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Eclipse vs Presto

Eclipse logo

Eclipse

Technology

The Eclipse Foundation - home to a global community

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Presto logo

Presto

Databases

The Meta-lineage distributed SQL query engine, distinct from the Trino fork

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Eclipse high memory consumption and CPU usage, especially with multiple plugins installed; Presto the original creators and most of the active contributor base left for Trino in 2020, so Presto has the smaller community, fewer connectors and slower feature delivery of the two branches.
  • They diverge on capability: Eclipse covers Java development environment, Presto covers Federated querying.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Eclipse and Presto actually diverge.

Attributes where Eclipse and Presto differ
AttributeEclipsePresto
Pricing modelUnknownOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxLinux, Docker, Kubernetes
CategoryTechnologyDatabases
Founded2001Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Eclipse

  • Java development environment
  • Extensible plugin architecture
  • Integrated debugger
  • Code refactoring
  • Version control integration
  • Build automation
  • Multi-language support
  • Rich client platform

Only in Presto

  • Federated querying
  • In-memory execution
  • Open table format support
  • Presto C++ workers
  • ANSI SQL
  • Pluggable connectors

What people use each for

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

Eclipse

  • Java application developmentnot Presto
  • Enterprise software developmentnot Presto
  • Web application developmentnot Presto
  • Plugin developmentnot Presto
  • Educational programmingnot Presto

Presto

  • An existing PrestoDB estate that needs continued upgrades rather than a migration to Trinonot Eclipse
  • A team buying IBM watsonx.data, where Presto is the underlying query enginenot Eclipse
  • Joining a Hive or Iceberg lake to an operational PostgreSQL database in one query without an ETL stepnot Eclipse
  • Very large scale interactive SQL where the Meta-tested branch is a specific requirementnot Eclipse

Where each one falls short

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

Eclipse

  • High memory consumption and CPU usage, especially with multiple plugins installed
  • Slow startup times and performance degradation with large projects or many open editors
  • Requires configuration of eclipse.ini file to optimize heap sizes for adequate performance
  • User interface considered outdated compared to modern IDE alternatives
  • User base fell from 39% of Java developers in 2024 to 28% in 2025, indicating market decline

Presto

  • The original creators and most of the active contributor base left for Trino in 2020, so Presto has the smaller community, fewer connectors and slower feature delivery of the two branches.
  • Documentation, tutorials and Stack Overflow answers for the two projects are frequently mixed up, and a solution written for Trino often does not apply, which costs real debugging time.
  • It is a query engine with no storage of its own, so query performance is dictated by your file layout, partitioning and statistics, and a badly organised lake makes Presto look slow.
  • Memory-bound execution means a single large join can fail the whole query rather than spilling gracefully, and tuning cluster memory settings is a persistent operational chore.
  • Commercial support has consolidated into IBM since the Ahana acquisition, so the independent vendor market that once existed around Presto is largely gone.

Pricing, plan by plan

Eclipse

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Eclipse review.

Presto

Free
  • PrestoFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence
    • Presto Foundation governance under the Linux Foundation
    • No node or query limits

Which should you pick?

Choose Eclipse if

  • You need java development environment.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want extensible plugin architecture.
Eclipse review

Choose Presto if

  • You need federated querying.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want in-memory execution.
Presto review

Questions people ask

Is Eclipse or Presto better?
Neither clearly leads. Eclipse starts at Free and Presto at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Eclipse or Presto?
Eclipse starts at Free and Presto at Free.
Does Eclipse or Presto run on more platforms?
Eclipse runs on Windows, macOS, Linux. Presto runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
Can I use Eclipse for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Eclipse best used for?
Eclipse is most often used for java application development, enterprise software development, web application development, plugin development. Of those, java application development and enterprise software development are not what Presto is typically brought in for.
What can Eclipse do that Presto cannot?
Eclipse covers Java development environment, Extensible plugin architecture, Integrated debugger, Code refactoring. Presto covers Federated querying, In-memory execution, Open table format support, Presto C++ workers.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Eclipse: How much does Eclipse IDE cost?

Eclipse IDE is completely free and open-source, released under the Eclipse Public License 2.0.

Source
Presto: Is this Presto or Trino?

This is PrestoDB, the branch that stayed at Facebook and moved to the Linux Foundation. Trino is the 2020 fork by the original creators.

Presto: Which should I choose for a new project?

Trino, in most cases. It has the larger community, more connectors and more commercial options.

Presto: Who maintains Presto now?

Principally Meta, Uber and IBM, which acquired the Presto vendor Ahana in 2023.

Presto: Is it still actively released?

Yes, releases continue on a regular cadence under the Presto Foundation.

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