Software · head to head
Apache Pinot vs PlanetScale
Apache Pinot
Software
Real-time distributed OLAP datastore for analytics
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
- They diverge on capability: Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Apache Pinot and PlanetScale actually diverge.
| Attribute | Apache Pinot | PlanetScale |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $15/month |
| Pricing model | open-source | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Linux, Docker, Kubernetes | Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure) |
| Founded | 1999 | 2018 |
Identical on both: 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 PlanetScale
- Database Branching
- Non-blocking Schema Changes
- Insights
- Horizontal Scaling
- Connection Pooling
- Query Caching
- Automatic Backups
- Global Replication
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 PlanetScale
- User-facing dashboards inside a productnot PlanetScale
- Real-time metrics at high ingest ratesnot PlanetScale
- Petabyte-scale analytics as run at LinkedIn and Ubernot PlanetScale
PlanetScale
- MySQL database hosting with automatic failover and replicationnot Apache Pinot
- Vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasetsnot Apache Pinot
- Cloud provider flexibility across AWS, GCP, Azure with 60+ regionsnot Apache Pinot
- Cost-effective database clusters using ARM64 architecture optionsnot 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
PlanetScale
- EBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
- EBS Non-HA single-node option lacks redundancy and automatic failover
- Pricing varies by cloud provider and region, requiring queries for specific rates
- ARM64 architecture only available on EBS tier, not Metal deployments
Pricing, plan by plan
Apache Pinot
Free- Open SourceFree
- Real-time analytics
- SQL queries
- Horizontal scaling
PlanetScale
$15/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.
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.
Choose PlanetScale if
- You need database branching.
- You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
- You also want non-blocking schema changes.
Questions people ask
- Is Apache Pinot or PlanetScale better?
- Neither clearly leads. Apache Pinot starts at Free and PlanetScale at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Apache Pinot or PlanetScale?
- Apache Pinot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Apache Pinot and $15/month for PlanetScale.
- Does Apache Pinot or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
- Apache Pinot runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
- Can I use Apache Pinot for free?
- Yes. Apache Pinot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PlanetScale starts at $15/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 PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
- What can Apache Pinot do that PlanetScale cannot?
- Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, Column-oriented, Distributed Processing, SQL Support. PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling.
Related pages
More on Apache Pinot
More on PlanetScale
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