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AWS Lambda vs Apache NiFi comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Apache NiFi
Ranking in Compute Service
8th
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
AWS Lambda
Ranking in Compute Service
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
83
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Compute Service category, the mindshare of Apache NiFi is 7.8%, up from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of AWS Lambda is 21.0%, down from 24.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Compute Service
 

Featured Reviews

Bharghava Raghavendra Beesa - PeerSpot reviewer
The tool enables effective data transformation and integration
There are some areas for improvement, particularly with record-level tasks that take a bit of time. The quality of JSON data processing could be improved, as JSON workloads require manual conversions without a specific process. Enhancing features related to alerting would be helpful, including mobile alerts for pipeline issues. Integration with mobile devices for error alerts would simplify information delivery.
Wai L Lin O - PeerSpot reviewer
A serverless solution with easy integration features
We use AWS Lambda because it provides a solution for our needs without requiring us to manage our infrastructure. With the tool, we only pay for the resources we use. Additionally, it is straightforward to implement and integrates with other services like API Gateway. The tool's serverless nature has had the most significant impact on our workflow. I find it particularly attractive because it eliminates the need for managing servers. In my previous experience, managing upgrades and updates was quite challenging. The solution's integration process with other AWS services was relatively easy. We primarily use AWS services such as EventBridge for scheduling processes and log management.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Visually, this is a good product."
"It's an automated flow, where you can build a flow from source to destination, then do the transformation in between."
"Apache NiFi is user-friendly. Its most valuable features for handling large volumes of data include its multitude of integrated endpoints and clients and the ability to create cron jobs to run tasks at regular intervals."
"The most valuable feature has been the range of clients and the range of connectors that we could use."
"We can integrate the tool with other applications easily."
"The initial setup is very easy. I would rate my experience with the initial setup a ten out of ten, where one point is difficult, and ten points are easy."
"The initial setup is very easy."
"It is highly effective for handling real-time data by working with APIs for immediate and continuous data extraction."
"I like that it's easy to use and maintain. Lambda is good and supports different platforms, so you don't need to worry about language or maintenance."
"AWS Lambda has improved our productivity and functionality."
"It is a scalable solution."
"The most valuable feature is that it scans the cloud system and if they are any security anomalies it triggers an email."
"The support from AWS Lambda is very good, they are responsive."
"The solution offers good performance."
"The installation and configuration of the solution is straightforward."
"The solution runs on the latest cloud technology so it is easy to deploy cloud-native projects."
 

Cons

"The quality of JSON data processing could be improved, as JSON workloads require manual conversions without a specific process."
"There are some claims that NiFi is cloud-native but we have tested it, and it's not."
"More features must be added to the product."
"The overall stability of this solution could be improved. In a future release, we would like to have access to more features that could be used in a parallel way. This would provide more freedom with processing."
"I think the UI interface needs to be more user-friendly."
"There is room for improvement in integration with SSO. For example, NiFi does not have any integration with SSO. And if I want to give some kind of rollback access control across the organization. That is not possible."
"There should be a better way to integrate a development environment with local tools."
"We run many jobs, and there are already large tables. When we do not control NiFi on time, all reports fail for the day. So it's pretty slow to control, and it has to be improved."
"One area of improvement is to include support for more programming languages. AWS Lambda does not support a lot of programming languages. You have to write the Lambda functions in a certain programming language. We are using C++. My developer knows a couple of other languages. Python is his favorite language, but Python is not supported in AWS Lambda."
"Memory limitation is one of the weaknesses of AWS Lambda and as a result, we have to use several Lambda, instead of just one. Recently, I met with an Amazon employee, who is responsible for Lambda as a product. It appears Amazon has some plans with Lambda, so I don’t have to add something to the additional features."
"The price in general could always be better."
"The deployment process is a bit complex, so it could be simplified to make it easier for beginners to deploy."
"The runtime for the solution can be improved."
"There were some timeout issues with AWS Lambda as the options provided didn't suit our business cases."
"We need to better understand Lambda for different scenarios. We need some joint effort between Amazon and the users to have the users identify how they can really leverage Lambda. It's not about Lambda itself; it's about the practice, the guidance. There needs to be very good documentation. From the user perspective, what exists now is not always enough."
"Its performance can be improved. There should also be more dynamic security permissions."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is open-source."
"It's an open-source solution."
"We use the free version of Apache NiFi."
"I used the tool's free version."
"The price of AWS Lambda is priced very low."
"AWS Lambda is cost-effective, with a minimal maintenance cost."
"AWS Lambda cost is pretty decent."
"Its pricing is on the higher side."
"The solution is free of cost for the first year, and after that, it becomes expensive."
"It computes by the cycle, and it's very cheap."
"Price-wise, AWS Lambda is very cheap. It's not free, but it's not that expensive."
"The pricing varies based on the specific solution you're implementing, and in comparison to the value it provides, the overall cost is reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
7%
Educational Organization
69%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
4%
Manufacturing Company
3%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Apache NiFi?
There are some areas for improvement, particularly with record-level tasks that take a bit of time. The quality of JSON data processing could be improved, as JSON workloads require manual conversio...
Which is better, AWS Lambda or Batch?
AWS Lambda is a serverless solution. It doesn’t require any infrastructure, which allows for cost savings. There is no setup process to deal with, as the entire solution is in the cloud. If you use...
What do you like most about AWS Lambda?
The tool scales automatically based on the number of incoming requests.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Lambda?
AWS Lambda is cheaper compared to running an instance continuously. You only pay for what you use, making it cost-effective.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Macquarie Telecom Group, Dovestech, Slovak Telekom, Looker, Hastings Group
Netflix
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Lambda vs. Apache NiFi and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
842,194 professionals have used our research since 2012.