Top 6 Palantir alternatives for secure collaboration

Palantir has been used for a long time by the US government, especially within intelligence agencies and enterprises. It helped them to analyze and visualize complex data while securely sharing information.

However, many Palantir alternatives currently provide similar functionality at a lower cost, with some offering specialized features catering to the secure collaboration requirements of privacy-conscious industries.

Also, to note,

Despite its powerful features, Palantir operates as a “black box” with limited transparency on its customers, capabilities, and data.

This creates an environment of uncertainty many business leaders try to avoid.

So, for organizations looking for Palantir alternatives, choosing the right solution to improve operational efficiency is the need of the hour.

Why organizations are considering Palantir alternatives

Let’s look at some reasons why many organizations are considering Palantir alternatives:

1. Pricing is not public

Palantir’s pricing is not disclosed online but can vary based on the organization’s size, data systems, and other factors.

The initial purchase cost is over $500k per year or over $11k per user. The platform’s high costs and complex pricing structure can strain budgets for enterprises looking to scale.

2. Limited platform agility

Once integrated, switching away from the platform is also challenging due to proprietary formats and a dependency on Palantir-trained specialists.

3. Complex integration and additional cost

The platform lacks flexibility when incorporating newer technologies from different providers and offers limited customization. Moreover, the costs can escalate with updates, training, security, engineering, and other services.

Also, it requires dedicated training and on-site support, which can delay deployment timelines. In contrast, Palantir alternatives offer intuitive interfaces and faster implementation timelines.

4. Transparency concerns

As we noted before, critics argue that Palantir’s systems operate as a “black box,” making it difficult to understand how data is processed and used within their platforms.

Questions arise about the platform’s transparency regarding its capabilities, uses, and customers. For example, does Palantir use processed data to enhance algorithm performance across use cases?

In 2023, Palantir was awarded a £330 million contract to build a data-sharing system for the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS). However, doctors’ organizations and human rights charities have expressed privacy concerns about entrusting medical data to private companies.

Plus, the company’s prior work with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also drawn scrutiny.

Top 6 Palantir alternatives for secure collaboration

Now, let’s uncover the best Palantir alternatives that you can use for secure collaboration needs:

1. Rocket.Chat

Rocket.Chat is an open-source collaboration and communication platform that offers secure, real-time messaging across various industries.

With features like an air-gapped collaboration suite and support for secure, classified networks like NIPRNet, it is trusted by organizations like the US Defense and British Columbia.

Strengths and limitations

Unlike Palantir, you have complete control over your data through on-premises deployment and private cloud options.
Rocket.Chat is more transparent and integrates with numerous tools, including project management, customer support, DevOps, and analytics platforms.
The platform is also highly customizable—its white labeling features enable organizations to add or remove specific features.
Its secure collaboration tools also help government agencies implement federal zero trust strategy principles.

However, Rocket.Chat has limited data analytics capabilities and lacks large-scale data processing features compared to Palantir.

Pricing

The yearly Pro plan starts at $4 per user per month, while the Enterprise plan offers more customization and scaling options.

2. Alteryx

Alteryx is a powerful data analytics and automation platform that streamlines data preparation, blending, and advanced analytics for organizations. It’s known for its user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface, which enables users to create data workflows and perform complex analyses without coding.

Organizations like Coca-Cola and McLaren use Alteryx for data analysis.

Strengths and limitations

Compared to Palantir, Alteryx is recognized as one of the top 50 analytics tools by G2 and allows you to work with data more easily.
It is flexible and integrates with platforms like AWS and Snowflake.
Build custom data connectors via APIs.

However, Alteryx’s data processing capabilities are not as extensive as Palantir’s for large-scale analytics.

Pricing

The Designer Cloud edition starts at $4,950 per user per year.

3. Snowflake

Snowflake is a cloud-based data warehousing platform for efficient data storage, processing, and analytics. It separates storage and computation, allowing users to scale resources independently.

The platform is easy to use and supports structured and semi-structured data. Organizations like the Sydney Local Health District and the City of Tacoma use Snowflake for data-driven insights.

Strengths and limitations

Compared to Palantir, Snowflake allows you to scale data storage and processing with a pay-as-you-go pricing model.
It also provides a SQL-based querying engine optimized for massive datasets.
Snowflake’s integration with zero trust cybersecurity principles ensures secure data workflows.

It also integrates with major cloud services like Azure and data analytics tools like Power BI.
You can create custom data pipelines and connect with other platforms within their data architecture.

However, Snowflake is optimized for data warehousing and analytics but has limitations for large-scale transactional applications. Additionally, advanced data governance requires additional configuration and customization.

Pricing

With a tiered pricing structure, you only pay for computing and storage resources as needed. Pricing differs based on the platform and region.

4. IBM Watson Studio

IBM Watson Studio is a data science and AI development platform that enables organizations to build, train, and deploy machine learning models and AI-powered applications. It offers a variety of tools for data science, including collaboration features that enhance teamwork in AI projects.

Organizations like JPMorgan Chase and Wunderman Thompson use Watson Studio to create accurate models and enhance their AI and ML capabilities.

Strengths and limitations

Unlike Palantir, you integrate with IBM's broader AI and cloud ecosystem. It’s also integrated with third-party data sources like TensorFlow.
Deploy in the cloud and on-premises.
Automate ML workflows and make them accessible even to non-tech users.

However, you can only build machine learning and data science workflows. Palantir can manage large-scale, complex data sets and data integration across multiple sources.

Pricing

Watson Studio offers a subscription-based pricing model with different licensing options. The pricing varies depending on deployment preferences and user requirements.

5. Google Cloud’s BigQuery

Google Cloud’s BigQuery is a fully managed, serverless data warehouse for fast SQL-based analytics. It has built-in ML and data-sharing capabilities. Users can develop predictive models, analyze massive datasets, and generate insights in real time.

Strengths and limitations

Compared to Palantir, BigQuery simplifies complex data processing and allows you to query data directly using SQL.
It integrates with Google Cloud tools and numerous third-party platforms for data ingestion, ETL, and more.
The platform is scalable as it’s built on Colossus, Google’s distributed storage system, which powers popular platforms like YouTube.

While BigQuery is not suitable for high-frequency transactional operations, you can connect with Google Spanner to support ACID transactions.

Pricing

BigQuery pricing depends on computing, storage, data ingestion, and extraction. It offers on-demand computing pricing based on data processed during queries.

6. Databricks

Databricks is a unified data analytics platform that simplifies big data processing, data science, and machine learning workflows. It provides a collaborative workspace and support for scalable data lakes and AI model development.

Organizations like the United States Postal Service (USPS) and Rivian use Databricks for predictive data insights.

Strengths and limitations

Unlike Palantir, which is complex and focused on enterprise-level data integration, Databricks is more accessible and flexible for various team sizes.
It supports batch and streaming data processing, as well as open-source tools.
The tool enables scalable customizations to support growth.

However, Databricks is expensive for large-scale deployments and high-volume workloads. It lacks the advanced data integration capabilities found in Palantir.

Pricing

Databricks pricing is based on usage across data, analytics, and AI workloads. It offers pay-as-you-go rates with additional savings for committed use.

Final note

Palantir alternatives offer more flexible, transparent, and cost-effective data solutions tailored to your needs. While Palantir is powerful, it’s expensive and not transparent due to its proprietary “black box” approach.

Rocket.Chat can be the perfect Palantir alternative, as it complements your data analytics strategy with secure, customizable, and encrypted collaboration tools. Here’s how:

Advanced organizational security: Maintain data safety and privacy with ISO 27001 and SOC 2 compliance. Secure team collaboration across classified networks like NIPRNet and SIPR.
Omnichannel engagement: Engage across multiple channels, including WhatsApp, SMS, email, and live chat, to streamline customer and internal interactions in one unified platform.
Data sovereignty: Gain full control over your data and infrastructure with deployment on the cloud, on-premises, or within an air-gapped environment for maximum security.
Scalable and adaptable collaboration: Scale your communication infrastructure without sacrificing security or performance.

Reach out to our team to learn more.