Apache Ignite vs VoltDB
Apache Ignite
ignite.apache.orgVoltDB
voltactivedata.comSide by side
| Figure | Apache Ignite | VoltDB |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Distributed SQL Databases | 9.0 (#4) | 8.3 (#11) |
| Spec score · In-Memory Databases | 8.9 (#4) | 8.2 (#8) |
| ACID transactions | The platform provides ACID transactions across partitions using MVCC snapshot isolation and distributed replication. | The database provides ACID-compliant transactions using ANSI SQL and stored procedures. |
| Deployment | Ignite can run on bare metal, virtual machines, Docker, Kubernetes and cloud environments, with thick and thin clients plus JDBC, ODBC and REST access. | Volt supports on-premises, cloud Kubernetes or VM-based deployments, and hybrid deployments. |
| Integrations | The download page lists AWS, Azure, GCE, and Spring extensions, including Spring Cache and Spring Data extensions. | Documented integrations include Kafka, Kinesis, HDFS, JDBC/ODBC, Elasticsearch and RabbitMQ through import and export capabilities. |
| License | The project source is licensed under the Apache License 2.0, with some bundled components under separate licenses. | The Community Edition is released under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3, while client libraries are separately licensed under MIT. |
| Rating on G2 | 3.9 out of 5 from 17 reviews | 4.3 out of 5 from 6 reviews |
| Rating on Gartner Peer Insights | 4.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings | 4.9 out of 5 from 9 ratings |
| Rating on TrustRadius | 8 out of 10 from 4 reviews | 9 out of 10 from 1 review |
| Security controls | Ignite documents username/password authentication, authorization permissions, and SSL/TLS encryption for client and node communication. | Authentication and authorization are enabled through configuration, with users, roles and stored-procedure permissions. |
| Self-hosting | Apache distributes source archives, binaries, Docker images, Git repositories and cloud images for running Ignite in users' environments. | VoltDB is distributed as installable tar archives and can be built from source on 64-bit Linux or macOS development systems. |
| Support | The project directs usage questions to its user mailing list and technical Q&A to Stack Overflow. | Production support operates 8:00 am–6:00 pm Eastern Time, with 24×7 telephone coverage for severity-one production incidents. |
| System requirements | Ignite 3 documentation lists JDK 11 or later, Linux Debian or Red Hat variants or Windows 10/11, and x86 or x64 hardware. | The documented baseline includes a 64-bit Linux-based OS, dual-core x86_64 CPU, 4 GB RAM and synchronized system time. |
| What it does | Apache Ignite is a distributed database designed for high-performance computing with in-memory speed. | VoltDB is an in-memory, distributed relational database and real-time decisioning platform for high-throughput, low-latency transactional workloads. |
Plans
VoltDB
- Developer EditionFree
- Stream to Decision TrialFree
- Guided EngagementPriced on request
- Guided EngagementPriced on request
In their own words
Apache Ignite
Apache Ignite is a free, open-source, memory-first distributed SQL database for high-velocity workloads. It keeps data primarily in memory, with persistence available through AIPERSIST, and supports ACID transactions across partitions using Raft consensus. MVCC snapshot isolation enables non-blocking reads. SQL access includes JDBC drivers, a Table API and native APIs, while catalog-driven schema management allows column and index changes without stopping the cluster. DataStreamer handles high-throughput writes with backpressure control. Native clients are listed for Java, .NET, C++ and Python, alongside AWS, Azure, GCE and Spring extensions. Built-in operational capabilities include authentication, SSL/TLS security, OpenTelemetry metrics, recovery snapshots and backups. Listed uses include event stream processing, microservices state management, session management and AI/ML feature stores. Ignite is self-hosted and available through binary, source, Docker and Maven/Gradle options. The project identifies Ignite 2 as a long-term-support release recommended for existing deployments.
VoltDB
VoltDB is a distributed, in-memory database and real-time decisioning layer for data processing, stream ingestion, business logic, and AI integration. Its database partitions data and stored procedures so queries can run in parallel while maintaining ACID consistency. Volt Active Data says Volt is built to move from ingest to action in under 10 milliseconds. Clusters scale by adding nodes, with partitioning automated from the schema. Volt connects directly to Kafka or CDC streams and can expose decisions through SQL, REST, or Kafka topics. It supports on-premises, cloud Kubernetes or VM-based, and hybrid deployments. Production databases support Debian 12.11 or later, RHEL 8.8 or later, Rocky Linux 8.8 or later, and Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, or 24.04; macOS 13 or later is supported for development. Enterprise Edition provides command logging, locally replicated partitions, and wide-area database replication. Authentication, role-based authorization, and TLS/SSL or Kerberos communications are available, but security is disabled by default. The free Developer Edition is not intended for production workloads. A free 30-day trial is listed for Confluent users; production pricing is on request.