Best Stream Processing Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Apache Storm is ranked #1 of 23 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Feldera and AFL++. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Feldera. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Materialize at $0.13/mo.
For workloads that process data continuously as it arrives, stream processing software varies in deployment choices and event-handling capabilities. Compare source connectors, SQL processing, and supported languages, then look at event-time windows and stateful processing in relation to your pipelines. The ranking begins with Apache Storm, Feldera, and AFL++, followed by Apache Beam and Kafka Streams. Deployment model is another key point to weigh, and free-plan availability and paid-from pricing help frame access and cost. Use these listed criteria to compare the tools against the processing requirements of your team.
23 stream processing software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 Apache Storm Top pick · 7.3 Free plan · Free
#2 Feldera Runner-up · 7.3 Free plan · Free
#3 AFL++ Also great · 7.2 Free plan · €1666.67/mo- Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self-hosted
- Stateful processing
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- SQL processing
- Yes
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan AndroidLinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms€1666.67/mofirst paid tier About AFL++Visit site - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindowsRecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
- Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWeb
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- SQL processing
- Yes
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self-hosted
- SQL processing
- No
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 199 /mo
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$199/mofirst paid tier About TimeplusVisit site - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindowsRecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
- Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial apiLinuxWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 385 /mo
- Deployment model
- cloud
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$385/mofirst paid tier About Confluent CloudVisit site - Free plan apiLinuxself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self-hosted
- SQL processing
- Yes
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- SQL processing
- Yes
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$0.13/mofirst paid tier About MaterializeVisit site - Free plan apiLinuxself-hosted
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self-hosted
- SQL processing
- Yes
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan apiLinuxself-hosted
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self-hosted
- SQL processing
- Yes
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan apiself-hosted
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- SQL processing
- Yes
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free trial apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- hybrid
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$0.23/mofirst paid tier About RisingWaveVisit site - Free trial apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- SQL processing
- Yes
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - apiWeb
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- cloud
- SQL processing
- Yes
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOS
- Deployment model
- self-hosted
- SQL processing
- Yes
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms -
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self-hosted
- SQL processing
- No
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms -
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- SQL processing
- No
- Stateful processing
- Yes
- Event-time windows
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms -
- Deployment model
- self-hosted
- Stateful processing
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
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 stream processing software is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?
Apache Storm is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 7.3. Feldera is second and AFL++ third.
How many of these have a free plan?
15 of the 23 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Materialize has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.13/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.