Apache Spark vs Azure Synapse Analytics

Apache Spark7.4Visit Azure Synapse Analytics7.3Visit

Higher score Apache Spark #3 in Big Data Analytics Software 7.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 1 features Visit Apache Spark

vs

Azure Synapse Analytics #4 in Big Data Analytics Software 7.3/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 1 features Visit Microsoft

• Apache Spark fits best

  Teams building flexible distributed data pipelines

• Azure Synapse Analytics fits best

  Azure-centric enterprise analytics teams

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Side by side

Feature	Apache Spark 7.4/10 Visit ↗	Azure Synapse Analytics 7.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.4	7.3
Ranking	#3 in Big Data Analytics Software	#4 in Big Data Analytics Software
Best for	Teams building flexible distributed data pipelines	Azure-centric enterprise analytics teams
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Web
Support	Community, Docs	Docs, Community
Integrations	20 integrations	90+ integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache Spark 0/1 · Azure Synapse Analytics 0/1
Built-in visualization	Not published	Not published
Specs
Deployment	Not published	Not published
Processing model	Not published	Not published
Documented data scale	Not published	Not published
Data source connectors	Not published	Not published
Query languages	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Processes batch and streaming workloads with SQL and DataFrame APIs Supports Python, SQL, Scala, Java, and R interfaces Runs on Standalone, YARN, or Kubernetes and connects to varied data sources	Combines dedicated and serverless SQL with Apache Spark and Data Explorer Queries Parquet, CSV, TSV, JSON, and Delta Lake data in data lakes Connects pipelines, streaming ingestion, and machine learning workloads
Cons	Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage their environment Not a managed warehouse or hosted ETL service Support is through community resources and documentation	No free plan; pricing is usage- and agreement-dependent Broad scope can be more than teams needing a focused analytics tool require Cloud deployment and Azure integrations make it a less natural fit outside Azure
Our verdict	Apache Spark is an open-source distributed computing engine for large-scale data processing and analytics. Developers, data engineers, analysts, and organizations processing data across clusters can use it for batch workloads, incremental… Read the review →	Azure Synapse Analytics brings data warehousing, data-lake exploration, big data processing, and integration into Microsoft's cloud. It is aimed at mid-market and enterprise teams, particularly those building analytics around Azure… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Apache Spark — where it wins

  • Processes batch and streaming workloads with SQL and DataFrame APIs
  • Supports Python, SQL, Scala, Java, and R interfaces
  • Runs on Standalone, YARN, or Kubernetes and connects to varied data sources

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage their environment
  • Not a managed warehouse or hosted ETL service
  • Support is through community resources and documentation

• Azure Synapse Analytics — where it wins

  • Combines dedicated and serverless SQL with Apache Spark and Data Explorer
  • Queries Parquet, CSV, TSV, JSON, and Delta Lake data in data lakes
  • Connects pipelines, streaming ingestion, and machine learning workloads

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; pricing is usage- and agreement-dependent
  • Broad scope can be more than teams needing a focused analytics tool require
  • Cloud deployment and Azure integrations make it a less natural fit outside Azure

• Apache Spark7.4/10 · Free plan

  Flexible distributed processing for teams building batch and streaming data pipelines.

  Visit Apache SparkFull verdict →
• Azure Synapse Analytics7.3/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad Azure analytics service for teams combining SQL, Spark, data lakes, and pipelines.

  Visit MicrosoftFull verdict →