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Alation Data Catalog vs Collibra Lineage comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

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

Alation Data Catalog
Ranking in Data Governance
7th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
Metadata Management (2nd)
Collibra Lineage
Ranking in Data Governance
10th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Data Governance category, the mindshare of Alation Data Catalog is 5.5%, down from 9.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Collibra Lineage is 2.7%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Governance Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Alation Data Catalog5.5%
Collibra Lineage2.7%
Other91.8%
Data Governance
 

Featured Reviews

Brahma Lam - PeerSpot reviewer
Has metadata cataloging features but needs changes in domain model
The tool's metadata cataloging is the most valuable feature.  The tool's domain model needs to be changed.  Alation Data Catalog is stable.  The solution is scalable.  Alation Data Catalog's deployment is easy. I rate it a nine out of ten. Deployment takes only two to three hours to complete.…
Saikat Ghosh - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides an end-to-end perspective of data usage and assists in identifying sensitive data across the enterprise
I use the Collibra Lineage visualization features. The solution helps me understand data flows effectively. Collibra Lineage impacts my data analysis by helping to identify where data is used, making it significantly useful. The solution facilitates compliance by defining where sensitive data is…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Alation Data Catalog was very useful for sharing SQL queries easily in a platform."
"We had some of our data science engineers, who had built out some cloud-based data and data products for users. They were spending a lot of their time, up to 30 to 35% of their time, answering questions about the data and helping people understand how to use it. Once they were able to document that information within Alation, they were only focusing on around 5% of the high-value questions that really couldn't be solved through the catalog itself. It freed them up to be more productive, it made their end-users more productive, and it made the adoption rate of their data products rise more quickly because people were able to get to using them."
"The platform's most valuable features are workflow automation, automated business metadata tagging, technical metadata tagging, and data integration with data quality tools or platforms."
"The solution is used to query MySQL clients and store data and documentation."
"The most valuable feature is cloud integration."
"The solution's most valuable feature is the ALLIE AI feature."
"Alation Data Catalog provides a nice interface for connecting to the database, querying the data, and working on it."
"The tool's metadata cataloging is the most valuable feature."
"The main benefits that Collibra Lineage provides include measurable advantages."
"The solution allowed us to quickly and efficiently implement our data governance operating model, including accountabilities, regulatory lineage, and data dictionaries. This was much faster and more efficient than manual methods or other tools like Informatica. I prefer Collibra Lineage for its self-service capabilities."
"The most valuable features of Collibra Lineage are the multiple options for automation. Additionally, if you have a scenario where automation does not work, you have the option to manually create the lineage. The solution does not force you to always go through an automated way where you have broken lineage and you are stuck without a lineage."
"The solution makes data more discoverable and transparent."
"The integration with other Collibra Lineage products is valuable in our data governance initiatives."
"It shows how the data was transformed on the way and how the solutions were derived. This is the essence of the tool and why it is so powerful."
"One of the best features of Collibra Lineage is that it provides an end-to-end perspective of where data is used in the enterprise."
"The solution has very good online assistance."
 

Cons

"Although the solution performs far better in terms of data cataloging, its data governance capabilities need improvement."
"The product's data governance features need improvement."
"Data observability within Alation would be incredibly helpful for addressing these challenges"
"Alation Data Catalog doesn't support end-to-end lineage. By that, I mean the ability to trace the movement of data from when it first comes into our organization to where it's consumed."
"The interface is not user-friendly."
"I know that this has been on their roadmap and they're working on it, but as a whole, there's an untapped reservoir of capabilities within their article features that could be used and built upon."
"We have had issues setting up the connectors and getting Alation's support team to resolve issues."
"Alation Data Catalog is not user-friendly for business users. Its user experience is comparable to a Wikipedia page, lacking good visualization."
"It would be better if features like the privacy module and AI-based Collibra DQ were included in one package instead of being separate and requiring additional costs. Currently, the basic package covers lineage and documentation, but the extra modules come at an extra cost."
"The product must be cheaper."
"I experience occasional downtime, bugs, and some glitches."
"The workflow documentation must be improved."
"Before you can use this solution, you have to make a lot of changes to how you measure your information in your organization, the data governance and policies, and the organizational structures that use them. Many companies believe that if they purchase the licenses for the tool that they have done the job, but this is far from the case with this tool."
"We would like this solution to be able to connect directly to the databases, so we can pull directly from Databank without manual intervention."
"If a developer implements ETL in Glue or PySpark, Collibra cannot capture lineage out of that."
"I have seen many customers moving away from Collibra Lineage after using it for a couple of years because the cost-benefit analysis does not give them a favorable report."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I don't have all the details on the pricing side, but the solution was more expensive than originally expected."
"The platform is moderately expensive compared to the other competitors in the market."
"The solution is a little expensive."
"A three-year agreement is better than a one-year rolling 12-month agreement from a price point of view. I'd recommend looking at a three-year deal because you can't stand up a catalog and produce value in 12 months."
"It's expensive, especially for small companies."
"There are different licenses available for Collibra Lineage based on what kind of access you want. If you want, for example, a read-only license they have different ones to pick from."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Insurance Company
14%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise7
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Large Enterprise7
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Alation Data Catalog?
The platform's most valuable features are workflow automation, automated business metadata tagging, technical metadata tagging, and data integration with data quality tools or platforms.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Alation Data Catalog?
The price difference between Alation Data Catalog and Collibra was not significant. Collibra is a little bit expensive than Alation, but I presented the benefits of having that platform, so that li...
What needs improvement with Alation Data Catalog?
Alation Data Catalog is not user-friendly for business users. Its user experience is comparable to a Wikipedia page, lacking good visualization. In a fast-paced world, we need to grasp information ...
What do you like most about Collibra Lineage?
The solution makes data more discoverable and transparent.
What needs improvement with Collibra Lineage?
There are areas of improvement in Collibra Lineage, including pricing, support, and reporting. Regarding pricing, it is somewhat expensive, and I think it could be more cost-efficient.
 

Also Known As

Alation
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Salesforce, Snowflake, Citrix, eBay, TripAdvisor, Albertsons, Nasdaq, Pfizer, LinkedIn, Finnair.
AXA XL, DNB, Adobe, PMI, Holland America Line, UC Davis Health, Cox Automotive
Find out what your peers are saying about Alation Data Catalog vs. Collibra Lineage and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
866,561 professionals have used our research since 2012.