Software · head to head
Apache Spark vs Apache Hadoop
A
Apache Spark
Software
A multi-language engine for data engineering, data science, and machine learning
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
A
Apache Hadoop
Software
Open-source software for reliable, scalable, distributed computing
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Apache Spark licensed under Apache License 2.0 per spark.apache.org; as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare; Apache Hadoop licensed under the Apache License per hadoop.apache.org; as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Apache Spark and Apache Hadoop actually diverge.
| Attribute | Apache Spark | Apache Hadoop |
|---|
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (open-source), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Apache Spark
- Licensed under Apache License 2.0 per spark.apache.org; as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
- Installation on a laptop requires pip install pyspark or a Docker image per spark.apache.org; there is no hosted single-click deployment offered by the Apache project itself
Apache Hadoop
- Licensed under the Apache License per hadoop.apache.org; as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
- S3 connectivity in Hadoop 3.4.3 and later requires separately downloading the AWS SDK bundle, no longer included in the default tar per hadoop.apache.org
Pricing, plan by plan
Apache Spark
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Apache Spark review.
Apache Hadoop
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Apache Hadoop review.
Which should you pick?
Questions people ask
- Is Apache Spark or Apache Hadoop better?
- Neither clearly leads. Apache Spark starts at Free and Apache Hadoop at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Apache Spark or Apache Hadoop?
- Apache Spark starts at Free and Apache Hadoop at Free.
- Does Apache Spark or Apache Hadoop run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Apache Spark for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.