Side by side

Apache Beam vs Apache Spark

Both stand on big data analytics software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Apache Beam

Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3

Apache Beam provides a common programming model for batch and streaming pipelines across several runners. The model is free, though the chosen runner and infrastructure can carry execution costs.

Visit Apache Beam

Apache Spark combines distributed analytics, SQL, machine learning and multiple deployment options in a free engine. Deployments need security configuration, since security features are not enabled by default.

Visit Apache Spark

The facts

	Apache Beam	Apache Spark
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Yes	Not published
Runs on	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	2	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	beam.apache.org	spark.apache.org
On big data analytics software	#1 of 30	#10 of 30

Apache Beam: what it does well

Supports batch and streaming workloads
Runs on multiple execution engines
SDKs for Java, Python, Go, and TypeScript
Playground works without local installation
Free open-source programming model

What to know first

Execution costs depend on runner and infrastructure
APIs may change before the first stable 1.x release

Apache Spark: what it does well

Processes batches and real-time streams
Supports five listed programming languages
MLlib algorithms run locally or scale to clusters
Offers standalone, YARN and Kubernetes deployment

What to know first

Security features are not enabled by default
Requires a supported Java version
R is listed as deprecated

Alternatives to Apache Beam Alternatives to Apache Spark The whole list