Best Query Engine Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Comunica is ranked #1 of 25 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Apache Drill and Apache Hive. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Apache Drill. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Alibaba Cloud MaxCompute at $0.05/mo.
Query engines can help you work with data across sources, but their capabilities and deployment approaches differ. Compare federated queries, heterogeneous sources, source connectors, SQL support, and streaming sources against the data and query patterns you need to handle. Deployment and result caching add technical considerations; free-plan availability and paid-from pricing offer cost context. Comunica, Apache Drill, and Apache Hive are among the entries to review. Use the listed criteria to weigh connector coverage and query support alongside how you expect to run an engine and whether its pricing details suit your requirements.
25 query engine software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
13 of the 25 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 | ComunicaWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 2 | Apache DrillWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 3 | Apache HiveWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 4 | Denodo PlatformWeb · Windows · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 5 | PrestoDBWeb · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 6 | Starburst GalaxyWeb · Linux · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | Apache Arrow DataFusionMac · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 8 | Apache ImpalaMac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 9 | Databricks NotebooksWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 10 | FireboltWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 11 | Starburst Enterprise Context LayerWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 12 | TeiidLinux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 13 | TrinoWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 14 | BigQuery Data Clean RoomsWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 15 | Cloudera Data Lake ServiceWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 16 | Spotfire Data VirtualizationWeb · Windows · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 17 | Alibaba Cloud MaxComputeWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $0.05/mo | 5.3 |
| 18 | DremioWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 19 | OntopWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 20 | QueryWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | Apache KylinWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 22 | e6 Query EngineWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 23 | Amazon AthenaWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $0.30/mo | 5.0 |
| 24 | Tencent Cloud CDNWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | CNY 21/mo | 5.0 |
| 25 | Tencent Cloud Data Lake Compute (DLC)Web | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.8 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Federated queries | Heterogeneous sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comunica | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | Apache Drill | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Apache Hive | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Denodo Platform | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | No | — | — | — |
| 5 | PrestoDB | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Starburst Galaxy | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 7 | Apache Arrow DataFusion | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | Apache Impala | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 9 | Databricks Notebooks | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | No | — | — | — |
| 10 | Firebolt | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 11 | Starburst Enterprise Context Layer | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 12 | Teiid | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Trino | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 14 | BigQuery Data Clean Rooms | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | Cloudera Data Lake Service | 5.4 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 16 | Spotfire Data Virtualization | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 17 | Alibaba Cloud MaxCompute | 5.3 | No | $0.05/mo | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Dremio | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 19 | Ontop | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Query | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | Apache Kylin | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 22 | e6 Query Engine | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 23 | Amazon Athena | 5.0 | No | $0.30/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 24 | Tencent Cloud CDN | 5.0 | No | CNY 21/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 25 | Tencent Cloud Data Lake Compute (DLC) | 4.8 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which query engine software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Comunica is ranked #1 of 25 with a score of 6.7. Apache Drill is second and Apache Hive 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, Alibaba Cloud MaxCompute has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.05/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.