Software · head to head
PlanetScale vs Apache Pinot
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: PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead; Apache Pinot self-hosted and distributed, so running it means operating a cluster rather than consuming a service
- They diverge on capability: PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which PlanetScale and Apache Pinot actually diverge.
| Attribute | PlanetScale | Apache Pinot |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $15/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure) | Linux, Docker, Kubernetes |
| Founded | 2018 | 1999 |
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 PlanetScale
- Database Branching
- Non-blocking Schema Changes
- Insights
- Horizontal Scaling
- Connection Pooling
- Query Caching
- Automatic Backups
- Global Replication
Only in Apache Pinot
- Real-time Analytics
- Column-oriented
- Distributed Processing
- SQL Support
- Pluggable Indexing
- Star-tree Index
- Upsert Support
- Kafka
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
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
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
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
PlanetScale
$15/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale review.
Apache Pinot
Free- Open SourceFree
- Real-time analytics
- SQL queries
- Horizontal scaling
Which should you pick?
Choose PlanetScale if
- You need database branching.
- You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
- You also want non-blocking schema changes.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is PlanetScale or Apache Pinot better?
- Neither clearly leads. PlanetScale starts at $15/month and Apache Pinot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, PlanetScale or Apache Pinot?
- Apache Pinot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/month for PlanetScale and Free for Apache Pinot.
- Does PlanetScale or Apache Pinot run on more platforms?
- PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure). Apache Pinot runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
- 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 PlanetScale best used for?
- PlanetScale is most often used for mysql database hosting with automatic failover and replication, vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasets, cloud provider flexibility across aws, gcp, azure with 60+ regions, cost-effective database clusters using arm64 architecture options. Of those, mysql database hosting with automatic failover and replication and vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasets are not what Apache Pinot is typically brought in for.
- What can PlanetScale do that Apache Pinot cannot?
- PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, Column-oriented, Distributed Processing, SQL Support.
Related pages
More on PlanetScale
More on Apache Pinot
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