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Apache Spark vs Cloudera Data Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 6, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.6
Apache Spark enhances machine learning, cutting operational costs by up to 50%, with efficiency reliant on resources and expertise.
Sentiment score
5.6
Users experience varied ROI from Cloudera Data Platform, with outcomes depending on deployment specifics and infrastructure usage.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.9
Apache Spark support feedback varies, with mixed reviews on community forums, vendor support, and documentation adequacy.
Sentiment score
6.7
Cloudera support is generally helpful but varies, with paid services rated better; interaction with engineers is highly valued.
I have communicated with technical support, and they are responsive and helpful.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Apache Spark excels in scalability, efficiently handling large data workloads with ease, though it requires skilled infrastructure management.
Sentiment score
6.6
Cloudera Data Platform is highly scalable and efficient, outperforming Hortonworks despite minor upgrade challenges that are manageable with support.
Integration with other tools works well for us and we successfully scaled the solution after two to three years without any issues.
For scalability, I rate Cloudera Data Platform at an eight out of ten as it is an on-premise solution.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Apache Spark is generally stable, trusted by companies; newer versions enhance reliability, though memory issues may arise without proper configuration.
Sentiment score
7.1
Cloudera Data Platform is stable with minimal issues, mostly related to hardware or updates, and is highly rated for reliability.
MapReduce needs to perform numerous disk input and output operations, while Apache Spark can use memory to store and process data.
 

Room For Improvement

Apache Spark requires improvements in scalability, usability, documentation, memory efficiency, real-time processing, and broader language support for better performance.
Cloudera Data Platform needs improvements in usability, security, cloud integration, cost, and support for broader industry application.
Cloudera Data Platform should include additional capabilities and features similar to those offered by other data management solutions like Azure and Databricks.
We aim to address these issues with a Kubernetes-based platform that will simplify the task of upgrading services.
 

Setup Cost

Apache Spark is cost-effective but may incur expenses from hardware, cloud resources, or commercial support, impacting deployment costs.
Cloudera Data Platform's pricing is complex yet affordable, valued for open-source aspects and professional service needs for optimization.
Initially, CDH had a straightforward pricing model based on nodes, but CDP includes factors like processors, cores, terabytes, and drives, making it difficult to calculate costs.
 

Valuable Features

Apache Spark offers fast in-memory processing, scalable analytics, MLlib for machine learning, SQL support, and seamless integration with languages.
Cloudera Data Platform excels in flexibility, scalability, and comprehensive features for efficient data management, secure containerization, and AI support.
Not all solutions can make this data fast enough to be used, except for solutions such as Apache Spark Structured Streaming.
By using the Hadoop File System for distributed storage, we have 1.5 petabytes of physical storage with 500 terabytes of effective storage due to a replication factor of three.
The foremost benefit is offloading data from the warehouse to Cloudera Data Platform, which allows for cheaper storage.
 

Categories and Ranking

Apache Spark
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
67
Ranking in other categories
Hadoop (1st), Compute Service (4th), Java Frameworks (2nd)
Cloudera Data Platform
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Master Data Management (MDM) Solutions (10th), Data Management Platforms (DMP) (5th)
 

Featured Reviews

Omar Khaled - PeerSpot reviewer
Empowering data consolidation and fast decision-making with efficient big data processing
I can improve the organization's functions by taking less time to make decisions. To make the right decision, you need the right data, and a solution can provide this by hiring talent and employees who can consolidate data from different sources and organize it. Not all solutions can make this data fast enough to be used, except for solutions such as Apache Spark Structured Streaming. To make the right decision, you should have both accurate and fast data. Apache Spark itself is similar to the Python programming language. Python is a language with many libraries for mathematics and machine learning. Apache Spark is the solution, and within it, you have PySpark, which is the API for Apache Spark to write and run Python code. Within it, there are many APIs, including SQL APIs, allowing you to write SQL code within a Python function in Apache Spark. You can also use Apache Spark Structured Streaming and machine learning APIs.
Miodrag-Stanic - PeerSpot reviewer
Distributed computing improves data processing while upgrade complexity needs addressing
There are challenges with upgrading or updating various services like Spark, Impala, and Hive on on-premise and bare metal solutions. We aim to address these issues with a Kubernetes-based platform that will simplify the task of upgrading services. We also wish to implement lakehouse capabilities with Iceberg or Delta Lake frameworks.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
26%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Performing Arts
11%
Transportation Company
9%
University
7%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Apache Spark?
We use Spark to process data from different data sources.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Apache Spark?
Apache Spark is open-source, so it doesn't incur any charges.
What needs improvement with Apache Spark?
There is complexity when it comes to understanding the whole ecosystem, especially for beginners. I find it quite complex to understand how a Spark job is initiated, the roles of driver nodes, work...
What do you like most about Hortonworks Data Platform?
Distributed computing, secure containerization, and governance capabilities are the most valuable features.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Hortonworks Data Platform?
The pricing model for Cloudera Data Platform is complex and has increased significantly compared to CDH. Initially, CDH had a straightforward pricing model based on nodes, but CDP includes factors ...
What needs improvement with Hortonworks Data Platform?
Cloudera Data Platform should include additional capabilities and features similar to those offered by other data management solutions like Azure ( /products/microsoft-azure-reviews ) and Databrick...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

NASA JPL, UC Berkeley AMPLab, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, UC Santa Cruz, TripAdvisor, Taboola, Agile Lab, Art.com, Baidu, Alibaba Taobao, EURECOM, Hitachi Solutions
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