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Databases · head to head

Apache Pinot vs Dundas BI

Apache Pinot logo

Apache Pinot

Databases

Real-time distributed OLAP datastore for analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Dundas BI logo

Dundas BI

Business Intelligence

Flexible business intelligence platform

From
$500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Apache Pinot has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Apache Pinot self-hosted and distributed, so running it means operating a cluster rather than consuming a service; Dundas BI the published Embedded BI Package starts from about $4,738.70 USD per month billed annually for 8 core capacity
  • They diverge on capability: Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, Dundas BI covers White-labeling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apache Pinot and Dundas BI actually diverge.

Attributes where Apache Pinot and Dundas BI differ
AttributeApache PinotDundas BI
Starting priceFree$500/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Docker, KubernetesWeb, Embedded, Mobile
CategoryDatabasesBusiness Intelligence
Founded19991992

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

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 Dundas BI

  • White-labeling
  • Embedded Analytics
  • Data Preparation
  • Custom Visualizations
  • API
  • SQL Server
  • Oracle
  • PostgreSQL

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 Dundas BI
  • User-facing dashboards inside a productnot Dundas BI
  • Real-time metrics at high ingest ratesnot Dundas BI
  • Petabyte-scale analytics as run at LinkedIn and Ubernot Dundas BI

Dundas BI

  • Embedding dashboards and analytics inside another applicationnot Apache Pinot
  • Self service business intelligence and ad hoc reportingnot Apache Pinot
  • Building custom data visualisations against open BI APIsnot 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

Dundas BI

  • The published Embedded BI Package starts from about $4,738.70 USD per month billed annually for 8 core capacity
  • That figure reflects a limited time 35 percent promotional discount rather than list price
  • Licensing is by CPU core capacity rather than by user, so cost scales with server hardware
  • Dundas is now part of insightsoftware following acquisition
  • The page states that a pricing plan is worked out together with the vendor rather than published as a rate card

Pricing, plan by plan

Apache Pinot

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

Dundas BI

$500/month
  • Professional$500/month
    • Full Platform
    • Embedding
    • Support
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Unlimited Users
    • Multi-tenant
    • Premium Support

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 Dundas BI if

  • You need white-labeling.
  • You work on Web, Embedded, Mobile.
  • You also want embedded analytics.
Dundas BI review

Questions people ask

Is Apache Pinot or Dundas BI better?
Neither clearly leads. Apache Pinot starts at Free and Dundas BI at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apache Pinot or Dundas BI?
Apache Pinot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apache Pinot and $500/month for Dundas BI.
Does Apache Pinot or Dundas BI run on more platforms?
Apache Pinot runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes. Dundas BI runs on Web, Embedded, Mobile.
Can I use Apache Pinot for free?
Yes. Apache Pinot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Dundas BI starts at $500/month.
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 Dundas BI is typically brought in for.
What can Apache Pinot do that Dundas BI cannot?
Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, Column-oriented, Distributed Processing, SQL Support. Dundas BI covers White-labeling, Embedded Analytics, Data Preparation, Custom Visualizations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Apache Pinot: How much does Apache Pinot cost?

Apache Pinot is free and open-source. It is provided under the Apache License, which allows free use, modification, and distribution.

Source
Dundas BI: How much does Dundas BI cost?

Dundas BI does not publish specific pricing. The vendor emphasizes 'smarter licensing models to scale appropriately and achieve ROI rapidly' and offers 'custom plans that fit your needs' rather than standardized tiers. Customers must contact Dundas directly for pricing quotes tailored to their enterprise or embedded analytics use case.

Source
Apache Pinot: Is Apache Pinot free for commercial use?

Yes. Apache Pinot is licensed under the Apache License, which explicitly permits commercial use at no cost.

Source
Dundas BI: What licensing options does Dundas BI offer?

Dundas BI describes their approach as flexible licensing designed to scale based on deployment needs. Specific licensing models and per-seat or concurrent-user costs are determined through custom quotes.

Source
Apache Pinot: Can I run Apache Pinot locally or with Docker?

Yes. Apache Pinot offers a Docker quickstart and free downloads of the latest version (1.5.1 at the time of the page). You are responsible for hosting and infrastructure.

Source
Apache Pinot: Are there restrictions on how I can use Apache Pinot?

The Apache License permits unrestricted use, but requires retention of license notices and statements. No usage limits or feature restrictions are enforced.

Source
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