Best Streaming Analytics Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Apache Flink is ranked #1 of 19 as of 2 October 2026, ahead of Materialize and RisingWave. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Materialize. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Materialize at $0.13/mo.
19 streaming analytics software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apache Flink | 8.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 2 | Materialize | 8.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $0.13/mo | Yes | — | — | View |
| 3 | RisingWave | 8.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $0.23/mo | No | — | — | View |
| 4 | Ververica Platform | 8.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | — | — | hybrid | View |
| 5 |  Feldera | 8.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 6 | Apache Beam | 8.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | — | — | hybrid | View |
| 7 | Confluent Cloud | 8.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | 385 /mo | — | View |
| 8 | Apache Spark | 7.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 9 |  Timeplus | 7.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $199/mo | No | 199 /mo | hybrid | View |
| 10 | Tinybird Cloud | 7.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $49/mo | Yes | 25 /mo | — | View |
| 11 |  Apache Druid | 7.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | — | — | self_hosted | View |
| 12 | Apache Pinot | 7.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | — | — | self_hosted | View |
| 13 | Apache Samza | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 14 |  Apache Storm | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 15 | Amazon Managed Service for Apache Flink | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | — | View |
| 16 |  Pathway Live Data Framework | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 17 |  Apache Kafka | 4.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | — | View |
| 18 | kdb+ | 4.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | — | View |
| 19 | Apache Heron | 4.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | self_hosted | View |
Is your platform 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 streaming analytics software is ranked first on Inferse?
Apache Flink is ranked #1 of 19 with a score of 8.8. Materialize is second and RisingWave third.
How many of these have a free plan?
13 of the 19 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Materialize has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.13/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.