Hugging Face vs Kaggle Datasets: how their terms compare
By Gareth HoyleLast updated How we research
In short
Hugging Face suits dataset authors who want to host a dataset and gate access rather than sell it, and Kaggle Datasets suits uploaders sharing open datasets under a license they choose. Hugging Face lets authors gate access and charges for extra storage. Kaggle Datasets hosts open datasets under one license chosen by the uploader.
Key takeaways
- Hugging Face and Kaggle Datasets are both data marketplaces.
- Published payout at Hugging Face: None.
- Published payout at Kaggle Datasets: None.
- Hugging Face publishes 6 of the 6 terms compared here, and Kaggle Datasets publishes 4.
- Facts were checked on each company's own pages in November 2026.
How do Hugging Face and Kaggle Datasets compare?
The table sets each company's published terms side by side, copied from our profiles. "Not published" means the company's own pages do not say.
| Term | Hugging Face | Kaggle Datasets |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Data marketplace | Data marketplace |
| What it buys | Does not buy data. Hosts public and private datasets, with optional gated access | Does not buy data. Hosts open datasets uploaded by users and organizations |
| Published payout | None. No payments to dataset authors are described | None. No payments to uploaders are described |
| Size requirement | None. Free accounts get 100GB of private storage, PRO accounts 1TB | None published. Any Kaggle user or organization can upload |
| Exclusivity | None. Authors choose the license and can gate or revoke access | None. The uploader picks one license per dataset |
| Fee to seller | Hosting only: public storage add-ons from $12 per TB a month, extra private storage from $18 per TB a month | Not published. No listing fee is described |
| Payment timing | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Facts checked | November 2026 | November 2026 |
Published payouts are ceilings or estimates, not quotes.
Who are Hugging Face and Kaggle Datasets?
Data marketplace
Hugging Face
Hugging Face hosts more than 1.1 million datasets on its Hub, alongside models, and lets dataset authors gate access by approving each user. Its documentation describes no way to charge for datasets or pay dataset authors, and we found no Hugging Face data licensing program. Paid plans cover storage, with extra private storage billed from $18 per TB a month.
Data marketplace
Kaggle Datasets
Kaggle Datasets is the open dataset hosting service of Kaggle, the data science community Google acquired in March 2017. Its datasets page describes hundreds of thousands of open datasets for AI research and model training. Kaggle does not pay uploaders or sell data, and each dataset carries one license chosen by the uploader, from CC0 to copyright-authors.
Which fits you, Hugging Face or Kaggle Datasets?
The right fit between Hugging Face and Kaggle Datasets depends on your records and the terms you need. We do not rank either company, and each point below comes from its published facts.
Hugging Face may suit you if
- you want to host or share a dataset rather than sell it
- you want to gate access by approving each user
- you expect to pay only for storage, such as extra private storage from $18 per TB a month
Kaggle Datasets may suit you if
- you want to publish an open dataset for AI research and model training
- you want to pick one license per dataset, from CC0 to copyright-authors
- you do not expect payment, since Kaggle describes none for uploaders
Terms to ask about
Hugging Face publishes all 6 terms compared on this page. Kaggle Datasets does not publish its size requirement or fee to seller. Ask each company for these terms in writing before you share a sample.
Comparing offers?
Published payouts are ceilings, not quotes. We can put your records in front of several vetted buyers and compare offers on the same terms. Get a free valuation.
Frequently asked questions
What do Hugging Face and Kaggle Datasets pay for data?
What size of company do Hugging Face and Kaggle Datasets look for?
Do Hugging Face and Kaggle Datasets charge sellers a fee or require exclusivity?
When do Hugging Face and Kaggle Datasets pay sellers?
Sources
- Datasets, Hugging Face, accessed November 2026
- Gated datasets, Hugging Face, accessed November 2026
- Storage limits, Hugging Face, accessed November 2026
- Kaggle Datasets, Kaggle, accessed November 2026
- Dataset metadata, Kaggle, accessed November 2026
- Google confirms buying data science community Kaggle, Business Standard, accessed November 2026