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Databases · head to head

Apache Doris vs Canary Labs

Apache Doris logo

Apache Doris

Databases

MPP analytical database with a MySQL wire protocol and sub-second aggregation on wide tables

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Canary Labs logo

Canary Labs

Databases

Industrial process historian with published per-tag pricing and no client licence fees

From
$3000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Apache Doris has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Apache Doris two competing commercial vendors, VeloDB and SelectDB, were founded by overlapping core contributors, which makes the long-term governance and roadmap of the project harder to predict than a single-sponsor project.; Canary Labs pricing steps by tag band rather than actual tags, so a site sitting just above a threshold pays the next band in full; growth from 3,400 to 3,600 tags is a licence purchase, not a rounding error.
  • They diverge on capability: Apache Doris covers MySQL wire protocol, Canary Labs covers Loss-less compression.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apache Doris and Canary Labs actually diverge.

Attributes where Apache Doris and Canary Labs differ
AttributeApache DorisCanary Labs
Starting priceFree$3000/year
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feePer tag band per year
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Docker, KubernetesWindows, Web

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Databases).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apache Doris

  • MySQL wire protocol
  • Aggregate and unique key models
  • Materialised views
  • Multi-catalogue federation
  • Routine load from Kafka
  • Compute storage separation
  • Inverted indexes
  • Workload groups

Only in Canary Labs

  • Loss-less compression
  • Unlimited clients
  • Store and forward
  • Views service
  • Sparkplug B
  • Calculation engine
  • Axiom
  • ODBC and REST

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apache Doris

  • A team whose MySQL read replica can no longer serve reporting queries and wants an OLAP engine its existing drivers already speaknot Canary Labs
  • A real-time dashboard backend needing sub-second aggregation over billions of rows with hundreds of concurrent usersnot Canary Labs
  • An ad or ecommerce platform that needs updates and deletes on analytical tables, which append-only OLAP engines handle badlynot Canary Labs
  • A data team that wants one SQL endpoint over both internal tables and existing Hive or Iceberg tables in the lakenot Canary Labs

Canary Labs

  • A manufacturer that needs a compliant historian but cannot justify a PI System enterprise agreementnot Apache Doris
  • A water utility replacing SCADA-embedded logging with a historian that survives the next SCADA replacementnot Apache Doris
  • An Ignition site that wants long-term storage and trending without paying per-client for dashboardsnot Apache Doris
  • A plant with regulatory data-retention obligations where swinging-door compression would not survive an auditnot Apache Doris

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apache Doris

  • Two competing commercial vendors, VeloDB and SelectDB, were founded by overlapping core contributors, which makes the long-term governance and roadmap of the project harder to predict than a single-sponsor project.
  • A large share of design discussion, issue reports and documentation detail originates in Chinese, so teams that do not read it get a thinner picture of known problems and workarounds.
  • Operating a cluster means managing frontend and backend node roles, tablet balancing and compaction tuning, and compaction backlogs under heavy upsert load are a recurring production complaint.
  • The MySQL protocol compatibility is at the wire level, not full MySQL semantics, so queries and functions still need porting and the familiarity can mislead.
  • Managed cloud availability outside China and major clouds is limited compared with ClickHouse or Snowflake, so many Western adopters end up self-hosting whether they wanted to or not.

Canary Labs

  • Pricing steps by tag band rather than actual tags, so a site sitting just above a threshold pays the next band in full; growth from 3,400 to 3,600 tags is a licence purchase, not a rounding error.
  • CustomerCare at 18 percent of licence cost is effectively mandatory on perpetual licences because lapsing it removes upgrades, so the perpetual option is not really a one-time cost.
  • The storage format is proprietary; getting data out at volume means the ODBC connector, an additional 2,500 USD one-time or 1,000 USD a year, or writing against the REST API.
  • Canary is a small vendor with a limited partner network outside North America, so support coverage and integrator availability in Europe and Asia are thinner than for AVEVA or Ignition.
  • It is a Windows-only server product with no Linux or container deployment, which complicates placing collectors in modern edge estates.

Pricing, plan by plan

Apache Doris

Free
  • Apache DorisFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence with no usage restrictions
    • All engine features included
    • Community support via mailing list and Slack

Canary Labs

$3000/year
  • Subscription, 3,500 tags$3000/year
    • Unlimited Axiom clients
    • Unlimited Excel clients
    • Support and upgrades included
  • Perpetual, 3,500 tags$8730/one-time
    • 7,400 USD licence plus 1,330 USD first-year CustomerCare
    • CustomerCare renews at 18 percent of licence cost per year
    • Unlimited clients
  • Private cloud, 3,500 tags$12320/year
    • Hosted by Canary
    • 1,500 USD one-time setup fee per system
    • Scales to around 58,684 USD per year at 60,000 tags
  • Enterprise unlimited$undefined/year
    • Unlimited tags
    • Negotiated licensing terms
    • Quoted pricing

Which should you pick?

Choose Apache Doris if

  • You need mysql wire protocol.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want aggregate and unique key models.
Apache Doris review

Choose Canary Labs if

  • You need loss-less compression.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want unlimited clients.
Canary Labs review

Questions people ask

Is Apache Doris or Canary Labs better?
Neither clearly leads. Apache Doris starts at Free and Canary Labs at $3000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apache Doris or Canary Labs?
Apache Doris has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apache Doris and $3000/year for Canary Labs.
Does Apache Doris or Canary Labs run on more platforms?
Apache Doris runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes. Canary Labs runs on Windows, Web.
Can I use Apache Doris for free?
Yes. Apache Doris has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Canary Labs starts at $3000/year.
What is Apache Doris best used for?
Apache Doris is most often used for a team whose mysql read replica can no longer serve reporting queries and wants an olap engine its existing drivers already speak, a real-time dashboard backend needing sub-second aggregation over billions of rows with hundreds of concurrent users, an ad or ecommerce platform that needs updates and deletes on analytical tables, which append-only olap engines handle badly, a data team that wants one sql endpoint over both internal tables and existing hive or iceberg tables in the lake. Of those, a team whose mysql read replica can no longer serve reporting queries and wants an olap engine its existing drivers already speak and a real-time dashboard backend needing sub-second aggregation over billions of rows with hundreds of concurrent users are not what Canary Labs is typically brought in for.
What can Apache Doris do that Canary Labs cannot?
Apache Doris covers MySQL wire protocol, Aggregate and unique key models, Materialised views, Multi-catalogue federation. Canary Labs covers Loss-less compression, Unlimited clients, Store and forward, Views service.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Apache Doris: Is Apache Doris really free?

Yes, it is Apache 2.0 with no usage restrictions. The commercial products are managed services from VeloDB and SelectDB.

Canary Labs: What does Canary cost?

8,730 USD for a 3,500 tag perpetual system including first-year CustomerCare, or 3,000 USD a year on subscription.

Apache Doris: Can I use my MySQL tools with it?

Yes, it implements the MySQL wire protocol, so clients and BI connectors attach without a new driver, though SQL semantics differ.

Canary Labs: Are client licences extra?

No. Unlimited Axiom browser clients and unlimited Excel clients are included on every tier.

Apache Doris: How does it compare with ClickHouse?

Doris handles updates and high concurrency more comfortably; ClickHouse is generally faster on raw single-query scan throughput and has far wider Western support.

Canary Labs: Is perpetual cheaper than subscription?

Canary states perpetual pays off after roughly three years, and after that you still pay 18 percent CustomerCare annually.

Apache Doris: Who maintains it?

The Apache Software Foundation project, with most committers employed by VeloDB or SelectDB.

Canary Labs: Does it use lossy compression?

No. Canary stores every collected value rather than approximating the trend, which matters for regulated data retention.

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