Best Query Engine Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Denodo Platform is ranked #1 of 25 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Starburst Galaxy and Starburst Enterprise Context Layer. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Starburst Galaxy. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Alibaba Cloud MaxCompute at $0.05/mo.
Query engines provide ways to retrieve and work with data, including across different sources. Compared on deployment, federated queries, heterogeneous sources, source connectors, SQL support, and streaming sources, the entries can be weighed against your data environment and query patterns. Denodo Platform, Starburst Galaxy, and Comunica are among the options shown. Result caching is another technical point to compare, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost context. Consider which sources need to be connected, whether queries must span them, and what deployment approach fits your setup before narrowing your choices.
25 query engine software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Query Engine Software, ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going. 13 of the 25 on this page can be tried for free.
- 1 Denodo PlatformFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 2 Starburst GalaxyFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 3 Starburst Enterprise Context LayerFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 4 ComunicaFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 5 Apache DrillFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 6 Apache HiveFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 7 Databricks NotebooksFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 8 FireboltFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 9 PrestoDBFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 10 TrinoFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 11 TeiidFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 12 Apache Arrow DataFusionFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 13 Apache ImpalaFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 14 BigQuery Data Clean Rooms
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 15 Cloudera Data Lake Service
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 16 e6 Query Engine
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 17 Alibaba Cloud MaxComputePaid from $0.05/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 18 Amazon AthenaPaid from $0.30/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 19 Dremio
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 20 Spotfire Data Virtualization
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 21 Tencent Cloud CDNPaid from CNY 21/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 22 Query
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 23 Tencent Cloud Data Lake Compute (DLC)
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 24 Apache Kylin
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 25 Ontop
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
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 query engine software is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
Denodo Platform is ranked #1 of 25 with a score of 7.8. Starburst Galaxy is second and Starburst Enterprise Context Layer 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 on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.