Best Data Lake Software in 2026
Updated
In short: AWS Lake Formation is ranked #1 of 17 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of HPCC Systems and Apache Hadoop HDFS. The best-ranked option with a free plan is HPCC Systems. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Tencent Cloud CDN at CNY 21/mo.
Data lake software supports collecting, organizing, and accessing data across a range of sources and workloads. To compare these entries, consider ingestion modes, governance controls, metadata catalogs, and support for open table formats. Deployment model, data sharing, and query interface can also help clarify how a tool may fit your environment; the listed free plans and starting prices provide cost context. AWS Lake Formation leads the entries shown, with Unilake, HPCC Systems, and lakeFS following. Tencent Cloud Application Performance Management, HPE Ezmeral Data Fabric, Apache Hadoop HDFS, and Cloudera Data Lake Service are also represented. Compare the available capabilities against how your team expects to manage and use its data.
17 data lake software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 AWS Lake Formation No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4Free Deployment model: cloudIngestion modes: batchMetadata catalog: Yes
- 2 HPCC Systems No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3Free Deployment model: hybridIngestion modes: bothMetadata catalog: Yes
- 3 Apache Hadoop HDFS No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Deployment model: self-hostedIngestion modes: both
- 4 Unilake No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.9 Deployment model: hybridIngestion modes: bothMetadata catalog: Yes
- 5 Cloudera Data Lake Service No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.8 Deployment model: hybridIngestion modes: bothMetadata catalog: Yes
- 6 lakeFS No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7 Deployment model: hybridMetadata catalog: Yes
- 7 Tencent Cloud Application Performance Management No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7 Deployment model: cloud
- 8 HPE Ezmeral Data Fabric No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6
- 9 Tencent Cloud GooseFS No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6 Deployment model: hybridMetadata catalog: Yes
- 10 Qubole No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5 Deployment model: cloudIngestion modes: bothMetadata catalog: Yes
- 11 Tencent Cloud CDN No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5CNY 21/mo Deployment model: cloudMetadata catalog: Yes
- 12 Baidu AI Machine Translation No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Deployment model: hybridIngestion modes: bothMetadata catalog: Yes
- 13 Huawei Cloud Machine Translation No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 Deployment model: cloudMetadata catalog: Yes
- 14 Tencent Cloud Data Lake Compute (DLC) No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.3 Deployment model: cloudMetadata catalog: Yes
- 15 Oracle Big Data Service No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.2 Deployment model: cloudIngestion modes: bothMetadata catalog: Yes
- 16 Parseable No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.1
- 17 Apache Ozone No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.0 Deployment model: self-hosted
Is your app 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 data lake software is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
AWS Lake Formation is ranked #1 of 17 with a score of 6.4. HPCC Systems is second and Apache Hadoop HDFS third.
How many of these have a free plan?
3 of the 17 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Tencent Cloud CDN has the lowest first paid tier we found: CNY 21/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.