head to head · open source
QuestDB vs Apache Druid
QuestDB has 17,496 GitHub stars, 1,685 forks, 952 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Apache Druid has 14,093 stars, 3,813 forks, 784 open issues and last shipped yesterday. QuestDB leads on adoption by 24% (17,496 vs 14,093 stars). QuestDB is written in Java under Apache-2.0; Apache Druid is written in Java under Apache-2.0. QuestDB has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Apache Druid 27%. QuestDB was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| QuestDB | Apache Druid | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 14K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 3.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick QuestDB if
- You weight community size — 17K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Apache Druid if
- You want the Apache Druid feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and Apache Druid fits your workflow better
About QuestDB
English 简体中文 QuestDB is the open source, low latency time series database on open formats. It ingests millions of events per second, computes on live data in milliseconds, and keeps years of history queryable. One SQL engine spans ingestion, stream processing, and tiered storage. The engine is zero GC Java with C++ and Rust on the hot paths. Data lives in memory mapped, time partitioned columns. Queries run across all cores with SIMD and JIT compiled filters. There are no third party dependencies on the data path. Storage is tiered: a parallel write ahead log, native columnar partitions, and Apache Parquet. In…
read the full QuestDB overview →
About Apache Druid
Apache Druid Druid is a high performance real time analytics database. Druid's main value add is to reduce time to insight and action. Druid is designed for workflows where fast queries and ingest really matter. Druid excels at powering UIs, running operational (ad hoc) queries, or handling high concurrency. Consider Druid as an open source alternative to data warehouses for a variety of use cases. The design documentation explains the key concepts. Getting started You can get started with Druid with our local or Docker quickstart. For Kubernetes deployments, the druid operator is maintained in a separate…
read the full Apache Druid overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is QuestDB or Apache Druid more popular?
QuestDB has 17,496 GitHub stars and Apache Druid has 14,093. QuestDB has the larger community by that measure.
Are QuestDB and Apache Druid free?
Both are open source. QuestDB is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Apache Druid under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between QuestDB and Apache Druid?
QuestDB is written in Java and Apache Druid in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, QuestDB or Apache Druid?
Choose QuestDB if you want the larger community (17,496 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Apache Druid if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.