Comparison

Apache Beam vs Apache Spark

On the evidence we track, Apache Beam leads this comparison with a composite score of 70/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Apache Beam70
Apache Spark61
Score
Vioscale score
Apache Beam70 / 100low · 35%
Apache Spark61 / 100low · 38%
Pricing
Free tier
Apache Beam
Apache Spark
Model
Apache Beamcommercial
Apache Sparkcommercial
Price level
Apache Beamfree
Apache Sparkfree
Transparent
Apache Beam
Apache Spark
Integrations
Count
Apache Beam
Apache Spark5
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apache Beam1,425
Apache Spark8,896
Github stars
Apache Beam8,650
Apache Spark43,882
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apache Beam100
Apache Spark100
Release
Cadence days
Apache Beam36
Apache Spark
History
Apache Beam20 items
Apache Spark
License
Spdx
Apache BeamApache-2.0
Apache SparkApache-2.0
Language
Primary
Apache BeamJava
Apache SparkScala
Market
Availability
Apache Beam

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for data engineering tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Tool role
Apache BeamOrchestrator
Apache SparkProcessing engine
Processing paradigm
Apache BeamBatch + streaming
Apache SparkBatch + streaming
Connectivity
Connector count
Apache BeamMultiple I/O connectors for diverse data sources and sinks
Apache Spark-
CDC / log-based replication
Apache Beam-
Apache Spark-
Transformation
In-warehouse transformation (push-down)
Apache Beam-
Apache Spark-
dbt-native orchestration
Apache Beam-
Apache Spark-
Deployment
Self-hosted / open-source available
Apache Beam
Apache Spark
Managed cloud available
Apache Beam
Apache Spark-
Governance
Data lineage / asset catalog
Apache Beam-
Apache Spark-
Authoring
Python-first authoring
Apache Beam-
Apache Spark-
Execution
Incremental / partition-aware runs
Apache Beam-
Apache Spark-
Quality
Built-in data quality / tests
Apache Beam-
Apache Spark-
Scale
Horizontal scale (distributed executor)
Apache Beam
Apache Spark

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Apache Beam

Leader

Apache Beam enables organizations to process data in both batch and streaming modes through a single unified model, with the flexibility to read from diverse data sources and write to popular data sinks across different deployment environments.

Independently observed

Apache Spark

Apache Spark is an open-source, multi-language distributed computing engine that unifies data engineering, data science, and machine learning workloads. It processes data at scale using batch or streaming paradigms, provides SQL query capabilities for analytics, and includes built-in libraries for machine learning and graph processing.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Apache Beam

Leader
Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Apache Spark

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
CLI
Apache Beam
Apache Spark
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Apache Beam
Apache Spark
Self-hosted
Apache Beam
Apache Spark
On-premise
Apache Beam
Apache Spark

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Apache Beam

Leader

Not documented yet.

Apache Spark

5 total
  • Hadoop
  • HDFS
  • YARN
  • Kubernetes
  • Docker
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.