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Head-to-head · Columnar Databases

Exasol vs Firebolt

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Exasol #6 in Columnar Databases 8.6/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Exasol
Firebolt #8 in Columnar Databases 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Firebolt

Exasol leads on 0 checks, Firebolt on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreExasol · 8.6/10
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Exasol

Exasol scores higher on our rubric for columnar databases: 8.6 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #6 and #8.

Exasol is the better fit for managed and self-hosted enterprise warehousing. Firebolt is the better fit for lakehouse analytics with streaming and AI.

  • Exasol fits best

    Managed and self-hosted enterprise warehousing

  • Firebolt fits best

    Lakehouse analytics with streaming and AI

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Exasol 8.6/10 Visit ↗ Firebolt 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.6 8.4
Ranking #6 in Columnar Databases #8 in Columnar Databases
Best for Managed and self-hosted enterprise warehousing Lakehouse analytics with streaming and AI
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $25/GB/mo $0.92/unit usage-based
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial 30 days —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop
Platforms Web, macOS, Linux Web, Linux
Support Email, Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs · 24/7 Email, Community, Docs
Compliance ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI DSS SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations 14 integrations 11 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Exasol 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 Hybrid Hybrid
Supported data formats Not checked yet Not checked yet
Included storage Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • In-memory MPP processing supports high-concurrency analytical queries
  • Separate storage and compute with S3 and Azure Data Lake querying
  • Native Python, R, and Java machine-learning model execution
  • 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
  • Storage costs are billed separately at $25 per TB per month
  • Advanced capacity tiers can reach $158.40 per hour
  • The platform is proprietary rather than open source
  • 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

Exasol is an in-memory, massively parallel analytics database for data warehousing, business intelligence, lakehouse acceleration, and AI/ML workloads. It is aimed at data teams, developers, and enterprises that need high-concurrency SQL…

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 →
  1. ExasolColumnar Databases 8.6Free plan · 30-day trial
  2. FireboltColumnar Databases 8.4Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Exasol — where it wins

    • In-memory MPP processing supports high-concurrency analytical queries
    • Separate storage and compute with S3 and Azure Data Lake querying
    • Native Python, R, and Java machine-learning model execution

    Where it doesn't

    • Storage costs are billed separately at $25 per TB per month
    • Advanced capacity tiers can reach $158.40 per hour
    • The platform is proprietary rather than open source

  • 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
  • Exasol8.6/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

    A flexible columnar warehouse for demanding analytics, lakehouse, and machine-learning workloads.

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

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

    Visit FireboltFull verdict →

More comparisons

All columnar databases comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update