Top 23 Data Governance and Catalog Tools in 2025
Compare the best data governance and catalog tools in 2025. Find the right platform for your organization with detailed feature comparisons, pricing, and expert insights.
Why OpenMetadata is a Top Pick
OpenMetadata is the most comprehensive open-source metadata platform, offering enterprise-grade features with the flexibility of open-source. Its extensible architecture makes it ideal for custom integrations.
Key Features:
- Open APIs
- Extensible architecture
- Community-driven
- Comprehensive lineage
- Modern UI
Extensible metadata and governance framework with open APIs and community-driven development
Feature Flags
Integrations
Pros
- Completely open-source
- Extensible architecture
- Active community
Cons
- Requires technical expertise
- Community support only
- Less polished than commercial tools
Top Data Governance Tools
Extensible metadata and governance framework with open APIs and community-driven development
Feature Flags
Integrations
Modern, enterprise-ready business intelligence web application for data exploration and visualization
Feature Flags
Integrations
Open-source data quality validation framework for data teams
Feature Flags
Integrations
Open-source data transformation tool that enables data analysts and engineers to transform data in their warehouse
Feature Flags
Integrations
Open-source platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows
Feature Flags
Integrations
Open-source distributed event streaming platform for high-performance data pipelines, streaming analytics, data integration, and mission-critical applications
Feature Flags
Integrations
Top Data Governance Tools Overview
Extensible metadata and governance framework with open APIs and community-driven development
Feature Flags
Integrations
Modern, enterprise-ready business intelligence web application for data exploration and visualization
Feature Flags
Integrations
Open-source data quality validation framework for data teams
Feature Flags
Integrations
Open-source data transformation tool that enables data analysts and engineers to transform data in their warehouse
Feature Flags
Integrations
Open-source platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows
Feature Flags
Integrations
Open-source distributed event streaming platform for high-performance data pipelines, streaming analytics, data integration, and mission-critical applications
Feature Flags
Integrations
Feature Comparison
Tool | Category | Market | AI Search | Lineage | Governance | Collaboration | RBAC | PII Detection | Data Quality | GDPR | HIPAA | Encryption | Open Source | Actions |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OpenMetadata Open-source metadata platform | All-in-One | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
DataHub LinkedIn's metadata platform | Data Catalog | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Apache Superset Open-source data exploration and visualization | Data Visualization | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Great Expectations Open-source data quality validation | Data Quality | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
dbt (data build tool) Open-source data transformation | Data Pipeline | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Apache Airflow Open-source workflow orchestration | Data Pipeline | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Apache Kafka Open-source distributed streaming platform | Data Pipeline | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Amundsen Open-source data discovery and metadata engine | Data Catalog | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
PostgreSQL Advanced open-source relational database | Database | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
MySQL World's most popular open-source database | Database | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
MongoDB Document database for modern applications | Database | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Redis In-memory data structure store | Database | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Presto Distributed SQL query engine | Query Engine | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Trino Fast distributed SQL query engine | Query Engine | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Apache Atlas Metadata management and data governance | Data Governance | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Shiny (R) Interactive web applications with R | Data Visualization | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Plotly Dash Python web apps for data visualization | Data Visualization | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
D3.js Data-driven documents for web | Data Visualization | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
KNIME Open source analytics platform | Data Transformation | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available | ||||||||||||
Soda Core Data quality testing framework | Data Quality | Open Source Free Caters to: Free tier available |
Detailed Tool Reviews
OpenMetadata
Extensible metadata and governance framework with open APIs and community-driven development
Pros
- Completely open-source
- Extensible architecture
- Active community
- Comprehensive features
- No vendor lock-in
Cons
- Requires technical expertise
- Community support only
- Less polished than commercial tools
- Setup complexity
Apache Superset
Modern, enterprise-ready business intelligence web application for data exploration and visualization
Pros
- Completely free
- Rich visualizations
- SQL editor
- Plugin architecture
- Active community
Cons
- No built-in governance
- Limited lineage
- Requires technical setup
- Basic collaboration
Great Expectations
Open-source data quality validation framework for data teams
Pros
- Completely free
- Comprehensive testing
- Python integration
- Active community
- Flexible validation
Cons
- No built-in governance
- Limited lineage
- Requires coding
- No visual interface
dbt (data build tool)
Open-source data transformation tool that enables data analysts and engineers to transform data in their warehouse
Pros
- Completely free
- SQL-based
- Version control
- Testing framework
- Active community
Cons
- No built-in governance
- Limited collaboration
- Requires SQL knowledge
- No visual interface
Apache Airflow
Open-source platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows
Pros
- Completely free
- Python-based
- Rich UI
- Extensible
- Active community
Cons
- No built-in governance
- Limited lineage
- Complex setup
- Requires Python knowledge
Apache Kafka
Open-source distributed event streaming platform for high-performance data pipelines, streaming analytics, data integration, and mission-critical applications
Pros
- Completely free
- High performance
- Scalable
- Fault tolerant
- Active community
Cons
- No built-in governance
- Limited lineage
- Complex setup
- Requires technical expertise
Amundsen
Amundsen is an open-source data discovery and metadata engine designed to improve the productivity of data analysts, data scientists, and engineers when interacting with data.
Pros
- Completely free
- Open-source
- Graph-based metadata
- Extensible
- Active community
Cons
- Requires technical expertise
- Limited governance
- No built-in collaboration
- Manual setup required
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is a powerful, open-source object-relational database system with over 30 years of active development that has earned it a strong reputation for reliability, feature robustness, and performance.
Pros
- Completely free
- ACID compliant
- Extensible
- JSON support
- Geospatial features
- Active community
Cons
- No built-in governance
- Requires manual setup
- Limited enterprise features
- No native lineage
MySQL
MySQL is the world's most popular open-source relational database management system, known for its reliability, ease of use, and performance.
Pros
- Completely free
- Widely supported
- Easy to use
- High performance
- Reliable
- Large community
Cons
- Limited advanced features
- No built-in governance
- Manual setup required
- No native lineage
MongoDB
MongoDB is a source-available cross-platform document-oriented database program. Classified as a NoSQL database program, MongoDB uses JSON-like documents with optional schemas.
Pros
- Schema flexibility
- Horizontal scaling
- JSON-like documents
- Easy to use
- Good performance
- Active community
Cons
- No ACID compliance
- Limited governance
- Manual setup required
- No native lineage
Redis
Redis is an open-source, in-memory data structure store, used as a database, cache, and message broker. It supports various data structures such as strings, hashes, lists, sets, and sorted sets.
Pros
- Ultra-fast performance
- Multiple data structures
- Persistence options
- Easy to use
- Widely supported
- Active community
Cons
- Memory limitations
- No built-in governance
- Manual setup required
- No native lineage
Presto
Presto is a distributed SQL query engine designed for interactive queries on data of any size, from gigabytes to petabytes. It was designed and written from the ground up for interactive analytics.
Pros
- Interactive queries
- Multiple data sources
- ANSI SQL
- Federated queries
- Good performance
- Active community
Cons
- No built-in governance
- Manual setup required
- Limited enterprise features
- No native lineage
Trino
Trino is a fast distributed SQL query engine designed for interactive queries on data of any size, from gigabytes to petabytes. It was forked from Presto and continues to evolve independently.
Pros
- Fast queries
- Multiple data sources
- ANSI SQL
- Federated queries
- Good performance
- Active community
Cons
- No built-in governance
- Manual setup required
- Limited enterprise features
- No native lineage
Apache Atlas
Apache Atlas is a scalable and extensible set of core foundational governance services that enables enterprises to effectively and efficiently meet their compliance requirements within Hadoop.
Pros
- Completely free
- Hadoop-native
- Comprehensive lineage
- Classification system
- REST APIs
- Active community
Cons
- Hadoop-focused
- Complex setup
- Limited enterprise features
- Steep learning curve
DataHub
DataHub is LinkedIn's metadata platform for the modern data stack. It enables data discovery, data observability, and federated governance to help tame the complexity of the modern data landscape.
Pros
- LinkedIn-backed
- Scalable architecture
- Streaming metadata
- Modern APIs
- Comprehensive features
- Active community
Cons
- Complex setup
- Requires technical expertise
- Community support only
- Less polished UI
Shiny (R)
Shiny is an R package that makes it easy to build interactive web apps straight from R. Create dashboards, visualizations, and data applications without needing web development skills.
Pros
- R ecosystem integration
- Interactive capabilities
- Free and open source
- Strong community
- No web dev skills needed
Cons
- R knowledge required
- Performance limitations
- Limited styling options
- Hosting complexity
Plotly Dash
Dash is a Python framework for building analytical web applications. Create interactive, production-ready dashboards and data applications with just Python.
Pros
- Python ecosystem
- Production ready
- Interactive components
- Free open source
- Strong documentation
Cons
- Python knowledge required
- Learning curve
- Performance with large datasets
- Limited themes
D3.js
D3.js is a JavaScript library for producing dynamic, interactive data visualizations in web browsers. Create custom visualizations with complete control over the final result.
Pros
- Complete customization
- Web standards
- Powerful animations
- Large community
- Extensive examples
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- JavaScript expertise required
- Development time
- Browser compatibility
KNIME
KNIME is an open-source analytics platform for data science that allows users to create data flows, execute analysis, and deploy models through a visual interface.
Pros
- Free and open source
- Visual interface
- Extensive integrations
- Large community
- No coding required
Cons
- Java-based performance
- Memory intensive
- Complex for simple tasks
- Learning curve
Soda Core
Soda Core is an open-source framework for data quality testing. Write data quality checks in YAML and integrate with your data pipeline to ensure data reliability.
Pros
- Simple YAML syntax
- SQL-like interface
- Pipeline integration
- Open source
- Easy to adopt
Cons
- Limited advanced features
- Newer platform
- Less mature ecosystem
- Basic reporting
Deequ
Deequ is a library built on top of Apache Spark for defining "unit tests for data", which measure data quality in large datasets.
Pros
- Spark-native performance
- Statistical analysis
- Scalable architecture
- AWS-backed
- Distributed computing
Cons
- Spark expertise required
- Limited to Spark ecosystems
- Scala/Python knowledge needed
- Less user-friendly
Prefect
Prefect is a modern workflow orchestration platform that makes it easy to build, run, and monitor data workflows. It provides a Python-native approach to workflow management with excellent observability.
Pros
- Python-native
- Great observability
- Easy debugging
- Dynamic workflows
- Active community
Cons
- Newer platform
- Less mature ecosystem
- Learning curve
- Limited enterprise features in free tier
Dagster
Dagster is a data orchestration platform for the development, production, and observation of data assets. It provides a unified approach to data engineering with strong typing and testing capabilities.
Pros
- Asset-centric design
- Strong typing
- Built-in testing
- Great observability
- Modern architecture
Cons
- Newer platform
- Learning curve
- Less mature ecosystem
- Limited enterprise features
Frequently Asked Questions
OpenMetadata and DataHub are top community tools with extensible APIs and active support. They offer enterprise-grade features without the cost of commercial solutions.
Collibra, Informatica, and Secoda offer advanced governance, PII tagging, and role-based workflows that meet enterprise compliance requirements.
AI search and auto-tagging can significantly reduce time spent on manual documentation and metadata entry. Secoda, Alation, and Atlan offer leading implementations of AI-powered features.