Best Columnar Databases in 2026
Updated
In short: CrateDB is ranked #1 of 24 as of 3 October 2026, ahead of Exasol and InfluxDB. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Exasol. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Amazon Redshift at $0.54/mo.
Columnar databases differ in deployment, storage, and the ways they receive data. Compared on deployment model, managed-service availability, object storage support, and streaming ingestion, the entries also show supported data formats and included storage. Free-plan details and paid-from pricing add cost context. CrateDB and Exasol begin the ranking, with GreptimeDB and InfluxDB also among the first entries. Consider where your data is stored, which formats you use, and how data arrives, then weigh those needs against the listed service and deployment options.
24 columnar databases ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
12 of the 24 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CrateDBWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 2 | ExasolWeb · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $3.30/mo | 6.6 | |
| 3 | InfluxDBWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | QuestDBWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | Apache DruidWeb · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 6 | DatabendWeb · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | DuckDB UIWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · Extension | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | MonetDBWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | FireboltWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | Apache PinotWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 11 | MotherDuckWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $250/mo | 6.3 | |
| 12 | StarRocksLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 13 | GreptimeDBWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | $290/mo | 5.6 |
| 14 | Apache DorisLinux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 15 | BigQuery Data Clean RoomsWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 16 | Couchbase LiteWeb · Windows · Linux · Android · iPhone · API | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 17 | Apache KuduMac · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 18 | MariaDB Enterprise AnalyticsLinux · Self-hosted | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 19 | Snowflake CoCoWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 20 | ClickHouse CloudWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $53/mo | 5.0 |
| 21 | Amazon RedshiftWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $0.54/mo | 4.9 |
| 22 | SAP Customer Data PlatformNo platforms listed | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
| 23 | Amazon TimestreamWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.8 |
| 24 | Yellowbrick Data WarehouseWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.7 |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which columnar database is ranked first on Freedom251?
CrateDB is ranked #1 of 24 with a score of 6.6. Exasol is second and InfluxDB third.
How many of these have a free plan?
12 of the 24 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Amazon Redshift has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.54/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.