Softwr

Software · head to head

Apache Pinot vs Amazon Aurora

Apache Pinot logo

Apache Pinot

Software

Real-time distributed OLAP datastore for analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Amazon Aurora logo

Amazon Aurora

Software

MySQL and PostgreSQL-compatible relational database built for the cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Apache Pinot self-hosted and distributed, so running it means operating a cluster rather than consuming a service; Amazon Aurora aurora requires AWS ecosystem knowledge and integration with other AWS services
  • They diverge on capability: Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apache Pinot and Amazon Aurora actually diverge.

Attributes where Apache Pinot and Amazon Aurora differ
AttributeApache PinotAmazon Aurora
Pricing modelopen-sourceusage-based
PlatformsLinux, Docker, KubernetesAWS Cloud
Founded19992006

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Pinot

  • Real-time Analytics
  • Column-oriented
  • Distributed Processing
  • SQL Support
  • Pluggable Indexing
  • Star-tree Index
  • Upsert Support
  • Kafka

Only in Amazon Aurora

  • MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible
  • 5x MySQL Performance
  • Auto-scaling Storage
  • Global Database
  • Serverless v2
  • Multi-master
  • Fault Tolerant
  • AWS Lambda

What people use each for

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

Apache Pinot

  • Sub-second analytics queries on freshly ingested datanot Amazon Aurora
  • User-facing dashboards inside a productnot Amazon Aurora
  • Real-time metrics at high ingest ratesnot Amazon Aurora
  • Petabyte-scale analytics as run at LinkedIn and Ubernot Amazon Aurora

Amazon Aurora

  • Transaction processingnot Apache Pinot
  • Data storagenot Apache Pinot
  • Application backendnot Apache Pinot
  • Reportingnot Apache Pinot
  • Data analyticsnot Apache Pinot

Where each one falls short

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

Apache Pinot

  • Self-hosted and distributed, so running it means operating a cluster rather than consuming a service
  • Managed hosting comes from third parties such as StarTree rather than from the project
  • Built for user-facing real-time OLAP, so it is not a general purpose database

Amazon Aurora

  • Aurora requires AWS ecosystem knowledge and integration with other AWS services
  • Pricing can become expensive with high-traffic applications using many read replicas
  • Limited support for non-relational data types compared to NoSQL alternatives

Pricing, plan by plan

Apache Pinot

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Real-time analytics
    • SQL queries
    • Horizontal scaling

Amazon Aurora

Free
  • Serverless v2$0.12/hour
    • Auto-scaling
    • Pay per ACU
    • Instant scaling
  • Provisioned$29/month
    • Dedicated instances
    • Predictable performance
    • Reserved capacity

Which should you pick?

Choose Apache Pinot if

  • You need real-time analytics.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want column-oriented.
Apache Pinot review

Choose Amazon Aurora if

  • You need mysql/postgresql compatible.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS Cloud.
  • You also want 5x mysql performance.
Amazon Aurora review

Questions people ask

Is Apache Pinot or Amazon Aurora better?
Neither clearly leads. Apache Pinot starts at Free and Amazon Aurora at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apache Pinot or Amazon Aurora?
Apache Pinot starts at Free and Amazon Aurora at Free.
Does Apache Pinot or Amazon Aurora run on more platforms?
Apache Pinot runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes. Amazon Aurora runs on AWS Cloud.
Can I use Apache Pinot for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Apache Pinot best used for?
Apache Pinot is most often used for sub-second analytics queries on freshly ingested data, user-facing dashboards inside a product, real-time metrics at high ingest rates, petabyte-scale analytics as run at linkedin and uber. Of those, sub-second analytics queries on freshly ingested data and user-facing dashboards inside a product are not what Amazon Aurora is typically brought in for.
What can Apache Pinot do that Amazon Aurora cannot?
Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, Column-oriented, Distributed Processing, SQL Support. Amazon Aurora covers MySQL/PostgreSQL Compatible, 5x MySQL Performance, Auto-scaling Storage, Global Database.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon Aurora: Is Amazon Aurora compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL?

Yes, Amazon Aurora offers MySQL and PostgreSQL compatibility with full compatibility to their open-source counterparts, allowing you to migrate existing databases with standard tools.

Source
Amazon Aurora: What uptime SLA does Amazon Aurora provide?

Aurora is designed for up to 99.99% single-region uptime and 99.999% multi-region uptime with automatic failover.

Source
Amazon Aurora: How much does Amazon Aurora cost?

Aurora uses serverless, usage-based pricing where you pay only for consumed capacity. Typical pricing ranges from $50-70 per month for minimal setups to $400-600 per month for small production clusters.

Source
Amazon Aurora: Can Amazon Aurora scale automatically?

Yes, Aurora automatically scales to match workload demands without performance degradation, supporting both read and write scaling.

Source
Amazon Aurora: How many read replicas does Aurora support?

Aurora supports up to 15 low-latency read replicas for distributing read traffic across your application.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Apache Pinot

More on Amazon Aurora

Keep looking

Other head to heads