# Apache Spark vs Prefect

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Prefect

| Attribute | Apache Spark | Prefect |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 60.5 (38% (low)) | 69.8 (76% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 8,896 | 767 |
| adoption.github_stars | 43,882 | 23,691 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 2,710,819 |
| deployment.options | `{"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | A workflow orchestration platform that enables teams to build resilient automated processes using Python, with features like automatic retries, state tracking, and run observability. Supports flexible deployment options ranging from managed cloud infrastructure to self-hosted environments on Kubernetes or user-provided compute. |
| features.capabilities | `{"role":"engine","paradigm":"both","self_hosted_oss":true,"distributed_executor":true}` | `{"role":"orchestrator","lineage":true,"paradigm":"batch","dbt_native":true,"python_first":true,"managed_cloud":true,"connector_count":"Not specified","self_hosted_oss":true,"incremental_runs":true,"distributed_executor":true}` |
| integrations.count | 5 | 5 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Hadoop"},{"name":"HDFS"},{"name":"YARN"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"Docker"}]` | `[{"name":"Pydantic AI"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"AWS Secrets Manager"},{"name":"HashiCorp Vault"},{"name":"dbt"}]` |
| language.primary | Scala | Python |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://spark.apache.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T13:48:09.654Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Hobby","summary":"Free forever","features":["workflow scheduling","workflow observability","logging & alerting"],"minSeats":2,"description":"Starter tier for individual workflows","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"2","deployments":"5","run_retention":"7 days","serverless_compute":"500 min/mo"}},{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$100/mo","features":["bring your own compute","webhooks","API access"],"minSeats":3,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For teams bringing their own compute infrastructure","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"3","deployments":"20","serverless_compute":"75 hours/mo","api_requests_per_min":"1250"}},{"free":false,"name":"Team","summary":"$100/user/mo","features":["service accounts","audit logging","team collaboration"],"minSeats":4,"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Multi-user collaboration with governance features","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"4-8","deployments":"100","serverless_compute":"225 hours/mo","audit_log_retention_hours":"24"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["SSO (SAML/OIDC)","RBAC with object-level ACLs","multiple workspaces","directory sync (SCIM)","IP allowlisting","PrivateLink private networking"],"minSeats":5,"description":"Custom deployment with advanced security and compliance","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"deployments":"unlimited","serverless_compute":"custom"}}],"summary":"Free tier. Starter from $100/mo. Team at $100/user/mo. Enterprise custom pricing.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.prefect.io/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:26:09.793Z","startingPrice":{"amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | high |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 1 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4","date":"2026-08-25T17:15:13Z","type":"stable","version":"3.8.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev7","date":"2026-08-25T08:17:08Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev7"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev6","date":"2026-08-22T08:08:27Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev6"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev5","date":"2026-08-21T08:15:17Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev5"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev4","date":"2026-08-20T08:14:17Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev4"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev3","date":"2026-08-19T08:12:16Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev3"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev2","date":"2026-08-18T08:12:04Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev2"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.4.dev1","date":"2026-08-14T08:31:14Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.4.dev1"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.3","date":"2026-08-13T18:53:23Z","type":"stable","version":"3.8.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.3.dev3","date":"2026-08-13T08:33:56Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.3.dev3"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.3.dev2","date":"2026-08-12T08:32:30Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.3.dev2"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.3.dev1","date":"2026-08-11T08:23:35Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.3.dev1"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2","date":"2026-08-07T21:15:48Z","type":"stable","version":"3.8.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev6","date":"2026-08-07T08:27:11Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev6"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev5","date":"2026-08-06T08:59:18Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev5"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev4","date":"2026-08-05T08:58:55Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev4"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev3","date":"2026-08-04T09:00:27Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev3"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev2","date":"2026-08-03T09:13:20Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev2"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.2.dev1","date":"2026-08-01T08:49:58Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.8.2.dev1"},{"url":"https://github.com/PrefectHQ/prefect/releases/tag/3.8.1","date":"2026-07-30T21:15:25Z","type":"stable","version":"3.8.1"}]` |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.99 |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 5.6 | 6.9 |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":7,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=maven&package_name=org.apache.spark%3Aspark-core_2.10&per_page=100","last_12m":1,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` | `{"count":8,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=prefect&per_page=100","last_12m":6,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Data Engineering Tools)

| Capability | Apache Spark | Prefect |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Tool role | Processing engine | Orchestrator |
| Processing paradigm | Batch + streaming | Batch |
| **Connectivity** |  |  |
| Connector count | - | Not specified |
| CDC / log-based replication | - | - |
| **Transformation** |  |  |
| In-warehouse transformation (push-down) | - | - |
| dbt-native orchestration | - | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Self-hosted / open-source available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Managed cloud available | - | ✓ |
| **Governance** |  |  |
| Data lineage / asset catalog | - | ✓ |
| **Authoring** |  |  |
| Python-first authoring | - | ✓ |
| **Execution** |  |  |
| Incremental / partition-aware runs | - | ✓ |
| **Quality** |  |  |
| Built-in data quality / tests | - | - |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Horizontal scale (distributed executor) | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:43:35.500Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*