Software · head to head
Vitess vs Apache Pinot
Vitess
Software
Scalable database clustering system for horizontal scaling of MySQL
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Apache Pinot
Software
Real-time distributed OLAP datastore for analytics
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Vitess vTGate scatter queries without sharding key incur significant performance penalties; Apache Pinot self-hosted and distributed, so running it means operating a cluster rather than consuming a service
- They diverge on capability: Vitess covers Horizontal Sharding, Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Vitess and Apache Pinot actually diverge.
| Attribute | Vitess | Apache Pinot |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | open-source |
| Platforms | Linux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes | Linux, Docker, Kubernetes |
| Founded | 2010 | 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 Vitess
- Horizontal Sharding
- Connection Pooling
- Query Routing
- Online Schema Changes
- Shard Management
- Replication Management
- Automated Failover
- MySQL
Only in Apache Pinot
- Real-time Analytics
- Column-oriented
- Distributed Processing
- SQL Support
- Pluggable Indexing
- Star-tree Index
- Upsert Support
- Kafka
Both cover
- Linux support
- Kubernetes support
- Docker support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Vitess
- Transaction processingnot Apache Pinot
- Data storagenot Apache Pinot
- Application backendnot Apache Pinot
- Reportingnot Apache Pinot
- Data analyticsnot Apache Pinot
Apache Pinot
- Sub-second analytics queries on freshly ingested datanot Vitess
- User-facing dashboards inside a productnot Vitess
- Real-time metrics at high ingest ratesnot Vitess
- Petabyte-scale analytics as run at LinkedIn and Ubernot Vitess
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Vitess
- VTGate scatter queries without sharding key incur significant performance penalties
- Foreign key constraints not enforced across shards, requiring application-level integrity handling
- Single primary per keyspace limits multi-region write capabilities
- Distributed transactions without proper sharding key routing suffer performance degradation
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
Vitess
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Vitess review.
Apache Pinot
Free- Open SourceFree
- Real-time analytics
- SQL queries
- Horizontal scaling
Which should you pick?
Choose Vitess if
- You need horizontal sharding.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes.
- You also want connection pooling.
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 Vitess or Apache Pinot better?
- Neither clearly leads. Vitess 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, Vitess or Apache Pinot?
- Vitess starts at Free and Apache Pinot at Free.
- Does Vitess or Apache Pinot run on more platforms?
- Vitess runs on Linux, macOS, Docker, Kubernetes. Apache Pinot runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
- Can I use Vitess for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Vitess best used for?
- Vitess is most often used for transaction processing, data storage, application backend, reporting. Of those, transaction processing and data storage are not what Apache Pinot is typically brought in for.
- What can Vitess do that Apache Pinot cannot?
- Vitess covers Horizontal Sharding, Connection Pooling, Query Routing, Online Schema Changes. Apache Pinot covers Real-time Analytics, Column-oriented, Distributed Processing, SQL Support. Both handle Linux support, Kubernetes support, Docker support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Vitess: Is Vitess free to use?
Yes. Vitess is completely free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license. It is a graduated CNCF project with no licensing costs or pricing tiers.
SourceVitess: What databases does Vitess support?
Vitess supports MySQL and MariaDB as backend databases. It acts as a middleware layer that adds sharding and orchestration capabilities on top of these databases.
SourceVitess: Does Vitess require Kubernetes to run?
No. Vitess can run on Kubernetes using the Vitess Operator, but it can also be deployed on traditional infrastructure. Kubernetes integration is optional and provides additional automation benefits.
SourceVitess: How does Vitess handle cross-shard transactions?
Vitess supports distributed transactions across shards, but they require queries to be routed through the sharding key. Transactions without a proper sharding key can result in slower performance.
SourceVitess: Does Vitess enforce foreign key constraints?
Vitess does not enforce foreign key constraints across shards by default. Referential integrity must be managed at the application layer, though per-database support can be enabled with limitations.
Source