod-enterprise (ENTERPRISE, us)
Where it shows up
- Status bar. When the other model would save a meaningful amount on the current estimate, a short Consider Enterprise (or Consider on-demand) hint appears next to the cost. Hover it for the estimated saving.
- Estimate footer. The same hint as a
↓ Enterprisechip under the editor. - Prism Insights → Model Hint. The full picture: the query’s complexity, both prices for the last run, and, if your billing project has reservations, a Use Reservation action that adds
SET @@reservation = '…'to the query. - Query history. A Pot. Savings column with the same per-query comparison; see query history.
How the prices are worked out
Before the run both prices come from the dry run; the slot price is an estimate, so check the Model Hint tab after the run for the actual slot time. The edition rate is your billing project’s own edition if it runs on a reservation, otherwise the edition you pick in settings (below). Organization admins can set org-wide discounts and a default commitment tier.
When a hint appears
A hint appears when the other model would save a meaningful amount on this query; its colour shows how large the saving is. Already on the cheaper model reads Optimal.
How your billing model is detected
Querylab.io detects whether your billing project runs on a reservation (editions) or on-demand. The status bar’s ⚙ popover shows the result under Run on:
Reservation override lists the project’s reservations plus On-demand; choosing one writes SET @@reservation = '…' at the top of the query, and the ⚙ gets a dot to show the tab is overriding the project default.
On a reservation project the status bar stops showing a dollar figure for the query (you’re not billed per byte) and shows bytes only. While the job runs, a separate Slots: 0.12h ($0.01) item ticks up from the job timeline.
Turning it off or choosing the edition
One setting controls the comparison: Settings → Limits & Costs → Cost Display (the full section is under Settings).
Disabled removes the comparison everywhere: status bar, insights, history. Standard, Enterprise (the default), or Enterprise Plus is the edition slot time is priced at when the billing project isn’t on a reservation. The setting is locked in Playground.