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.

Updated 2025
23 Tools Compared
Expert Analysis
Featured Tool
OpenMetadata
Open-source metadata platform

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
OpenMetadata
Open-source metadata platform
Open Source
Free
Caters to: Free tier available

Extensible metadata and governance framework with open APIs and community-driven development

Feature Flags

AI Search
Lineage
Governance
Collaboration
RBAC
PII Detection
Data Quality
Automated Workflow
Version Control

Integrations

Postgres
MySQL
Kafka
Airflow
dbt
Superset
+2 more

Pros

  • Completely open-source
  • Extensible architecture
  • Active community

Cons

  • Requires technical expertise
  • Community support only
  • Less polished than commercial tools

Top Data Governance Tools Overview

OpenMetadata
Open-source metadata platform
Open Source
Free
Caters to: Free tier available

Extensible metadata and governance framework with open APIs and community-driven development

Feature Flags

AI Search
Lineage
Governance
Collaboration
RBAC
PII Detection
Data Quality
Automated Workflow
Version Control

Integrations

Postgres
MySQL
Kafka
Airflow
dbt
Superset
+2 more
Apache Superset
Open-source data exploration and visualization
Open Source
Free
Caters to: Free tier available

Modern, enterprise-ready business intelligence web application for data exploration and visualization

Feature Flags

AI Search
Lineage
Governance
Collaboration
RBAC
PII Detection
Data Quality
Automated Workflow
Version Control

Integrations

PostgreSQL
MySQL
BigQuery
Redshift
Snowflake
Druid
+1 more
Great Expectations
Open-source data quality validation
Open Source
Free
Caters to: Free tier available

Open-source data quality validation framework for data teams

Feature Flags

AI Search
Lineage
Governance
Collaboration
RBAC
PII Detection
Data Quality
Automated Workflow
Version Control

Integrations

dbt
Airflow
Spark
Pandas
PostgreSQL
BigQuery
+1 more
dbt (data build tool)
Open-source data transformation
Open Source
Free
Caters to: Free tier available

Open-source data transformation tool that enables data analysts and engineers to transform data in their warehouse

Feature Flags

AI Search
Lineage
Governance
Collaboration
RBAC
PII Detection
Data Quality
Automated Workflow
Version Control

Integrations

Snowflake
BigQuery
Redshift
PostgreSQL
Databricks
Airflow
Apache Airflow
Open-source workflow orchestration
Open Source
Free
Caters to: Free tier available

Open-source platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows

Feature Flags

AI Search
Lineage
Governance
Collaboration
RBAC
PII Detection
Data Quality
Automated Workflow
Version Control

Integrations

Python
Kubernetes
Docker
AWS
GCP
Azure
+2 more
Apache Kafka
Open-source distributed streaming platform
Open Source
Free
Caters to: Free tier available

Open-source distributed event streaming platform for high-performance data pipelines, streaming analytics, data integration, and mission-critical applications

Feature Flags

AI Search
Lineage
Governance
Collaboration
RBAC
PII Detection
Data Quality
Automated Workflow
Version Control

Integrations

Java
Python
Scala
Kubernetes
Docker
AWS
+2 more

Feature Comparison

ToolCategoryMarket
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

#1

OpenMetadata

Open Source

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
#2

Apache Superset

Open Source

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
#3

Great Expectations

Open Source

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
#4

dbt (data build tool)

Open Source

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
#5

Apache Airflow

Open Source

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
#6

Apache Kafka

Open Source

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
#7

Amundsen

Open Source

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
#8

PostgreSQL

Open Source

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
#9

MySQL

Open Source

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
#10

MongoDB

Open Source

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
#11

Redis

Open Source

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
#12

Presto

Open Source

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
#13

Trino

Open Source

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
#14

Apache Atlas

Open Source

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
#15

DataHub

Open Source

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
#16

Shiny (R)

Open Source

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
#17

Plotly Dash

Open Source

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
#18

D3.js

Open Source

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
#19

KNIME

Open Source

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
#20

Soda Core

Open Source

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
#21

Deequ

Open Source

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
#22

Prefect

Open Source

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
#23

Dagster

Open Source

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

What's the best free data catalog?

OpenMetadata and DataHub are top community tools with extensible APIs and active support. They offer enterprise-grade features without the cost of commercial solutions.

Which tool is best for enterprises with strict compliance needs?

Collibra, Informatica, and Secoda offer advanced governance, PII tagging, and role-based workflows that meet enterprise compliance requirements.

Do I need AI features?

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.

Need help selecting the right tool?
Get personalized recommendations based on your organization's specific needs and requirements.