Apache Doris vs Firebolt

Apache Doris8.9Visit Firebolt8.4Visit

Higher score Apache Doris #4 in Columnar Databases 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Apache Doris

vs

Firebolt #8 in Columnar Databases 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Firebolt

• Apache Doris fits best

  Open-source real-time analytics

• Firebolt fits best

  Lakehouse analytics with streaming and AI

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Side by side

Feature	Apache Doris 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Firebolt 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.4
Ranking	#4 in Columnar Databases	#8 in Columnar Databases
Best for	Open-source real-time analytics	Lakehouse analytics with streaming and AI
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	$0.92/unit usage-based
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Integrations	50+ integrations	11 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache Doris 0/3 · Firebolt 0/3
Managed service	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Object storage support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Streaming ingestion	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model	Not checked yet	Hybrid
Supported data formats	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Included storage	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	MPP SQL execution with MySQL protocol compatibility Streaming, CDC, batch, and federated lakehouse queries Indexes, materialized views, policies, and vector search	Queries Apache Iceberg and other data-lake files directly Exactly-once Kafka ingestion supports streaming workloads Vector search and SQL-based AI functions support AI applications
Cons	Self-hosted deployment puts infrastructure operations on the team Broad scope may exceed the needs of narrow database workloads Commercial cloud offerings are provided separately by other vendors	Managed pricing is usage-based rather than a flat monthly tier The displayed $0.92/hour compute rate excludes storage Self-hosted deployment requires managing the deployment environment
Our verdict	Apache Doris is an open-source, MPP-based columnar database for teams building real-time analytics, data warehouses, lakehouse queries, observability systems, AI workloads, and customer-facing data products. It uses standard SQL through a… Read the review →	Firebolt is an open-source analytical database for engineers building real-time analytics, AI applications, and ELT workflows. It supports PostgreSQL-compatible SQL and can run as a single binary on a laptop or as a distributed cloud… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Apache Doris — where it wins

  • MPP SQL execution with MySQL protocol compatibility
  • Streaming, CDC, batch, and federated lakehouse queries
  • Indexes, materialized views, policies, and vector search

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment puts infrastructure operations on the team
  • Broad scope may exceed the needs of narrow database workloads
  • Commercial cloud offerings are provided separately by other vendors

• Firebolt — where it wins

  • Queries Apache Iceberg and other data-lake files directly
  • Exactly-once Kafka ingestion supports streaming workloads
  • Vector search and SQL-based AI functions support AI applications

  Where it doesn't

  • Managed pricing is usage-based rather than a flat monthly tier
  • The displayed $0.92/hour compute rate excludes storage
  • Self-hosted deployment requires managing the deployment environment

• Apache Doris8.9/10 · Free plan

  A broad SQL engine for real-time analytics, lakehouse queries, BI, and embedded data products.

  Visit Apache DorisFull verdict →
• Firebolt8.4/10 · Free plan

  A flexible columnar database for teams combining lakehouse analytics, streaming, and AI.

  Visit FireboltFull verdict →