Softwr

Database & Data Management · head to head

Apache Pinot vs FaunaDB

Apache Pinot logo

Apache Pinot

Database & Data Management

Real-time distributed OLAP datastore for analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
FaunaDB logo

FaunaDB

Database & Data Management

The distributed serverless database for modern applications

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; FaunaDB the Internet Archive's capture of FaunaDB's homepage on 5 January 2019 confirmed a free 'Try Cloud' tier alongside a self-hosted download, with a separate Pricing page linked but not itself retrievable from the archive within two attempts.
  • They diverge on capability: Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, FaunaDB covers ACID Transactions.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apache Pinot and FaunaDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Apache Pinot and FaunaDB differ
AttributeApache PinotFaunaDB
Pricing modelopen-sourcefreemium
PlatformsLinux, Docker, KubernetesWeb
Founded19992012

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

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 FaunaDB

  • ACID Transactions
  • Document-relational Model
  • GraphQL API
  • Global Distribution
  • Temporal Queries
  • Multi-tenancy
  • Serverless
  • GraphQL

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

FaunaDB

  • Serverless applicationsnot Apache Pinot
  • Rapid prototypingnot Apache Pinot
  • Mobile backendsnot Apache Pinot
  • JAMstacknot Apache Pinot
  • Microservicesnot 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

FaunaDB

  • The Internet Archive's capture of FaunaDB's homepage on 5 January 2019 confirmed a free 'Try Cloud' tier alongside a self-hosted download, with a separate Pricing page linked but not itself retrievable from the archive within two attempts.

Pricing, plan by plan

Apache Pinot

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

FaunaDB

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100K read ops
    • 50K write ops
    • 1GB storage
  • Pro$25/month
    • Pay per use
    • Priority support
    • Advanced features

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 FaunaDB if

  • You need acid transactions.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want document-relational model.
FaunaDB review

Questions people ask

Is Apache Pinot or FaunaDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Apache Pinot starts at Free and FaunaDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apache Pinot or FaunaDB?
Apache Pinot starts at Free and FaunaDB at Free.
Does Apache Pinot or FaunaDB run on more platforms?
Apache Pinot runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes. FaunaDB runs on Web.
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 FaunaDB is typically brought in for.
What can Apache Pinot do that FaunaDB cannot?
Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, Column-oriented, Distributed Processing, SQL Support. FaunaDB covers ACID Transactions, Document-relational Model, GraphQL API, Global Distribution.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Apache Pinot

More on FaunaDB

Keep looking

Other head to heads