Best Columnar Databases in 2026
Updated
In short: Exasol is ranked #1 of 25 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of InfluxDB and QuestDB. The best-ranked option with a free plan is InfluxDB. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Couchbase Capella at $0.15/mo.
For data workloads organized in columns, the listed deployment and ingestion details can help you assess which database fits your setup. Compared on deployment model, managed service, object storage support and streaming ingestion, the entries also distinguish supported data formats and included storage. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost considerations. Exasol, InfluxDB and QuestDB are among the options to examine. Weigh the data formats you use, where storage and ingestion need to fit, and whether you want a managed service against the capabilities and plans specified for each entry.
25 columnar databases ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
25ranked
13free plans on this page
$0.15/molowest paid tier
4 Oct 2026last checked
Input list Columnar Databases 25 channels on this page · 41 of 200 spec lines stated by the makers
Ch Tool Free planPaid fromDeployment modelManaged serviceObject storage supportStreaming ingestionSupported data formatsIncluded storage Spec sheet Score
01 Exasol Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 7.8
02 InfluxDB Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.8
03 QuestDB Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.6
04 CrateDB Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.4
05 Databend Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 7.4
06 Apache Druid Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 0/8spec lines stated 7.2
07 DuckDB UI Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.1
08 Snowflake CoCo Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 1/8spec lines stated 7.1
09 GreptimeDB Free planYesPaid from$290/moDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 7.0
10 MonetDB Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelself hostedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 7.0
11 MotherDuck Free planYesPaid from$250/moDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 7.0
12 Couchbase Lite Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.9
13 Firebolt Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.8
14 Apache Pinot Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 0/8spec lines stated 6.7
15 StarRocks Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.6
16 Amazon Redshift Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.5
17 BigQuery Data Clean Rooms Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.5
18 ClickHouse Cloud Free planNoPaid from$50/moDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.5
19 Apache Doris Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.4
20 Couchbase Capella Free planYesPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelcloudManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 6.4
21 MariaDB Enterprise Analytics Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportYesStreaming ingestionYesSupported data formatsCSV, TSV, JSON, AvroIncluded storagenot stated 4/8spec lines stated 6.2
22 SAP Customer Data Platform Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 1/8spec lines stated 6.1
23 Apache Kudu Free plannot statedPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelself hostedManaged serviceNoObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionYesSupported data formatsParquetIncluded storagenot stated 4/8spec lines stated 5.9
24 Amazon Timestream Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelnot statedManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 1/8spec lines stated 5.7
25 Yellowbrick Data Warehouse Free planNoPaid fromnot statedDeployment modelhybridManaged servicenot statedObject storage supportnot statedStreaming ingestionnot statedSupported data formatsnot statedIncluded storagenot stated 2/8spec lines stated 5.4
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment model | Managed service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exasol | 7.8 | Free plan | $3.30/mo | Yes | — | hybrid | — |
| 2 | InfluxDB | 7.8 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 3 | QuestDB | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | CrateDB | 7.4 | Free plan | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 5 | Databend | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | — |
| 6 | Apache Druid | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | DuckDB UI | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 8 | Snowflake CoCo | 7.1 | No | — | — | — | cloud | — |
| 9 | GreptimeDB | 7.0 | No | $290/mo | Yes | 290 /mo | — | — |
| 10 | MonetDB | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | — |
| 11 | MotherDuck | 7.0 | Free plan | $250/mo | Yes | 250 /mo | — | — |
| 12 | Couchbase Lite | 6.9 | No | — | Yes | — | cloud | — |
| 13 | Firebolt | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | — |
| 14 | Apache Pinot | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | StarRocks | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 16 | Amazon Redshift | 6.5 | No | $0.54/mo | No | — | cloud | — |
| 17 | BigQuery Data Clean Rooms | 6.5 | No | — | Yes | — | cloud | — |
| 18 | ClickHouse Cloud | 6.5 | No | $53/mo | No | 50 /mo | — | — |
| 19 | Apache Doris | 6.4 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 20 | Couchbase Capella | 6.4 | Free plan | $0.15/mo | Yes | — | cloud | — |
| 21 | MariaDB Enterprise Analytics | 6.2 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | — |
| 22 | SAP Customer Data Platform | 6.1 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 23 | Apache Kudu | 5.9 | No | — | — | — | self_hosted | No |
| 24 | Amazon Timestream | 5.7 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 25 | Yellowbrick Data Warehouse | 5.4 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | — |
Is your tool on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which columnar database is ranked first on Specifiction?
Exasol is ranked #1 of 25 with a score of 7.8. InfluxDB is second and QuestDB third.
How many of these have a free plan?
13 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Couchbase Capella has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.15/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.
More in Developer Tools
All developer tools listsAccessibility Testing Software 168Log Management Software 107AI Coding Assistants 103Package Managers 93AI Agent Platforms 73Reverse Engineering Tools 73Software Composition Analysis Software 65Browser Automation Tools 63Integrated Development Environments 62Artifact repository software 60Code Playground Software 58Network Monitoring 56