Denodo vs FME comparison

Denodo and Safe Software are both solutions in the Data Integration category. Denodo is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.9, while Safe Software is ranked #26 with an average rating of 8.7. Denodo holds a 1.9% mindshare in DI, compared to Safe Software’s 1.8% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Denodo users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Safe Software users who would recommend it.

Denodo

Read 36 Denodo reviews

3,610 Views
2,173 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

FME

Read 5 FME reviews

2,503 Views
1,829 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Denodo

FME

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 19, 2024

Denodo and FME compete in the data integration and management sector. Denodo has an advantage due to its rich features and deployment flexibility, while FME is strong in cost-effectiveness and ROI.

Features: Denodo offers advanced data virtualization with capabilities for real-time access to various data sources without moving data. Its data security and governance are robust. FME stands out with its powerful data transformation and automation features, supporting numerous data formats for seamless integration. Denodo’s strength lies in virtualization, whereas FME excels in extensive format support and automation.

Room for Improvement: Denodo could improve its initial cost and complexity for small enterprises, streamline its learning curve, and expand integration with specific legacy systems. FME may enhance scalability for large datasets, offer more customization in data transformation, and further simplify its user interface for new users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Denodo provides flexible deployment on-premise, cloud, and hybrid, with strong professional support during setup. It is adaptable to different IT environments. FME offers an intuitive installation process with user-friendly tools, simplifying setup and maintenance. Denodo is suitable for complex environments, while FME is preferred for ease of setup.

Pricing and ROI: Denodo’s enterprise-level capabilities come with a substantial setup cost, but it promises significant ROI for organizations in need of advanced data virtualization. FME offers a scalable pricing model, making it budget-friendly with high ROI through efficient data transformation. Denodo appeals to enterprises seeking premium features, while FME attracts those looking for cost-effective solutions with strong ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Denodo vs. FME Report (Updated: February 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Denodo vs. FME

February 2025

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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

Denodo

Ranking in Data Integration

9th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Virtualization (1st), Cloud Data Integration (5th)

FME

Ranking in Data Integration

26th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Data Integration category, the mindshare of Denodo is 1.9%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of FME is 1.8%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Data Integration

Featured Reviews

Vishal_Goyal

Director Software Engineer at Clarivate

The data catalog feature helps define data structures without storing data

The data catalog feature is valuable as it helps define data structures without storing data. Denodo's ability to connect to multiple data sources and perform extract-transform-load (ETL) operations on the fly is noteworthy. It supports API usage to call and present data in JSON or Tableau format without visualization capabilities.

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Alan Bloor

Geographic Information System Developer at Public Sector

Great for handling large volumes of data, but it is priced a bit high

When I do coding, I think about every single function. Some of these functions can be very elementary, like doing a substring or some capitalization. But FME removes all that coding because it's a transformer, so the time to develop an application to get to a point where you're producing results is decreased massively. It used to take weeks and months to develop software, and now I can use something like FME, and within one day, we get results. We can look at and validate data. We make minor subtle changes to the workbenches to improve it. We can share the workbenches. We don't have to use GitHub or anything else.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"In PL/SQL, first you need to gather all the data and then start writing the file, but in Denodo you fetch the data and write the data simultaneously. So, for example, if you have 1 million or 2 million records, you don't have to wait to fetch all of the 2 million; you can keep on fetching and writing in the file simultaneously."

"Denodo provides several server connectivity options with other tools such as ODPC and UDPC. It supports API integrations, allowing integration with a wide range of databases using different technologies, including NoSQL and relational databases."

"The most valuable feature in Denodo is data virtualization."

"The most valuable features are data lineage and the concept of a semantic layer."

"The data catalog feature is valuable as it helps define data structures without storing data."

"It is a very stable solution."

"The best thing about Denodo is that creating and deploying a web service can be done in about 10 minutes, compared to a whole day when it comes to other solutions (such as when deploying with Java and AWS)."

"The most valuable feature is the performance. Denodo is very useful, especially in this huge pharma environment. I've found that older SAP solutions were very tightly coupled to each other, which resulted in data restrictions. Getting data from different sources was tough and tedious. Compared to these old solutions, Denodo is very easy to work with for the analytical team. Now that we've implemented this virtualization layer, we are capable of getting the data very smoothly. We implemented a very small unit, but the performance and integration have been very good."

More Denodo pros

"We make minor subtle changes to the workbenches to improve it. We can share the workbenches. We don't have to use GitHub or anything else."

"All spatial features are unrivaled, and the possibility to execute them based on a scheduled trigger, manual, e-mail, Websocket, tweet, file/directory change or virtually any trigger is most valuable."

"The most valuable feature of FME is the graphical user interface. There is nothing better. It is very easy to debug because you can see all steps where there are failures. Overall the software is easy to optimize a process."

"It has standard plug-ins available for different data sources."

"It has a very friendly user interface. You don't need to use a lot of code. For us that's the most important aspect about it. Also, it has a lot of connectors and few forms. It has a strong facial aspect. It can do a lot of facial analysis."

Cons

"Documentation needs to be improved"

"I would like it if we could pull the data model or export the data model because Denodo has, based on how you build, something called associations. The data model gets very confusing when you go look at it. It depends on how you define it, but it's really huge. I wish there was a way to export it into Visio. It could be that they already have a way to do it, and I don't know, but it would be much easier for the architects and even for the developers to look at it than scrunching it into the screen and expanding every small portion of it. If there was an easy way to export the Denodo model into another modeling tool and view it, it would be great."

"There are a couple of areas that can be improved in Denodo. From a stability point of view, sometimes we see issues in the data management functionality. This only happens now and then, however, and usually takes place when we add in our own customization."

"Denodo needs better communication on how the product can be deployed for specific solutions, and there are price issues, as it's considered expensive."

"They need to invest more in the optimization engine. It will be a fantastic tool for them to enhance automation and improve the GUI interface, especially for Integration, as some tools are still not fully integrated, such as Iceberg."

"The data catalog certainly has room for improvement. It is functional but we look forward to development. We are in constant contact with Denodo and they are fully aware of our needs."

"The stability of the features can be improved."

"Tasks such as conversion of a date format or conversion of a number format that can be done in a very easy way in different languages, like SQL or Oracle, are not so easy to do in Denodo. For example, if you want to convert a date from one format to another, in Oracle it's pretty easy; in Denodo, however, it requires so many lines of code. Simple things that can be done very quickly in other database languages require more lines of code in Denodo."

More Denodo cons

"The one thing that always appears in the community is the ability to make really easy loops to loop through data efficiently. That needs to be added at some point."

"To get a higher rating, it would have to improve the price and the associated scalability. These are the main issues."

"FME can improve the geographical transformation. I've had some problems with the geographical transformations, but it's probably mostly because I'm not the most skilled geographer in-house. The solution requires some in-depth knowledge to perform some functions."

"FME's price needs improvement for the African market."

"Improvements could be made to mapping presentations."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing should be improved, as the cost per connector is quite expensive."

"Depending on the size of the client you want to work with, it can be prohibitively expensive at times."

"There is an express edition and a licensed enterprise edition."

"Talking with my manager and others, nobody has complained about the pricing so far which is a positive sign."

"The licensing charges for this solution are payable annually."

"For us, the cost has been okay. Also, there are no additional costs; it's just the standard licensing fee."

"Cost wise, on a scale from one to five, with one being the cheapest and five being the most expensive, Denodo would be at three. We get all the features in a bundle."

"I don't know the actual cost, but it's tens of thousands of dollars per month."

More Denodo pricing and cost advice

"The product's price is reasonable."

"We used the standard licensing for our use of FME. The cost was approximately €15,000 annually. We always welcome less expensive solutions, if the solution could be less expensive it would be helpful."

"FME Server used to cost £10,000; now it can cost over £100,000."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

30%

Energy/Utilities Company

13%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

Does Denodo provide useful data virtualization education? Is it useful to attend their training?

If you are a Denodo user, it makes sense to undergo their training. Different types of professionals can benefit from it, including administrators, developers, and architects. If you are keen on i...

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In experience, what might Denodo be lacking or need improvement on?

I like Denodo a lot. It offers quick and easy web service deployment within minutes. There are not any flaws that I think make the product less good or effective. The only thing I can point out is...

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Which industries can benefit from Denodo the most?

Denodo is suitable for pretty much all sectors that deal with: Big data Cloud solutions Data governance Logical data fabric Master data management In my opinion, organizations in different fields...

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What do you like most about FME?

We make minor subtle changes to the workbenches to improve it. We can share the workbenches. We don't have to use GitHub or anything else.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FME?

The pricing is really bad. Last year, they rebranded the whole pricing structure. It used to be moderately priced at about £400 per user per year. Now they've changed the whole thing, and it's expe...

See all answers

What needs improvement with FME?

The one thing that always appears in the community is the ability to make really easy loops to loop through data efficiently. That needs to be added at some point. There must be a technical or comm...

See all answers

Comparisons

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IBM Cloud Pak for Data vs Denodo

Compared 7% of the time

Informatica PowerCenter vs Denodo

Compared 6% of the time

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Azure Data Factory vs FME

Compared 23% of the time

Talend Open Studio vs FME

Compared 14% of the time

Alteryx Designer vs FME

Compared 10% of the time

SSIS vs FME

Compared 7% of the time

Informatica PowerCenter vs FME

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Denodo

March 2025

Download Denodo product report

Buyer's Guide

FME

March 2025

Download FME product report

Overview

Denodo is a leading data integration, management, and delivery platform that uses a logical approach to enable data science, hybrid and multi-cloud data integration, self-service BI, and enterprise data services. Organizations of different sizes across various industries utilize the product to get above the data silos. The solution offers organizations the freedom to migrate data to the cloud, or logically unify data warehouses and data lakes, without affecting business. This can ultimately result in the evolution of data strategies.

The platform accelerates data provisioning through reduced data replication, provides business users the freedom to select their preferred applications, and enables consistent security and governance across multiple systems. The solution offers one of the leading logical data fabric solutions by initiating data virtualization and eliminating the complexity and exposing the data in business-friendly formats.

Denodo also offers modern data integration and management for hybrid and multi-cloud environments for Denodo Platform for Cloud. This service can be purchased through the bring-your-own-license (BYOL) option. Users seeking faster deployment can license the product to popular cloud providers, including Amazon AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure. The solution integrates, manages, and delivers data in complex environments with high performance, governance, and security. It also offers additional solutions, such as the Denodo Platform for Cloud Modernization, the Denodo Platform for Cloud Data Integration, and the Denodo Platform for Cloud Analytics, which overcome common cloud data challenges.

Denodo Features

At the beginning of 2022, version 8.0 of Denodo introduced several new key features of the platform. These include:

Scalability: Denodo can scale from departmental or project to enterprise-wide with geographically distributed nodes. It can also handle large transactional loads of users, sources, and transactions as well as analytical loads of data volumes.
Query optimizers: This feature offers advanced cost-based and source constraint-based query optimization that includes query rewrite, query delegations, data movements, and join optimization.
Intelligent caching: This feature makes full, portal, and time-based caching possible.
Fine-grained security model: This Denodo feature makes integration with external systems possible.
Monitoring and auditing: Denodo offers enterprise-grade monitoring and auditing, which allows for integration with system management products, including Tivoli, Unicenter, and HP BTO.
Development and deployment support: The product offers full lifecycle support for the development and deployment of applications, providing users with all required tools.

Denodo Benefits

Denodo offers various benefits for its users through its services. Some of the greatest advantages of using this platform include:

The solution accelerates time to market for all types of business data through its services.
Denodo provides IT agility, which helps companies respond to business-changing demands in a timely manner.
Users can decide how much data replication they want to reduce through Denodo and use the product in full control.
The solution meets the industry's security and privacy requirements by providing high-grade protection for users' data.
Users can benefit from centralized control of data query executions for complete governance and full security.
Denodo offers legacy replacement, multi-cloud deployments, and cloud migrations with minimal disruptions and a fair price.
The solution utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to unlock data potential for customers.

Reviews from Real Users

Naresh M., a senior application developer at a financial services firm, appreciates Denodo because it offers quick and simple web services creation.

Alisson M., a senior BigData DevOps engineer at Schaeffler, says that Denodo is great for queries and scouting data.

Denodo

FME is the data integration platform with the best support for spatial data. Run workflows on the desktop or deploy them in a server or cloud environment.

Safe Software

Sample Customers

Autodesk, VHA, AAA, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Caterpillar, European Chemical Agency, Seagate, Nationwide, Time Warner Cable, Pantex, Inditex, BNSF Railways, Vodafone, CIT Group, Jazztel, Wolters Kluwer, Telefonica, TransAlta

Shell, US Department of Commerce, PG&E, BC Hydro, City of Vancouver, Enel, Iowa DoT, San Antonio Water System

Buyer's Guide

Denodo vs. FME

February 2025

Free Report: Denodo vs. FME

Find out what your peers are saying about Denodo vs. FME and other solutions. Updated: February 2025.

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