Softwr

Software · head to head

ClickHouse vs Apache Pinot

ClickHouse logo

ClickHouse

Software

Fast open-source column-oriented database for real-time analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apache Pinot logo

Apache Pinot

Software

Real-time distributed OLAP datastore for analytics

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ClickHouse limited multi-row atomic transactions and expensive UPDATE/DELETE operations unsuitable for transactional systems; Apache Pinot self-hosted and distributed, so running it means operating a cluster rather than consuming a service
  • They diverge on capability: ClickHouse covers Column-oriented Storage, Apache Pinot covers Column-oriented.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where ClickHouse and Apache Pinot differ
AttributeClickHouseApache Pinot
Pricing modelUnknownopen-source
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows (via Docker)Linux, Docker, Kubernetes
Founded20211999

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 ClickHouse

  • Column-oriented Storage
  • Linear Scalability
  • Data Compression
  • Vectorized Query Execution
  • Approximate Calculations
  • S3
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL

Only in Apache Pinot

  • Column-oriented
  • Distributed Processing
  • Pluggable Indexing
  • Star-tree Index
  • Upsert Support
  • Spark
  • Presto
  • Superset

Both cover

  • Real-time Analytics
  • SQL Support
  • Kafka
  • Linux support
  • Docker support
  • Kubernetes support

What people use each for

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

ClickHouse

  • Business intelligencenot Apache Pinot
  • Data warehousingnot Apache Pinot
  • Real-time analyticsnot Apache Pinot
  • Reportingnot Apache Pinot
  • Machine learningnot Apache Pinot

Apache Pinot

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

Where each one falls short

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

ClickHouse

  • Limited multi-row atomic transactions and expensive UPDATE/DELETE operations unsuitable for transactional systems
  • Requires upfront schema design discipline with MergeTree engine choices and sort/partition keys
  • Experimental vector search support, not production-ready for vector operations
  • Different query syntax from standard SQL requiring migration planning
  • Limited JOIN capabilities compared to traditional relational databases
  • Migration complexity with 2-4 weeks estimated for data type mapping and query translation

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

Pricing, plan by plan

ClickHouse

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the ClickHouse review.

Apache Pinot

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

Which should you pick?

Choose ClickHouse if

  • You need column-oriented storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows (via Docker).
  • You also want linear scalability.
ClickHouse review

Choose Apache Pinot if

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

Questions people ask

Is ClickHouse or Apache Pinot better?
Neither clearly leads. ClickHouse starts at Free and Apache Pinot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ClickHouse or Apache Pinot?
ClickHouse starts at Free and Apache Pinot at Free.
Does ClickHouse or Apache Pinot run on more platforms?
ClickHouse runs on Linux, macOS, Windows (via Docker). Apache Pinot runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
Can I use ClickHouse for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is ClickHouse best used for?
ClickHouse is most often used for business intelligence, data warehousing, real-time analytics, reporting. Of those, business intelligence and data warehousing are not what Apache Pinot is typically brought in for.
What can ClickHouse do that Apache Pinot cannot?
ClickHouse covers Column-oriented Storage, Linear Scalability, Data Compression, Vectorized Query Execution. Apache Pinot covers Column-oriented, Distributed Processing, Pluggable Indexing, Star-tree Index. Both handle Real-time Analytics, SQL Support, Kafka, Linux support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ClickHouse: What is ClickHouse best used for?

ClickHouse is optimized for analytical workloads on large datasets. It excels at fast aggregations and queries, being 10-100x faster than PostgreSQL on large aggregations.

Source
ClickHouse: Does ClickHouse support transactions?

ClickHouse has limited transaction support and expensive UPDATE/DELETE operations. It is not suitable for transactional workloads requiring strict ACID guarantees.

Source
ClickHouse: How does ClickHouse compare to PostgreSQL?

ClickHouse is 10-100x faster for analytics but PostgreSQL is better for transactional workloads. Many teams use both: PostgreSQL for writes via MaterializedPostgreSQL replication to ClickHouse for analytics.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on ClickHouse

More on Apache Pinot

Keep looking

Other head to heads