Imply
Managed and commercial Apache Druid from Druid's creators, plus a log search layer for SIEMs.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web, Self-hosted
Is Imply free?
No, it's a paid product
- Starting price:
- $100/month (Polaris Starter)
- Free trial:
- 30 days
Checked on Imply's site Nov 8, 2026
5 alternatives with a free option Full Imply pricing and plansSwitch from Imply to
All 6
ClickHouseFree trial: 30 days with $300 credits
Google BigQueryStarting price: $6.25 per TiB scanned (on-demand)
Apache DorisOpen source
- Verified facts
- 5 of 5
- Alternatives ranked
- 6
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Imply
Imply was founded by the original creators of Apache Druid and sells products built on it. Imply Polaris is a fully managed Druid service for real-time analytics: it ingests streaming and batch data and serves fast, high-concurrency queries for dashboards and customer-facing analytics. Imply Enterprise is a commercial Druid distribution with cluster management and monitoring that you run on-premises or in your own cloud, and Enterprise Hybrid runs a managed setup inside your AWS VPC. More recently the company has added Imply Lumi, a search layer for security logs that sits under existing SIEM tools such as Splunk. Polaris pricing is usage-based, combining hourly project size with per-GB ingestion and storage, with a free trial and published starting prices. It's aimed at engineering teams building real-time analytics; if you only need a general-purpose warehouse, a broader tool may fit better.
Best for: Teams that want Apache Druid for real-time analytics without running it all themselves.
Imply pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Each line is quoted from Imply's own site, with the page it came from.
| Plan or term | What it says | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $100/month (Polaris Starter) | Nov 8, 2026 | imply.io |
| Free trial | 30 days | Nov 8, 2026 | imply.io |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Nov 8, 2026 | imply.io |
Pros and cons
What works
- Built by the creators of Apache Druid
- Managed, hybrid and self-managed deployment options
- Published usage-based pricing with a free trial
- Handles streaming ingestion and high-concurrency queries
Why people leave
- No permanent free tier on Polaris
- Druid's data modelling has a learning curve compared with general SQL warehouses
- Company focus has shifted toward security log search with Lumi
Imply vs ClickHouse, Google BigQuery and Apache Doris
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | Imply | ClickHouse | Google BigQuery | Apache Doris |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Open source | Free plan + paid | Open source |
| Verified price | $100/month (Polaris Starter) | 30 days with $300 credits | $6.25 per TiB scanned (on-demand) | — |
| Free plan | No | Free app | Yes | Free app |
| Open source | No | No | No | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | No | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | Web, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted | Web | Linux, Self-hosted |
Top Imply alternatives
See all 6- 1ClickHouse83.8
Open-source real-time analytics database with a managed cloud, often compared directly with Druid.
- 2Google BigQuery74.4
Serverless warehouse with streaming inserts and pay-per-query pricing, with no clusters to size.
- 3Apache Doris64.8
Open-source real-time analytics database with standard SQL and simpler joins, free to self-host.
- 4
Snowflake61.8General-purpose managed warehouse if sub-second, high-concurrency queries aren't critical.
- 5
Apache Druid57.5The open-source engine Imply is built on, free to run yourself if you can manage the cluster.
Why people left Imply
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Imply, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
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Write a review of Imply
Imply: common questions
What is Imply?
Imply: Managed and commercial Apache Druid from Druid's creators, plus a log search layer for SIEMs. Best for teams that want Apache Druid for real-time analytics without running it all themselves. Available for Web, and you can host it yourself.
Is Imply free?
No, Imply is a paid product. Starting price: $100/month (Polaris Starter) (checked on Imply's own site).
How much does Imply cost?
Imply is a paid product. Starting price: $100/month (Polaris Starter); Free trial: 30 days; Pricing model: Usage-based. Checked on Imply's own site, November 2026.
Does Imply have a free trial or refund?
Free trial: 30 days. Source: Imply's own site.
Is Imply open source?
No, Imply is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Apache Doris and Apache Druid.
What platforms does Imply run on?
Imply is available for Web and Self-hosted.
What are the best alternatives to Imply?
The highest-ranked Imply alternatives right now are ClickHouse, Google BigQuery and Apache Doris. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
Imply vs ClickHouse: what's the difference?
Imply is a paid product; ClickHouse is free and open source. Verified prices: Imply $100/month (Polaris Starter), ClickHouse 30 days with $300 credits. Only ClickHouse runs on Linux and macOS.