The best modern alternative to ClickHouse for real-time analytics databases is InfluxDB. It's an actively maintained time-series database designed specifically for high-speed real-time analytics, optimized for scenarios requiring immediate response to queries.
| Project | Stars | Last Update | Open Issues | License | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InfluxDB | 31,730 | 2026-09-01 (0 days) | 2,160 | Apache-2.0 | Real-time metrics & events |
| Doris | 15,849 | 2026-09-02 (0 days) | 1,255 | Apache-2.0 | Hybrid analytics & search |
| TimescaleDB | 23,456 | 2026-09-02 (0 days) | 393 | NOASSERTION | Time-series data analysis |
| Druid | 14,049 | 2026-09-02 (0 days) | 774 | Apache-2.0 | Low-latency ad-hoc analytics |
| StarRocks | 12,067 | 2026-09-02 (0 days) | 1,383 | Apache-2.0 | Multi-dimensional analytics |
InfluxDB is designed for metrics and event data, features low-latency responses (under 10ms), and supports SQL-style query languages. It's particularly suited for environments like monitoring and financial analytics due to its efficient data handling capabilities.
Doris is a strong competitor, focused on hybrid analytics and search, combining structured and semi-structured data queries effectively.
TimescaleDB, while excellent for time-series data, lacks clarity surrounding its licensing (NOASSERTION) and targets a specific niche within analytics.
Druid emphasizes operational queries and has low latency as well, but it is best used in environments prioritizing operational analytics over broader application scenarios.
StarRocks provides versatile data querying from both the lakehouse and interactive analytics perspectives, but its newer status means it might still be building out features and community support.
Choose InfluxDB if you're primarily dealing with time-series data and require a responsive database for metrics and event logging. Opt for Doris if hybrid search capabilities are critical to your use case. For broader analytics that include time-series data in Postgres-like environments, TimescaleDB would also be a viable consideration, though with caution regarding its licensing status.