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Apache Kylin vs StarRocks

Apache Kylin: OLAP engine that pre-computes cubes and aggregate indexes for sub-second SQL on huge datasets. StarRocks: MPP OLAP database with a fast vectorized engine, real-time upserts and native lakehouse queries.

key differences

  • Apache Kylin is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than StarRocks (≤ 1 PB).
  • Transactions: Apache Kylin offers none ACID; StarRocks offers limited.
  • Only StarRocks has secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search, json, ttl / expiry.

choose apache-kylin for

  • +Enterprise BI dashboards with fixed dimensions
  • +Replacing legacy MOLAP cubes
  • +High-concurrency reporting

best at · OLAP, Warehouse

choose starrocks for

  • +Real-time dashboards with joins
  • +Lakehouse query acceleration over Iceberg
  • +Customer-facing analytics
  • +Replacing pre-aggregated cubes

best at · Real-time analytics, OLAP, Lakehouse

Apache KylinOLAP engine that pre-computes cubes and aggregate indexes for sub-second SQL on huge datasets.
StarRocksMPP OLAP database with a fast vectorized engine, real-time upserts and native lakehouse queries.
overview
Primary model
Columnar / OLAP
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Relational
Relational, Document, Vector
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
StarRocks (Linux Foundation; CelerData)
First release
2014
2020
Latest version
5.0.5 (Jul 13, 2026)
4.1.3 (Sep 17, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
16.9
15.6
Rank
#196
#210
GitHub stars
3.8K
12.2K
Stack Overflow questions
154
11
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
None
Limited
Consistency
Eventual
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Client server
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
SQL (ANSI)
SQL (MySQL dialect)
Client languages
Java, Python
Java, Python, Go, JavaScript, C++
Best for
OLAP, Warehouse
Real-time analytics, OLAP, Lakehouse, Warehouse
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Apache Kylin vs StarRocks: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Kylin and StarRocks?

Apache Kylin: OLAP engine that pre-computes cubes and aggregate indexes for sub-second SQL on huge datasets. StarRocks: MPP OLAP database with a fast vectorized engine, real-time upserts and native lakehouse queries. Apache Kylin is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than StarRocks (≤ 1 PB). Transactions: Apache Kylin offers none ACID; StarRocks offers limited. Only StarRocks has secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search, json, ttl / expiry.

When should I choose Apache Kylin over StarRocks?

Choose Apache Kylin for enterprise BI dashboards with fixed dimensions, replacing legacy MOLAP cubes and high-concurrency reporting. Choose StarRocks for real-time dashboards with joins, lakehouse query acceleration over Iceberg and customer-facing analytics.

Is Apache Kylin or StarRocks more popular?

Apache Kylin ranks #196 on the WhichDB Score (16.9/100) and StarRocks ranks #210 (15.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Kylin and StarRocks open source?

Yes. Apache Kylin is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. StarRocks is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.