# Apache HBase vs Azure Cosmos DB

| Attribute | Apache HBase | Azure Cosmos DB |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 46.1 (45% (low)) | 48.6 (31% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 35 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 1 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 5,552 | - |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 120 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source, distributed database built on Hadoop that stores billions of rows with millions of columns, designed for real-time access and extreme scalability. | Azure Cosmos DB is a NoSQL database service on Azure that prioritizes minimal latency and the ability to handle massive scale. It includes built-in vector search capabilities for AI-driven applications and is managed fully by Microsoft with no infrastructure to operate. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"self","data_model":"wide_column","consistency":"strong","partitioning":"automatic","license_class":"permissive"}` | `{"schema":"schemaless","hosting":"cloud","data_model":"multi_model","multi_region":true,"license_class":"proprietary","vector_search":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Spark"},{"name":"MapReduce"},{"name":"Thrift"}]` | - |
| language.primary | Java | - |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | - |
| market.availability | - | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"linux":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://hbase.apache.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T23:05:03.633Z"}` | `{"type":"usage","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://azure.microsoft.com/acom/etc.clientlibs/onecloud/components/content/reimagine/atomic/carousel/v1/carousel/clientlibs/pricing-styles.ACSHASHbcdafd3e07059ae596973551430292fc.min.css","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T11:05:21.839Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| release.cadence_days | 59 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/3.0.0","date":"2026-08-06T02:06:26Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/3.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/3.0.0-beta-2","date":"2026-07-17T03:48:54Z","type":"prerelease","version":"rel/3.0.0-beta-2"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.6.5","date":"2026-04-27T13:29:22Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.6.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.5.14","date":"2026-04-27T13:28:40Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.5.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.6.4","date":"2025-11-15T15:32:50Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.6.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.5.13","date":"2025-11-15T15:31:36Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.5.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.5.12","date":"2025-10-07T09:58:53Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.5.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.6.3","date":"2025-07-15T14:01:26Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.6.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.5.11","date":"2025-03-30T13:46:17Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.5.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.6.2","date":"2025-02-25T01:48:37Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.6.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.6.1","date":"2024-10-19T08:22:27Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.5.10","date":"2024-07-26T08:49:38Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.5.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.5.9","date":"2024-07-18T01:03:02Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.5.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.4.18","date":"2024-05-25T15:09:33Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.4.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.6.0","date":"2024-05-25T10:32:11Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.5.8","date":"2024-03-21T03:20:41Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.5.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/3.0.0-beta-1","date":"2024-01-21T12:58:23Z","type":"prerelease","version":"rel/3.0.0-beta-1"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.5.7","date":"2024-01-10T13:55:12Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.5.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.5.6","date":"2023-10-25T06:43:45Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.5.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/hbase/releases/tag/rel/2.5.5","date":"2023-06-19T13:57:53Z","type":"stable","version":"rel/2.5.5"}]` | - |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 7 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=maven&package_name=org.hbasene%3Ahbase-core&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (NoSQL Databases)

| Capability | Apache HBase | Azure Cosmos DB |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Data model | Wide-column | Multi-model |
| **Query** |  |  |
| Query language | - | - |
| **Consistency** |  |  |
| Consistency | Strong | - |
| **Transactions** |  |  |
| Transactions | - | - |
| **Indexing** |  |  |
| Secondary indexes | - | - |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Partitioning / sharding | Automatic | - |
| Multi-region | - | ✓ |
| **Replication** |  |  |
| Replication topology | - | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Cloud only |
| **Schema** |  |  |
| Schema | - | Schemaless |
| **Features** |  |  |
| TTL / auto-expiry | - | - |
| Change streams / CDC | - | - |
| Vector / search built-in | - | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Licence class | Permissive OSS | Proprietary |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:40:12.970Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*