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Apache Druid vs HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB)

Apache Druid: Real-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data. HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB): GPU-native columnar SQL database with visual analytics, fully open-sourced by NVIDIA in 2026.

key differences

  • Apache Druid is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB) (≤ 10 TB).
  • Only Apache Druid has secondary indexes, json, ttl / expiry, streaming ingest.
  • Only HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB) has in-memory.

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 heavydb for

  • +Geospatial visual analytics
  • +Telecom and RF network planning
  • +Interactive exploration of large telemetry datasets

best at · OLAP, Geo, Real-time analytics

Apache DruidReal-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data.
HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB)GPU-native columnar SQL database with visual analytics, fully open-sourced by NVIDIA in 2026.
overview
Primary model
Columnar / OLAP
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Time-Series, Relational
Relational, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
NVIDIA (HEAVY.AI)
First release
2012
2017
Latest version
38.0.0 (Oct 1, 2026)
10.0.0 (Oct 8, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
35.0
14.3
Rank
#58
#234
GitHub stars
14.1K
3.1K
Stack Overflow questions
620
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Eventual
Strong
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Shared storage
Single node, Distributed, In memory
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
Client languages
Java, Python, Go, JavaScript
Python, Java, JavaScript, C++
Best for
Real-time analytics, OLAP, Time-series, Observability
OLAP, Geo, Real-time analytics
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Apache Druid vs HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB): FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Druid and HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB)?

Apache Druid: Real-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data. HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB): GPU-native columnar SQL database with visual analytics, fully open-sourced by NVIDIA in 2026. Apache Druid is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB) (≤ 10 TB). Only Apache Druid has secondary indexes, json, ttl / expiry, streaming ingest. Only HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB) has in-memory.

When should I choose Apache Druid over HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB)?

Choose Apache Druid for user-facing analytics dashboards; clickstream and ad-tech analytics; and network and application telemetry. Choose HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB) for geospatial visual analytics; telecom and RF network planning; and interactive exploration of large telemetry datasets.

Is Apache Druid or HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB) more popular?

Apache Druid ranks #58 on the WhichDB Score (35.0/100) and HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB) ranks #234 (14.3/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Druid and HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB) open source?

Yes. Apache Druid is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. HEAVY.AI (HeavyDB) is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.