whichdb
vs

Apache Druid vs Apache Pinot

Apache Druid: Real-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data. Apache Pinot: Real-time OLAP store from LinkedIn for user-facing analytics at very high query rates.

key differences

  • Transactions: Apache Druid offers limited ACID; Apache Pinot offers none.
  • Only Apache Pinot has full-text search, vector search.

choose apache-druid for

  • +User-facing analytics dashboards
  • +Clickstream and ad-tech analytics
  • +Network and application telemetry
  • +Real-time operational monitoring

best at · Real-time analytics, OLAP, Time-series

choose apache-pinot for

  • +User-facing analytics in products
  • +Real-time business metrics and anomaly detection
  • +Ad and marketplace analytics
  • +Operational dashboards on streaming data

best at · Real-time analytics, OLAP, Observability

Apache DruidReal-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data.
Apache PinotReal-time OLAP store from LinkedIn for user-facing analytics at very high query rates.
overview
Primary model
Columnar / OLAP
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Time-Series, Relational
Relational, Time-Series
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
Apache Software Foundation
First release
2012
2015
Latest version
38.0.0 (Oct 1, 2026)
1.5.1 (Jun 5, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
35.0
29.9
Rank
#58
#88
GitHub stars
14.1K
6.2K
Stack Overflow questions
620
23
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
None
Consistency
Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Shared storage
Distributed, Shared storage
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
–
capabilities
Transactions
—
—
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
—
✓
Vector search
—
✓
Geospatial
✓
✓
JSON
✓
✓
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
—
—
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
✓
✓
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
✓
✓
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
✓
Encryption at rest
—
—
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
✓
✓
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
Druid SQL, Druid native JSON queries
SQL (Calcite-based)
Client languages
Java, Python, Go, JavaScript
Java, Python, Go, JavaScript, C#
Best for
Real-time analytics, OLAP, Time-series, Observability
Real-time analytics, OLAP, Observability
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Apache Druid vs Apache Pinot: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Druid and Apache Pinot?

Apache Druid: Real-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data. Apache Pinot: Real-time OLAP store from LinkedIn for user-facing analytics at very high query rates. Transactions: Apache Druid offers limited ACID; Apache Pinot offers none. Only Apache Pinot has full-text search, vector search.

When should I choose Apache Druid over Apache Pinot?

Choose Apache Druid for user-facing analytics dashboards; clickstream and ad-tech analytics; and network and application telemetry. Choose Apache Pinot for user-facing analytics in products; real-time business metrics and anomaly detection; and ad and marketplace analytics.

Is Apache Druid or Apache Pinot more popular?

Apache Druid ranks #58 on the WhichDB Score (35.0/100) and Apache Pinot ranks #88 (29.9/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Druid and Apache Pinot open source?

Yes. Apache Druid is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Apache Pinot is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.