Best Query Engine Software in 2026
Updated
When queries need to span different data stores, engine choice comes down to how sources connect and what query patterns your stack requires. Compared on federated queries, heterogeneous sources, connectors, SQL support, and streaming sources, these options also differ on deployment and result caching. For example, Comunica, Teiid, and Apache Drill are among the named engines to consider against those needs; Denodo Platform and Starburst Galaxy are also included. Check free-plan availability and paid-from pricing alongside the technical criteria, then weigh which deployment approach and source coverage fit the data you work with.
Query Engine Software, one module each.A lit port is something its maker publishes; 18 of 18 with a known API signal have a public API.
- 01 Comunica API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.4Free
- 02 Teiid API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.4Free
- 03 Apache Drill API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.3Free
- 04 Apache Kylin API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.3Free
- 05 Denodo Platform API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.3Free
- 06 Starburst Enterprise Context Layer API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.3Free
- 07 Starburst Galaxy API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.3Free
- 08 Apache Hive API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 09 Apache Impala API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 10 Firebolt API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 11 PrestoDB API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 12 Trino API yesFREE yesDOCS 7.2Free
- 13 BigQuery Data Clean Rooms API yesDOCS 7.0
- 14 Cloudera Data Lake Service API yesDOCS 6.9
- 15 Ontop API yesDOCS 6.9
- 16 Query API yesDOCS 6.9
- 17 Amazon Athena API yesFREE noDOCS 6.7$0.30/mo
- 18 e6 Query Engine API yesFREE noDOCS 6.7
- 19 Databricks Notebooks FREE yesDOCS 6.0Free
- 20 Apache Arrow DataFusion FREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 21 Alibaba Cloud MaxCompute DOCS 5.3$0.05/mo
- 22 Tencent Cloud CDN FREE noDOCS 5.3CNY 21/mo
- 23 Azure Synapse Analytics DOCS 5.2
- 24 Dremio DOCS 5.2
- 25 Spotfire Data Virtualization DOCS 5.1
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Federated queries | Heterogeneous sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comunica | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2 | Teiid | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | ||||
| 3 | Apache Drill | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | ||||
| 4 | Apache Kylin | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | ||||
| 5 | Denodo Platform | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | No | |||
| 6 | Starburst Enterprise Context Layer | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | |||
| 7 | Starburst Galaxy | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | |||
| 8 | Apache Hive | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | ||||
| 9 | Apache Impala | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | |||
| 10 | Firebolt | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | |||
| 11 | PrestoDB | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | ||||
| 12 | Trino | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | |||
| 13 | BigQuery Data Clean Rooms | 7.0 | Yes | |||||
| 14 | Cloudera Data Lake Service | 6.9 | No | |||||
| 15 | Ontop | 6.9 | ||||||
| 16 | Query | 6.9 | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 17 | Amazon Athena | 6.7 | No | $0.30/mo | No | |||
| 18 | e6 Query Engine | 6.7 | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| 19 | Databricks Notebooks | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | No | |||
| 20 | Apache Arrow DataFusion | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 21 | Alibaba Cloud MaxCompute | 5.3 | $0.05/mo | |||||
| 22 | Tencent Cloud CDN | 5.3 | No | CNY 21/mo | No | |||
| 23 | Azure Synapse Analytics | 5.2 | No | |||||
| 24 | Dremio | 5.2 | Yes | |||||
| 25 | Spotfire Data Virtualization | 5.1 | Yes | Yes |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.