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Apache Pulsar vs Azure Stream Analytics 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 Pulsar
Ranking in Streaming Analytics
19th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Azure Stream Analytics
Ranking in Streaming Analytics
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Streaming Analytics category, the mindshare of Apache Pulsar is 2.0%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Azure Stream Analytics is 11.1%, down from 12.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Streaming Analytics
 

Featured Reviews

CB
The solution can mimic other APIs without changing a line of code
The solution operates as a classic message broker but also as a streaming platform. It operates differently than a traditional streaming platform with storage and computing handled separately. It scales easier and better than Kafka which can be stubborn. You can even make it act like Kafka because it understands Kafka APIs. There are even companies that will sell you Kafka but underneath it is Apache Pulsar. The solution is very compatible because it can mimic other APIs without changing a line of code.
SantiagoCordero - PeerSpot reviewer
Native connectors and integration simplify tasks but portfolio complexity needs addressing
There are too many products in the Azure landscape, which sometimes leads to overlap between them. Microsoft continuously releases new products or solutions, which can be frustrating when determining the appropriate features from one solution over another. A cost comparison between products is also not straightforward. They should simplify their portfolio. The Microsoft licensing system is confusing and not easy to understand, and this is something they should address. In the future, I may stop using Stream Analytics and move to other solutions. I discussed Palantir earlier, which is something I want to explore in depth because it allows me to accomplish more efficiently compared to solely using Azure. Additionally, the vendors should make the solution more user-friendly, incorporating low-code and no-code features. This is something I wish to explore further.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution operates as a classic message broker but also as a streaming platform."
"I appreciate this solution because it leverages open-source technologies. It allows us to utilize the latest streaming solutions and it's easy to develop."
"The solution's technical support is good."
"We find the query editor feature of this solution extremely valuable for our business."
"Technical support is pretty helpful."
"The integrations for this solution are easy to use and there is flexibility in integrating the tool with Azure Stream Analytics."
"It's scalable as a cloud product."
"The solution has a lot of functionality that can be pushed out to companies."
"I like all the connected ecosystems of Microsoft, it is really good with other BI tools that are easy to connect."
 

Cons

"Documentation is poor because much of it is in Chinese with no English translation."
"The UI should be a little bit better from a usability perspective."
"If something goes wrong, it's very hard to investigate what caused it and why."
"Azure Stream Analytics is challenging to customize because it's not very flexible."
"It is not complex, but it requires some development skills. When the data is sent from Azure Stream Analytics to Power BI, I don't have the access to modify the data. I can't customize or edit the data or do some queries. All queries need to be done in the Azure Stream Analytics."
"Azure Stream Analytics could improve by having clearer metrics as to the scale, more metrics around the data set size that is flowing through it, and performance tuning recommendations."
"The solution’s customer support could be improved."
"There are too many products in the Azure landscape, which sometimes leads to overlap between them."
"I would like to have a contact individual at Microsoft."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"When scaling up, the pricing for Azure Stream Analytics can get relatively high. Considering its capabilities compared to other solutions, I would rate it a seven out of ten for cost. However, we've found ways to optimize costs using tools like Databricks for specific tasks."
"The product's price is at par with the other solutions provided by the other cloud service providers in the market."
"There are different tiers based on retention policies. There are four tiers. The pricing varies based on steaming units and tiers. The standard pricing is $10/hour."
"The cost of this solution is less than competitors such as Amazon or Google Cloud."
"We pay approximately $500,000 a year. It's approximately $10,000 a year per license."
"Azure Stream Analytics is a little bit expensive."
"I rate the price of Azure Stream Analytics a four out of five."
"The licensing for this product is payable on a 'pay as you go' basis. This means that the cost is only based on data volume, and the frequency that the solution is used."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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Which would you choose - Databricks or Azure Stream Analytics?
Databricks is an easy-to-set-up and versatile tool for data management, analysis, and business analytics. For analytics teams that have to interpret data to further the business goals of their orga...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Stream Analytics?
When I purchased the product, it was comparable to other Azure products. From my point of view, it should be cheaper now, considering the years since its release. The Azure solution is better now, ...
What needs improvement with Azure Stream Analytics?
There are too many products in the Azure landscape, which sometimes leads to overlap between them. Microsoft continuously releases new products or solutions, which can be frustrating when determini...
 

Also Known As

No data available
ASA
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Rockwell Automation, Milliman, Honeywell Building Solutions, Arcoflex Automation Solutions, Real Madrid C.F., Aerocrine, Ziosk, Tacoma Public Schools, P97 Networks
Find out what your peers are saying about Databricks, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft and others in Streaming Analytics. Updated: February 2025.
842,651 professionals have used our research since 2012.