Software · head to head
RapidMiner vs Apache Spark MLlib
The short version
- Each has a real cost: RapidMiner rapidMiner is now a Siemens product: rapidminer.com redirects to a Siemens product page and the former Altair page redirects there too; Apache Spark MLlib apache Spark MLlib is Apache 2.0 licensed and free with no paid tier from the Apache project itself; SLA-backed support has to be sourced from a third party such as a managed Spark vendor rather than from Apache.
- They diverge on capability: RapidMiner covers Visual workflows, Apache Spark MLlib covers Classification.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which RapidMiner and Apache Spark MLlib actually diverge.
| Attribute | RapidMiner | Apache Spark MLlib |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | open-source |
| Platforms | Linux, Mac, Windows, Web | Linux, macOS, Windows |
| Founded | 2007 | 1999 |
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 RapidMiner
- Visual workflows
- AutoML
- Data preparation
- Model deployment
- Text mining
- Python
- R
- Spark
Only in Apache Spark MLlib
- Classification
- Regression
- Clustering
- Collaborative filtering
- Feature engineering
- Apache Spark
- Kafka
- Databricks
Both cover
- Hadoop
- Linux support
- Mac support
- Windows support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
RapidMiner
- Visual drag and drop machine learning model buildingnot Apache Spark MLlib
- Data preparation and cleansing before modellingnot Apache Spark MLlib
- Deploying and scoring predictive models in an enterprise settingnot Apache Spark MLlib
Apache Spark MLlib
- Large-scale distributed machine learning on Spark clustersnot RapidMiner
- Classification and regression with decision trees, random forests, gradient-boosted treesnot RapidMiner
- Clustering with K-means and Gaussian Mixture Modelsnot RapidMiner
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
RapidMiner
- RapidMiner is now a Siemens product: rapidminer.com redirects to a Siemens product page and the former Altair page redirects there too
- Pricing is by quote only: the product page publishes no rate, no licensing unit and no minimum, offering only a Contact us button
- The product is now one component of a six product portfolio alongside Graph Studio, SLC, Monarch, Panopticon and Knowledge Studio
Apache Spark MLlib
- Apache Spark MLlib is Apache 2.0 licensed and free with no paid tier from the Apache project itself; SLA-backed support has to be sourced from a third party such as a managed Spark vendor rather than from Apache.
Pricing, plan by plan
RapidMiner
Free- FreeFree
- 10,000 data rows
- 1 logical processor
- ProfessionalFree
- Unlimited data
- Full features
- Support
Apache Spark MLlib
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Apache Spark MLlib review.
Which should you pick?
Choose RapidMiner if
- You need visual workflows.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web.
- You also want automl.
Choose Apache Spark MLlib if
- You need classification.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
- You also want regression.
Questions people ask
- Is RapidMiner or Apache Spark MLlib better?
- Neither clearly leads. RapidMiner starts at Free and Apache Spark MLlib at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, RapidMiner or Apache Spark MLlib?
- RapidMiner starts at Free and Apache Spark MLlib at Free.
- Does RapidMiner or Apache Spark MLlib run on more platforms?
- RapidMiner runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, Web. Apache Spark MLlib runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
- Can I use RapidMiner for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is RapidMiner best used for?
- RapidMiner is most often used for visual drag and drop machine learning model building, data preparation and cleansing before modelling, deploying and scoring predictive models in an enterprise setting. Of those, visual drag and drop machine learning model building and data preparation and cleansing before modelling are not what Apache Spark MLlib is typically brought in for.
- What can RapidMiner do that Apache Spark MLlib cannot?
- RapidMiner covers Visual workflows, AutoML, Data preparation, Model deployment. Apache Spark MLlib covers Classification, Regression, Clustering, Collaborative filtering. Both handle Hadoop, Linux support, Mac support, Windows support.
Related pages
More on Apache Spark MLlib
Keep looking
Other head to heads
- RapidMiner vs AWS SageMaker
- RapidMiner vs Google Vertex AI
- RapidMiner vs Azure Machine Learning
- RapidMiner vs DataRobot
- RapidMiner vs Snowflake
- RapidMiner vs TensorFlow
- RapidMiner vs Comet ML
- RapidMiner vs Keras
- RapidMiner vs MLflow
- RapidMiner vs Jupyter
- RapidMiner vs PyTorch
- RapidMiner vs scikit-learn
- RapidMiner vs Weights & Biases
- RapidMiner vs Alteryx
- RapidMiner vs Anaconda
- RapidMiner vs Databricks
- RapidMiner vs Dataiku
- RapidMiner vs DVC
- Apache Spark MLlib vs AWS SageMaker
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Google Vertex AI
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Azure Machine Learning
- Apache Spark MLlib vs DataRobot
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Snowflake
- Apache Spark MLlib vs TensorFlow
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Comet ML
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Keras
- Apache Spark MLlib vs MLflow
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Jupyter
- Apache Spark MLlib vs PyTorch
- Apache Spark MLlib vs scikit-learn
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Weights & Biases
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Alteryx
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Anaconda
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Databricks
- Apache Spark MLlib vs Dataiku
- Apache Spark MLlib vs DVC

