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Best Stream Processing Software in 2026

For pipelines that handle data as it arrives, compare how stream processing tools connect to sources and manage events over time. Deployment model and supported languages help you consider where workloads can run and what fits your team; SQL processing, event-time windows, and stateful processing describe other listed capabilities.

  1. 01 Arroyo

    Arroyo suits teams building stateful streaming pipelines with SQL and those needing Rust extensions.

    From $5/mo Free plan Open source Web · macOS · Linux · API
    9.1 Visit Specs
  2. 02 Apache Beam

    Beam suits data and software developers building data-processing pipelines on supported back ends, especially when a shared model for batch and streaming is useful.

    Free plan Open source Web · Windows · macOS · Linux
    9.0 Visit Specs
  3. 03 AFL++

    AFL++ suits developers and security practitioners fuzzing source-available or binary-only programs, network services or GUI software.

    From €1,666.67/mo Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux · Android
    8.9 Visit Specs
  4. 04 Apache NiFi

    NiFi suits teams building data pipelines across connected systems, including cybersecurity, observability, event stream, and generative AI workloads.

    Free plan Open source Web · Windows · macOS · Linux
    8.9 Visit Specs
  5. 05 Esper

    Esper suits Java and .NET developers embedding event processing into applications that analyze streams and time-based conditions.

    Free plan Open source Windows · macOS · Linux · API
    8.6 Visit Specs
  6. 06 Confluent Cloud

    It suits teams building streaming or event-driven systems, analytics pipelines, or AI/ML use cases.

    From $385/mo Free plan Web · Linux · API
    8.3 Visit Specs
  7. 07 Apache Spark

    It suits teams and developers processing batch or streaming data with distributed SQL, machine learning, or supported language APIs.

    Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux · API
    8.2 Visit Specs
  8. 08 Apache Flink

    Flink suits developers building stateful streaming, batch analytics or ETL systems in self-hosted clusters.

    Free plan Linux · API · Self-hosted
    8.1 Visit Specs
  9. 09 Apache Storm

    Apache Storm suits developers and operators building distributed stream computations, including analytics, ETL, and online machine-learning workloads.

    Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · Linux
    8.1 Visit Specs
  10. 10 Materialize

    Materialize may suit app or AI-agent builders who need SQL views that update as source data changes.

    From $0.13/mo Free plan Web · Linux · API · Self-hosted
    8.0 Visit Specs
  11. 11 RisingWave

    RisingWave suits teams building SQL-based streaming data pipelines that need PostgreSQL client compatibility and incremental materialized views.

    From $0.23/mo Free trial Web · macOS · Linux · API
    8.0 Visit Specs
  12. 12 Apache Kafka

    Kafka suits teams building event-driven pipelines, streaming analytics, integrations, or mission-critical applications that can self-host it.

    Free plan API · Self-hosted
    7.8 Visit Specs
  13. 13 Apache Samza

    It suits developers building stateful or stateless real-time applications from multiple event sources.

    Free plan Linux · API · Self-hosted
    7.8 Visit Specs
  14. 14 Feldera

    Feldera suits teams that need SQL views to update as source data changes and want to work with lakehouse or warehouse systems.

    Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · Linux
    7.8 Visit Specs
  15. 15 Kafka Streams

    Kafka Streams suits developers building Java or Scala applications and microservices that process Kafka data.

    Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux · Self-hosted
    7.8 Visit Specs
  16. 16 Timeplus

    Timeplus is designed for data engineers and platform teams processing streaming and historical data with streaming SQL.

    From $199/mo Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · Linux
    7.7 Visit Specs
  17. 17 Amazon Managed Service for Apache Flink
    Web · API
    7.5 Visit Specs
  18. 18 Apache Heron
    Linux · Self-hosted
    7.5 Visit Specs
  19. 19 Hazelcast Platform

    Hazelcast Platform suits teams building data-intensive, mission-critical AI applications that need stream processing, an in-memory data store, and cluster failover.

    Free trial Windows · macOS · Linux · API
    7.5 Visit Specs
  20. 20 Pathway Live Data Framework

    It suits teams building Python or SQL analytics, ETL, or AI pipelines that must combine batch and live data.

    Free plan API · Self-hosted
    7.4 Visit Specs
  21. 21 Quix Streams
    Free plan Linux · Self-hosted
    7.3 Visit Specs
  22. 22 Siddhi
    Windows · macOS · Linux · API
    7.3 Visit Specs
  23. 23 Timely Dataflow
    API · Self-hosted
    6.6 Visit Specs
  24. 24 Azure Stream Analytics
    Web
    6.0 Visit Specs
  25. 25 Google Cloud Dataflow
    Web
    5.6 Visit Specs
How this list is ordered. Specifiction scores each tool on how fully its maker documents it, whether its prices are published, where the research puts it, the platforms it runs on and whether it can be tried for free (how we rank). Makers can also buy a numbered place (how Specifiction is paid for).

Free-plan availability and the paid-from price provide cost context. Timeplus, Confluent Cloud, and Materialize are among the entries, alongside Apache Storm and Feldera. Check the connector and processing details against your pipeline’s requirements, including the languages and deployment approach you need.

Compare Arroyo and Apache Beam Get a place on this list

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