Apache Druid
Open-source real-time analytics database for fast queries on streaming and batch data.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Self-hosted, Linux
Is Apache Druid free?
Yes, free and open source
- License:
- Apache-2.0
Checked on Apache Druid's site Nov 8, 2026
Switch from Apache Druid to
All 5
ClickHouseFree trial: 30 days with $300 credits
Google BigQueryStarting price: $6.25 per TiB scanned (on-demand)
SnowflakePaid
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 5
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Apache Druid
Apache Druid is an open-source, column-oriented analytics database maintained by the Apache Software Foundation. It is designed for applications and dashboards that need sub-second aggregate queries over very large event datasets while new data keeps arriving. Druid ingests directly from Apache Kafka and Amazon Kinesis, making events queryable as they land, and also loads batch data. Data is stored in time-partitioned, compressed, indexed segments spread across separate services for ingestion, querying and coordination, backed by deep storage such as object stores, so clusters can scale out and recover automatically. It supports SQL as well as a native JSON query language, joins, and schema auto-discovery. Typical uses are clickstream, ad-tech, network telemetry and observability analytics with many concurrent users. The software is free under the Apache 2.0 licence and is run on your own Linux servers or Kubernetes; managed versions are sold by third-party vendors. Its multi-service architecture makes it more work to operate than a single-binary database.
Best for: Teams building real-time analytics apps on high-volume event streams.
Pros and cons
What works
- Native streaming ingestion from Kafka and Kinesis
- Built for high query concurrency with sub-second responses
- SQL support plus a native query API
- Free under the Apache 2.0 licence
Why people leave
- Many separate services make deployment and tuning complex
- Joins are limited compared with general-purpose warehouses
- No official managed service from the Apache project
Apache Druid vs ClickHouse, Google BigQuery and Snowflake
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | Apache Druid | ClickHouse | Google BigQuery | Snowflake |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Open source | Open source | Free plan + paid | Paid |
| Verified price | — | 30 days with $300 credits | $6.25 per TiB scanned (on-demand) | — |
| Free plan | Free app | Free app | Yes | No |
| Open source | Yes | No | No | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No | No | No |
| Platforms | Self-hosted, Linux | Web, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted | Web | Web |
Top Apache Druid alternatives
See all 5- 1ClickHouse83.8
Open-source column store that is simpler to run and very fast for real-time analytical queries.
- 2Google BigQuery79.8
Fully managed and serverless, so there is no cluster to operate, with streaming inserts.
- 3Snowflake61.8
Managed cloud warehouse with broader SQL and joins, better for general BI than app-facing queries.
- 4
Amazon Redshift59.4Managed AWS warehouse that also ingests from Kinesis and Kafka-based streams.
- 5
Databricks57.5Lakehouse platform for teams combining streaming analytics with data engineering and ML.
Why people left Apache Druid
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
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Reviews
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Apache Druid: common questions
What is Apache Druid?
Apache Druid: Open-source real-time analytics database for fast queries on streaming and batch data. Best for teams building real-time analytics apps on high-volume event streams. Available for Linux, and you can host it yourself.
Is Apache Druid free?
Yes. Apache Druid is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.
Is Apache Druid open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub at apache/druid. You can also run it on your own server.
What platforms does Apache Druid run on?
Apache Druid is available for Self-hosted and Linux.
What are the best alternatives to Apache Druid?
The highest-ranked Apache Druid alternatives right now are ClickHouse, Google BigQuery and Snowflake. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
Apache Druid vs ClickHouse: what's the difference?
Both Apache Druid and ClickHouse are free and open source. Apache Druid is open source and ClickHouse is not. Only ClickHouse runs on Web and macOS.