Snowflake editions affect the dollar value of compute credits and provide different security, governance, and connectivity features.
Representative US on-demand rates are about $2 per credit on Standard, $3 on Enterprise, and $4 on Business Critical. The applicable rate varies by cloud, region, and contract. The same warehouse consumption therefore produces different dollar charges across editions.
Enterprise supports features such as extended Time Travel. Business Critical adds capabilities used for requirements such as HIPAA, PCI, and private connectivity. A lower edition can reduce the credit rate but remove features required by the workload or compliance program.
Edition changes should be evaluated after warehouse usage is measured and waste is addressed. Right-sizing and reducing idle time usually affect more credits than changing an edition. Snowflake's pricing guide describes edition features and rates.